The Auto-No - This Is (1991, Big Ball)

Here's proof that even when some bands opt to color within the lines they can still make an impression.  The Auto-No (an American trio who point of origin isn't exactly clear) played it pretty much straight down the middle in the alt-rock realm of the early/mid '90s.  No histrionics, gimmicks, or even flashy fashion sensibilities here, just punchy and heartfelt indie guitar-pop not far removed from what the Buck Pets, Dramarama, or even the Goo Goo Dolls were sporting during the same era.  As a whole, This Is, isn't thoroughly revelatory, but a fairly consistent listen with a clutch of downright great tunes, including but not limited to "Cross the Line," "There's a Reason Why," and "Never Let Me Down." Apparently a couple more Auto-No albums followed This Is, but this CD is all I've pinned down thus far.

01. This is Your God
02. True Love Always
03. All This Time
04. Coming of the Tide
05. Cross the Line
06. If This Was Happiness
07. Blue Lights
08. Only One
09. Never Let Me Down
10. Celebrate Until Tomorrow
11. There's a Reason Why

Hear

A few restored links.

By request.

The Acid Drops - 7"

American Standard - Wonderland & 7"

Aviators - Deed to a Ranch ep 

Jim Basnight and the Moberlys - s/t ep

Beat Temptation - Concerned About Rock Music?

The Bent Backed Tulips (Dramarama) - 7"

Bring Home the Lobsters - tape

Paul Collins Beat - live NYC 1979

Diodes - Survivor  

Doll Congress - s/t ep

The Donner Party: Complete Recordings -  Disks 1 & 2

Drive - covers 7" 

The Figgs - Rejects & singles

Fingers - Video Games ep

For Squirrels - Baypath Rd & demos

Gem - Hexed & I Am a Tree ep 

Glass Eye - Huge ep, Marlo & Christine ep

Gentleman Jesse and His Men - Singles and Rarities

Greg Kihn Band - Next of Kihn

Gunbunnies - Paw Paw Patch

Hummingbirds - LoveBuzz & singles 

Husker Du - Zen Arcade demos/outtakes & Psychepowerpopapunk   

I Can Crawl - Desert

I-Rails - Panharmonium, Nine Songs From Nowhere, Unfocused, Valentino Says, Same Old Me 7", live 1990 

The Iodine Raincoats - I Wonder ep 

The Killing Field - Courage tape

Killjoys - Starry, Gimme Five, Melos Modos, One Night and a Morning After

Lines - Standby ep

Lonesome Strangers - Lonesome Pine  

Math Bats - Bat Day ep

Nashville Ramblers - The Trains 7" (MP3/FLAC)

Native Tongue - s/t ep

New Sweet Breath - singles

Todd Newman - Too Sad for Words & Temporary Setback

The Nines - demo tape 

Nuns of the Great West - The World Ain't Safe ep 

Odolites - Chimes 7" & Persistence of Memory

One Plus Two - Once in a Blue Moon 

Orange Humble Band - Down in Your Dreams ep

Our American Cousins - demo

Poole - two eps

Prodigys - Another Lazy Wednesday

Raves - Past Perfect Tense 

The Records - A Sunny Afternoon in Waterloo & live Dallas 1979

Retriever - Greatest Moments of Doubt & Three Second Stereo ep

Rollerskate Skinny - Trophy & Novice eps

The Seen - Under the Sun/In the Rain/

Shins - Nature Bears a Vacuum ep

Something Blew - s/t ep

Sometime Sweet Susan - Fuse, Point ep & The Coming Lights 

Stag - Kickstart the Ramparts

Swimming Pools Q's - Pow Wow Hour

Trikona Frame - tape 

UV Prom - Field of Vision ep

V. Card - Pool Shark ep & 7" 

Velocity Girl - singles  

Venus in Furs - Real Moral Fibre

Ward 8 (Winter Hours) - tape

Wishes and Water - s/t ep

Wishing Wall - Maybe  

Wolfie - Necessary Sailing tape

V/A - Been There, Done That

V/A - Power pop special: Paul Collins Beat, 20/20, Sinceros live 1979

V/A - Powerpearls Vols. 4 & 5

V/A - Propeller

Dramarama - The Best Was Yet to Come (199?)

