Mocket - Bionic Parts

Bionic Parts is Mocket's debut album, released on Punk In My Vitamins Records in 1996. If you checked out their previously posted sophomore album, Fanfare, you know to expect a refreshing blast of mid-90's new wave influenced indie rock. The first time around, however, Mocket had slightly more punk-ish tendencies. While I definitely enjoy all three of their records, I've always felt that the songs on Bionic Parts were delivered with a bit more attitude and urgency than anything they put out after it.

Bionic Parts

The Need

The Need were a new wave queer punk band from Olympia. Formed in the late 90's, the band was a duo consisting of Rachel Carns on vocals and drums and Radio Sloan on guitar and bass. I've heard them described as a cracked out no wave version of The B-52's and I think that's a pretty apt description. On their final record, The Need is Dead, they were joined by Joe Preston (Thrones, The Whip, Melvins) on sampler and synthesizer and Mike Lastra (Smegma), who also produced the record, on theremin.

Self Titled

The Need is Dead

The Degenerats

Up until now, I've stuck to mostly posting indie, hardcore and screamo records. But, after coming across my small collection of old local punk rock 7"s in the basement, I've decided to start adding some of them into the mix.

The Degenerats were a street punk band from the greater Seattle area, perhaps remembered best for their song "Do Society a Favor, Die". I first saw them play at a show in the old Sorenson gymnasium in Woodinville with The Sheep, Schizoid, Flight 800, The Bloodclots & Bristle. Bristle were supposed to play last but ended up starting a riot in the parking lot which lead to headlights being smashed, bottles being tossed, the show being canceled and Sorenson refusing to put on any more concerts. The members of The Degenrats were Nils on vocals, Randy on guitar, Ryan on bass and Josh on drums. I'm not sure what any of the other guys have been up to, but I know that Nils went on to join Poxy, then Rabid Dogs and he now sings for The Greatest Hits.

The Degenerats 7" (includes scans of the front & back covers and the lyrics)

Waxwing

I've been a fan of Rocky Votolato, the frontman of Waxwing, since 1995-ish when I saw him with the band Run Away Laughing. A year or so later he was fronting Lying On Loot. After Lying on Loot, and either after or during a stint drumming for the band Kentucky Pistol, came Waxwing... and there are not enough words in existence for me to be able to sufficiently express my love for Waxwing. Their shows, like their music, always contained an amazing blend of both beauty and chaos. Rocky's voice has this pained quality that made it so their mellow tunes came across with the same raw intensity as the harder tracks. Waxwing were beyond great and in my opinion they were one of the best bands of the whole late 90's/early 2000's Seattle music scene and I know many other people who feel the same way. Alright, I'm done gushing.
Here is one of their early releases:
Self-titled 7" (with front & back cover scans)

An early Waxwing demo can be found here at Pukekos.

The Powers of Darkness Shall Rain Blood Upon This City For 500 Years

The Powers of Darkness Shall Rain Blood Upon This City For 500 Years are probably best remembered for having an extremely long band name. But, if you actually had a chance to see them perform live, you most likely remember them for their keyboard driven crushing noise grind and their wild and varying stage costumes. The members of the band were Travis Nakamura (drums), Cindy (keyboards), TJ (vocals), Thomas Cowgill (guitar, vocals).

The Powers of Darkness 7" (includes a scan of the cover and lyric sheet)

If anyone out there has a copy of their song "Poised For Sculpting" from the KXLU 88.9 FM Los Angeles Live Vol. 7 compilation, or any other material by them, please upload it somewhere and send me a link.

Rat Cat Hogan - Part 1

"In the fall of 1997, I put an ad in The Rocket, a now defuct music publication in Seattle, Washington, looking for a drummer. Exactly one drummer answered that ad, the fugitive Iowan Robbie Skrocki. A few weeks later we were Rat Cat Hogan, and thus we've been ever since, more or less." - Herbert Bergel

Rat Cat Hogan was a two piece band composed of Herbert on guitar and vocals and Robbie on drums. The sound of their music is pretty lo fi and simple. The lyrics to their songs are mostly about mundane everyday things and read like short stories/diary entries, the vocal delivery is off, the guitar is angular but the drums sort of keep the whole thing together. This stuff definitely isn't for everyone. The two times I saw Rat Cat Hogan live they were heckled by assholes through their entire sets, but I've always found something charming in their quirky tunes.

The We're Bicoastal album features Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie playing piano on the fourth track and Sean Nelson formerly of The Long Winters & Harvey Danger singing background vocals on tracks five and seven.

We're Bicoastal

Our Apologies to Walla

Peter Parker - Semiautobiographical

Peter Parker's second album is an almost entirely different affair than their first record Migliore!, which was an impressive but fairly by-the-numbers take on 90's indie rockin' power pop. While they manage to retain some of their initial pop sensibilities, Semiautobiographical shows a band that had matured a great deal between albums. With a much darker and more unconventional edge, and a strong post punk vibe, this album is light years beyond what my brain was expecting for their follow up. I will go so far as to say that Semiautobiographical is Peter Parker's Pinkerton to Migliore's Blue and, coming from a huge Weezer fan, this is both a massive compliment and a heartfelt endorsement.

Seminautobiographical