Bow Street Runners: Bow Street Runners 1970

 

Bow Street Runners was a psychedelic rock band formed in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Their debut

album was released in 1970 for B.T. Puppy Records and not long after the band sadly disappeared.
                   

The band was formed in 1969 and their members included George Graham (drums), Steve Darling

(guitar), Frank Hardwick (bass), Mike Dees (vocals), Bill Joyner (keyboards) and later Steve Struthers (lead guitar).
               

Sounding like a blend of Jefferson Airplane and the Doors, Bow Street Runners was a Fayetteville,

North Carolina-based psychedelic band who released one eponymous album in limited quantities on B.T. Puppy Records in 1970. While the group was ignored at the time, Bow Street Runners became a collectible item among psychedelic aficionados during the '80s and '90s, leading to its 1996 reissue by Sundazed Records.
               

Using the trippy, folky rock of Jefferson Airplane and eerie, organ-driven soundscapes as a foundation,

the Bow Street Runners may not have many original ideas in their head, but that's part of their appeal. Their lone, eponymous album is filled with attempts at hippie mysticism and menacing, swirling fuzzy psychedelia.

The Bow Street Runners Interview HERE

It’s great to have you. Let’s start at the very beginning. Where did you grow up, and how did you first get interested in rock’n’roll music?

George Graham: I was born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Even though I have always loved different types of music from an early age, it was not until the British Invasion that I became hooked on music.

Was there a specific moment when you knew you wanted to become a musician?

I did not consider becoming a musician until the British Invasion. That was when I decided to become a drummer. Watching drummers has always fascinated me. One of my best friends, Ralph Melvin, was also interested in being a drummer. We both encouraged each other to pursue our passion. We both ended up as drummers in local bands over the years.

The British Invasion and the sound of heavier groups have influenced your band. Would you like to take us back in time and tell us what kind of records and fanzines we would find in your teenage room?

My friend, Ralph Melvin, introduced me to a drummer named Sandy Nelson. He had released numerous albums, among which was ‘Let There Be Drums’. Ralph and I bought Sandy Nelson’s albums and studied his style and playing. Before and during that period, I loved The Beach Boys and all the music that went along with the surfer influence, fast cars, and love songs.

How did you come around to play the drums?

Again, it was a mixture of the things I have already mentioned, but the British Invasion locked it in for me. I was mesmerized by the effect the music and style had on audiences. In my mind, I wanted to be a part of that scene.
          

Read The Interview on "It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine"

Bow Street Runners – Bow Street Runners
Label: Sundazed Music – SC 6112
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Stereo 1996
Country: US
Released: 1970    
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                 

01. Electric Star    2:35
02. Watch    2:13
03. American Talking Blues    3:48
04. Leaving Grit America    2:49
05. Another Face    5:11
06. Eating From A Plastic Hand    4:06
07. Rock Fish Blues    2:13
08. Push It Through    2:04
09. Spunky Monkey    3:14
10. Steve's Jam    4:05

LINE - UP

George Graham (drums),
Steve Darling (guitar),
Frank Hardwick (bass),
Mike Dees (vocals),
Bill Joyner (keyboards)  
Steve Struthers (lead guitar).

Flac Size: 334 MB

Echo And The Bunnymen: Crocodiles 1980 + Ocean Rain 1984

 

Echo & the Bunnymen's dark, swirling fusion of gloomy post-punk and Doors-inspired psychedelia is

driven by the majestic voice and outsized persona of singer Ian McCulloch and the frequently brilliant guitar work of Will Sergeant. The band started off as an angular post-punk group on their first album, 1980's Crocodiles, but by the time of 1984's Ocean Rain they had become cinematically Baroque.
                

After stripping their sound down to basics for 1987's self-titled album, which produced the deathless hit "Lips Like Sugar," the band ran into problems and experienced tragedy (like the death of drummer Pete

de Freitas), but eventually McCulloch and Sergeant cemented a musical bond that cracked but never shattered over the course of a lengthy careers -- leading them to release introspective gems like 1999's What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?, 2014's Meteorites, and 2018's The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon) that illuminated their mysterious, dramatic spark.
                           

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN - CROCODILES 1980

                

Inspired by psychedelia, sure. Bit of Jim Morrison in the vocals? OK, it's there. But for all the references and connections that can be drawn (and they can), one listen to Echo's brilliant, often harrowing debut album and it's clear when a unique, special band presents itself.