Well, another week of embarrassingly minimal content for ya'll. Sorry folks.  Dramarama.  No strangers to this page, but I haven't followed up on them in awhile. This was a fan-curated collection of songs, seemingly thrown together haphazardly, but the emphasis on songs that were recorded when they were on their last legs in the '90s (pre '00s reunion of course).  We get what appear to be demos of songs re-recorded and properly made available for public consumption, ironically just in the last few years. "It's Only Money," "Swamp Song" and "Everyday" eventually appeared on their last LP, Color TV.  "Indian Gin and Whiskey Dry" was their contribution to a Bee Gees tribute, and likewise was "Raw Ramp" for a Marc Bolan & T. Rex covers comp.  I think "Sincerely" (Dwight Twilley cover) and "7 Minutes More or Less" were taken from the band's 18 Big Ones hits collection. I don't know where "Crime Scene" is from. Might just be a random outtake.  Anyway, it's a neat, but curiously random listen.  Enjoy.

01. Crime Scene
02. Sincerely
03. Indian Gin and Whiskey Dry
04. Prayer for Survival (acoustic)
05. It's Only Money
06. The Swamp Song
07. Everyday
08. 7 Minutes More or Less
09. Raw Ramp

Hear

Robert Seidler - Cig Sisters ep (1987, Hill Avenue)

Many espouse the notion that an album should never be titled after one of the songs on the LP itself.  In the case of Robert Seidler's Cig Sisters I'd argue to the contrary, given the song bears such a prominent presence.  It's not an anthem mind you, yet "Cig Sisters" bears enough nervy, pedestrian panache that ever so faintly absorbs the choicest entrails of Dramarama, and to a lesser extent mid-80s Psych Furs.  Seidler's mid tempo, alt-rock shtick isn't particularly innovative, but muscular salvos like "Summer Air" and "I Can't Believe" are gratifying all the same.  Even some of the other songs that failed to persuade me on my initial listen of Cig Sisters are gradually sinking in.  More records by the man and his quartet of co-conspirators exist, albeit not in my collection.  You can find out a few more details here.

My copy of Cig was a radio station copy, the front cover of which was defaced so drastically I purloined a more representative image off Discogs.com  Thanks to whomever was thoughtful enough to make it available.

01. Cig Sisters
02. Summer Air
03. I Can't Believe
04. Lassie
05. Country Faces
06. Cig Sisters (reprise)

Hear

The Leonards - s/t (1988, Rock Ranch)

Here's one of the more straight-up rock and roll records I've offered in awhile.  The Leonards were a riff-pop powerhouse from L.A. who issued a spate of typically overlooked gems in the late '80s right up through the mid-90s.  You might detect shades of the Plimsouls and perhaps less so Dramarama, but I took these guys to be a bit more minimal than that.  Furthermore, if you're an aficionado of the Junk Monkeys and early Figgs the Leonards are about to roll right into your wheelhouse.  Enjoy.

01. She Said Goodbye
02. Questioning Days
03. Only the Skies are Blue
04. Out of My Mind
05. Don't Give Up
06. Consider It
07. Two Pillows

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V/A - Self Mutilation: One, Two, Three and More - A compilatiopn of compilations

Welcome to the soundtrack to my early college years (he emits a *sigh* in the most reluctant manner possible), for better or worse.  My reticence towards this one is less exaggerated than I'm letting on.  But before delving any further, as the title might imply, this one is a consolidation of three shorter form Self Mutilation compilations, specifically 7" eps, issued by the Aussie Hippy Knight label between 1991-93.  If it's "power pop" or anything on a remotely genteel tip you're seeking, best advised you move along.

The Mutilation series was bejeweled with a cabal of the era's most effective and grating noisenik punksters and grunge-amok hopefuls, with virtually none of it's participants breaching into the mainstream.  But as an international scene snapshot, this disc exposes the gritty, subterranean muck that even labels like Amphetamine Reptile weren't wiling to approach, or at the very least make a monetary investment in.  The likes of Atomic 61, Sandy Duncan's Eye and Meanies may ring a little raucous to some ears, but there's also thecomparatively less high strung Seaweed, You Am I and Superchunk, the latter of whom turn in a casual, 4-track acoustic version of "Cool," worth the price of admission alone.   As a parting recommendation, check out Green Magnet School's deliciously raw, but slyly tuneful "Blind In My Mouth," sounding something like a long-lost Dramarama demo.

