Sprogg Compilation Casettes

From Discogs: While in college in the early 1990s, Nick Wilson was the record buyer for Magnolia Thunderpussy and World Record (local record stores in Columbus, Ohio on the campus of Ohio State University.) His friend, graphic designer James Towning, collaborated with Wilson on the creation of both the Sprogg fanzine/magazine and the accompanying compilation tape. Sprogg was intended to be an ongoing project, but both got sidetracked by their day jobs.

Columbus bands include Girly Machine, Martyr Colony, V-3, Pica Huss, Scrawl, Monster Truck Five and Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments.

Video: The Big O by The Honey's

Heavy Harmonies Reviews of The Honey's

If you wanna talk hard rock and get short, concise reviews, Heavy Harmonies is a good place to do it. Here are some reviews from a variety of folks to check out for the 2003 EP Hot Day In Heaven:

New Additions: Shoot From The Hip album by The Honey's

The Honey's were a breath of fresh air back in the early 2000s. A female-fronted hard rock band with catchy vocal and guitar hooks - they were fun, loud, brash and could properly pull off an AC/DC cover. I'm sure I owned this back in the day but lost it to the great CD purge of the early 2000s. Well, it's back in my collection, and my collection is better for it.

Know Yer Band: The Honey's

Band: The Honey's

Members
Jaime Campbell - vocals
Justin Modica - guitar
Lisa Lorraine - bass
Ben Kemp - drums

Releases
2001 - Shoot From The Hip album (Derailleur Records)
2003 - Hot Day In Heaven EP (Not On Label)

Thanksgiving Break

We Want Action Compilation

In 2003 We Want Action, the label run by Relay Recording put out a compilation documenting the various bands on the label or that had recorded at the studio. It's a great time-capsule of 2003 Columbus, with bands such as Tiara, Denovo, Kopaz, The Sun, Templeton, Silencio, Miranda Sound, Frotiva, 84 Nash and The Last Hotel all contributing tracks.

Video: THE CREEPS - VICTIMS 7 INCH

ManBQue: Looking Back - A Hardcore Retrospective

Not a whole lot written up about The Creeps (or at least what made it online), but they did get mentioned in this ManBQue retrospective on hardcore from 2014:

The scene in Ohio was pretty diverse you had punk kids and hardcore kids at the same shows, where today shows seem to be missing that diversity you saw in the 90s.  Some of the bands at the time were Twelve Tribes (Dayton), X Battleground X (Dayton), Pitboss 2000 (Columbus), The Creeps (Columbus), Integrity (Cleveland), Run Devil Run (Cleveland), Ringworm (Cleveland).  Not far from Cleveland you had the Erie, PA scene with greats like Shockwave, Disciple, Brother’s Keeper, and Problem Solver Revolver. 

Let’s also not forget the violence that went on.  In Dayton you always heard of a certain “crew” beating up people 5 on 1.  This was also around the time when militant straight edge was becoming a big thing.  While I never saw too much violence, there was always a chance of something going down.

New Additions: The Creeps / Black Love split single (2000)

The first (and only) release in my collection by The Creeps is the 2000 split single with Black Love. It's an interesting document in that it's the only recording I can find by Black Love, which was the late 1990s band featuring former Carnival of Souls/Barbed Wire Dolls lead singer Johnny "Booger" Weills. When I found this at Records Per Minute, it ended up having both the green and red vinyl versions included, which for a record collecting nerd like myself, was a pretty cool bonus.

Know Yer Band: The Creeps

Band: The Creeps

Members
Vocals - Jon Gingrich
Guitar/vocals - McFly
Bass - Jess Martin
Drums - Sam Allen/Jeff Wise

Releases
1997 - Come Get Some 7" EP (Retribution Records)
1998 - Victims 7" single (Retribution Records)
1999 - Lights Over Baghdad 7" single (Smog Veil Records)
2000 - Split w/Black Love 7" single (Diaphragm Records)
2000 - All American album (Frontline Records)

Willi Phoenix Tribute Machine

Back in 2015, a group of notable Columbus musicians got together to pay tribute to Columbus legend Willie Phoenix. Featuring Sam Brown (Drums), Colin Gawel (Vocals, Guitar), Andy Harrison (Guitar, Vocals), and Matt Reber (Bass), the group recorded a pair of covers and posted them to Bandcamp.

Video: Willie Phoenix " Gloria " July 17 , 2010 , LC , Columbus Ohio , Wing Zing

Columbus Monthly: Rise Up - The Unstoppable, Unknowable Willie Phoenix

Back in 2015, Columbus Monthly profile Willie Phoenix. Here is part of the article:

Musician Willie Phoenix seems to have an infinite supply of creative energy that, over the decades, has been poured into bands, recordings, riveting performances and a brush with big-time fame that ended with disappointment. These days, he’s playing dive bars for audiences that measure by the dozen, though he’s ever the entertainer, ever the rock star. Could a new album and fresh energy send him soaring skyward again? 

It’s Halloween night, and High Street is teeming with Ohio State students scurrying to and from bars and nearby rentals. I’m headed to Bernie’s, a basement deli and concert venue that opened in the ’70s, to catch a set by Blues Hippy and the Soul Underground-aka Columbus rocker Willie Phoenix, whose musical history in this town goes back as far as Bernie’s does. 

The show is running about an hour behind schedule, so Phoenix doesn’t take the stage until after midnight, following sets by two lackluster opening bands that draw only a handful of onlookers to this dark, dank room. One band spills beer onstage and pesters the bartender for more. The sparse crowd, which trends a couple decades older than the students on the sidewalks above, talks over the music and mills around the scattered bar stools and tables. Toward the back of the room, near the bathrooms and the sound man reading his book with a penlight, LPs and 45s by ’90s Columbus bands like Gaunt decorate the wall. 

Twenty years ago, there would have been a line out the door to see Phoenix perform at Bernie’s. Tonight, no more than 20 people have ventured in, but they all crowd the area in front of the stage when Phoenix walks to the mic. One middle-aged man is wearing a wig of black dreadlocks. “I’m 1985 Willie Phoenix,” he says. A woman grabs her friend’s arm and begins hopping in place, saying: “I get to see Willie Phoenix tonight! I get to see Willie Phoenix tonight!”

New Additions: Willie Phoenix 1982 self-titled debut album

If you're going to start with an artist you are not all that familiar with, it's not a bad idea to start at the beginning. In this case, it's the 1982 self-titled album released on A&M Records. Now, but this point Willie Phoenix was an established artist, having started with Eric in high school, and playing with a variety of folks in a number of different projects. This is Willie out front, and it's a good sound for him, midwestern rock with touches of power pop, psychedelia and more.