Beginning with the dramatic, building climb of "Going Up," Crocodiles at once showcases four individual players sure of their own gifts and their ability to bring it all together to make things more than the sum of their parts. Will Sergeant in particular is a revelation -- resplendently delicate and full of inventive, unexpected melodies. More than many before or since, he plays the electric guitar as just that, electric not acoustic, dedicated to finding out what can be done with it while never using it as an excuse to bend frets.
            

His highlights are legion, whether it's the hooky opening chime of "Rescue" or the exchanges of sound

and silence in "Happy Death Men." Meanwhile, the Pattinson/De Freitas rhythm section stakes its own claim for greatness, the former's bass driving yet almost seductive, the latter's percussion constantly shifting rhythms and styles while never leaving the central beat of the song to die.
             

"Pride" is one standout moment of many, Pattinson's high notes and De Freitas' interjections on what

sound like chimes or blocks are inspired touches. Then there's McCulloch himself, and while the imagery can be cryptic, the delivery soars, even while his semi-wail conjures up, as on the nervy, edgy picture of addiction "Villiers Terrace," "People rolling round on the carpet/Mixing up the medicine." Brisk, wasting not a note, and burning with barely controlled energy, Crocodiles remains a deserved classic.
                 

Echo & The Bunnymen – Crocodiles
Label: Sire – 2564-61161-2, Rhino Records – 2564-61161-2
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered Jan 27, 2004
Country: US
Released: 1980
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, New Wave

                

TRAXS

01. Going Up    4:02
02. Stars Are Stars    2:48
03. Pride    2:41
04. Monkeys    2:49
05. Crocodiles    2:41
06. Rescue    4:29
07. Villiers Terrace    2:47
08. Pictures On My Wall    2:55
09. All That Jazz    2:48
10. Happy Death Men    5:00

BONUS TRAXS        

    
11. Do It Clean    2:49
12. Read It In Books    2:34
13. Simple Stuff   2:38
Engineer – John Brierly/Producer – The Bunnymen
14. Villiers Terrace (Early Version)    3:08
15. Pride (Early Version)    2:54
16. Simple Stuff (Early Version)    2:37

SHINE SO HARD EP        

    
17. Crocodiles (Live)   5:09
Producer – Bill Drummond, Hugh Jones
18. Zimbo (Live)   3:36
Producer – Bill Drummond, Hugh Jones
19. All That Jazz (Live)   2:53
Producer – Bill Drummond, Hugh Jones
20. Over The Wall (Live)   5:28
Producer – Bill Drummond, Hugh Jones

LINE - UP

Vocals, Guitar – Ian McCulloch
Bass – Les Pattinson
Drums – Pete De Freitas
Keyboards – David Balfe
Lead Guitar – Will Sergeant

Flac Size: 470 MB

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN - OCEAN RAIN 1984

               

Channeling the lessons of the experimental Porcupine into more conventional and simple structural parameters, Ocean Rain emerges as Echo & the Bunnymen's most beautiful and memorable effort.

Ornamenting Ian McCulloch's most consistently strong collection of songs to date with subdued guitar textures, sweeping string arrangements, and hauntingly evocative production, the album is dramatic and majestic; "The Killing Moon," Ocean Rain's emotional centerpiece, remains the group's unrivalled pinnacle.
             

Echo & The Bunnymen – Ocean Rain
Label: Sire – 2564-61165-2, Rhino Records (2) – 2564-61165-2
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered 2003
Country: US
Released: 1984    
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Alternative Rock

TRAXS

             

01. Silver    3:20
02. Nocturnal Me    4:57
03. Crystal Days    2:24
04. The Yo-Yo Man    3:10
05. Thorn Of Crowns    4:55
06. The Killing Moon   5:47
Producer – The Bunnymen/Recorded By – David Lord
07. Seven Seas    3:20
08. My Kingdom    4:05
09. Ocean Rain    5:24