01. Coffin Break - Cry    
02. You Am I - Snake Tide    
03. God And Texas - 1066    
04. Jonestown - El Segundo    
05. Green Magnet School - Blind In My Mouth    
06. Free Moving Curtis - Fire    
07. Poppin' Mommas - Now I Love Her    
08. Sandy Duncan's Eye - Polsen Petroleum    
09. Mother's Day - Birdy    
10. Superchunk - Cool    
11. Erectus Monotones - Tweeter And Quibble    
12. Screamfeeder - Snail Trail    
13. Vertigo - Shallow Water    
14. Nunbait - Shit For Brains    
15. Alien Boys - Timothy    
16. The Stump Wizards -    Fire    
17. Seaweed - Selfish    
18. Atomic 61 - Pussy Juice    
19. Seaweed Goorillas - Incest    
20. The Meanies - People Like Me

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Private Domain - s/t (1987, Chameleon)

I've seen this one kicking around on Ebay and in record stores for ages, but I didn't take the plunge until a few days ago.  Bought it based on the intriguing album jacket more than anything else, which is entirely superficial of me.  Turns out that Private Domain claimed San Diego as their physical domain when this disk lurched onto the racks, courtesy of Chameleon Records, who I believe were more renown for acts like Dramarama, but I digress.  Not the subrosa masterpiece I was hoping for, the album (which was re-released a year later on another label, bearing a vastly different track list) is your proverbial mixed bag.  PD's approximation of white boy rasta on "Turn Out Right," and their apparent signature piece "Absolutely Perfection" are at the very least passable, and in some cases outshine the album's less satisfactory moments (like the pitiful power-ballad misstep "Broken Hearts").  Despite some '80s shtick and period keyboard trickery, Private Domain were at their most effective and assertive when they skewed to a riffier album rock motif, exemplified on "So Comfortable," not to mention the pseudo power pop of "Burn the Torch," which was a hell of a lot more convincing than Cheap Trick's sappy radio hit at the time.

01. People Living in Shadows
02. Spiratual Warfare
03. Don't Need That Much
04. Just Let Me Love You
05. So Comfortable
06. Absolute Perfection
07. Burn the Torch
08. Broken Hearts
09. Turn Out Right
10. Wrong People

Hear

Cement Trampoline - Glad to Be Alive (1989, Imagine!)

Never mind the (quasi) mullets, this Bay Area foursome weren't quite as "boss" as their collective visages suggest.  Cement Trampoline were presumably minor players in their hometown scene, with faint inclinations to not-so-local contemporaries raging from the Feelies to Dramarama and even the Smithereens.  Glad to Be Alive finds these humble gents mixing things up with several gradations of speed and intensity.  "Pushing the Panic Button" is a thing of jagged riff-rock beauty, with "Everything Means Touch" coming in at a close second.  "Lifeline" is strummy, power pop manna, the mid-tempo "Pick Me Up" isn't necessarily capable as it's title purports, but C/T save their finest for last, a swift jangly salvo in the guise of "Now!"  Some of the in-between tunes I've failed to mention are a little too slow or pedestrian for my edgy tastes, but I'll let you suss out which ones they are.

01. Lifeline
02. When You Hear My Song
03. I Keep Hoping
04. Step Lightly
05. Pushing the Panic Button
06. Gallup to a Crawl
07. (Shake) The Hand of Fate
08. Everything Means Touch
09. Lucky As You Are
10. Pick Me Up
11. Now!

Hear

Re-uploads for April.

Here's the best I could do.  Thanks for your requests.

