Besides Asides

After some considerable thought I have decided to put Besides Asides to bed. After seeing so many other music blogs bite the dust over the past year it just became not so fun anymore. It sucks but nothing gold can stay and all that. I hope this blog gave you a chance to explore your love for music whether it was punk/hardcore or even the occasional hip-hop post.

You can always drop me a line and I may respond. As always the password is on the side of the blog. It baffles me when people can find my email but not the password haha.

Ohio has had cranking some really sweet bands lately, though they probably always have been and I just didn't notice. Northwestern is one of those bands. They meld traditional 90s midwest noodly emo sounds with the kind of early 2000s pop punk that got mistaken for emo like the Get Up Kids. Go check out their EP they put out late last year at their bancamp and you can pick it up at a PWYC price (including free). Really neat stuff. Enjoy!

Big Syke isn't exactly the most recognizable name in hip-hop but he played a central role in the career of one of its key figures of 1990s, 2Pac. Big Syke started out in the group Evil Minded Gangstas who released a tape in 1992 and then met 2Pac in 1993, eventually going on to join his group Thug Life. If you listen to the Evil Minded Gangstas tape you can see its sound heavily influenced the Thug Life album along with New York's Live Squad. Big Syke also introduced 2Pac to produced Johnny "J" Jackson who produced much of the E.M.G. record and would go on to be one of the main producers for 2Pac while he was on Death Row Records.

Big Syke joined 2Pac over at Death Row and appeared on All Eyez On Me and started working on an album with 2Pac for his new group, the Outlaw Immortalz, as well as a solo album. Yet, these things weren't meant to be as Syke decided to sign his own record deal and 2Pac severed ties with him. This is why Big Syke doesn't appear on 2Pac's Makaveli album or any of the subsequent Outlawz albums as more than a guest. He ended up recording Be Yo' Self without input from 2Pac and the Outlawz and released it in October 1996. Syke is a more than capable rapper with a distinct voice and flow but perhaps the best part of the album is that most of it is produced by Johnny "J" in his prime. There are elements of several songs that are the same as unreleased versions of 2Pac songs that Big Syke appeared on as well. There is also a few great features by Above The Law and former Thug Life/Outlawz member Mopreme Shakur. This album went out of print and when Syke signed to southern hip-hop institution Rap-A-Lot in the early 2000s some of the album was included with a different mix/master on the new album Big Syke Daddy. This is a shame because the whole album is really a superb piece of mid-90s west coast hip-hop. Big Syke has that great balance where he spins hardcore rhymes but also reflects on the consequences of a violent lifestyle and takes time out to just relax and have a good time on the record. There is memorable lines and catchy hooks, what more could you ask for?

Anyways, I've seen this album go for anywhere from $40 to $90 (for a CD!!!!) used on Amazon, discogs and ebay so I hope some people enjoy this rip from my collection. I've also included "Forever Ballin'" from The Fan soundtrack as a bonus. It is produced by Johnny "J" and came out in 1996 so I assume it was from the same recording sessions as the rest of the album. As a final bonus I've included the song "Hittin' Cornaz" from the non-album single of the same name from 1998, as far as I know this is the only thing he released between Be Yo' Self and Big Syke Daddy which is a shame because it is one of his best songs.

In October 2001, singer-songwriter Greg MacPherson and Weakerthans frontman John K. Samson did a shared solo set in Altona, Manitoba as a benefit for Amnesty International at W.C. Miller Collegiate. This is between Weakerthans 2nd and 3rd LPs, so conceivably "One Great City" and "Reconstruction Site" were brand new. Another nifty gem is a cover of the Clash's "Bank Robber" that features Greg and John playing and sharing vocal duties. If you've never heard Greg MacPherson before you are in for a treat as he has an awesome voice and vivid lyrics and this serves as as good an introduction as any.

The sound of the recording is great and I've had it for awhile waiting for the right time to post it but it seems like I was scooped last fall as someone posted a torrent of it BUT it seems like people weren't looking for it and it isn't exactly seeded and healthy so I decided I'd upload it myself for the blog. Also the torrent doesn't have the exact recording date which I do. As always enjoy!