BONUS TRAXS        

    
10. Angels And Devils   4:24
Engineer – David Frazer
Harpsichord – Will Sergeant
Producer – Alan Perman, The Bunnymen

THE LIFE AT BRIAN'S SESSIONS        

    
11. All You Need Is Love (The Life At Brian's Sessions)   6:45
Written-By – John Lennon/Paul McCartney
12. The Killing Moon (The Life At Brian's Sessions)    3:27
13. Stars Are Stars (The Life At Brian's Sessions)    3:05
14. Villiers Terrace (The Life At Brian's Sessions)    6:00
15. Silver (The Life At Brian's Sessions)    3:25            
16. My Kingdom (Live - A Crystal Day - 12 May 1984)    3:58
17. Ocean Rain (Live - A Crystal Day - 12 May 1984)    5:18

LINE - UP

Bass – Les Pattinson
Clarinet – Luvan Kiem (tracks: 11 to 15)
Drums – Pete De Freitas
Guitar – Will Sergeant
Harpsichord – Alan Perman (tracks: 11 to 15)
Sitar – Will Sergeant (tracks: 11 to 15)
Vocals, Words By – Ian McCulloch

NOTES

Tracks 10 to 17 are bonus tracks.
Track 10 recorded at The Automatt, San Francisco, CA (18/3/84).
Tracks 11 to 15 recorded at Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool for the television program Play At Home - Life At Brian's (7/83).

Flac Size: 615 MB

Echo And The Bunnymen on Urban Aspirines HERE

Die Spitz: The Revenge Of Evangeline (EP) 2022 + Teeth (EP) 2023

Die Spitz is a mayhem-inciting force founded in January 2022. The quartet (Ava Schrobilgen, Chloe Andrews, Ellie Livingston, and Kate Halter) is known for their unruly stage presence,

bombarding their crowds with a wall of sound. Die Spitz continues to penetrate the music scene with unparalleled momentum, sharing stages with heavy hitters Amyl and the Sniffers, OFF!, and Destroy Boys. These childhood friends turned musicians have recently premiered two EP’s, The Revenge of Evangeline and Teeth, capturing this live energy. As Lee Ackerley of Austin Monthly put it: “youthful moxie has never sounded so good”.
                

At a dingy West Campus co-op show last April, I first came face-to-face with the chaotic brilliance of Die Spitz, who incited the mother of all mosh pits upon a crowd of unsuspecting, slightly drunk twentysomethings. When one bandmate tackled another, sending an entire drum set flying like bowling pins, I knew I was in the presence of something beautiful.

Their first year of official bandhood has seen the Austin natives establish themselves as one of the city's most exciting new acts, making a splash with their riotous live shows and head-banging brand of grunge-y hard rock à la Mudhoney. Kate Halter delivers thunderous basslines with a mischievous swagger, while Ava Schrobilgen, Chloe Andrews, and Ellie Livingston (whom the band affectionately refers to as the "Boogeyman") rotate drum, guitar, and vocal duties in a dizzying display of musical multitalentedness. Their name pays homage to garage punks the Spits, whose DIY origins and onstage antics find new life in the group of 19-year-olds.
                  

I caught the quartet at the home/practice space they share in a quiet corner of North University to discuss their second EP, Teeth. The concerningly pleasant 80-degree January weather found us sitting in a summer camp-esque circle in the front yard, carefully avoiding a pile of freshly dropped dog poop. "It's actually mine," quips Schrobilgen.

"[Schrobilgen] and I met in ballet class when we were 3, and we've both known [Halter] since we were 14," explains Livingston. "The three of us were really good friends in high school, and during our junior year, we said, 'We should be in a band,' as kind of a joke. Only when the pandemic hit did we start to get more into it and play every day."
Schrobilgen says: "We just needed a reason to hang out with each other. We had to convince our parents that it was okay. We were like, 'We'll be socially distant in Ellie's garage!'"
                   

The band hosted an EP release party last Friday with Sodomy Cop and Grocery Bag at Hole in the Wall, also the site of their first-ever performance. The night coincided with their one-year anniversary of meeting Andrews, when the band asked fellow hard-rockers Sludge to borrow their drummer for a night. "I thought I was agreeing to play one show. Now, a year later, I'm not in college anymore!" says

Andrews, who is taking time off from studying psychology at UT-Austin to focus on the band. After inviting her to permanently join the lineup, Die Spitz as it exists today was born, thus launching a yearlong frenzy of show-playing and songwriting that included highlights like opening for Aussie stars Amyl and the Sniffers at Hotel Vegas in April and alt-metal legends L7 at Mohawk in October. "It's been the best year ever," Halter confesses. "I wouldn't have thought we'd be here a year ago."
                     