Visitors - No Sign of Intelligent Life
Luxurious Bags - Frayed Knots
Sheila Divine - s/t ep
Jellyfishbabies - The Unkind Truth About Rome
The Furys - Indoor/Outdoor ep
The Fugue - Waiting for Something
Rooney - three eps
Dramarama - The Days of Wayne and Roses
Nightman - No Escape
Brave New World - The Law of Series ep
Bitter Pleasures - Eat the Monument ep
Sea Hags - demo
Expando Brain - Mother of God its...
Young Pioneers - tape
A Picture Made - 7"
The Chant - Two Car Mirage & Three Sheets to the Wind
Field Trip - Beautiful
Clay Idols - Falling Down Backwards
Sammy - Chili Lite 7"
Eric Menck and Paul Chastain - Firetrucks and Periwinkles
Fig Dish - Unleash the Cracken
Sweet Jesus - discography
Caretaker Race - Hangover Square
Minerva Strain - Blue Tarantella
Contras - Ciphers in the Snow
Fingers - Video Games ep
V/A - Imaginary Records comp
Tina, Age 13 - The Alcoholic Father of My Inner Child
Windbreakers - At Home With...
Howard and Tim's Paid Vacation - I Never Met a Girl
Beat Temptation - Concerned About Rock Music?
Nocturnal Projections - Nerve Ends in Power Lines
Lucy Brown - s/t 1988
Scared of Chaka/Flake Music - split 7"
New Musik - Straight Lines ep
Propaganda - Calling on Moscow ep
Yo - Charm World
Mock Turtles - 87-90
Juliana Hatfield & Evan Dando - The Mercury Lounge, NYC 9/30/10
Luxury - EP #1
The Teardrop Explodes - live 3/7/81, Mount Vernon, NY
Dharma Bums - Givin' In 7"
Dangtrippers - Incantation 7"

Imitation Life - Scoring Correctly at Home! & Ice Cubes and Sugar (1986-88, Veebltronics/Skyclad)

Was surprised to see this one wasn't archived elsewhere online (save for Discogs).  Imitation Life presumably called Los Angeles their stomping ground and had two albums to show for themselves, 1986's Ice Cubes and Sugar, and the more impressive Scoring Correctly at Home which followed two years later.  The latter of those two is sequenced first on this two-fer CD.  More pub rock than power pop, I/L also veered into punk and roots rock terrain, sounding like a crossbreed between Dramarama, and such no-nonsense traditionalists as NRBQ.  Per the sleeve notes, John Easdale and Chris Carter of  the aforementioned Dramarama actually make guest appearances here, though they aren't credited on any specific songs.  And speaking of songs, there are some pretty phenomenal ones hanging out on Scoring..., namely "Sad Man," and "(I Don't Wanna) Shake in the Shadows."  This one had been sitting on my shelf for a few years, and I could kick myself for not getting to it sooner.  Better late...enjoy.

Scoring Correctly at Home
01. Claudine
02. Make a Move
03. American Standards
04. What I Could Do
05. More Than One Clue
06. Already Spoken For
07. Sad Man
08. (Baby) I Need You
09. (I Don't Wanna) Shake in the Shadows
10. Olga (Put Down the Vodka Now)
11. It's Time to Leave
12. Try to Understand

Ice Cubes and Sugar
13. She's Just a Taker
14. Imitation Life
15. Over Here
16. When She Says Yes
17. Come On Up
18. Hey Buddy
19. I'm Really Alright Tonight
20. Breakout
21. Without a Cause
22. Merchandise Me
23. I'll Come Back For You

Hear

Various - D-sides: The Letter "D" folder mix

Feels like it's been ages since I shared one of my letter folder mix comps, so here's to the fourth one in the alphabet.  Adhering to the same theme as my preceding "H" "O" "P" "B" and "G" folder mixes, this robust, 25 song compendium of totally random artists have only one thing in common - the first letter of their respective monikers.  In fact, no consideration has been given to genre.  For almost every complete album I have by an artist on my hard drive, I store just as many random one-off songs by artists I don't have a dedicated folder to.  These random one-offs have been corralled into "letter folders" A through Z.  As was the case with the previous entries I'm not going to publish the track list, but I'm about to drop several hints to give you an idea of what's awaiting 110 megs or so of your hard drive space.

I'm sharing a rarely heard Diodes cut, live Discount, a super early Del Amitri single side (yes, before they sold out), and demos from the Datura Seeds and Drowners.  There's acoustic Death Cab, live Dreams So Real, and a radio session track from Dramarama.  And I suppose it wouldn't be a "letter" comp without some thoughtful covers, this installment courtesy of the Dangtrippers and Dipsomaniacs.  The fabulous Dion McGregor spins a surreal narrative in his sleep, and if that wasn't enough, you're sure to get your punk on with drugMoney and The Drips.  With that, I shall let the other half of this mix remain a total surprise. 

