Here is the single for download: Innovation Manure Hauling
Back in late 1993 - early 1994, Car Vs. Driver became friends with a small group of bands from Georgia Tech, which were from what you could say was a different scene from us in Atlanta, but we played shows together, had a good time and a few of these musicians are still friends with us to this day. Our main person from this scene that got things moving was Rick Moore, who played in both Barrel and Rebar on this compilation as well as later playing with the Freemasonry guys in Galanas Cerdd, then Copa Vance, Home of the Wildcats, and most recently Lay Down Mains. I always thought Barrel and Rebar were funny names as Rick sang for both of them and they were almost anagrams of each other. I am not sure if he was the one who put out this single, but whoever it was, I would like to thank them as this GA Tech scene produced so few releases during this time, it is good to have something nowadays to remember them by. The other main releases that I have from these bands are the Bite single (which I will be posting later) and the Barrel LP, which you can download here.
So here are the four bands – three from this GA Tech scene and Car Vs. Driver. We contributed “Last Letter to You”, which was one of our early songs and was recorded at the same time as the first 7” (the one with the kid hanging from the clothesline). We used to play it last at our shows, of course. Barrel and Rebar both featured Rick on vocals, Rebar had Gary Flom and Scott Robbins who later formed the Purkinje Shift with Benjamin Davis from Habeus Corpses, and Andrew Burns who played in Gold Sparkle Band and various other jazz outfits in NYC. Barrel on this release had David Daniell who later played in San Augustin, but I do not remember Tim or Ali at all. I thought Andrew Burns and Scott Robbins later joined Barrel, but my memory of the band’s history is a little unclear. Maybe someone can send a comment and clarify things. Bite was an all-female four piece band that played with Car vs. Driver several times, but on this release and their single they had a male drummer instead of the female drummer that I remember. He seems to do a good job tightening up the band, but I always liked them anyhow. Bite featured Jennifer Kraft on guitar who later played in Astrosmash with the Lukens brothers (before Hal al Shedad and Year Zero), and then Catfight, who still play occasionally to this day.
Here is the insert and back cover from the single, and yes that is me with my cat when I was 10 years old or so. It was an awkward time.
Just the other day a friend and I were discussing the band Bite. Trying to think of interesting girl bands in the ATL.
ReplyDeleteThe only ones I can think of at the moment are Bite, Catfight, Pagan Holiday, Coathangers, wasn't Doll Squad all female? There was also an Athens band called Spackle that played with hal once, but I can't remember much about them.
ReplyDeleteand the Butterflies
ReplyDeleteoh, wait. NOT them.
ReplyDeletethe look on that cat's face is priceless. i still laugh when i see it.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best blog ever created.
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across this blog and I was wondering if you own a copy of the Car Vs Driver demo tape, or know anything about it? I think they said like 50 of them were released at some show or something? I have spent 3 years now asking around and no one seems to know a thing. I have hope that you might know.
ReplyDelete-Jourdan
Hey Jourdan - I don't think I ever had a copy of the official 6-song demo tape myself, but it had the 4 songs from the first 7" (Home, Cycle, Blame, Good Riddance), and Last Letter to You, which was on this compilation and Dragonfly, which is on the Discography 2XCD Stickfigure Records put out a little while ago. We also had an older demo, which was just 4-track songs recorded in my basement, and I posted that earlier on this blog. Or you can find the files on the right of the page under the "Files Posted So Far" section. I know Steve Wishart still has the demo, as he was the one who financed it, so maybe he can scan the artwork so I can post it here sometime. I talked to Gavin from Stickfigure, and he's fine with posting all the discography stuff, so a little down the road I might start posting all the Car Vs. Driver songs as part of their releases (i.e. Deja Grateful, Out Of A Silent Sky, etc.).
ReplyDeletecar vs driver was rocking my parents' address for this release... awesome.
ReplyDeleterebar's equipment list is pretty funny. i like how they threw 'mr. coffee' in there at random.
james, in your post above, weren't the stimulants all female?
ReplyDeleteRick Moore designed and bankrolled this record.
ReplyDeleteThe lineup for Barrel here was the original, as far as I know. Soon after, Tim Lochmaier moved on and there was an outsider brought in (Darren Dalton or some such alliterative name) for a moment.
When Gary Flom got a real job, Rebar fell apart and Scott and I joined Barrel. Except for a short time when I was out and Mike Haggerty played bass, that was the Barrel lineup for the next few years.
This record is definitely when we were just learning how to play our instruments - I think Rick Moore had decided to be a singer/guitarist just a few months earlier, and Ali Mahjouri had barely touched a bass before Barrel recorded that track. Scott Robbins and David Daniell were probably the only really capable players in that posse at the time.
