The Excursion Compilation

The Excursion Compilation was released in 1996 as a showcase of the bands that were then being released by the Excursion Records label. The record is basically split into two parts: the first half consisting the of poppier punk stuff and then the second half which contains all of the hardcore bands. A perfect snapshot of not-so-long ago era, this comp. serves as a fantastic reminder of the burgeoning and multifaceted local scene of the mid 90's.

The Excursion Compilation (with sleeve and insert scans)

Karp - Self-titled Cassette

Odds are, you already know already know KARP but, just in case you don't, here's a brief description: Melvins + Sabbath(Living in Tumwater) = some of the heaviest riffs the northwest ever produced. Karp formed in 1990 and lasted until 1998, producing three albums, five 7"s and appearing on numerous compilations in their lifetime. Members have also played in bands such as The Tight Bro's From Way Back When, The Whip, Bug Business, Dead Air Fresheners and also occasionally appeared with northwest art rock collective Witchypoo. Sadly, drummer Scott Jernigan was killed in a boating accident in June of 2003.

This cassette is one of their earliest releases, having come out sometime in the early 90's on Punk In My Vitamins. I've often seen it referred to as their demo tape but I'm not sure whether or not that's true. This has to be one of the coolest things I've ever found in a thrift store. Purchased last year for ten cents at the Goodwill on 145th, here it is:

KARP self-titled cassette (with artwork)

Jough Dawn Baker's Unfinished LP

This is big, folks. Arthur Rambo already did a fine job of covering Jough Dawn Baker's official recorded output with this post, but to recap, they were a Bellingham-based hardcore band that split up in the mid 90s and though I barely missed the window on seeing them live, everyone I've heard tell of their shows speaks of them in reverential tones. What we have here, as I understand it, is what was going to be their debut LP. They'd put out a 7", a split 12", and appeared on a few compilations, but this was the record everyone was waiting for. The record was close to done when they split up except for vocals, and it never saw the light of day. There are vocals on a few songs, but this is mostly an instrumental affair. So, a little bittersweet on that front, but hey, it's 28 minutes of Jough Dawn Baker that as far as I know only a handful of people have heard before. This is why we do this. Pungent Sound is for the people.

Grab the 9 songs, ripped at 320kbps here.

Dolour: Pre-album works

Dolour were a pop band who put out a few albums from 2001 to 2007, before leader Shane Tutmarc moved to Nashville to explore his twangier side. They formed in 1997, and put out one 7-inch in 1998, "The Shivering", which is so emo it includes repeated instances of the phrase "it feels like", and explains why a band known for shiny, uptempo pop has a name which means "sorrow". Before 2001, they also released some CD-R EP's wherein they found their pop center. To me, this version of the band, with Lacey Brown on drums and Joe Gregory on bass, was where they seemed most like a collaborative band. I remember some controversy when the second album came out, the cover just a closeup of Shane's face. The general consensus seemed to be that he was making it clear that Dolour = Shane Tutmarc. Despite the controversy, what was clear was the man knew how to write a good pop song. His current band is Shane Tutmarc and the Travelling Mercies, and Lacey Brown still plays music in Seattle. You can find her output at her website.

Download The Shivering 7", Boy Racer Loves Heart Breaker EP and SF Demos EP here.

Gas Huffer - EPs and Singles Collection

If you never got a chance to see Gas Huffer perform live you definitely missed out on one of the funnest rock 'n roll shows that the Seattle area had to offer. Known for their high energy mixture of punk and garage rock and a superb live show, probably best remembered for singer Matt Wright's signature monkey man stage dance, Gas Huffer had a surprisingly long shelf life compared to many of their contemporaries, rocking from 1989-2006.

During their time together they managed to release 7 full length albums, numerous EPs and singles and had songs featured on a bunch of compilations over the years. They also had a short-lived instrumental surf rock side project known as The Del Lagunas that had a handful of releases.

Sadly, there seems to be a disturbing lack of live footage of Gas Huffer in action out there on the internet, if anyone has any video of these guys doing what they did best, please find a way to digitize that stuff and get it out there.

Firebug/Jesus Was My Only Friend 7"
Gas Huffer / The Fastbacks - Split 7"
Ethyl EP
Mole/Body Buzz 7"
Hotcakes/Beer Drinkin' Cavemen From Mars 7"
Gas Huffer / Mudhoney - Split 7"
The Shrill Beeps Of Shrimp EP (CD version with extra tracks)
Gas Huffer / Red Aunts - Split 7"
Gas Huffer / Supercharger - Split 7"

Teen Cthulhu / Akimbo - Split 10"

I figured I might as well continue on the track Zardoz started with yesterday's entry and post some more early Akimbo. I no longer have a physical a copy of this bad boy but after digging around in my hard drive I remembered I was able to find mp3s on soulseek (yes, people still use soulseek) at some point in the past.

This time around (or should I say the first time around?), Akimbo were joined by the wholly unholy lords of crusted blackness, Teen Cthulhu. This 10 inch contains six songs, three by each band, and if you follow this blog you probably already know what to expect: abrasive, tight and metal-tinged Northwest hardcore.

Somebody got to the blood! (with artwork and lyric sheet scans courtesty of discogs)

Akimbo - Army of Evil Robots Programmed for Human Destruction

If you're a regular reader of this blog, chances are you've heard of Akimbo. Since forming in 1873, this hardcore/metal three-piece played approximately 13,000 shows, including, and this stat is real, 8 shows during one October, all in Seattle, all in different venues, all with different setlists. Before finally announcing they'd be playing their final show in August of this year, Akimbo was a punk machine, and the title of this, their second release (the first being a split 10" with Teen Cthulu) explains just why the machine was so efficient, focused, and all-around badass. Founding guitarist Kyle Iman left after this one, and was sequentially replaced with 10 different guitarists. While Jon Weisnewski, Nat Damm, and those ten guitarists soldiered on, Kyle formed the Super Magnificent Action Trio, and currently records experimental ambient music under the name Emuul. I picked this up right when it came out in 2000, and listening to it again, I realize I'd forgotten some of the lighter touches around the edges of the distorted riffs and pounding drums. Some synth, some Rhodes. This does not diminish the ferocity. It is still very much Akimbo. Enjoy, my friends.

Download Akimbo - Army of Evil Robots Programmed for Human Destruction - 320kbps with sleeve scans here