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Dimestore Darlings - What is My? What is Mo? tape (1994, Forged)

The curiously titled What is My? What is Mo? is one of a handful of demo eps recorded by the Dimestore Darlings, a spirited New York bunch who possessed the nonchalant moxie and charisma of some of their key inspirations which thankfully included Dramarama, the Replacements and Soul Asylum.  A familiar recipe, but one that's aged nicely since these four cuts were committed to tape the better part of two decades ago.  The Darlings are what the Hold Steady could have amounted to if their singer ever attempted to carry a tune (harsh, I know).  Turns out these guys have a Tumblr page with streaming audio of these tunes and about eight more, plus a super thorough and entertaining bio.   Highly recommened.  I've plucked a paragraph from that bio which specifically addresses this tape.  Enjoy (or not).  But you will.

We emerged 30 hours later with the second EP in hand: What Is My, What Is Mo?—the title the result of a Justin and Steve misread of Gene Simmons asking the musical question “What is my charisma?” It was heavy on the kick drum, frenetic, and a strong move forward. Justin’s “Sometimes It’s Me” and “Damage” were both genuinely surprising with their lyrical depth, and the grooves themselves had a dizzying, reckless feel, a kind of walloping gait that left no room for instrumental niceties, but were still both interesting and accessible, particularly “Damage,” which had a rough-hewn Keith Richards vibe and a drunken nose-sung vocal that worked perfectly. It’s a great song. In all, What Is My, What Is Mo? was an adrenaline-fueled, determined sound of a band blasting off, which Jay nailed when he yelled “I’m stressing out” in the second track, his “Waste of Time.” And Aaron plays the living hell out of his kit throughout. A fun time had by one and all: Imagine the Keystone Kops, loaded, making a record against an insane deadline and you get the idea—fun but exhausting.

01. Sometimes It's Me
02. Waste of Time
03. Summary
04. Damage

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I-Rails - Panharmonium (1990, Primal)

This is a follow-up to my initial I-Rails 7" post from a couple months ago.   That record featured two superlative tracks, "Same Old Me" and "Everyone's in Love" that any band of their ilk would give a collective right arm for.  Well, today I'm offering six times that serving in the form of the I-Rails Panharmonium cassette album, the last in a series of four (Valentino Says, Unfocused and Nine Songs from Nowhere preceded it).  I made a point of mentioning that leadman Chris O'Conners would go onto commercial success in the mid-90s with the highly dissimilar Primitive Radio Gods, and moreover that the I-Rails were another barrel of fish entirely.  And what would that barrel entail you might ask?  If the likes of Dramarama, Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Superstar Carwash-era Goo Goo Dolls are at all enticing to you, chances are you've stumbled onto a gleaming nugget of gold here.  The aforementioned single, particularly the b-side "Everyone's in Love" packed more grit than many of these songs combined, but the  side of the coin, "Same Old Me" but "Disconnected" and "Behold" are pretty damn propulsive in their own right.  Why the I-Rails didn't skyrocket in the same manner PRG did is beyond, because everything was perfectly in place on Panharmonium.  If anyone has any leads on the other three I-Rails tapes, there are some more than willing ears in these parts.

01. Around the World
02. Disconnected
03. Lucifer, Paul & John
04. Willingness
05. Two Feet in Front of Me
06. The Light of the Sun
07. Real Time
08. Fallen
09. Behold
10. In the End
11. Where I Am/Courage
12. Anything in Space

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Easter - s/t (1987, Chameleon)

Easter.  What's in a name?  Well, given the moniker of this L.A. area outfit, if it isn't appropriate for me to share this platter today when will it?  By now, the lucky few who are acquainted with Easter are probably aware of  Mike Ness' affiliation with the group.  I don't have much of a backgrounder to share (though I could have sworn there was a fairly thorough webpage dedicated to them about a year or so ago that seems to have vanished entirely) but Mr. Social D served as guitarist for Easter prior to the recording of this album, and appeared in the videos for "Lights Out" and "Slippin Away."  Performing as a trio for this record, Easter delved headfirst into a driving, hook-savvy strain of album-oriented rock with edgy post-punk inflections.  Headmaster Danny Phillips doles out an unremitting volley of sweet, ringing guitar chords and his mates Chad Carrier and Korky possess more than muscular rhythmic chops.  Easter saw the light of day on Chameleon Records, the same imprint that was home to Dramarama.  The band reissued a cd-r version of the album, padding on a handful of remixes for bonus tracks.  From what I can tell it's still available through CD Baby, which means I'll only be hosting these files temporarily.  This rip is taken from my fairly pristine vinyl copy.  As always, if you like what you hear please support the band!

