The Bifocal Media folx have always had my admiration, as well as a fair amount of my punk rock dollars, over the 20+ years I've been aware of them. I first crossed their paths with their first release, a video zine called "The Actuality of Thought" that I picked up at Reptilian and had the likes of Piebald, Braid, and Spazz on it. 'Twas a murderers row of what was punk in 1998, and a great way to get introduced to the bands I'd obsess over for the next half-decade.
They showed up in my life a few years later as they shot thousands of feet of digital video in suburban Detroit at the last Michigan Fest. Jamie and I drove out from Baltimore to rep for Oxes, to see Hot Snakes live (they weren't going to play east of the Mississippi ever!), and to interview a bunch of bands for my radio show. We watched John from Sweep the Leg Johnny climb into a drop ceiling and fall into the crowd during "Bloodlines", Vaz clear the room in a mid-afternoon noise set, hung out with Death Cab for Cutie. And the Bifocal crew was there to document it all.
These North Carolina dudes didn't just record the turn of the century punk rock scene on video. They also put out a bunch of great, under-recognized records, headlined by the Ladderback and Goner from Raleigh. Their first and only comp, "Kampai", came in 2001. It had an early appearance from future legends Strike Anywhere; the White Octave, featuring Stephen from Cursive, also had just released their first record on Deep Elm in past year. Serotonin, Crash Smash Explode, Secret Life of Machines, and Legend Of The Overfiend would all release records with Bifocal during the label's 11-year existence. As they write on the discography page for "Kampai", this was Bifocal Media's contribution to the Great Compilation Pile of the Late Nineties/Early Aughts.
While they haven't released a record in (checks Discogs) fifteen years (!!!), Bifocal Media stays incredibly active with their limited edition t-shirt collabs. I own a bunch of these, and they are both comfy AND fashionable. It's a great way to pick up a Thomas Hazelmyer, a Chris Shary, a Brian Walsby and wear it around town. I say, check 'em out.
Ladd
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