My name is Dave, and I grew up in Minnesota listening to the many punk & hard core bands that I'm featuring here. More important though, is that I'm not just posting the stuff that like, but I'm making an attempt to document every band that had something to do with the punk scene in Minnesota. From your Husker Du & Replacements to Dirt Poor & the Kung Fools. Bands that played bars, and bands that played basements and garages. I'd like it all represented here.
I'd also like your help. I can't possible do it all by myself, so if you want to see something here, let me know. If you see something on the net that deserves a mention here, let me know. If you'd like to contribute, let me know.
If you are in a band that I've posted here, and you want your stuff removed, just ask, and it will be removed. Most of my posts are links to other people's posts. Some of it is from my personal record collection. It is my intent to only post stuff that you can not otherwise buy. Long out of print stuff. If I link to stuff that is in print, I will try to include a link to actually purchase it. That won't happen very often though, since I try to post only stuff that I know to be out of print. If the band has an official website, I'll try to post a link to it. If I get something wrong, or you'd like to contribute something, let me know.
All I ask is that you enjoy the crap I post and if you have any suggestions, send me an email at: webbastard at mnpunk.com
Before Tom left the band they experimented with lineup changes. I seem to remember a second guitarist, with Erik still playing drums too, but I could be wrong. For me personally, this was as dark period for the band. The songs seemed to slow down, the guitar solos seemed to get longer, and I heard that someone was listening to a lot of Steve Miller! I remember one show in the Entry with one of them wearing a cowboy hat. That was it for me. My love for the band didn’t really change, but I had to stop seeing them live at this point. It wasn’t as fun any more, and I was way too critical of them.
At their core, the PB’s were a power trio. Yes, its true that they started as a 4 piece (with Erik playing guitar and someone else playing drums…Brian maybe…damn that was a long time ago??), but for me, the attempt to go back to four was a failure. They were ultimately at their best as a three piece, and the CD, I think proves that point. Scott never agreed with me….at least not openly.
For those that don’t know, I’m a long time friend of Scott. Scott even played once with my crappy band before he got involved with the Dellwood kids. I helped record a few of those early PB demo tapes, and at one time planed to release an awesome PB’s live show that I had recorded in the 7th St. Entry. That never happened for one reason or another. A solid decade later, I did finally edit it down and master it, but at this point only Scott & I have copies of it (and I hear he’s lost his). One of these days I’ll get around to posting it because it really is an awesome document of the power of this band.
More pb’s Monday!
Video footage provided by the drummer. Comments below from the YouTube page.
Jan 2/1991 Porcelain Boys rehearsal
Erik Kaiser
Scott Cook
Tom Spence
Darren Achorn
I found this old footage in storage. I was drumming in the PB’s for a short time, commuting back and forth from Winnipeg and Minneapolis. Almost 20 years ago!
This is a split 7" from Dellwood’s pop-punk masters, the Porcelain Boys and Mankato’s Marble. Released in 1996, this is an excellent document of mid-90’s melodic punk. No one in Minnesota did it better than the PB’s. Marble’s CD is also posted here, so check that out too.
Wilfully Obscure did a great job of compiling some of the earlier recordings, featuring the original line up. The first EP, If you were real, was the bands first taste of fame. It was reviewed in Rolling Stone magazine, and because of that, they sold a ton of these. The release was followed up by the Relive/Squeaky Clean single. The collection is rounded out by a few tracks from compilations. Everything here is with the original lineup.
I’ve got much more of the old stuff, so stay tuned for that in the coming days/weeks, including a live show that I had intended to release on my label back in the day, but for one reason or another, it never happened!
01. If You Were Real
02. Bedtime
03. Someday
04. Problem #1
05. Fortune Favors the Bold
06. Relive
07. Squeaky Clean
08. Brain Train
09. Sidetrack
10. A For Effort
11. Turn It Around
12. Week to Week
1-5 from If You Were Real 7" ep (1989, THD Records)
6 & 7 from "Relive" 7" (1990, THD)
8. from THD 7" compilation
9. from Can of Pork compilation (1992, Lookout!)
10-12 from It Came From the Cold comp tape (198?, Chef Music)
It should be no shock to anyone that knows me that the PB’s were my favorite local band back in the day.
This is the second incarnation of the PB’s. Tom moved to Duluth, Erik switched to guitar, and Jason Knutson took over on drums. So they suck right? Reunions…especially with different band members…never work out, right? Wrong. This one CD gives a proper recording to many of the songs from the original lineup. They even made note of Tom and included a picture of him in the CD. Class act. Musically it’s true to the original lineup if you account for the natural growth of the band. Great mid-tempo melodic punk. Pick this up now!
As a bonus, the link to the site below has also posted the Jettison CD, which is really the same band with a different drummer. Quality pop-punk!
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.
I love the PB’s and this record is probably their best effort. Not that their other stuff is bad in way, but this one is my favorite. It is also probably my favorite THD Records release.
I do admit that I am somewhat biased, in that I’ve know the guys since the begining. This long out of print recorded was ripped a few years back by Krucoff.com, and they did a great job on thier write up, so I’ll just shut up and pass on the link.
Get it here
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