01. Manhattan Boy
02. Pictures
03. Lights Out
04. Sidewalk Girl
05. Little Boy
06. Lifes Goes On
07. Steady Rockers
08. Slippin Away
09. Latest Flame
10. No Violence

Get it from Amazon.

Singles Going Single #167 - I-Rails "Same Old Me" 7'' (1988, Sloth)

The I-Rails may be virtual unknowns to most of you, but the band who would eventually succeed them by the early '90s, Primitive Radio Gods, made a splash with the sample-heavy, alterna-pop hit "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand."  An appreciation for that loopy nugget isn't of any consequence when it comes to investigating frontman Chris O'Conners previous endeavor, the southern Cali based I-Rails, who traversed a far more linear path.  Alongside this stunning 45, which I'll comment on in a moment, the band was responsible for four albums (all cassette only from what I understand) with the final entry, Panharmonium arriving in 1990.  The I-Rails, particularly in their later years suggested the strain of power pop the Gin Blossoms would soon be serving to the masses, which while fairly conventional was far from a bad thing.  

O'Conner's soaring pipes color "Same Old Me" with an ambitious flair, encroaching into Bono territory at times, but it's the doubly impressive b-side, "Everyone's In Love" that's the true keeper, evoking the punchy ebb and flow of latter-era Replacements and Dramarama.  I will be sharing the I-Rails' Panharmonium tape in the near future, but if anyone out there can help me out with the three preceding albums don't be a stranger.  A very special thanks to Chris for hooking me up with an original copy of this wax.

A. Same Old Me
B. Everyone's in Love

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Singles Going Single #156 - Lusting After Mary 7" (1992, Biffco)

We have a real mystery band on our hands here.  Piano-driven rock with the sway and verve of vintage Dramarama, at least as far as the a-side “Talk Radio” is concerned, which is actually quite a treat.  “Icecapades” is considerably more tender.  I’m not sure if the model gracing the sleeve is in the band or not, but a bloke named Christopher Bains sings.  No pertinent details are to be found regarding Lusting After Mary, but they appeared to call Austin, TX home, and for all we know this could have been they’re only publicly issued recording.

A. Talk Radio
B. Icecapades

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Singles Going Single #140 - The Bent Backed Tulips (Dramarama) 7" (1994, Eggbert)

The short story: Bent Backed Tulips was Dramarama incognito, circa 1988.

The long story: As the legend goes, when Dramarama were set to track their third album, Stuck In Wonderamaland (featuring the brilliant should-have-been-hit "Last Cigarette") head honcho John Easdale arrived to the studio with nearly a box sets worth of material written.  Problem was, their label at the time, Chameleon Records, wanted a record of a more traditional length, and ultimately, that's what they and the band's adoring fans received in the form of the aforementioned Stuck...  The outtakes were not left on the cutting room floor however, at least not until 1994, when the band sanctioned the release of them under the alias, The Bent Backed Tulips ostensibly to avoid any legal wrangling with their previous labels.  Released as a 20 track CD on Eggbert Records, titled Looking Through... the great "lost" Dramarama album finally made it to market, at least in the US, but that's another story. 

Coinciding with the issue of Looking Through... this single was released, featuring the rip-roaring LP scorcher "Tie Me Down," and it's exclusive flipside offering a reading of Morrissey's solo chestnut, "The Last of the Famous International Playboys."  It's a damn fine interpretation at that, reminding you once again why you fell in love with Moz in the first place.  While the single may not be available at this point, the Looking Through... album is, directly from Eggbert Records in fact, and quite possibly through iTunes and the like. 

