THE FOR CARNATION Marshmallows 1996

 

Discogs

 

The For Carnation Biography

by Steve Huey

The For Carnation was a low-key, mostly acoustic vehicle for ex-Slint/Squirrel Bait member Brian McMahan, whose previous projects had all made their impact through jagged, noisy art-punk. Mirroring his old bandmate David Grubbs' evolution with Gastr del Sol, McMahan continued to explore the complex, cerebral patterns that were his stock in trade, but with delicate arrangements and far subtler dynamics. Slint fans were taken aback by the For Carnation's low-key sparseness, and while it wasn't as groundbreaking as McMahan's earlier efforts, the quietly unsettling creepiness of its best moments was rooted firmly in the leader's trademark aesthetic. McMahan was the lone constant in the For Carnation, which shaped up as a revolving-door outfit with collaborators coming and going from other projects; the initial lineup featured several members of Tortoise, who gave way to a collection of Louisville and Chicago scenesters.

McMahan formed the For Carnation in 1994 as the latest in a series of high-profile indie outfits. Beginning his career in Louisville's seminal post-Hüsker Dü punkers Squirrel Bait, he next moved on to the groundbreaking math rock unit Slint; following their breakup, he moved to Chicago and played for a short time as a sideman in Will Oldham's Palace Brothers project, along with former Slint bandmate David Pajo. McMahan and Pajo started jamming on their own, along with ex-Slint/Squirrel Bait drummer Britt Walford, who stayed around only briefly. Pajo had begun playing with post-rock bigwigs Tortoise, and two of that band's members -- Doug McCombs (bass) and John Herndon (drums) -- came on board to fill things out, completing the first version of the For Carnation. This lineup recorded the three-song EP Fight Songs, which was released on Matador in 1995. Pajo subsequently left to concentrate on his other projects, which included Tortoise as well as the solo venture Aerial M and several sideman gigs.

McCombs and Herndon continued to play sporadically with the group, but their full-time commitment to Tortoise made things difficult. McMahan pieced together the next For Carnation record, 1996's relatively brief full-length Marshmallows, from contributions by McCombs and Herndon, and those of a new lineup featuring onetime Rodan drummer John Weiss, guitarists Tim Ruth (also of Slint offshoot) Evergreen) and Michael McMahan (Brian's brother), plus additional contributions by hotshot Chicago producer Brad Wood. The For Carnation subsequently embarked on its first national tour, with a lineup featuring the McMahan brothers and an all-Louisville supporting cast of guitarist Tim Furnish, bassist Todd Cook (both ex-Crain), and drummer Kip McCabe. By this time, the group's brand of post-rock was drawing comparisons to Gastr del Sol, as well as slowcore bands like Codeine and Low.

The For Carnation later split from Matador to sign with Touch & Go, and McMahan returned to Louisville and set about crafting new material with a lineup of Michael McMahan, Todd Cook, and the returning Britt Walford (then also in Evergreen). Meanwhile, Runt reissued the band's first two EPs together under the title Promised Works. Walford returned to his other commitments later in 1997, and was eventually replaced by Steve Goodfriend; guitarists/keyboardists Bobb Bruno and Rafe Mandel later came on board as well. Finally, in 2000, Touch & Go released The For Carnation, the band's most substantive and fully realized record to date. Boasting considerable involvement from Tortoise's John McEntire, the album also featured guest spots from the Breeders' Kim Deal and that dog.'s Rachel Haden.

Tracklist

1		On The Swing	2:06
2		Wear The Gold	5:27
3		Lmyr, Marshmallow	2:09
4		Winter Lair	5:39
5		Salo	6:45
6		Preparing To Receive You	8:51

THE FOR CARNATION Promised Works 1997

Discogs

The For Carnation are a post-rock band led by Brian McMahan, the group's only constant member. The roots of the band began when McMahan reunited with his ex-Slint bandmates David Pajo and Britt Walford in an attempt to resurrect their old group. The reunion didn't work out, but McMahan and Pajo eventually recruited some other musicians and The For Carnation was born. The band released an EP, 1995's "Fight Songs", and an LP, 1996" Marshamallows", on Matador Records. Both records were combined into one release, "Promised Works", in 1997 by Italy's Runt imprint. McMahan and company then jumped to Touch And Go for their second LP, a self-titled affair released in 2000.

