The Orange Doe-Nuts or O.D.'s, were a hardcore band from Kansas City who likely found enough shows in Lawrence, KS for the Fresh Sounds, Inc. to put out their only release. They gigged around and as with most obscure hardcore bands from the 80's you can find old show flyers posted around the internet showing they played opening spots for some of the biggest acts in the scene, Minutemen and Husker Du, etc. And, like a lot of obscure 80's punk, this LP has become a pricey artifact to buy online. I first found a copy a copy at a local Goodwill, but upon getting it home I found the thing was warped so extensively it wouldn't play (it was on ultra-thin, ultra-cheap vinyl). This copy was found at a local record store in a dollar bin, probably worth more, but it's in nowhere near perfect shape.
The O.D.'s (can't be hardcore without an abbreviation) were able to find a distinctive sound in a scene that can become monotonous. This band didn't try to catch you with the Minor Threat speed attack of their hardcore, they slowed things down just a bit and sound a bit more Midwestern. Outside of being punk rock, they also don't appear to have a super-political, anti-Reagan agenda like many of the HC bands from 80s. That agenda was valuable in the 80s, but hasn't aged well. By keeping it just anti-establishment, the O.D.'s still sound relevant. They also weren't afraid to stray from the hardcore guidelines, as evident in the funk riffs found in the song, "Disco."
While KC and Lawrence didn't have the hardcore footprint of cities like D.C., Minneapolis, and numeroua California cities, it's nice to have quality floating around.
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