Black Calvin Postcard B/W Be With You HC 1994

Black Calvin Postcard B/W Be With You HC 1994 No CAT #

Black Calvin is another local much like Zoom, great band, but almost completely unheard of outside Kansas City and Lawrence. The was a three piece featuring Craig Comstock who is still very much active today in local music. He also started up the HC label the band released for and managed to release a Black Calvin 10", a split 7" and a local hardcore comp before giving the label up.

Black Calvin played a brand of post-hardcore that wasn't too far removed from other locals of the early to mid-90's. They were a lot more lo-fi and punk rock about it. The first track, "Postcard", is a 5 minute punk-rock, sludgefest. The B-side, "Be With You", picks things up, but stays just as noisy and discordant with crazy guitar lines and shifting tempos.

The tunes were recorded in Lawrence, KS by Ed Rose. So despite the band's lo-fi aesthetics, they still valued qaulity, so much so, the 7" was pressed onto virgin vinyl.

Molly McGuire Heart 7" Hitit! Recordings 1994

Molly McGuire Heart 7" Hitit! Recordings 1994 No CAT #

Molly McGuire is another Kansas City band to grab a major label deal in the 90's.  They first gigged regionally and on tours with Kansas City bands like Season to Risk, Shiner, and Rocket Fuel is the Key.  Released a few things, including this 7" and one or two for Caulfield.  They then inked a deal with Epic and released the album Lime in 1996, but with no "hit" song were quickly dropped (members have nothing nice to say about the experience).  They did a final album with Hitit! before disbanding.

I don't currently have a copy of Lime to refer to, but, I remember it being a bit dull and not as aggressive as Season to Risk and not as mathy as Shiner.  Kind of an in between in terms of the 90's KC scene.  The songs here, "Sisters of the Sacred Heart" and "Gutter Ball", are in that realm.  A little more flair than the major label stuff, but quaint in comparison to other groups.  Not quite as challenging as Shiner, not as metal as Season to Risk.  They're just kind of there, hanging out, causing no problems.  It's a fond memory of a great scene, just not one of the major highlights.

I would like to revisit Lime, that album was produced by Failure's mastermind Ken Andrews.  Failure was not a KC band, obviously, but in terms of post-hardcore, that's the top of the list.  As stated, when I had a CD back in the day, I found it boring.  However, maybe years have treated it good and maybe I'm not as big of douche and can finally enjoy something with a bit more nuanced.  It was 1996, though, I also remember the album being a bit too derivative of the current rock scene and a few steps away from the KC thing in favor of the mainstream thing.  Nevertheless, trying to track it down, it did actually come out on vinyl and is fairly priced if you can find it.

Old link to a Kickstarter project for a new album, what's up with that?

Butterglory Crumble Merge 1994

Butterglory Crumble Merge 1994 Cat #MRG 071

Long before the male/female duo of Mates of State formed in Lawrence, KS and moved to California to become rock stars, the duo of Matt Suggs and Debby Vander Wall moved from California to Lawrence, KS to become lo-fi, obscure, indie rockers.

The two were on the cutting floor of the biggest scene in 90's indie-rock.  They were contemporaries to the likes of Pavement and Archers of Loaf.  They were label mates with Neutral Milk Hotel, Polvo and Superchunk.  They never really got the same attention as the others, but they were in on it, they were part of the lo-fi scene.  They have a really twee-pop sound to them.  When Debbie takes lead vocals, you have to think Mo Tucker style Velvet Underground.  When Matt takes the duty, it's what you'd expect, indie-slacker style a-la Pavement.  They don't stray from from the pop spectrum, you get some feedback here and there, but no unexpected burst of guitar wailing.  It's all very cute.  And, as the liners indicate, it all sounds homespun on this LP.

