New Additions: Limited Edition EP by The Press

For someone who enjoys research and crate digging for records, a band like The Press is right up my alley. Here's how I came across their 1987 release Limited Edition EP. I was at Spoonful Records flipping through the local section, and stopped at a sealed copy of The Press 12". The band name didn't look familiar, so I flipped it over wondering what it was, and the name "Jeff Gastineau" caught my eye. How did I know that name? Why was it familiar? I pulled out my phone and searched the Discogs app for the name, which came up with Engineer credits on Razor Penguins and Eurogression, as well as contributing a track to one of the Q-FM 96 compilations. At that point, it didn't matter what The Press sounded like, I was buying the record based on the connections alone. Turns out it's pretty solid 80s pop/AOR, but more importantly I was able to locate Jeff and not long we had an interview via Skype for the book.

New Additions: Born Of The Stars by The Tough And Lovely

I'll admit that, although I was walking up and down High Street at the same time they were on the scene, I have almost no recollection of The Tough And Lovely. Recently I picked up their 2004 debut Born Of The Stars out on Spoonful Records, and am now kicking myself for that oversight. Maybe because I was burnt out on the "garage rock revival" that was sweeping the early '00s, or maybe I'm just not that observant, but I biffed it big time - this is good stuff.

Know Yer Band: The Tough And Lovely

Band: The Tough And Lovely

Members
Vocals – Lara Yazvac
Guitar/Keys/Vocals – Andrew Robertson
Bass – Carol Schumacher, Matthew Million
Guitar – Mark Sims
Drums – Christian Pierce

Releases
2003 - 7" single (Spoonful Records)
2004 - Born Of The Stars (Spoonful Records)
2007 - Teardrops (Spoonful Records)