I'm a bit of an odd Replacements fan in that my favourite release isn't Let It Be or Tim but Pleased To Meet Me and I don't completely shit on their final two LPs. While promoting Don't Tell A Soul (one of those LPs that often gets shit on by fans) their record company ended up sending out this EP, Inconcerated Live, to radio stations. The set was recorded at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, it is a nice selection of their career and the band isn't too drunk or sloppy but has a perfectly measured energy. The best part of it for me is the version of "Talent Show" which highlights how Don't Tell A Soul could have been a lot better if it felt a little looser and spontaneous. It also contains an extra little portion of the song "Portland" which was scrapped and became "Talent Show". This is a great, somewhat obscure, piece of the band's career and although this was up on other blogs before, none of the links seem to be active and this is a high quality rip from my own collection. Enjoy!

Kitty Little are (were?) a band from Albany that play a distorted power pop/indie/punk with guy/girl vocals that definitely has influence from the 90s but nothing I can pick out off the top of my head as a main influence, perhaps some early Superchunk? Either way, they have most of their releases up on their bandcamp for PWYC/free download but I think the best place to start would be their full-length record, Know No Shame. Check it out and throw 'em a few dollars if you like what you hear.

Krupted Peasant Farmerz were a San Jose punk band, that for me, really bridged the gap between 80s hardcore punk and the poppier punk that dominated the 90s. Yet, they didn't really sound like the SoCal bands of the Epifat dynasty. They were largely a political band but had a good sense of humour about what they did. This is a collection of their out of print early material - that is also out of print. There are a few rips of this out there on other blogs but this is a high quality CD rip. Enjoy!

Most of the stuff I post in the Get In Where You Fit In feature has never been released but I decided that albums that received limited release such as tour only records, promotional albums or limited online releases would also sort of fall under this feature. That is where the (Canadian) Subhumans' 2005 Demo EP comes in. It was released as a tour only CD when the band reunited in 2005 and I got a digital copy of it a number of years ago through a trade. I feel like these guys are one of the better old acts that has come back together in recent years and I think it partially has to do with the band still containing many of their original members. While not quite as strong as their classic material this is still some darn good stuff. Enjoy!

Take Manhattan were a kind of indie/punk band from Bloomington that merged raucous punk rock execution with a down home rootsy songwriting. They were probably influenced by the popular folk-punk movement of the 2000s that Bloomington was swept up in but they didn't have that amateur feeling you get when you listen a lot of the Plant-It-X crowd. There is still that enthusiasm but also really solid songwriting to back it up. If I had to make some comparisons they remind me a little of Two Hand Fools and the New Pornographers having a dance if that makes sense. In their short existence they released a sole EP and went their separate ways, but I know that the drummer Greg now plays in the two piece Outdoor Velour. They have since put their EP An Audio Coloring Book up  for free on their bandcamp. So head on over and czech it out.

The Crush were a pop punk band from Minnesota that really really wanted to be Jawbreaker. While no Blake Schwarzenbachs they did a pretty damn good job of it. However, I guess imitation only gets you so far because they released two LPs, one 7" and made an appearance on a Jawbreaker tribute and then faded into obscurity. Today I am posting their second LP because I believe it to be the stronger of the two. It received slightly larger release on Billy Joe's Adeline Records and it saw the band developing a bit of their own identity. Jason Miller, who I believe played guitar and sang in The Crush (it may have been bass) now plays in the alt-country tinged Evening Rig so you should check them out too.

This was out there on other blogs I think (at least before the recent purges) but once again this is a high quality rip from my own collection. Enjoy!

A few years ago when I started this blog I posted up an Against Me! collection. When going over material I pulled from the blog I discovered that collection was one of them. There was a few problems with it: 1) I don't post any major releases from bands that are still in print and a good chunk of the collection was made up of demos that have since been released on the demo album Total Clarity and another chunk were released on the EP, New Wave B-Sides. 2) Against Me! are an active band still releasing music and their b-sides will continue to grow making any collection I try and make ultimately incomplete. I thought about reposting it and decided I'd do a collection roughly spanning their first decade as a band from 2000-2010 (with a few songs from 1998). I wasn't going to repost it if it was just going to be the same things either so I added a few gems that I hadn't included in the original collection to make it worthwhile for a re-download if anyone managed to get it the first time.

