Slamdek:Merry Christmas

Slamdek. Merry Christmas 1991. 250 copies. cassette. long out of print.

Side one:

1. SISTER SHANNON Goreman
2. Downpour Defense*
3. Crain Drain
4. SLAMBANG VANILLA Ricky!
5. Bush League Bain/Close
6. SPOT Paving Your Way (1987 Version)
7. Pope Lick Is That The Easter Bunny?*
8. HOPSCOTCH ARMY Sundown
9. LETTUCE PREY Undermine (live)
10. THE RAIN CHORUS Michael (live)
11. Endpoint Endpoint Outro

Side two:

12. 7 More Seconds In Your Face
13. Pre-Cerebellum Grimace
14. LUNGE ENGAGE Ode To A Chick
15. KING G & THE J KREW Did I Do Something Wrong? (live)
16. KILL THE MAN WITH THE BALL Christmas Straightedge
17. THE INSIDE OF A SHOE The Inside Of A Shoe
18. DEATHWATCH Invent A Law
19. POPE LICK Bardstown Road*
20. THE DOODANGERS - I, The Jury
21. CRAWDAD Limbs (live)
22. CRAWDAD Wally (live)
23. DAISYBRAIN Angels Crawl

All material previously unreleased (except *). Special thanks to John Kampschaefer, John Timmons, Simon Furnish, Ken Burton, Susanne Butler, Howie Gano, Julie Purcell, Dave Ellenberger, Dennis Remsing, EJ, Kim Coletta, Russ Honican, Christi Canfield, Kendall Costich, and everyone else who has helped design, create, photograph, inspire, coordinate, and assemble records and shows this year. Merry Christmas!

even more information available in Slamdek:Slamdek A To Z and/or on http://slamdek.com/releases/2590-xms90-2.html

Fucking insane liner notes:

Merry Christmas and welcome to the 1990 SLAMDEK/Scramdown Christmas tape. Where to begin? Gee. Well, first, there are a few things you should be aware of so that you’ll kinda know what to expect. One thing is that very few of these songs were intended to go together. They’re all here for different reasons. Some because they have nowhere else to go, yet they must be heard; some because they’ll be of interest to followers and friends of these bands; some because they were recorded just for this cassette; and some because members of these bands who want to try something different can use the Christmas tape as an open forum to create whatever they like, and get a response

So all these songs for all these reasons have been assembled here as a gift. And above all else they’re here just to be heard. Unaltered and uncensored. They get loud when they want and they say ‘fuck’ when they want, and our free country puts no labels on them to help us decide what’s right.

These songs will mean something different to every soul whose ears they pass by. And for less than four-cents-a-minute you run the risk of looking at something in a new way, discovering something you never knew existed, or just enjoying yourself. If you work or go to school everyday, there’s a big chance that picking a tape to listen to in the car takes longer than the life-and-death decision you make at every yellow light on the way.

Songs have no monetary value to the listener, only to the buyer. It seems really unfair to put a $7 price tag on something that costs $2.25 to make. That cheats everybody. Especially the musicians who have given their music away just so it can be heard, and the listener who can only spend so much. It’s not usually funny to charge $24 for a record. Sometimes but not usually.

For these reasons, and several others, the annual SLAMDEK/Scramdown Christmas Extravaganza carries a silly little price tag called ‘two ninety-eight.’ This is it.

Starting now, you’ll go through twenty-three songs by twenty-one bands. In just over seventy-five minutes, you’ll touch on the thoughts and emotions of fifty-five musicians; fifty-four of whom are from Louisville. No one older than 25. You’ll hear music that’s just a few weeks old, and some that’s just a few years. Dig deep into Louisville, this is its youth, this is its sound, this is its progression. This is its thanks. Merry Christmas.

The first band is one who debuted as a two-piece on last year’s Christmas tape. Sister Shannon opens side one with ‘Goreman.’ This digital recording was made December 5, 1990 through a mixing board at their practice [the same method used for Crain and Substance as described on page 16]. Now with four members, Sister Shannon is Robin Wallace singing, Dave Ernst on bass, Greta Ritcher on guitar, and drummer Kevin Coultas. Besides this song, their only other release is ‘Romp’ on the Christmas 1989 cassette. Kevin and Dave were in Crawdad who have a limited edition live cassette out called Loaded. Greta and Robin were also in Your Face whose Magenta Bent is also still available. Sister Shannon plans to record soon and have either a 7" or 10" out in 1991 with a matching cassette version.