Tracklist

1	Grace Beneath The Pines	7:44
2	How I Beat The Devil	1:36
3	Get And Stay Get March	5:58
4	On The Swing	2:06
5	I Wear The Gold	5:28
6	Lmyr, Marshmallow	2:09
7	Winter Lair	5:39
8	Salo	6:45
9	Preparing To Receive You	8:51

BASTRO Sing The Troubled Beast 1990

Discogs

 Artist Biography by Steve Huey

Bastro was the more prominent of guitarist David Grubbs' two immediate post-Squirrel Bait projects (the concurrently running Bitch Magnet being the other). Grubbs originally joined the Louisville, KY-based Squirrel Bait while still in high school, and was actually one of the oldest members of the group; when he and bassist Clark Johnson left for college, it effectively spelled the end of the band after two important releases. Grubbs went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and formed an early version of Bastro in 1987 with bassist Dan Treado, who soon left. Even though Clark Johnson had gone to Chicago, he and Grubbs reteamed as the new core of Bastro, and pursued a more twisted and abrasive style of post-hardcore punk than their former band. Backed by a drum machine, they issued a six-song EP, Rode Hard & Put Up Wet, on the Homestead label in 1988. They subsequently played some tour dates with My Dad Is Dead, whose drummer at the time was Oberlin College percussion major John McEntire. McEntire wound up joining Bastro full-time for their LP debut, 1989's Bastro Diablo Guapo, which drew comparisons to the blistering extremity of Steve Albini and the precision and shifting dynamics of another Squirrel Bait offshoot, Slint. Their second full-length, 1990's Sing the Troubled Beast, found the group straining against their established blueprint to follow a relatively subtle and melodic path. Bassist Johnson subsequently left the group and was replaced by Bundy K. Brown; meanwhile, Grubbs relocated to Chicago to attend graduate school. Feeling limited by the extremity of their power-trio format and afraid of stagnating, Bastro tried to push into more atmospheric territory, and wound up deciding to retire the name altogether and continue as a completely different project, dubbed Gastr del Sol. Brown and McEntire appeared on Gastr del Sol's 1993 debut, The Serpentine Similar, after which the group became a vehicle for Grubbs' collaboration with Jim O'Rourke, as well as a touchstone of the post-rock movement. Brown and McEntire subsequently became charter members of the even more seminal post-rock outfit Tortoise.

Tracklist

1	Demons Begone
2	Krakow, Illinois
3	I Come From A Long Line Of Shipbuilders
4	Tobacco In The Sink
5	Recidivist
6	Floating Home
7	Jefferson-In-Drag
8	The Sifter
9	Noise / Star
10	Recidivist

BITCH MAGNET Mesentary 7 inch 1990

Thanks to Jenz

 

 

Discogs

 

Single picture cover, black vinyl. This least sucky version of Big Pining previously unreleased. Motor and Mesentery culled from the LP's Umber and Ben Hur respectively.  

Tracklist

1. Mesentary

2. Motor

3. Big Pining

BIG WHEEL Holiday Manor 1992

By request and thanks to CW for the up!

Biography

by Steve Huey

Following the dissolution of Louisville, KY's seminal post-hardcore punkers Squirrel Bait, lead singer Peter Searcy put together the calmer, more traditional Big Wheel. Squirrel Bait had drawn from the thrashy punk-pop of bands like Hüsker Dü and the Replacements, and Searcy's vocals had drawn comparisons to Paul Westerberg. With Big Wheel, Searcy's music matured in a rough parallel to Westerberg and Bob Mould, drawing from jangly collegiate rock and reflective singer/songwriters like early Elton John and James Taylor. He co-founded the band with guitarist and songwriting collaborator Glenn Taylor, not long after Squirrel Bait's breakup.