The first two additions on this version are alternate versions of "National Myth" and "Burning Bridges" that came out on the tape comp We're Here To Ruin Your Fun. This is a rare tape among AM! collectors but there seems to be a single rip floating around the net of these songs but there is horrible tape feedback/signal noise on it. I went in and edited out all that noise and these are likely the best versions you will find out there, really clear. Another addition is the full band acoustic version of "Miami" that for some reason didn't appear on Searching For A Former Clarity or Total Clarity. The sound quality was never great on it but I tried to clean it up a bit and do a amateur mastering job on it so hopefully it sounds better than the usual copy out there. "Mia Bella California" is a demo that Tom Gabel recorded on the road sometime in 2006 between Searching... and New Wave that never ended up being re-recorded and it makes sense as it is a bit different than the direction they went with New Wave I think. far as I can tell is pretty rare as other than hardcore collectors it isn't really out there. The last real gem on here is the full band acoustic version of "Up The Cuts" that didn't make New Wave or any of it's singles. I personally like this version a bit better, it is more reminiscent of the band's older material.

So this is a mostly complete representations of the band's b-side and rare material from their first ten years. There is a few alternate mixes of "Thrash Unreal" that only appeared on label promo singles and a few alternate versions and unreleased cuts from White Crosses that may only be in the possession of the band but I think a few collectors out there may have them. If anyone has any of these shoot me an email and please share if you like the stuff I've done on the blog. Anyways enjoy the collection!

I don't think Pegboy gets the credit they deserve. I really feel like they were creating an original sound that could be called pop-punk when such a term didn't exist without default to influence from bands like Descendents, The Ramones or the Buzzcocks. Of course guitarist John Haggerty's former band was Naked Raygun who are legends in and of themselves.

What I have here today is a live set they did at CBGBs in summer 1991. At that point all they had out was Three-Chord Monte EP, the Strong Reaction LP and the Field Of Darkness 7". If you are like me, you thing that is their strongest material anyway. This is floating around the net elsewhere but this is a high quality rip converted from an FLAC copy of a first generation tape that you won't find anywhere else. It sounds great beyond a few imperfections Enjoy!















Listen

Tracklist:

1. Method
2. Strong Reaction
3. Not What I Want
4. My Youth
5. Field Of Darkness
6. Fade Away
7. Time Again
8. Still Uneasy
9. Walk On by
10. Locomotivelung
11. Through My Fingers

In 1995 Snoop Dogg introduced the world to his group Tha Dogg Pound (well okay they were introduced a few years earlier on The Chronic and Doggystyle but it wasn't until '95 that they had a proper release). His role in the group was much more of an executive producer/project coordinator with guest raps rather than a full on member. In an ideal world Tha Dogg Pound would have released Dogg Food in '95 and then in subsequent releases Snoop's involvement would lessen as Daz and Kurupt took more creative control. As it turned out Tha Dogg Pound didn't end up releasing another album for six years and at that point Snoop was out of the picture and they were never really able to capitalize on their association. In 1999, Snoop attempted to do the same thing he did with Tha Dogg Pound with Tha Eastsidaz with two rappers that had appeared on his solo records, Tray Deee and Goldie Loc.They released two albums with heavy Snoop involvement that were moderate successes and were part of Snoop Dogg's resurgence in acclaim and popularity in the early 2000s. However, like Tha Dogg Pound the group planned their next album to feature diminished involvement from Snoop and the album never came out. There was a number of factors including Tray Deee going away for a lengthy prison sentence and disputes between Snoop Dogg over royalties. Anyhow, the album was set for release at several points between 2003 and 2005 and songs started to leak out between then. What I have here is the album as per a tracklist given out in some promotional materials, except three of the songs has never leaked or been released so I added a few bonus tracks. A version of "Bottom Girl" called "You Could Be" was going to be used for singer Kokane's unreleased album Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Kane without Goldie Loc's verse. "Bacc On The Blocc" was a song from Snoop's Welcome To Tha Chuuuch mixtape. "Real In the Field" is an unreleased Eastsidaz and Warren G collabo that was recorded around the time of the album, but the name of teh song that was supposed to appear on it featuring Warren G was called "C'd Up", it could be the same song with multiple names. Big Boi from Outkast recorded a verse for "Hog Mog 'N Chitlins" but I didn't have that version.

 I feel this album is more laidback than their other two albums and there isn't as many bigger name rappers on this but it is a great slice of early 2000s west coast street rap. There are other copies of these songs floating around the net but mine are superior bitrate and quality. Enjoy!


