Second is Downpour with the only song they ever documented, ‘Defense.’ This was recorded at Studio 2002 in Jeffersonville (that’s right; the Hoosier State! Hey what’s a virgin in Indiana? A girl that can run faster than her brothers! a ha ha ha!) But anyway, Downpour is unfortunately no longer together, and this song remains as their only release. Playing on this song are E. Dan Patterson on bass, Andrew Kincade singing, John Weiss drumming, William Greene on guitar, and backing vocals by C. Sprano and S. Rose. John Weiss is now in Sunspring.

Next is Crain whose tune called ‘Drain’ was recorded on 16 tracks at Mom’s [Sound On Sound] in August 1990. Crain is still together and they feature Tim Furnish on guitar, Jon Cook on bass, singer Joey Mudd, and drummer Will Chatham who sometimes sings for the Didjits [at a 1990 Didjits show at the Zodiac, Will was invited on stage to sing a song and the joke began to introduce Will as ‘the singer of the Didjits’]. Crain appeared on a split 7" given away at the Zodiac September 7, 1990 which was limited to 300 copies (the other side was Deathwatch). Another Crain record or two will be released in 1991 in much greater numbers and larger areas on Woodpile Records. Watch for it.

Fourth but not least is Slambang Vanilla. They’re bringin’ it home with ‘Ricky!’ an advance cut off their upcoming 98-song, two-tape set, Sideburnin’. SBV had two songs on last year’s Christmas Fiesta as well as their own tape The Memphis Sessions & A Smokin’ Word LP. ‘Ricky!’ was recorded at 1312 Everett Avenue in September 1990. Entertaining the troops on this hit selection are: Jesus Rosebud on instruments, and Goober The Baptist on instruments.

Bush as in President, League as in baseball. Next is Bush League. This seven minute epic is called ‘Bain’ and was recorded in an analog fashion at Bush League practice December 6, 1990. Singing is Buzz Scumshit [Buzz Minnick], Rusty Sohm is on bass, Mike Borich is on guitar, and the drummer is Woody Delaney. This song is now their only release. They plan to go into the studio in January, though they don’t have any definite plans to put out a record any time soon. So just swallow this one for now.

The sixth song is an earlier version of a Spot classic than the one most people are familiar with. The song is ‘Paving Your Way’ and was recorded on 8 tracks at Sound On Sound in August 1987. Playing on this song are Breck Pipes on guitar, Mark Ernst on drums, Chris Scott on bass, and vocalist Joey Mudd. There are no current plans to release the tape Go, Or I’ll Kill You! from which this song is taken. Their Proud cassette was released in April 1988 and will return to shelves this January. Jeanette Howerton, you’re first on the list!

Pope Lick is a solo project by Drew Daniel who has been in Cerebellum and Crain. This song is called ‘Is That The Easter Bunny?’ and is best when your parents are home and you turn it all the way up. It was inspired by a scene in a movie where some passerby asks a gifted artist that painful question, ‘Is that the Easter Bunny?’ But as the story goes, we find that to be a big negatory. No. It’s not the Easter Bunny at all. Additional drums in some parts are played by Matthew Sussman. Except for about forty cassettes that Drew gave away, this song is only available here. It was recorded on 4-track during summer 1990 and mixed to DAT in August at Slamdek.

Number eight is brand new Hopscotch Army. The song is called ‘Sundown’ and was mixed to digital from 16-track at Studio D in November 1990. It’s off an upcoming EP expected for spring. If you’re familiar with Hopscotch Army at all, you’ll notice that this is the first song they’ve ever recorded without keyboards. They had a live song called ‘Anesthesia’ on the Christmas 1989 Buffet, and a successful 12 song cassette and CD in August 1989 called Blurry. Playing bass is Scott Darrow, the guitarist is Jeff Goebel, singing and playing acoustic guitar is Mark Ritcher, and Dave Hoback is the drummer.

Lettuce Prey is next with a song called ‘Undermine’. It’s a live cassette recording from the Red Barn in October 1990. Recorded off the mixing board, it’s monophonic! Lettuce Prey will be recording at the Zodiac on off days and is making plans for a release also in the spring. Playing on this song are Lionell Andrews on guitar, Mitchell Douglass singing, Richie Griley on bass guitar, and master drummer Brett Hosclaw. ‘Undermine’ is the only Lettuce Prey that you can get as of now.

