No music today.  Just an update on the future of the site, and a look back at the first 100 posts.  Not bad for a site that got started just a few months ago.

Looking back, I’ve posted a lot of the bands that I grew up listening to, and found a few that were either after my active time in the scene or that I had just plain missed out on the first time around.  One of the first posts is an exclusive to the site (meaning that I ripped it myself and I’ve never seen anyone else with it, and that was an early demo tape of the 4 piece St. Paul version of The Strike.  Great early recording that I bought off the band after playing a show at Hamline or Macalaster or something.  $2 back then.    There have also been a few good YouTube posts as well; The Dirt Poor U-haul stunt from the 90’s, and the 2000’s version, In Defense playing inside a Taco Johns are both classics.

Looking forward, I’m just now starting to crack my archive of demo tapes.  I’ve got about 5 ripped now, and more planned.  Lots of punk and metal type stuff.  It’s becoming obvious now that I need to get those demo tapes transferred soon, as my cassette deck is not long for this world.  If anyone has some suggestions on what software to use to rip these tapes and records, quicker, please leave it in the comments of this post.  I’m currently using a 10 year old copy of Sound Forge that I bought way back in the day.  There has to be something more automated than this by now. Also on my list of things to do is to scan in all my old show flyers.  I’ve got a box of them in the basement so you’ll start to see those show up in the coming weeks as well.  once I’ve gotten through that, then I’ll move on to the vinyl.  I ripped most of the stuff I really like (and assumed would never make it to CD) a decade ago, so that stuff is ready to go now….even if a lot of it has made it to CD anyway.  Anyone that knows me, also knows I’ve got a TON of video footage.  I plan to rebuild the BasementShows.com site similar to this one soon, so that stuff has a permanent home on the interwebs.  Don’t be surprised if I re-skin this site too….I can’t stand the way the posts look.

So while a lot of the stuff I’ve posted so far, was linked off of other sites, a lot of the newer stuff will be my own rips.  For anyone wondering why I linked back to the original posting site, rather than just downloading their hard work, and re-posting it as my own….I just don’t think that’s very cool.  Plus I hope that you’ll visit the other sites and find more stuff that you like.  Anyway,  I hope you enjoy the site.  As always, if you know of any of these posts being available commercially, or if you’re in the band, or ran the lable that put them out and you want me to remove the links, just say the word.  I’m not trying to take a buck out of anyone’s pocket.  I just don’t want some of these great bands music to disappear with time.

Stay tuned.  Good things are ahead!

In a Free Land

Post number 99!  Wow!!  I got this one from the Killed By Death Records blog site.

Classic MN punk from perhaps Minnesota’s most famous punk band.  Hüsker Dü.  Nothing more needs to be said.

Get it here .

The madness begins…

Absolute Power

The blog I’m stealing this from claims that this is the Powermad discography.  It’s not.  This is simply the Warner Brothers catalog.  Their dedute EP was on Combat Records.  That is not included here.  You can thank Impaler for that first EP, as their debute EP was on Combat, and it was because of Impaler that Combat looked at Powermad in the first place.  I’m not a big fan of Powermad myself.  The two EP’s were pretty good early speed metal records, but, like a lot of other bands, the long play format didn’t suit the band as well as the shorter EP format.   Check this out for a very metal cover of the Ramones.

Get them here .

Traitor

A New Make 7"

Experiments in Expectation

Three releases posted here.  Two albums, and an EP from 1998, 2000, & 2003.

Kill Sadie was a Minneapolis-based post-hardcore band who formed in 1997 and eventually split in 2001 after a large number of line-up changes. It proved to be a launching ground for several influential modern emo, hardcore, and indie musicians, who found larger success in other outfits such as Minus the Bear, Pretty Girls Make Graves and These Arms Are Snakes. Rather than seek popular appeal or radio play, the band adopted the familiar DIY ethic of constant touring. They are often grouped with many of the 80s-90s pre-emo bands such Rites of Spring and Texas Is The Reason although their musical style would probably be better described in reference to the members’ subsequent projects.

Get them here .

Jacket Made in Canada

I was never a big fan of Arcwelder, but lots of people were. They had releases mainly on the Big Money & Touch & Go labels. I would describe their sound as Husker Du meets Big Black…but like I said, I wasn’t a big fan, so that would just be my casual listening opinion. Don’t consider me an expert.

Official Website .

Get it here .

Shine In Eyes

Former members of Reach & Threadbare. 1998

Get it here .

Search for the gun girl

Anyone that knows me, knows I love the Porcelain Boys.  I’ve shot hours of video for them.  I helped record their  second demo tape.  I even almost released a live record/tape  (which I years later finally edited down into what would have been a pretty great live record) that I recorded.   CD’s were really expensive back then, that’s why I say tape.

Anyway, Jettison is really just the Porcelain Boys.  I love these guys to death, but could never figure out why they would change their name just because they changed out one member.  The original PB’s was a 4 piece. Scott on Bass, Eric & Tom on Guitar and another kid (Brian maybe?) on drums.  I don’t think the drummer lasted even a year.  Eric moved to drums and the power trio line was cemented…at least for a few years.  Right before they broke up and Tom left the band, they brought in another guitarist, slowed everything way down…honestly…they needed to break up for the next phase of the band to happen.  Anyway, a few years later, with Tom gone,  Eric moved to back to guitar and they reform with the one and only Jason Knutson on drums.  What more could you ask for?  Jason is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and a massive pop-punk nut (he did the cover art for the final Doc Hopper album) !!!

This lineup recorded the "…Away Awhile" album which saw re-recordings of some of their previously released tracks plus some new stuff.  They also toured a bit…outside of the midwest building up their name.  I have no idea why Jason eventually left the band (school?  work?), but he was replaced on drums with this guy and they changed the name to Jettison.   As far as I know, this was the only release under this name.

They have reunited as the Porcelain Boys since then, but I don’t know if much of anything became of it.  Check out their MySpace page that is run by a close friend of the band.

Get it here !