Point of Interest compilation tape #1

The first Point of Interest compilation tape came with the 15th and final issue of the Point of Interest zine (pictured above). POI was focused almost solely on the local 90's punk rock music and this compilation serves as a glimpse into what was going on in the Northwest scene at the time. I remember buying this tape from Jay who ran the POI zine and distro, at a punk show in Woodinville (mentioned briefly here) back in the day. When I took it home and played it in my boombox, my 13 or 14 year old mind was blown away by the sudden realization that anyone who wanted to could put out a tape, compile a zine or form a band. DIY was something I'd heard talked a lot about before but this zine, this tape and that local scene were the first time I'd ever witnessed any of it in action.

Containing 15 tracks of varying sonic quality, our final download in what has been without a doubt the blog's most exciting year in existence thus far, take a look at this tracklist:

01. The Degenerats - Do Society a Favor
02. The Degenerats - Riot Squad
03. The Degenerats - America is Dead
04. John Q Fascist - Manhood
05. Larry - Custom Engine/Stone Cold
06. Flight 800 - Fly the Friendly Skies
07. Flight 800 - Isle of the Lepers
08. Submission Hold - Ed Anger
09. Submission Hold - Analysis
10. Cease and Desist - Crust as a Solution b/w Burnt Out (these two tracks run together)
11. The Bloodclots - Common Cause
12. The Bloodclots - Paint Thinner
13. The Deviants - Beer
14. Mark Bruback - Society's Disorder

P.O.I. compilation tape (I am currently out of town and unable to scan images but when I return I will be updating this post with the actual cassette artwork)

I left in all of the tv show soundbites that were used (in most cases) in between bands but edited out some of the longer silences. The two Cease and Desist tracks were much quieter than everything else on the tape and in an effort to further amplify them it also amplified the accompanying tape noise - also, given their running together, I found it impossible to separate the tracks.

Shitlist - A Cold Slap of Reality 7"

Continuing on the track started with yesterday's post, here's another blast of brutal local crust punk.

Shitlist were a band that existed during the late 90's and into early 2000's. Their only releases that I know of were this 7" and a split LP with Calloused. They were fronted by former Flight 800 vocalist Ryan and if you checked out yesterday's link, you pretty much know what to expect: noisy, hardcore crust punk. Other than the fact that members of the group went on to play in Deathraid and Consume, I don't much else about these guys so feel free to fill in the blanks if you've got any info.

A Cold Slap of Reality (with lyric and sleeve scans)

Flight 800 / Noisome Faugh - Patriotism In Action split 7"

Every October I seem to follow a similar music-listening pattern. At the beginning of the month, as my anticipation for Halloween starts to build, I embark on the journey by listening to some of the earlier Misfits material (Static Age, 13 hits From Hell, etc.), by mid-month as the climate and, with it, my mood darkens I start spinning The Doors s/t debut on repeat and, finally, as we round the bend heading towards the last week or so leading up to the holiday I find myself revisiting the Misfits again, this time though it's their later, more aggressive and fast-paced material - which in turn leads to an all out, several day long binge on hardcore, grindy, crusty punk rock - the dirtier-sounding, the better. Why do I bother telling you all of this, you may ask? Because, in their own ways, these two bands meet all of those criteria perfectly.

Flight 800 were a band you'd usually find sandwiched somewhere on a bill featuring mid-90's local punk bands like Bristle, The Degenerats and The Bloodclots, but their music was always a bit different than those guys and also a bit different from the crust bands they had more in common with. One of their vocalists (the screamer) looked the part, appearing unwashed and greasy with a hard-to-decipher-the-lettering-of band shirt, the other guy (the yeller) however had close cropped hair, thick-rimmed glasses (this is before they were cool, mind you) wore bright colored hawaiian shirts (pictured here). I don't know if their image was conceived intentionally, but the whole thing, especially when combined with the dark and grinding crustiness of the music coming out of the instruments, created something truly unique. I'm sure these guys went on to play in a million other bands but the ones I'm aware of are Shitlist, Deathraid and Consume.

Noisome Faugh are a band I never saw and whose presence on the scene I'm aware of solely thanks to their songs that appear on the flipside off this disc. Somewhat akin to Flight 800, Noisome Faugh were a female-fronted, hardcore/crust group whose members later went on to play with Cephlotripe and the Feederz.

Patriotism In Action