The tenth would be the Rain Chorus, recorded December 5, 1990 at Snagilwet, their second show. This one is called ‘Michael’ and is also a cassette recording off the mixing board. The Rain Chorus is shopping for a record deal, but have not recorded as of yet. They are: Dony Erwin on bass, drumming is Cary Shields, and Danny Flanigan is singing and playing guitar. Guest saxophone on this song is played by Reid Jahn.

Side one ends with Endpoint’s ‘Endpoint Outro’ which is a digitally recorded practice tape from December 1990. It is one of six songs on this cassette that was recorded just for the purpose of being here. Endpoint has a seventeen song cassette from June 1989 called If The Spirits Are Willing which is still available. They recently recorded a 9-song LP in Cleveland for Conversion Records. In A Time Of Hate will be out nationwide on vinyl, cassette, and compact disc in January. Among other things, they’re sponsored by Vans and will be touring with Shelter next year. Guitars are Chad Castetter and Duncan Barlow, bass by Jason Hayden, Lee Fetzer on drums, and vocals by Rob Pennington.

The second side opens with a new band. Just as the Back Doors salute Jim Morrison, and Stairway to Heaven revive Led Zeppelin; let us introduce the 7 Seconds tribute band: 7 More Seconds. This song is called ‘In Your Face’ and appears here as 7 More Seconds’ debut recital. The legend is recaptured by singer/drummer Lee Fetzer, guitarist Duncan Barlow (back vocals), bassist K. Scott Ritcher (back vocals), and guitarist Chad Castetter. Since 7 Seconds broke up, the door is wide open. Anything is imaginable. It’s a digital practice tape, December 1990.

The thirteenth song is a pre-Cerebellum jam box tape of a song that’s either called ‘Ditty’ or ‘Grimace’, depending on who you ask. It’s from April 3, 1988 with Tim Furnish on guitar, and Joey Mudd on bass. As a six member band, Cerebellum’s 5-song cassette came out in September 1989 and is still available. They broke up in May 1989, and four of the remaining members now comprise Crain.

Song number fourteen is a Joey Mudd solo project called Lunge Engage. This song is a four track recording from April 1990 by the name of ‘Ode To A Chick’. At this point there are no definite plans for studio work or a Lunge Engage record. This song is the only release to date, but there may be some live shows to go with it. As mentioned above, Joey now sings for Crain.

The next one is a live tune from King G and the J Krew’s Sung double album EP release party in August 1990. Sure, it’s digital. Although they’re a rap group, this is a thrash cover of an old commercial called ‘Did I Do Something Wrong?’ Their 89-minute debut cassette is still available from Hell ’N’Ready Records. Kicking out the jam are: King G (G-Man/King Mellow-D), J Kool J (M.C.E.T., M.C.2-Ripe), J-Ax (’Lectric Lick Master Lett), Kool J Kool (M.C. Diogenes/J-Sonic), and, of course, the legendary Secret Weapon! Guest drummer is Todd Osbourne. While they’re now broken up for schoolin’, King G and the J Krew plan to return with something devastating as soon as they’re educated.

Sixteenth by a long shot is the straight edge up-your-ass gospel of Kill The Man With The Ball! They’ve quickly become the most hated and feared hardcore band that Louisville youths have ever witnessed. The song, ‘Christmas Straightedge,’ is a remarkable taste of their evil and hard stance against alcohol, drugs, sex, and unseasonable tree pruning. Kill The Man With The Ball is: XCauseyX drums, XHaydenX guitar, XFetzerX bass, XBarlowX vocal assault, and XCastetterX guitar. This digital recording is their only example.

The seventeenth band is a two-piecer called The Inside of a Shoe. The song they do goes by the same name. The music was recorded in Silver Spring, Maryland in June 1990, and the vocals in Louisville in December. This is The Inside of a Shoe’s only recording and/or release, and they have no plans to record or not to record. Playing drums is Jay Robbins of Jawbox whose first full length album will be released nationwide early next year on Dischord Records. They have a 5-song cassette and matching 4-song 7" from May 1990 which are both still available. Playing guitar and singing is K. Scott Ritcher who is now in Sunspring. They have a 6-song cassette out called $1.50 Demo of which there are a few left. Sunspring plans to record at Studio D in 1991 and have a release shortly after.

