Besides Asides

The problem with posting things in a certain update order is that if something for a feature isn't working out I won't post again until it does or I can find something else to fill that slot. The most difficult slot to fill is the Get In Where You Fit In feature. I have lots of out of print albums, live bootlegs and b-side material in my collection but the unreleased stuff is few and far between. I had a super rare unreleased album in the form of a copy of the master however when I went to view the sound files I discovered that the last four or so songs existed only in silence and their wave forms seemed to be messed up. I won't say what it is less I get peoples hopes up that I'll post it but I couldn't post it incomplete and it very well may not exist in any other form. This is it's replacement and I think it is a worthy one.

A lot of the time when I post things here from a broken up band there is always a chance that the band will release something else after the fact. They get back together record some new songs or unearth some lost gems. This is one of those sad times where that can't happen as Jamie passed away in 2008. These 5 songs represent the last things Bent Outta Shape ever recorded, I believe they were all recorded in the same sessions as the songs that were used on the split with Snuggle. The likelihood of these ever being released is pretty slim which is sad because "Fourth of July" is amongst some of BOS best tunes and the cover of the Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden" is simply fantastic. The quality I received these in wasn't the greatest so I've done my best to clean them up and liven the sound quality. So here they are, the final chapter of an under-appreciated band:

In 2001, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label signed New York transplant producer/MC Focus.... Never heard of him? Well Focus... put in work on projects like The Wash soundtrack and albums by Truth Hurts and The Game but he never released so much as a single with the label and after hearing his 2011 mixtape/album Music of the Misinterpreted it is easy to see why.

If you've ever listened to Lucero (alt. country band, not the Spanish singer) chances are you've heard their cover of Jawbreaker's "Kiss The Bottle". While there is some pretty bad Jawbreaker covers out there this is one of the better ones in my opinion. However, if you looked to Lucero's music for any influence you probably wouldn't find much. Imagine if they were though? Well you don't really have to because between 1994 and 1996, Lucero front-man Ben Nichols played in the Jawbreaker influenced pop punk band Red Forty (sometimes written as Red 40).

I don't think there is enough hyperbole in the english language to get across how much I absolutely love Dag Nasty. More than The Replacements, more than Hüsker Dü, more than even Descendents. My story with the band is kind of weird in that Can I Say was one of the first pieces of vinyl I bought when I was about 17 or 18 before I was a collector. I was straight edge and wanted to listen to more straight edge bands (lol). At the time I remember spinning Can I Say, and not really digging it that much and I don't think I did too many after that for a long time. Fast-foward a few years and I was record shopping when I stumbled upon Field Day in the used bin for a few dollars at a local record shop and although I hadn't really liked Can I Say that much I had never seen it in stores before so I thought I'd pick it up. When I got home and threw it on the record player I was amazed at how different Field Day was and how much I enjoyed it. The album was still punk but it had mature exploration of pop music in ways that few bands I knew had approached. From that point on I went out and bought everything I could by the band.

Remember a few years ago when noise pop was the coolest kid on the block? I'd be extremely surprised if members of those band's didn't cut their teeth on Henry's Dress' self-titled 10". What made Henry's Dress special though is they balanced the perfect amount of melody and fuzz. You think with all the noise making and rocking going on the sweet parts might get lost in a muddy mess but not at all. I can't say the same for this recording exactly, but this is a live show if you want excellent quality pick up the studio stuff. This is pretty darn good for what is likely an audience recording. Even more so than the records you really see how the trio rocked out, playing songs mostly from the then forthcoming Bust 'em Green LP. It would be nice to have seen a bit more of an even mix of songs from the Henry's Dress in here and maybe one of the songs from the split with Rocketship but hey beggar can't be choosers. This bootleg does the job of making you wish you could have been there but also makes you wish the band had some kind of proper live album. Oh well, this will have to do. Enjoy!

Remember in the mid-90s when everyone and their grandma had a ska revival band or at least ska-punk song or two on their album? Hell even American Steel's first LP had ska elements. Well the mid-2000s were like that for midwest-style emo. A lot of of forgettable bands have since come and gone milking the style for all it was worth but there were a couple of bands right at the beginning before it became a huge trend that I still hold a candle for. One of those bands is Street Smart Cyclist, who broke broke up some time in 2007 or 2008. They only released a self-titled EP/demo on cd-r and then vinyl and an acoustic cd-r, but before they packed it in they recorded two more songs. Those two songs are what I bring you today. You used to be able to get their discography from a link they posted on their MySpace by MySpace blocks the band's link for some reason. You can still pick up the self-titled on iTunes but to me this is their best shit so peep it and then go back and listen to everything else. Enjoy!

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Columbus, Ohio's Highschool sounds like the last vestige of youth, to me anyways. Remember around the turn of the last decade when there was a group of bands playing pop punk influenced by 90's hardcore that didn't sound like the latest popcore trend? early Saves The Day, Fairweather, The Movielife etc.? That is exactly what Highschool's You Already Know sounds like. The EP came out last year and they've also released another album early this year for a minimum of 2 dollars but you can check out You Already Know for as little as zero dollars at their bandcamp page so if you like it support the band!