Late July saw the arrival of their first EP, The Revenge of Evangeline, recorded at Austin Signal Studios with financial support from Try Hard Coffee Roasters. In comparison to their earlier output, the

group says, Teeth presents a more polished, intentional body of work. "Our first EP was recorded live over two days, and we really liked that because we're such a live band," explains Schrobilgen. "[Teeth] was produced piece by piece over two weeks, and we were worried that it might sound too pop-y, but the live energy is definitely still there."
                  

"Plus, you can actually hear that there's two guitarists this time," Halter adds. Livingston continues: "It's a very versatile album, but it also all goes together. Chloe's songs are the catchiest, Ava's more straight-up punk, and I'm a bit more metalish. We all have different writing styles, and that makes everything

more open." Despite their cross-genre experimentation, Die Spitz is often pigeonholed as a purely punk band, a move they feel diminishes their musicality and careful song composition. "It's complicated for me, because I actually like punk music a lot, but most of our songs just aren't punk – they're getting more melodic," explains Schrobilgen. Even worse, listeners all too frequently draw comparisons between Die Spitz and well-known all-girl groups. "We're literally called riot grrrls all the time. I'm like, 'What about us makes us riot grrrls?'" groans Livingston.
            

In spite of these semantic frustrations, Die Spitz remains unbothered. When Schrobilgen recalls one

especially heinous gendered comment – "People always say that we're the self-proclaimed 'boy band with tits,' but we never said that!" – the group erupts in laughter. The phrase sits in the group's Bandcamp bio as a sort of tongue-in-cheek reclamation of the remark. After spending 2022 ticking off accomplishments, what items still remain on the band's bucket list?
           

"We're hoping to do a West Coast tour later this year. I think another goal that I have, even though I

kind of hate it, is I want to play ACL, just because it would freak out everyone. We all grew up here, so everyone's like, 'Oh my god, ACL,'" gasps Schrobilgen. "We'd scare all the people from high school we don't talk to anymore."
"I want to play a sorority party and ignite the feminine rage in these women that I know exists," laughs Andrews, but I have a feeling she isn't joking.
                

Interview with Die Spitz (It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine) HERE

LINE - UP

                

Bass – Kate Halter
Drums – Chloe Andrews
Guitar, Vocals – Ava Schrobilgen
Guitar, Vocals - Ellie Livingston

DIE SPITZ - THE REVENGE OF EVANGELINE (EP) 2022
           

 

Die Spitz – The Revenge Of Evangeline
Label: Not On Label (Die Spitz Self-Released) – none
Format: CDr, EP, Limited Edition
Country: US
Released: Jul 28, 2022
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk, Post-Punk, Hard Rock

TRAXS

                  

01. Evangeline    2:29
02. Going Away    2:30
03. Uncle Mark    3:00
04. Kill Mr. Jones    1:59
05. Lie To Me    2:50
06. New Bait    2:56

DIE SPITZ - TEETH (EP) 2023
         

 

 

Die Spitz – Teeth
Label: Not On Label (Die Spitz Self-Released) – none
Format: CDr, EP
Country: US
Released: 2023
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk, Post-Punk, Grunge, Hard Rock

TRAXS

               

01. Grip   3:34
02. Hair of Dog   2:20
03. Groping Dogs Gushing Blood   3:08
04. Chug   3:23
05. Marrowbone   3:49
06. Slater   2:31
07. Monkey Song   4:03

GROPING DOGS GUSHING BLOOD LYRICS

                   

You want my attention
Skin soaked in sweat
Can't wait to enjoy me

So you
Take what you can get

You want my body
And you want my air
Don't you just love it?

You
Drooling with that stare

Crawl, your way to me
Don't you wanna
Stay, alone with me
I'll break your fucking
Teeth, just wait and see
Lay your hand on me

I've been waiting for this moment
He thinks I'm mild
Just watch my face twist

Into
The ugliest of smiles

Oh now you're running?
Don't you want more?
I like it bloody

When
I watch you hit the floor
                    

Crawl, your way to me
Don't you wanna
Stay, alone with me
I'll break your fucking
Teeth, just wait and see
Lay your hand on me

Won't you keep me company
I you know must be
So lonely and defeat
Let's keep it that way
Let me feed you spoons
Of dirt and concrete
Baby, won't you stay
'Cause you have got to pay

Both EPs - Flac Size: 505 MB