Waterman's Hollow

Waterman's Hollow - s/t CD 1993

So Far So Good
Scott's Song
Mine Own
Soul Searchin'
Thunder
Chicken Soup
Happy Green Ribbon
Those Scenes
In My Garden
I Do Recall
Volumes On Volumes
Watchglass
Goin' Drivin'
Meadow
If I'm Blind

Cringe - Shine 7"

Cringe - Shine 7"
1994

Side A
Shine
Better Off

Side B
I.V.
Spider Doctor

More Spokane music! John Salvo who ran Jello Tree studio and Nervous Wreckords was in this band. I never actually saw them play live. Looks like John released this on his label. I bought it @ ye olde 4000 Holes.

Dubbed off of my 7" copy.

Bringing It All Back Home Part 2: Waterman's Hollow

1992 - If I'm Blind 7"
Waterman's Hollow

Side A - If I'm Blind
Side B - Seven Years


Not sure what to say about this. Either you were in Spokane in the early nineties and thought this band was really cool, or you weren't and didn't. Kind of like... Toad the Wet Sprocket meets the Decemberists. A Spokane original.

Bringing It All Back Home Part 1: The Fumes

Growing up where and when I did had a severe impact on who I am as a person as it does for, I think, most people.
In the early nineties something was going on in Spokane, WA. People were forming bands. Bands that were good enough to leave Spokane and play in other cities. Punk bands. Goofy grunge bands. Ska bands. "Sk-runge" bands. Not only that, but kids were forming bands. Kids my own age. I think I noticed this phenomenon first when I was around 14 or 15 years old. This was a huge revelation for me.
The Fumes weren't the first local band I saw live, but they may have been my favorite. Really, even now the Fumes sound amazing. Totally tight, blistering punk rock. Awesome. I rocked my young ass off many many times at Fumes shows.
It's worth noting that the singer Dee owned the only really cool record store in Spokane other than 4000 Holes (and little nell's). A little tiny shop downtown called "Vinyl Garage". Dee sold me lots of riot grrl music. He had great taste. Thanks man.

1990 - Ways To Enjoy Life 7"

Side A - Ways To Enjoy Life
Bent
Side B - Genie
Steel Belted

1993 - Tossin' Plates And Forks 7"

Side A - Something Else
Past Out
Side B - Something
Gun In Your Face

1994 (?) - Shucking Shells 7"

Side A - Shucking Shells

Soil
Sister
Side B - Repeats Side A

Loving Love Tara

1993 - Love Tara

I bought this album about 16 years ago when I was a junior in high school in Spokane, WA at a little store on North Monroe called 4000 Holes. (Told you we'd be back) I had taken the bus downtown really early that day so I could get some coffee and look at records and just try to pretend to be living some bohemian lifestyle far far away from the flat hell of the northside in Spokane. I remember it was very snowy so it must have been in November or early December. Maybe even January. The owner of the store, Bob, had put the album on in the store while I was browsing around, looking quite literally through every single record in the store. (I did this once a week at least. sorry Bob.) I looked up and asked him what he was playing and he said "Here. These guys are from Canada." and handed me the record cover. I must have just stood there and stared at it for like four songs, trying to wrap my head around what I was hearing. I was hooked.
Violently.
I spent the last of my money, including bus fare, on a cd copy so I could listen to it in my headphones while I walked home through several miles of snow. It was normally a completely miserable, cold, wet, long, uphill trek but I spent the whole walk in a state of total jubilation. From the sublime perfect songcraft of "Behind the Garage" to the soaring buzzed out bliss of 'Sunlight' there isn't a song on here that doesn't take me right back to when i first heard it. Hearing 'Blinded' was like a sea change for me. I sat down on a curb, played it three times in a row and decided right then that I wanted to continue making music for the rest of my life. I felt... liberated. The way that only a 17 year old can.

Friends overseas

In the summer of 1994 I was lucky enough to spend some time with my friend Yoshiyuki in Tokyo. I was 17 years old, and though I was a rabid musician at the time, playing in several orchestras in Washington state, I hadn't yet stumbled upon the rich deposits of experimental and noise music exploding out of Japan. It's probably for the best, as I don't think any of my friends would have wanted to go check out whatever wild noise madnesses were happening in Tokyo that summer. Luckily for me, someone made it their business to make some sort of chronicle of that time and place.

1991 - Tokyo Flashbacks Vol 1

Tokyo flashbacks is actually a long running series of compilations chronicling the vast amount of noise, experimental, and out-jazz music of the Tokyo scene. This first volume was released in 1991 and contains work from relatively popular artists like Keiji Haino, to the completely obscure. I bought this thing on vinyl in 1995 in Spokane, WA at a wonderful little independant record store called 4000 Holes (You'll hear more about this place from me for sure). It said "Tokyo" on it and it had a gamera toy hiding on the cover, which was all the motivation I needed to take it home with me. I was living in a weirdo house with a couple other looney, acid-soaked, art damaged kids and an angry siamese cat named "Agony". My only solid impression of my first listen was a feeling of being about 20 years artistically behind what I was hearing. Spokane in 1995 had nothing on Tokyo 1990. The most exciting thing for people in Spokane was the possibility of mixing ska with grunge... *sigh* Anyway, this is a really well curated series, and I'm sure I'll end up posting more of these records in the future. For now, this is a great jump-off for the uninitiated, and ought to keep you pretty bent and busy trying to unravel it for a while...