Back in the day, my favorite part about the band wasn't even the music, it was the fact that Debby Vander Wall worked at the Love Garden.  I mean, most if not all record stores, have the cute indie rock girl working behind the counter.  She may look mousey and wear thick framed eye glasses, she may be covered in tattoos and look dangerous, but regardless, she's cute with great taste in music and you develop a crush on her trying to buy an album that starts a conversation with her.  Not only was Debby that girl at the record store, but she was in a band!  I mean, how could you not fall victim to that infatuation.  She not only has killer taste in tunes like you, she's in a band that tours and puts out albums.  You could be pictured on the liner notes, co-write a song, and be a part of it all if you could only find that one record that impresses her.

The Skills of the Star Pilot
Waiting on the Guns

Slackjaw Uncomfortable b/w Menace 7" 45 RPM 1994

Slackjaw 7" 45 RPM (Red Vinyl)
Uncomfortable b/w Menace
Mercy Records
CAT# MRSJ-012-7

Slackjaw were a bit ahead of their time in 94.  Kind of metal, kind of post-punk, if they had a DJ they would've been geniuses, but they didn't.

What I remember of the band is that I enjoyed the song "Release" from a local CD compilation called 'Loaded in Lawrence'.  It was angry and screamed a lot.  Other than that, I remember the early days of social networking (webboards) and Bob Cutler from this band would continually argue with Scott Born of Kill Creek over who the most popular band from Lawrence, KS was on a local music website.

As for this disc.  It's angry and loud.  I hate to say it's not good because looking at the back cover, the members of Slackjaw look like they like to fight...I don't.  To it's benefit, it was recorded by Ed Rose, the go to guy in all of Kansas for recording throughout the 90s and into the present.  So it sounds good.

It's also labeled Sides 7 & 8, there must be a back story there, possibly other 7"s I'm unaware of or something about the numbers themselves.  The music is bruising and loud.   It's metal, thunderous and slow, with guttural vocals.  If I were to compare Slackjaw to someone cool; later era Black Flag for the slow metal aspect of the tunes.  If I am being honest, pretty MOR mid-90s metal with an underground flair.

BUT, here's the f'n awesome thing about Slackjaw, are you ready for this?  Kliph Scurlock was a former drummer (not featured on this release).  Scurlock's first Lawrence band was Slackjaw.  He'd later gig with Kill Creek and the Panel Donors before becoming a roadie for the Flaming Lips.  He's now the Flaming Lips touring drummer (someone once said he's full-time studio guy too, but I find that hard to believe if Stephen Drozd is in your band as well), regardless he's also a member of Drozd's Paris Gun.

Slackjaw Live

Boys Life/Vitreous Humor Split 7" 1994

Vitreous Humor/Boy's Life Split 7"
Why Are You So Mean to Me? b/w Temporary
crank! A Record Company
CAT #CRC002 1994

This is Kansas City/Lawrence scene mid-90s on one disc.  It's fantastic and I cut my hipster teeth on this stuff sneaking into shows.  In fact, the last show I had to sneak into before turning 21 was the final Regrets/Vitreous Humor show in Lawrence, KS at the Replay.  It was awesome and I couldn't even drink (at the risk of being caught).

There's so much to say about these two bands, how important they are to Kansas, KCMO, music, the foundations of what would become "emo" a few years later.  But, I'll save it for later releases.

The Boy's Life track "Temporary" is a speed up version of the same song that would appear on their debut LP.  It's a nice side, but I prefer the album version when the band had developed it's sound completely.

The Vitreous Humor side is a f'n hit.  In fact, Nada Surf tried to do just that with it when they covered it as a single.  The song, which is about smoking pot and getting caught, is perfect.  It explodes sonically in Pixie like dynamics.  The lyrics, albeit a little juvenile, are true and from the heart, "You tell mom I'll break your neck, she's already a nervous wreck, I don't smoke it everyday, it doesn't hurt me anyway."  It's so Midwestern-teenager it makes me sick.

Vitreous Humor
Nada Surf ...Yawn...