Solution Unknown

One of the greatest hardcore bands that this city ever saw, SxUx spawned what are arguably the most influential Louisville bands of the 90s.. Slint and Kinghorse. Taken from the Atsoo discography is the following: ATSKOO.
As poignant as it was in 1986, as all-encompassing as any word ever uttered by humanity, it is the one word that can sum up the Solution Unknown era in, well, one word. Throughout the following quasi-biography, we will come to know all that is, was, and continues to be a by-product of Solution Unknown. Few people in the Louisville scene from the mid-'80s on have emerged unscathed from the omnipresence of SU, its members, or its legacy. Finish the journey below and you'll see what I mean.

MEAGER BEGINNINGS
Back in late February 1986, what we now know as SU began to take its first formative steps toward becoming a punk rock juggernaut. The boys, sans Todd (see the Todd section below), matter-of-factly wondered aloud to each other if they could put a band together in a two-week period that would A)be as good as (or at least comparable to) the in-town bands playing at the time, and B)serve as an outlet for the incessant inside jokes that ruled the group's lives. Happily, SU turned out to satisfy both wishes.

The first show (Charlie's Pizzeria, 15-Mar-86) was, if anything, an experience to behold. From Irv Ross singing along to "Where Were You In '82?" (included here as Track 30) to the absolute asinine spectacle of "Typing" (track 31), SU was well recieved and, little did everyone know, the joke was already on them. You see, "Typing" was created to see if all the hardcores in the front row skanking would actually pump a fist in the air and repeatedly yell "typing" at the top of their lungs. "I've got the straight edge!"? Sure. "Nobody cares!"? Of course. But "Typing!"? Well, um... uh, hmmm. Turned out to be big fun at live shows, though.

Don't think that it was all about embarassing John Q. Public, though. As validationg of SU's ability to laugh at itself, listen to track 32 from a pre-first show practice. Yes, that's Bart at whom the snicker is directed.

ONWARD UNKNOWN SOLDIERS
After playing a few shows in the spring of 1986, SU decided to take the next step on their path: recording and putting out a 7". At the time, many great Louisville bands (for example Malignant Growth, Maurice, and Mr. Big) had never put out a record of their own, but SU felt the need to take the plunge. Track 17-25 herein became the "Taken For Granted" EP, named after a fanzine that Eric Schmidt never finished. Not unlike another famous Louisville rocker, they loved it overseas, recieving airtime in the U.K. (including the John Peel Show) and most of Europe. One devoted listener wrote from Czechoslovakia (one country at the time) that he could not send money for the record, but he could trade vodka. Tempting, but SU passed. Back home, the EP made Tim Yohannon's top ten list. He instantly became SU's favorite MRnR staffer. Tracks 26-27 are outtakes from the "TIG" session and are previously unreleased.

Later that summer, SU had its first encounter with a significant future lyrical theme - Karen Miller. Pajo was dating one of her friends, and the guys began to hang out with her from time to time. Eric was completely taken with the young lady and didn't think about much else for some time. One thing SU did think about was...

TODD
Shortly after the "Taken for Granted" session, SU underwent a series of changes. For one, Maurice had broken up, leaving SU as the sole musical vehicle of Mike Bucayu and David Pajo. Given this, SU became less of a fun side project and more of a legitimate force that would have to be reckonded with. As the boys became more intent one making SU the real deal, they decided that the sound needed to be thicker, meatier, and crunchier. After taking inventory of the available guitarists in the scene, SU decided to bring in Todd Brashear, heretofore the bass player for Anti-Youth (the first pure Ballard HS punk rock band to see the light of day on Bardstown Road). Todd brought tightness and responsibility to the SU mix, and the resultant recipe was four-star cuisine. By Septemeber 1986, SU had assimilated Todd and was playing out again, ready to rock. The "TIG" songs never sounded better, and the new material (all of which would show up on the "Karen" LP) was already flowing. It was the start of something big.

FALL AND WINTER OF WONDER
Throughout Fall 1986 and Winter 96/97, SU was playing often with a revolving door of local bands, including The Uninvited, Spot, Anti-Youth, Violents of the Sun, Peacemonger, Crisis, Big Deal, AYCD, and London Snow. The crowning achievement, however, was most likely the infamous Ballard HS show on 05-Dec-86. Through Todd's efforts (he was an exemplary Ballard student at the time), SU was granted the opportunity to play for 30 minutes during a DJ break at a mixer. Keep in mind that, at the time, a huge crowd for a local band was around 150 people, and a rough count of the mixer attendance was in the 600+ range. The band introduction, as well as classic snippets, are included herein as tracks 1, 14, and 16.

D.C. AND THE ALBUM
Along about February 1987, SU began to catch the recording bug yet again. After preliminary discussion among the band, the decision was made to go to Inner Ear Studios, the veritable punk rock Mecca frequented by the likes of Minor Threat and many other seminal bands. To provide Don Zientara with a glimpse into the band's sound, SU recorded a practice demo (represented here by track 29)

Members:

• Eric Schmitt - vocals
• Dave Pajo - drums
• Kent Chappel - bass
• Mike Bucayu - guitar
• Todd Brasher - guitar

Releases:

• Aggressive Fish/Karen 12"
• Taken For Granted 12"
• Atskoo CD discography (Self Destruct)

Compilations:

• Louisville Sluggers 7" - Burn - (Self Destruct)

Shirts/Merch: