THE MAKERS Hunger 1997

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

Garage punk outfit the Makers formed in Spokane, WA, in 1991, originally assembling frontman Mike Maker, his bassist brother Don Maker, guitarists Tim Maker and John Maker, and drummer Jay Maker. Famed for their anarchic live dates and for traveling from show to show in a 1965 Pontiac hearse, the group signed to Sympathy for the Record Industry to issue their debut 10" Hip-Notic; the exit of John Maker coincided with a move to the Estrus label for the full-length follow-up, 1993's Howl! The instrumental EP The Devil's Nine Questions preceded the Makers' second long player, 1994's All Night Riot; a trashier, more distorted sound distinguished the band's self-titled third LP, with guitarist Jamie Maker replacing Tim Maker for 1997's Hunger. After backing singer April March on her April March Sings the Songs album, the Makers resurfaced in 1998 with a new retro-glam approach on the acclaimed Psychopathia Sexualis, heralding the change by adopting new stage names -- Michael Machine, Don Virgo, Jay Amerika, and Jamie Jack Frost, respectively. The Makers made their Sub Pop label debut with 2000's acclaimed Rock Star God and followed it in 2002 with Strangest Parade. Jay Maker left the group that year to be replaced by Jimmy Chandler and the band parted ways with Sub Pop as well. They soon signed with Kill Rock Stars and in 2004 released Stripped, a collection of re-recordings of songs originally put out on Estrus between 1991 and 1998. They also welcomed back guitarist Tim Maker (now known as Timothy Killingsworth) expanding the group to a 5-piece for the album. This same line-up released Everybody Rise! in the fall of 2005. 

 

Tracklist

1	Small Town Depression
2	Tear Apart
3	No Count
4	Razorblade
5	Worlds Apart
6	Hard Times
7	Leopard Print Sissy
8	Sticky
9	Temper Tantrum
10	Live Or Die
11	Fair Game
12	Crash Ride
13	Mr. Blood
14	Take A Ride
15	Stone Boy
16	Why Can't I Live Forever

 

COSMIC ROUGH RIDERS Deliverance 1999

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Stanton Swihart

Singer/songwriters Daniel Wylie and Stephen Fleming met while volunteering in the community recording studio of Castlemilk, Glasgow. In time, Fleming became the studio's manager and chief engineer. Each time Wylie recorded there, Fleming would end up playing with him during the sessions, so in 1998 the duo finally forged a partnership by forming Cosmic Rough Riders, with Wylie on lead vocals and Fleming on electric guitar. Gradually the lineup was filled out by Gary Cuthbert (acoustic guitar), Mark Brown (drums), and James Clifford (bass), and the band developed a sound unabashedly influenced by the California rock sound of the 1970s. They released their first album, Deliverance, in 1999 on their own Raft Records to widespread critical acclaim, quickly selling out an initial pressing of 2,000 and developing a small cult following in the process. They followed that debut with the self-produced Panorama (also released on Raft) in March 2000. The album earned raves from established British publications such as Q, NME, and Mojo, and mimicked the debut by selling out its first pressing of 3,000. Both albums were distributed by Shell Shock Distribution, and both also earned a place in Virgin's Encyclopaedia of the Greatest Albums of All Time. In May 2000, Cosmic Rough Riders began playing live and touring for the first time in their career and simultaneously began discussions about future plans with several interested record and publishing companies. 

 

 

Tracklist

1	Ungrateful	3:36
2	Rape Seed Children	2:19
3	Patience	5:05
4	What's Your Sign ?	3:14
5	Country Life	3:15
6	Still A Mother's Son	2:53
7	Baby, You're So Free	3:31
8	Emily Darling	2:28
9	Brand New Car	3:02
10	Here Comes My Train	1:08
11	Lady In The Lake	2:18
12	Glastonbury Revisited	2:37
13	Garden Of Eden	2:34
14	New Day Dawning	3:44

 

THE SUMMER SUNS Bedbugs 1996

 

Discogs

THE SUMMER SUNS (1985-1996) were part of the vanguard of the Perth pop scene in a truly halcyon era. They played a melodious blend of '70s influenced power pop and '60s folk rock and featured the songs of Kim Williams played by a revolving door line-up of most of Perth, Western Australia's premier pop musicians. Releases appeared on many of the world's finest pop labels including Easter, Waterfront, Bus Stop, Parasol, Get Hip, and House Of Wax. After some years exploring other musical avenues with Bashful, The Love Letters, and The White Swallows, Kim Williams resurrected The Summer Suns as a recording band in 2013.

