Loads of good ones in this 38 (?) car pileup. Also, enough here to remind us (or school those that may be younger) how the music industry was wildly throwing everything at the wall, hoping to get the next thing to stick. That bad rock-funk fusion was really the worst, and I say this as a Texan, where I feel like that scene was really really huge, and maybe kind of pioneering ( look at Big Boys, for example—Texans were throwing funk into the mix always). When it was fun, it was fun (mostly not good enough to stand the test of time though), and mostly only worked live. Texas bands like the aforementioned Billy Goat, or Tim Kerr's Bad Mutha Goose, or even Austin idiots Retarded Elf, were great to see as a dumb kid but all the mess like Psychofunkapuss or whatever makes me shudder that I ever owned an floppy velvet top hat. Also, Alice Donut were outstanding, and it's bands like them that still fascinate me about how free and truly weird music was pre-social media. I'm not one of those old dudes who's stuck in a timewarp coffin, I still rabidly devour current music, but so little of it feels truly uniquely bizarre and organically fucked like say, Butthole Surfers, the greatest little band from Texas that isn't ZZ Top.
I also gotta say, Mr. G, that I had to digest this article and then read it a few more times and make some sticky notes and then discussed with the lead guitarist of a band I've written songs with since 1989. He too, is a HUGE alt rock fan (I hate labels, it's only rock and roll, all of it) and got as excited as I did over several Truly songs I found.
I'm not a critic, but I gotta say this article comes REAL close to some of your work I consider to be a pinnacle of music writing...The Deconstruction Book and the Janes Addiction Bootleg guide. The content caught me by the boo-boo, and the wordsmithing lasso'd me in. This is really great stuff, dude. I know this one article will fuel many new discoveries from me, even though I was REALLY seeking new music to hear in the early 1990's. It's so much easier finding out about music now that we have the internets, and Aaron Gilbreath!!!!!!!!!!!
Another excellent read, Mr. G. This will keep me busy for weeks. Remembering forgotten bands and discovering ones new to me. Extra points for the Eleven Mention. Ima big Jack Irons fan.
I heard last year on the Bandsplain Podcast where they covered the Sundays that the Sundays are still together, still playing music, still recording albums, just not releasing them to the general public. That news ricocheted through my brain and still does. There is new Sundays music, and if they "ever get around to making an album as good as their last, they will." Coh, blimey. Did you ever get to see them live? I saw them on the Blind tour in Carboro, NC at the Cat's Cradle. Thanks for this phenomenal list.
Loads of good ones in this 38 (?) car pileup. Also, enough here to remind us (or school those that may be younger) how the music industry was wildly throwing everything at the wall, hoping to get the next thing to stick. That bad rock-funk fusion was really the worst, and I say this as a Texan, where I feel like that scene was really really huge, and maybe kind of pioneering ( look at Big Boys, for example—Texans were throwing funk into the mix always). When it was fun, it was fun (mostly not good enough to stand the test of time though), and mostly only worked live. Texas bands like the aforementioned Billy Goat, or Tim Kerr's Bad Mutha Goose, or even Austin idiots Retarded Elf, were great to see as a dumb kid but all the mess like Psychofunkapuss or whatever makes me shudder that I ever owned an floppy velvet top hat. Also, Alice Donut were outstanding, and it's bands like them that still fascinate me about how free and truly weird music was pre-social media. I'm not one of those old dudes who's stuck in a timewarp coffin, I still rabidly devour current music, but so little of it feels truly uniquely bizarre and organically fucked like say, Butthole Surfers, the greatest little band from Texas that isn't ZZ Top.
This was a trip. So many memories. Not all of them good.
I also gotta say, Mr. G, that I had to digest this article and then read it a few more times and make some sticky notes and then discussed with the lead guitarist of a band I've written songs with since 1989. He too, is a HUGE alt rock fan (I hate labels, it's only rock and roll, all of it) and got as excited as I did over several Truly songs I found.
I'm not a critic, but I gotta say this article comes REAL close to some of your work I consider to be a pinnacle of music writing...The Deconstruction Book and the Janes Addiction Bootleg guide. The content caught me by the boo-boo, and the wordsmithing lasso'd me in. This is really great stuff, dude. I know this one article will fuel many new discoveries from me, even though I was REALLY seeking new music to hear in the early 1990's. It's so much easier finding out about music now that we have the internets, and Aaron Gilbreath!!!!!!!!!!!
Another excellent read, Mr. G. This will keep me busy for weeks. Remembering forgotten bands and discovering ones new to me. Extra points for the Eleven Mention. Ima big Jack Irons fan.
I heard last year on the Bandsplain Podcast where they covered the Sundays that the Sundays are still together, still playing music, still recording albums, just not releasing them to the general public. That news ricocheted through my brain and still does. There is new Sundays music, and if they "ever get around to making an album as good as their last, they will." Coh, blimey. Did you ever get to see them live? I saw them on the Blind tour in Carboro, NC at the Cat's Cradle. Thanks for this phenomenal list.