The cover of the 7" was drawn by Ted L who worked at Clark Music in the good old days, and is supposed to be me shoveling shit. Rebar hauled our gear in trailer that resembled the drawing, which was later stolen (empty, luckily). Coincidentally, Ted L now lives directly behind me. He runs some rehearsal spaces with Johnny Colt. He might be the guy that leans on you for your rent every month. He's a great classic rock slide guitarist.
There was also the WorryBird band SNATCH that was all female.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah - I almost forgot about Snatch. I don't think I ever saw them, though.
ReplyDeleteAndrew - That was a great summary of the single, I now know the back story. The picture actually does look like you, if I remember correctly. Also, we pay Chuck Petrakopoulis for our practice space, so luckily no Thunderbox, etc. pennance is required.
Spackle started out in Blacksburg, VA, and then moved to Athens. I have a 4-way split 7" with them on it somewhere around here, good song.
ReplyDeleteI remember them - we played with them in Athens and they did the classic move where they set up their equipment and then go to Rocky's pizza for two hours so the show could start later. I think Gray got pissed at them for that and never booked them on a show again.
ReplyDeleteThe guitarist for Snatch was named "Anaconda," which begs the question: would a band named Anaconda with a guitarist named "Snatch" have been any better?
ReplyDeletewhat a great trip. And here's my two cents on the story. Two of us in Barrel had never picked up an instrument - Rick Moore and I. But David Daniell (who forever spoiled my ability to play in a band without unreal expectations - all my subsequent bands never had "good enough" guitarists for me - Rick and I were pretty lucky) and Tim Lochmaier had been quite practiced - one trained to Led Zeppelin, the other to Rush. I'll let you guys figure it out. Tim and I had to sadly jump ship from Barrel to move to Paris for architecture school. We came back and worked as architects until I moved to Texas for grad school and I think Tim stayed in Atlanta for grad school. Then I moved to DC, played in a few bands. One, coincidentally, with a drummer from Athens, GA. Some fellow who used to play with the guys from Hal Al Shedad. We also enlisted a guitarist who was good buddies with another drummer from Atlanta named Wells who was in a band called The Early Humans. They were on the scene with the now defunct (and best new band on Dischord) Black Eyes. Coincidentally, Jonathan Kenny (the drummer from my band, Steerage) lived with Kathy Cashel of Norman Mayer Group fame and Cry Baby Cry. One day, at practice, Kathy told me she remembered getting a tape from an Atlanta band when she was on the road with the Norman Mayer Group. That tape was the first time I had heard the mixdown from the Barrel Album - "Pine and Cotton, Sand". Some dude named Andrew Burnes gave it to her. My life had come full circle nearly 10 years later. Andrew taught me how to hold a bass. Ok..sorry for rambling on - but that's the story. Sorry you didn't remember me, James Joyce. But If it means anything, I didn't remember you either - just the name, and the band. I think Barrel played a few shows with Car Vs. Driver.
ReplyDeleteand just to add to that story...Norm Veenstra (from Tone) saw Steerage play and asked to join the band. We played as a fourpiece until the guitarist was upset that Norm seemed to play too loudly (I loved it)!
ReplyDeleteLooking at that cover, I thought "I wonder if that's supposed to be Burnes."
ReplyDeleteBut now I actually remember playing the thing at WREK. More of a nostalgia trip than I was expecting this evening. . .
Hi Ali - this is a crazy story over a 4-way split single in 1993. The hal al Shedad (the band I was in after CVD) played several shows with the Norman Mayer Group, and I'm actually wearing a NMG shirt on the cover of our first album. I thought they were really overlooked outside DC, and should have had a proper Dischord album, but it seems a lot of DC bands fall into the same boat. The drummer you are referring to from Athens is most likely the drummer from Cough Syrup, which was a predecessor to Hal al Shedad. I know he moved to DC and we hung out with him when we would play there, and get completely obliterated by him at chess. Thanks for the comment and great stories!
ReplyDeleteHey James,
ReplyDeleteI finally just read your post (nearly a year later) and now that you mention it, Jonathan was in Cough Syrup. After Steerage disbanded in DC, Jonathan joined an eclectic band named The Rude Staircase...it was pretty wild stuff. They recorded an album and the band disbanded. I can't imagine Jonathan has stopped playing the drums...small world...fun stories.
cheers,
Ali
Cool and I have a super present: Where Is Charlotte Church House Renovation house renovation blog
ReplyDelete