Tracklist

1	Thank You Holly
2	Shy Laura
3	Ash & Cinders
4	Please Don't Go Away
5	Why Say No
6	Stephanie

SUN CARRIAGE A Kiss To Tell E.P. 1991

Decent stoner/space/alternative rock

Discogs

Tracklist

A	A Kiss To Tell (Parts 1 & 2)
B1	B.A.B.E.
B2	Written By...

GOB (U.S.) Winkie 1993

 

Discogs

 

Grinding noise rock band from Reno, Nevada.

Tracklist

1	Heavy Member
2	Torture Bubble
3	32
4	Kenny
5	Afebrile
6	Elmo's Lounge
7	Maintenance-Man Strength
8	Hamone Y Naranjas

SWIRL (UK)

Body E.P.

1991

Plumptuous

1992

Discogs

UK band playing indie rock/Manchester music.

Body E.P.

 

Tracklist

1	Shimmer (Edit)	5:33
2	Helicopter (Edit)	6:42
3	Mother Likes To Wrestle	2:52

Plumptuous

Tracklist

1	Power In Numbers	3:52
2	6/8 Lullaby	5:00
3	Trouble And Strife	4:34
4	Ariel	4:43
5	Hey Blackbird	3:34
6	Grass Harps (Sing For Me)	3:43
7	Giant Sea	4:22
8	Paintings On Wallpaper	1:56

THE GITS Kings And Queens 1996

by request

 

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Mark Deming

While the Gits were a band who made a strong impression with their music during their all too brief run, it was how the group suddenly ended that would come to dominate their story. Playing a unique and passionate fusion of first-era punk, hard rock, and streetwise blues, the Gits had a sound that set them apart from their peers in Seattle in the late '80s and early '90s, when the city was hip deep in the grunge explosion. The Gits also had a fearless and charismatic frontwoman in lead singer Mia Zapata, but just as the group seemed poised to move up to the next level of popular acceptance, the potential of both the Gits and Zapata were snuffed out when she was raped and murdered in the summer of 1993.

The Gits were formed in Yellow Springs, Ohio in 1986, when Zapata, guitarist Joe Spleen (aka Andy Kessler), bassist Matt Dresdner, and drummer Steve Moriarty were all students at Antioch College. The band was initially known as "The Snivelling Little Rat Faced Gits," taken from a line from a Monty Python sketch, but before long, convenience won out and they shortened the name. In 1988, the Gits recorded a set of demos with the help of Ben London of Alcohol Funnycar; they would eventually see official release under the title Kings & Queens. In 1989, the Gits pulled up stakes and made their way to Seattle, Washington, where they squatted in an abandoned house where they lived and rehearsed. While the Gits' music was significantly different from that which defined the Pacific Northwest rock scene of the day, their forceful performances and Zapata's gifts as a vocalist and communicator won them a following among punk rockers, political activists, and renegade artists as well as discerning rock fans. In 1990, the Gits released their debut single, "Precious Blood" b/w "Seaweed" and "Kings & Queens," and after a pair of 45s in 1991, the band began work on their debut album, Frenching the Bully, which was released by C/Z Records in 1992. Frenching the Bully received enthusiastic reviews and the band toured extensively in the U.S. and Europe, booking their own shows without the help of a manager and performing overseas without official visas, relying on the help of independent musicians and squatters to make their way. The Gits' power as a live act, coupled with Frenching the Bully's success on college and independent radio, made them one of Seattle's most talked-about bands at a time when the success of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden brought a remarkable amount of media attention to the city's music community. The Gits began work on their second album while their profile was on the rise and major labels were courting the group. The album was nearly complete when on July 7, 1993, Zapata was walking home from a night out with friends when she was raped and murdered; the singer was dead at the age of 27.

Zapata's murder initially polarized the Seattle music community, largely because police detectives initially focused on her friends and peers, believing she must have been killed by someone she knew. However, Zapata's surviving bandmates rallied, hiring a private detective to investigate the case, and the city's rock musicians showed solidarity with a series of benefit shows and albums that raised both money and awareness about the Zapata case, as well as inspiring new dialogue about issues of violence against women. Joan Jett, a fan of the Gits, played a handful of shows with Spleen, Dresdner, and Moriarty, and they would release an album titled Evil Stig -- "Gits Live" backwards. The band 7 Year Bitch paid homage to Zapata with their 1994 album Viva Zapata!, which included a song about her murder, "M.I.A." And several of Zapata's friends gathered to form Home Alive, a non-profit group offering self-defense instruction and support systems for women.