Listen

Tracklist:

1. Friday Night (feat. Bokie Loc)
- produced by Battlecat

2. Parking Lot Pimpin' (feat. Truth Hurts)
- produced by Fredwreck

3. Hard Times (feat. Kokane, Redman & Bamm)
- produced by Fredwreck

4. Blue Suede Shoes (feat. Daz Dillinger & Kokane)
- produced by Julio G

5. Somthin' For Nothin' (feat. Mamie Gunn)
- produced by Jelly Roll

6. Rug Burnz (feat. Suga Free, Kokane & Miss Pamm)
- produced by Goldie Loc

7. Hog Mog 'N Chitlins (feat. Snoop Dogg & Kokane)
- produced by Goldie Loc

8. Chemical Reaction
- produced by Battlecat

9. Eastsidin' Daily (feat. Butch Cassidy & Blaqtoven)
- produced by Battlecat

10. Gang Bang Muzic (feat. Weasel Loc)
- produced by Goldie Loc

11. In Your Eyes (feat. Kokane)
- produced by Fredwreck

12. Bacc On The Blocc (feat. Snoop Dogg)
- produced by unknown

13. Real In The Field (feat. Warren G)
- produced by Warren G

14. Let's Go (feat.Nate Dogg)
- produced by Battlecat

15. Bottom Girl (feat. Kokane & Snoop Dogg)
- produced by Battlecat

16. Succ Me Licc Me Bitch (feat. Bokie Loc, Mykestro & Conflict)
- produced by Battlecat and Goldie Loc

Furnaceface were a weirdo punk band from Ottawa, Ontario that existed from 1990 to 1999. They released four LPs and a slew of singles. From what I gather they were kind of a big deal in their scene but for some reason all of their records are out of print.Their first two albums were pretty experimental with melodic punk in the vein of other Canadian punk bands of the time acting as a base with bits of alterna-pop, hardcore, folk, spoken word, funk and even hip-hop thrown in. They were very 90s and very Canadian. Instead of starting off with one of those I thought I'd ease you into them with their third LP, 1996's unsafe@anyspeed. This album is much more of a conventional pop-punk record but they have really unique 60s influenced melodies that make it just as memorable as their more adventurous material. I'd say it falls somewhere between Hüsker Dü and Bad Religion. Anyways, you can find another digital copy online but not a high quality rip straight from the CD like this version. I hope you enjoy it!
















Download

It seems like my favourite power pop/punk bands of the 2000s didn't release all that much or last all that long. New Town Animals were no different but their sole LP, Is Your Radio Active?, remains one of the best of the genre to this day. With a little help from a friend I was able to collect all their singles and comp tracks into a neat little collection. Not much to say but dig it!


















Download


Tracklist:

1. Baby You're The Reason [7" Version]
2. Little Rich Boy
3. Lose That Girl [7" Version]
4. Now That He's Free
5. Fashion Fallout
6. Falling Outta Space
7. Forgotten Generation
8. Cori St.
9. Spin So Fast
10. Three Steps Backward [CBC Session]

• 1 & 2 are from the split 7" with Délateurs. 2000. Zaxxon Records.
• 3 & 4 are from the New Town Animals 7". 2000. Mint Records.
• 5 & 6 are from the Fashion Fallout 7". 2002. Dirtnap Records.
• 7 is from Dirtnap Across The Northwest. 2003. Dirtnap Records.
• 8 & 9 are from the Cori St. 7". 2004. Longshot Music.
• 10 is from Mint Records Presents: The CBC Radio 3 Sessions. 2006. Mint Records. Recorded live in-studio for CBC Radio 3.

It is a rare treat that I am able to post a live bootleg that was actually manufactured and sold, and that is exactly what Bob's Full House is. Sugar never seemed to get their due when compared to Bob Mould's first act, Hüsker Dü. I'm not saying Sugar was as good as the Dü, but they were a great band and I think they don't get enough credit in helping shape the sounds of melodic pun rock for the next 20 years. Bob's Full House is comprised  mainly of a live set recorded in July of 1992 at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago featuring mostly stuff from their first LP, Copper Blue. The real special things about this set are the cover of  Iggy Pop's "Dum Dum Boys" and the unreleased tune "Beer Commercials" with abassist David Barbe on vocals. There are also a few recordings from radio sessions tacked on the end, including an unreleased song done by Bob by himself called "Lonely Blue Dreams". The sound quality is excellent and this is a high quality 320 rip from the CD source. Enjoy!

• 1 - 16 recorded July 22, 1992 at the Cabaret Metro, Chicago
• 17 - 18 recorded August 1st, 199? at University of London, UK
• 19 recorded August 24, 1992 for Marc Goodier Radio 1 Sessions
• 20 recorded July 7, 1991 at unknown radio station, US