Video: Econothugs - Skully

New Addition: Beer Run 7" single by Econothugs

I picked all four of the Econothugs 7" singles in the fall and winter of 2019/2020. It's loud, messy, punk with a tinge of grunge. While the recordings aren't always the best, there are lots of good tunes spread out amongst the singles.

Know Yer Band: Econothugs

Band Name: Econothugs

Members
Vocals - Jake Label
Guitar - Moby Peters
Bass - Fuzzy Knubber
Drums - Humpy Wheeler

Releases
1993 - Sludge 7" (Centsless Productions)
1994 - Beer Run 7" (Centsless Productions)
1994 - Donny's High 7" (Anyway Records)
1995 - 7" Split w/My White Bread Mom (Burnt Sienna Records)

Video: The Cowboys - Teenage Life

Agit Reader: Mark Eitzel - Restless Stranger

Agit Reader: Mark Eitzel - Restless Stranger

By Elizabeth Murphy

What is your relationship with pop culture? 

ME: I don’t want to be mean-spirited, but most of it seems like it is machines. I don’t mind machines—I love electronic music quite a bit—but the whole notion of moving to the machine kind of worries me a bit. Like “Call Me Maybe,” I don’t hate Katy Perry, but I guess I do. 

There is definitely something to be said for mass art dulling the upper faculties, and Katy Perry is a great example of that, although I always find myself rooting to hear a really great pop song on the radio. When that happens it is fantastic. 

ME: I do too. The thing is, I am old. So when I hear something like Lil Wayne’s “Baby Bump” or... What’s that called? “Lovely Lumps?”
“Lady Lumps.” 

ME: “Lady Lumps,” that’s right. I listen to that and think that music is really beautiful, really well made. But then I listen to what he is saying, he is just spitting out noise because to actually say something would be not cool. I am from such a different generation. Just say something! C’mon, try it. They don’t and there is nothing to say, because they can only handle the noise. So it is not my thing. It just seems like cruelty. Our whole American culture is a celebration of liars and how well they lie. Our politicians are not at war with gangsters. In a way, that is our whole culture now. Everyone’s a “bitch” or not. I hate it. It is so dumb. So that is my relationship with pop culture. I have never particularly liked it. I don’t think something is good just because it is successful. I mean, Hitler was successful.

New Additions: The Cowboys 7" single (1980)

Well actually, no. I debated when I was going to get to The Cowboys because, in reality, I'm never going to my hands on a copy of their lone 7" single "Supermarket / Teenage Life" that came out on Tet Offensive Records in 1980. First, because they didn't produce that many to begin, and second because in talking to Mark Eitzel, he was unhappy with the recording, and threw a large amount of them into a dumpster.

Know Yer Band: The Cowboys

Band: The Cowboys

Members
Mark Eitzel - vocals
Larry Repp - guitar
Pete Stackelberg - guitar
George Diaz/Brian Emch - bass
David Wise - drums

Releases
1980 - Supermarket / Teenage Life 7" single (Tet Offensive Records)

Cringe.com: Interview with a Bigfoot (1998)

Cringe.com: Interview with a Bigfoot

Issue 8.1, Winter 1998

The interview took place at Larry's Bar & Grill a few weeks ago. Bigfoot is David Bleveans-Holm, Melanie Bleveans-Holm, Bill Clark, Brad Swiniarski and the occasional Rhodes player, most recently Jonathan Beard. Their CD Sleepwalk was released in late 1996. Dave and Melanie are married to each other. As a fan I was hoping to offer them a platform to discuss whatever and I hope the questions provoked some good conversation. 

Dave is a little gun shy. We briefly joke about his nervousness for interviews. We settle in to a booth and hit play. Portishead joins us from the jukebox. 

Can you give me a brief history of the current band line-up? 

Dave - The first thing that happened was Jeff Clowdus, our previous second guitar player, decided to move to NM. Bill had been sitting in and playing some pedal steel on a few songs and he was incorporated into the group as a full member. [Jeff Wood decided not to continue playing. Jon Beard came in about 6 months later.] 

With an uncanny appropriateness imagine one of Larry's drunks singing "on the good ship, lollipop ..."

New Additions: *!!@#ed In The Head / Too Drunk To Say 7" single

I picked up the *!!@#ed In The Head / Too Drunk To Say 7" single by Bigfoot some time ago, and I'm not exactly sure how or where, but it's a nice little slice of country indie rock.

Know Yer Band: Bigfoot

Band: Bigfoot

Members
David Holm - vocals, guitar, piano,
Melanie Bleveans - bass, vocals
Jeff Clowdus -  guitar, vocals
Brad Swiniarski - drums, vocals

Releases
1996 - Sleepwalk album (Lizard Family Music / Bluehouse)
1998 - *!!@#ed In The Head / Too Drunk To Say 7" single (Seldom Scene / Bluehouse)
1999 - Dark Old Days album (Derailleur Records)

On Vacation: Memorial Day

On vacation this week - back in a week!

Video: The Receiver - "Visitor"

Video: The Receiver - Transit

NPR All Songs Considered - Viking's Choice: The Receiver, 'Transit' (2015)

NPR All Songs Considered - Viking's Choice: The Receiver, 'Transit'
May 28, 2015

Like a space opera built for two, The Receiver's "Transit" captures a universe of dreamy prog in keyboards and drums. On their third album, All Burn, brothers Casey and Jesse Cooper set complex, bright melodies and heartbeat-pulsing rhythms adrift. "Transit" sounds like a Pink Floyd ballad sung with a Peter Gabriel-like coo, as synths tug and move the track forward. The band writes that "the song is about commitment to another person despite change and loss, and we wanted the music to reflect that."

New Additions: Decades album by The Receiver

Picking up CDs for cheap on Discogs has been a good way to quickly load up on Columbus music, usually a bunch at a time depending on the seller. Not too long ago I was able to grab the 2006 debut album Decades by The Receiver, which I missed back when it first came out. I'm not surprised that I missed it, as the combo of electronics, progressive elements, and indie rock would have gone right over my head.