In 1994, the surviving members of the Gits completed the album they were working on in the summer of 1993, which was released by C/Z as Enter: The Conquering Chicken. The Gits would later release two albums of rare and unreleased material from their archives, and Spleen, Dresdner, and Moriarty would join forces for a new band, the Dancing French Liberals of '48. And in 2003, Seattle police initiated a "cold case" examination of the case that led to processing DNA evidence gathered at the time of the crime. A search for matching DNA led to Florida, where Jesus Mezquia had been arrested for burglary; research revealed that Mezquia was living in Seattle in July 1993, and in 2004, he was found guilty of Zapata's murder and sentenced to 36 years behind bars. In 2005, Zapata's life and the long search for justice became the subject of a documentary film by director Kerri O'Kane, simply titled The Gits. 

 

Tracklist  

1	Eleven
2	Cut My Skin It Makes Me Human
3	A
4	Running
5	Look Right Through Me
6	It All Dies Anyway
7	Monsters
8	It Doesn't Matter
9	Snivelling Little Rat Faced Git
10	Still You Don't Know What It's Like
11	Tempt Me
12	Gitstrumental (Breaks)
13	Kings And Queens
14	Ain't Got No Right
15	Loose
16	Graveyard Blues

 

MY LIFE STORY Mornington Crescent 1995

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

My Life Story was one of many orchestral British pop groups that appeared in the wake of Pulp and Suede. Led by Jake Shillingford, the ensemble never quite amassed the buzz and critical praise of such peers as the Divine Comedy, yet their junk-shop sophisti-pop -- best heard on 1997's The Golden Mile, the sophomore set that was their first album for a major -- earned a devoted cult following that stuck by the group even after its disbandment in 2000. Shillingford capitalized on that fandom by reuniting the band to celebrate the 15th anniversary of The Golden Mile in 2012, a reunion that revived the band and led to a brand new album, World Citizen, in 2019. For all intents and purposes, Jake Shillingford (born May 15, 1966) is My Life Story. Born in Southend-on-Sea, Shillingford formed his first band in 1980, but he didn't start a career until the late '80s. In the mid-'80s, he briefly attended the Southend Art College, after which he held a job at Dingwalls in Camden. He worked during the day and ran the Panic Station Club at night, often playing with his band, My Life Story. After a few years, he grew bored and left for America in 1989 on a mission to find himself. He returned the following year, convinced that he would remodel My Life Story as a string-laden, orchestral pop band. Over the course of 1990, he assembled a new version of the band, re-hiring former MLS drummer Aaron Cahill as musical arranger, drummer Steave Searley, bassist Jon King, keyboardist Helen Caddick, violinists Alison Gabriel and Ellie Newton, cellist Judith Fleet, Rob Spriggs on viola, and Rachel Simnett, who played various brass instruments. Playing concerts in underground London clubs, the band slowly built a small following, self-releasing their indie debut EP Big at the end of the year. By 1992, the band had grown to comprise a total of 11 musicians, and they were regularly playing clubs like the 100 Club and the Marquee.

In 1993, My Life Story's profile began to rise considerably when they contributed strings to the Wonder Stuff's "Welcome to the Cheap Seats." That fall, they signed to Mother Tongue records, releasing the single "Girl A, Girl B, Boy C" by the end of the year. Produced by Giles Martin, the son of legendary Beatles producer George Martin, the record was named Single of the Week by Melody Maker and NME, and My Life Story opened for both Blur and Pulp during the winter of 1994. In February, the group's second single, "Funny Ha Ha," was released. A year later, "You Don't Sparkle (In My Eyes)" reached the indie Top Ten, followed by the February 1995 release of their debut album, Mornington Crescent. Although the record received positive reviews, its release was hampered by threatened legal action from London Underground due to breach of copyright, but the issue vanished quickly. Melody Maker named Mornington Crescent one of the year's best albums, but the record didn't sell in large numbers. Distraught, Shillingford decided to have My Life Story perform a month-long residency at Dingwalls in February 1996, and if the band wasn't signed to a major label at the end of the four-Sunday stint, he was going to disband the group. Following the group's Dingwalls residency, My Life Story was signed to Parlophone Records. As they recorded their major-label debut during the spring and summer, My Life Story played a series of high-profile gigs that increased their profile substantially. Late that summer, the group's first Parlophone single, "12 Reasons Why I Love Her" was released. It was followed by "Sparkle" in October and "The King of Kissingdom" in February, both of which received mixed reviews in the music press. The Golden Mile, My Life Story's long-delayed major-label debut, was finally released in March of 1997. Although the band's audience was larger than ever, a critical backlash had begun, and the reviews for The Golden Mile were frequently harsh; Select labeled the record as "the worst album ever made."