A. Tie Me Down
B. The Last of the Famous International Playboys

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Dramarama - San Diego, HOB 3/30/08

It's been awhile since I've done a Dramarama post - almost three years in fact. Thought I'd share this above average audience recording, dating back just two years ago in support of the band's most recent album 2005's Everybody Dies. John Easdale's pipes sound a little raspy, the guitars are somewhat stifled in the mix, but the set list is near-perfect, and the energy is impressive. I think the touring version of Dramarama is down to Easdale and just one other original member, but no matter. "Scenario," "Last Cigarette," "Work for Food," and of course "Anything, Anything" have definitely stood the test of time. Click on the first hyperlink above to check out their upcoming gig dates (all confined to the L.A. area I'm afraid). Also, head over to iTunes and Emusic to browse titles from Dramarama's back catalog, most of which is physically out of print.

01. intro
02. Visiting the Zoo
03. Scenario
04. I've Got Spies
05. It's Still Warm
06. Haven't Got a Clue
07. Everybody Dies
08. Work for Food
09. Dropping the Curtains/Tiny Candles
10. Try Five Times
11. Last Cigarette
12. Anything, Anything

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Singles Going Single # 73 - Fig Dish (1993, Happy Tails)

Scooped up during the post-Nirvana signing blitz, Chicago's Fig Dish dished out two excellent platters for Alias Records, That's What's Love Song's Often Do in 1995, and 1997's When Shove Goes Back to Push. With a roaring, riff-rawk assault a la Dramarama, The Buck Pets, and Soul Asylum, Fig Dish had the makings of a respectable success story. Though making some inroads at alt-rock radio circa Love Songs, Fig Dish didn't "phair" nearly as well as their gold and platinum hometown brethren Urge Overkill, Veruca Salt, and yes, Liz Phair.

The single concerning this post was a precursor to the aforementioned albums. Featuring an early incarnation of one of Love Song's most durable numbers, "Rollover, Please," and the otherwise unavailable "Miss California," this 7" makes a strong case for Fig Dish opting to go with a big indie like Sub Pop instead of selling their souls to the suits. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Anyway, I recently learned that in 1998 Fig Dish recorded an album's worth (and then some) of songs for a tentative third album that never was. You can try it on for size by clicking here. On the same blog, you can also partake in a download of a 2006 Fig Dish reunion gig. More Fig Dish songs are available on this here Myspace fan site.
After Fig Dish, mouthpiece/ax-slinger Blake Smith and fellow Dish alumni Mile Willison founded the slyly electonica-inflected Caviar to no significant commercial consequence.

A. Rollover, Please
B. Miss California

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Dramarama - The Days of Wayne and Roses (The Trash Tapes)

A lot of naysayers claim that Dramarama are notorious for offering one or two stunning songs on any given album, and merely pad the remainder with filler. Nonsense. While the band may have peaked in the mid-80s, all five of their 1985 through 1993 LPs, (Cinema Verite, Box Office Bomb, Stuck In Wonderamaland, Vinyl , and Hi-Fi Sci-Fi) solidy exude consistency, just so long as one invests two or three dedicated listens. When they were at the top of his their, John Easdale and crew were capable of delivering some of the most melodic, off-kilter power-pop songs that you could ever dare to wrap your head around.

As a gift of sorts to their fans, in 1992 Dramarama, issued The Days of Wayne and Roses (The Trash Tapes), a fan club CD release limited to 1000 copies. I was fortunate to come across a brand new copy on Ebay several years ago, without having to shell out a left nut. Primarily, this compilation gathers numerous demos and outtakes, spanning 1981-92. Over half of these tracks later appeared on the now out of press deluxe Rhino reissues of the aforementioned Cinema Verite and Box Office Bomb, which means the emphasis here is on their earlier recordings. Most Dramarama die-hards won't have any complaints about that, but then again Days of Wayne... is designed for the die-hards.

01. A Fine Example
02. If Looks Could Kill
03. Want Her to Stay
04. Pretend
05. Some Crazy Dame
06. Punishment
07. Worse Than Being Myself
08. It's Still Warm
09. Hitchiking (w/Willie Loco)
10. Pumps On a Hill
11. Would You Like
12. The Kids
13. Last Cigarette (w/Wes)
14. I've Got Spies
15. Train Going Backwards
16. Reflected
17. (untitled)

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