No. 18: Deathwatch ‘Invent A Law’. This song was mistakenly listed on the Crain/Deathwatch 7" when the song that appeared on the record was actually ‘Ignorance Downfall’. So here it is for anyone who wondered what it sounds like. This was recorded at Artists’ Recording Service in Louisville during February 1988. Off that 7-song ARS tape, only four songs now remain unreleased. Deathwatch later became Endpoint and ‘Invent A Law’ later became ‘Shattered Justice’ which is on the cassette If The Spirits Are Willing. Playing on this are: Rusty Sohm on drums, Jason Graff on bass, Rob Pennington singing, and guitarists Greg Carmichael and Duncan Barlow.

The nineteenth song will become very important to many people, but unfortunately, those who should hear it probably never will. It’s another Pope Lick song and it’s called ‘Bardstown Road’. As the true story goes... for years, a private church parking lot at 1700 Bardstown Road became a meeting place for you alternate ones like ourselves. There was no violence, no vandalism, no ignorance; just a huge group of friends who would meet and hang out and talk. Depending on the night, it could be twenty people discussing life after death, forty people playing kick ball, or fifteen people having a Taco Bell picnic. In any event, it always seemed so real. No barriers or demands.

For some reason, one night a Louisville Police Officer by the name of Reed drove into this private lot. Which in itself was not unusual. Louisville Police often visited us; sometimes to tell us to keep it down, sometimes to just see if everything was OK, other times just to assume and accuse without knowing how innocent innocence can be (even when innocence dresses funny). The side of the car always says, ‘Louisville Police Care’ and on occasion they really showed it. Genuinely. But not this time.

Tonight this Officer Reed proceeded to tell us that we were not to be there, and that we were to leave and never return. When asked any question, like ‘why?’, he avoided them all at every opportunity. Furthermore, he told us that he didn’t need a reason to tell us to leave, because he was a police officer. It didn’t matter that he was crossing onto private property or that we weren’t breaking any laws; because, as he said, ‘I can go anywhere I want and tell you to leave... this is my parking lot.’ All the while, beyond his knowledge, he was being videotaped.

Several months before, he had strip searched one of us (without any cause) behind K’s Food Mart at Speed Avenue. We have tried a slight few times to return to the Parking Lot since summer with no luck. The minister had offered us soft drinks and invited us to come inside the church before; but now the police tell us that it’s the church’s decision that we are to leave and never come back.

And while this song, ‘Bardstown Road’, will bring back hundreds of great memories and meanings, it’s a shame that all it really amounts to is a victory for that one police officer and whatever the obstacle in his mind is which he overcomes by forcing people to act on his commands.

Next is the twentieth song which, by titles, makes this the fattest Slamdek tape ever (until Sideburnin’ comes out, that is). This is the Doodangers who have blended ’50’s roots rock’n’roll with ’90’s militant veganism in this Vegan Reich cover, ‘I, The Jury’. This is a practice cassette from August 27, 1990, and is the Doodangers’ only available song. With Tishy Quesenberry on drums and Scott Ritcher playing piano and singing, there are no plans for studio, record, or show engagements. Tishy was in Your Face and played on the Magenta Bent single. Of course, neither of them is a militant vegan, the words just seemed to fit with the song.

Then there’s Crawdad who clocks in with two songs. Both of them were recorded on cassette through the mixing board at the Zodiac, December 3, 1990, the Earthquake Party. Crawdad hadn’t performed together fro 366 days before this show. The first song is called ‘Limbs’ and this is the first real recording of it with words. The second is called ‘Wally’ and was as spontaneous as it may sound. It’s a Louisville punk rock standard (for anyone unaware) as it is the last song on the Spot Proud cassette. This moment of Breck and Joey being reunited on stage after a year could only be so triumphant (if you like that sorta thing). Crawdad’s Loaded cassette is a limited edition of only 80 copies and a very few still remain. It came in five different colors (16 of each): white, maroon, army green, light blue, and red. Copies #41 through #80 are numbered. How’s all that for collector shit! Crawdad was: Kevin Coultas on drums, Joey Mudd singing, Breck Pipes on guitar, and Dave Ernst bassing.

Finally, the twenty-third song is ‘Angels Crawl’ from Daisybrain. It was written in late 1989 in a stairwell and recorded on 4-track in October 1990. This is their only tune in circulation so far, and the Shelby County trio plans to move towards getting more music into your ears soon. Daisybrain is: Brad Bowman on guitar and vocals, Scott Sedlaczek on guitar and harmonica, and Jeff Hinton on bass and backing vocals. The original words started out with the line, ‘lick my ass...’ before it developed into what you’re hearing now.