various artists - The Gearhead Records ThingMaker

Ah, Gearhead Records. Along with Carbon 14 and Estrus Records, they were the leading light of the greaser punk scene that screeched into prominence in the last part of the 20th century. They were led by a Pittsburgh expat in S.F. named Mike Lavella, who'd played bass in Half Life, then headed west on a cross-country roadtrip combining three chords and a 442 engine, along with his partner Michelle Haunold. The duo had taste in spades, programming the annual Gearfest festival and carshow and publishing Gearhead Magazine. They gave the Hellacopters and New Bomb Turks a home base, and championed the likes of "Demons" and the Riverboat Gamblers. I remember Mike being the first to really talk about the Hives, and how they could become the biggest rock 'n' roll band ever (it almost happened).

2003's "The Gearhead Records ThingMaker", their second label sampler, stands as the high-water mark for the Bay Area label. The Turks were wrapping up their hallowed career that year. The Hives were wrapping up work on their first major label record. "Demons" were going on hiatus, and the Hellacopters had embraced their inner stoner. Bands like Million Dollar Marxists (featuring a young Steve Adamyk) and Turbo A.C.'s were queued for records, but didn't capture the imagination or interest of fans the way their predecessors did. Hell, maybe we were all just so stoked that the Stooges were back together that we didn't have the bandwidth to pay attention to up and comers.

Anyhow...I won't say every song here is a hit, but it sure is listenable, whether you're wrenching on your car, vacuuming the house, or writing a few hundred word long blog post. Most of these were previously released on a Gearhead record; the last four cuts feature unreleased tracks from the Turks, Turbo A.C.'s, American Heartbreak, and the cleverly-named Rock 'N' Roll Soldiers. There's not a dud in the bunch. It's well worth your $3 plus shipping.

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