The Golden Mile turned out to be My Life Story's peak. Parlophone parted ways with the group after its release, so they signed with It Records for 2000's Joined Up Talking. The album went no further than 126 on the U.K. charts, so Shillingford arranged a series of farewell concerts for My Life Story at the end of 2000. After a six-year break, My Life Story reunited to play two concerts to celebrate the release for two 2006 compilations: Sex & Violins (The Best of My Life Story) and Megaphone Theology: B-Sides and Rarities. The reunions were successful, so My Life Story again became a going concern, beginning with a 2007 show at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, followed by a 2009 concert where they played Mornington Crescent in its entirety. Shillingford assembled a streamlined edition of My Life Story for a 2013 U.K. tour, and in 2016 the group released their first single in 16 years, "24 Hour Deflowerer." The next two years found the band playing Brit-pop revival package tours. All this activity culminated with the 2019 release of World Citizen, the band's first album in nearly 20 years.

Tracklist  

	Twelve Titles
1	You Don't Sparkle (In My Eyes)
2	The Penthouse In The Basement
3	Triumphant
4	Up The Down Escalator
5	Under The Ice
6	Bullets Fly
7	Forever
8	Motorcade
9	Girl A, Girl B, Boy C
10	Funny Ha Ha
11	(Theme From) Checkmate
12	Angel

GOB (Canada) self titled 1994

Canadian pop punk band

Discogs

Tracklist

1	Custer's Last One Night Stand	1:51
2	Cleansing	1:31
3	Fuck Off	1:25
4	You	1:40
5	Low Self Esteem	1:22
6	Tested	1:41
7	Abuse Me, Please	2:01
8	Losing Face	1:25
9	One Size Fits All	1:28

THREE HOUR TOUR self titled 1994

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Steve Huey

Not to be confused with the San Francisco all-female oldies band of the same name, Three Hour Tour is an Illinois-based power pop band led by Darren Cooper. A compilation of their singles for Parasol Records, 1969, was released in 1996.

 

 

Tracklist

1	Tarnished Silver Screen
2	So Tonight
3	Easy Come, Easy Go
4	Out Of Time
5	Obvious Oblivious
6	Sister Mary
7	When The Lights Are Out
8	Push Too Far
9	I've Got A Big Thing For Her
10	There's So Much More
11	Why Do We Fall
12	Today Will Be Yesterday (+ Hidden Bonus Tracks)

NOW THAT'S DISGUSTING MUSIC LIVE AT THE SAUSAGE MACHINE Various Artists 1990

 

Discogs

 

 

Tracklist

1	–Sun Carriage	See How They Fly	3:17
2	–Th' Faith Healers	Jesus Freak	3:46
3	–Silverfish	Wierd Shit / Don't Fuck	8:47
4	–Mega City Four	On Another Planet	2:23
5	–Mega City Four	Clear Blue Skies	2:53
6	–The Unbelievers	Insight	2:53
7	–The Honey Smugglers*	Pie In The Sky	3:28
8	–The Heart Throbs	Big Commotion	4:09
9	–The Heart Throbs	I See Danger	4:27
10	–Snuff (3)	City Baby	2:28
11	–Snuff (3)	Do Nothing	2:45

 

POP (DO WE NOT LIKE THAT?) Various Artists 1994

 

Discogs

 

 

Tracklist  

1	–Stereolab	Super-Electric	5:21
2	–P.J.Harvey*	Sheela-Na-Gig	3:12
3	–Th' Faith Healers	Don't Jones Me	3:54
4	–Voodoo Queens	Supermodel-Superficial	3:21
5	–Seefeel	Plainsong	7:00
6	–Pram	Radio Freak In A Storm	3:47
7	–Moonshake	Just A Working Girl	6:15
8	–Minxus	Steal, Steal, Steal	2:52
9	–Laika	44 Robbers	4:17
10	–Mouse On Mars	Frosch	4:21