STARBILLY Master Vibrator 1994

Uploaded by Martin

Discogs

Artist Biography by Steve Huey

After Louisville, KY's Big Wheel broke up in 1993, frontman Peter Searcy and drummer Tom Tompkins formed a new project called Starbilly. Searcy had begun his career as lead singer of the seminal American underground band Squirrel Bait, and had cooled off much of his punk angst in the better-produced, more collegiate Big Wheel, whose music meshed well with the adult alternative rock format (à la Searcy's main vocal influence, Paul Westerberg). Starbilly continued in much the same vein as Big Wheel, albeit with more of a post-grunge flavor and a fuller sound thanks to the inclusion of two guitarists. Starbilly released an EP, With Loving Care, that featured two unreleased Big Wheel recordings; it was followed by the group's only full-length album, Master Vibrator, issued in 1995 by Buzz Records. Having gone virtually unnoticed by larger labels, Starbilly disbanded in 1996. Searcy moved to Atlanta and eventually began a solo career, which kicked off with 2000's Could You Please and Thank You. 

Tracklist

1	Heather
2	Baby Pool
3	Unmistakable Tick
4	Show Pony
5	Ducks
6	Career Day
7	Our Aileen
8	Diane

EVERGREEN self titled 1996

Featured the drummer from Slint, Louisville, Kentucky locals and not to be confused with a California band of the same name.

Discogs 

Tracklist

1	Fairlane
2	Petting The Beast
3	Solar Song
4	Whip Cream Bottle
5	Plastic Bag
6	Klark Kent
7	Sweet Jane
8	Glass Highway
9	Zoom Zoom
10	New York City
11	Coyote

BITCH MAGNET Ben Hur 1990

 

Discogs

 

Bitch Magnet Biography

by Steve Huey

Part of the extended Squirrel Bait family tree, Bitch Magnet was one of two bands that guitarist David Grubbs joined in the wake of his departure. Unlike the other one, Bastro, Grubbs wasn't a charter member of Bitch Magnet, nor was he the leader; that duty fell to bassist/vocalist Sooyoung Park. Much like Bastro, however, Bitch Magnet played a blistering and intellectual brand of post-hardcore punk, which often drew comparisons to Steve Albini's Big Black; they were also grouped with a more direct Squirrel Bait descendant, Slint, albeit more relentless and somewhat less nuanced.

Sooyoung Park founded Bitch Magnet in 1986 while a student at Oberlin College in Ohio, joining with guitarist Jon Fine and drummer Orestes Delatorre (aka Orestes Morfin); despite their Oberlin roots, the trio was actually based in Chapel Hill, NC. Bitch Magnet signed with the indie label Communion and debuted in 1988 with the Star Booty 12" EP, which was produced by Steve Albini himself and earned the band some notice on the underground rock scene. For the follow-up, 1989's full-length Umber, they added second guitarist David Galt (a later CD issue appended Star Booty as well). Galt's place was taken by David Grubbs later in 1989, and Grubbs toured with the group in between commitments with Bastro. Grubbs appeared on the EP Valmead and on Bitch Magnet's final album, Ben Hur, both issued in 1990. After Bitch Magnet's breakup late that year, all four members went on to other projects: Park formed the acclaimed Seam; Grubbs returned to Bastro, which evolved into the seminal Gastr del Sol; Fine played with Vineland and Don Caballero; and Orestes Morfin resurfaced in Walt Mink. In 2011, the band's entire catalog was remastered and reissued by Temporary Residence, and the band -- Park, Fine, and Morfin -- accompanied the release with live dates in Europe, Asia, and during 2012, North America.

Tracklist

1		Dragoon	9:30
2		Valmead	3:34
3		Ducks And Drakes	4:32
4		Mesentery	2:33
5		Lookin' At The Devil	3:37
6		Gator	2:11
7		Spite Y Malice	3:07
8		Crescent	4:40