various artists - No Alternative

If the blog count is to be believed, this is post #750. Pretty good for an amateur writer with a stuttering memory and shit taste in music. It's a real testament to my "never-say-die, never-think-things-through, never-consider-irrelevance" attitude towards life.

"No Alternative" came out shortly after my 16th birthday and is one of the few Columbia House acquisitions I've managed to hold onto. And why not? It was the first Red Hot benefit I picked up, initially for the Beastie Boys and Nirvana tracks. It was my introduction to Pavement, Uncle Tupelo, and Patti Smith. Who could ever part with such a momentous, influential release?

Now that it's been 30+ years that I've owned this, it's a lot easier to look back and pick up on things I missed as a teenager. I didn't know that Urge Overkill were covering Marvin Gaye or that the Goo Goo Dolls were covering the Stones. I definitely didn't know that Bob Mould was the guy from Sugar back then (I did know that Sugar were good). I hadn't yet put together that the leader of the Breeders used to be married to John Murphy. And could I have imagined that the guy from Buffalo Tom would eventually become a troubadour in Stars Hollow, or that I'd eventually associate the singer of Smashing Pumpkins more with pro wrestling than alt.rock? I know all these things and more now, the benefit of age and a greatly expanded record collection. To think: maybe if I hadn't snagged this one all that time ago, I might not have taken this path to the music and the misery.  And you wouldn't have gotten two hundred ninety-two words about it all.

(Postscript: the Sarah McLachlan and Matthew Sweet tracks still swing.)

Discogs

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various artists - Fort Reno Benefit Compilation

As summer approaches, I start thinking about outdoor shows. And that's because I spent my formative years driving down I-95 to DC to dodge summer thunderstorms to watch punk rock outside in the dusk of the capitol, on the site of a Civil War fort in Northwest.

There have been shows held at Fort Reno since 1968, but, for me, it was a great way to see Fugazi every year for free. Not that $5 was ever a burden, but it was nice applying that fiver towards making the 3-hour round trip to the historic park. I saw some amazing sets from the DC quartet, and got introduced to a ton of the younger bands from the Metro. A lot of them appeared on this 1997 benefit compilation for the music series, put out by Resin Records. Resin was run by Carlton from the Better Automatic, who put out 16 records over six years, all of which I own and most of which I still view favorably. The big names here are the Dismemberment Plan, Chisel, and Trans Am. Corm was John Davis' pre-Q & Not U band; the Impossible Five put out a single LP on Gern Blandsten and were outstanding when I saw them at the park in '97. I never got to see Smart Went Crazy live, but "Con Art" remains my favorite underheard record on Dischord.

Like all great compilations, this one is a curated snapshot of a scene. Some of these performers went on to bigger things; some of the bands were only heard here. But listening to this (Jesus) 29 years later immediately brings back a Discman velcroed to the dash, stickiness briefly interrupted by gentle winds atop the highest natural point in WDC, and pilgrimages to hear something new and brilliant. That's a great feeling. 

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various artists - Home Alive: The Art Of Self-Defense

Here's what I remember about when this came out, through the eyes of an 18-year-old who lived on the other side of the country from the circumstances:

• Most of the folks I knew were more interested in this for the unreleased Pearl Jam song, the live Nirvana track, and Joan Jett & Kathleen Hanna performing with the remaining members of the Gits than the genesis why Home Alive was created.
• I had no clue what sort of violence women encountered in the world at the time. I would learn.
• I remember thinking, when the promo copy arrived at the college radio station I volunteered for, that it couldn't possibly be worth listening to, on account of being released by Epic Records.
• That's a point of view that is hilarious in retrospect. How many folks got their first exposure to Tribe 8, Lydia Lunch, or ¡TchKunG! as a result of picking this up? There are so many fiercely independent artists here, not to mention the wide range of spoken word performers and poets present.

This is a pretty iconic benefit comp, all things considered, in celebration of a wonderful human whose time came way too soon. Volume 2 would come five years later on the Seattle/San Francisco label Broken Rekids. Along with a trio of 7"s that came out on local label Crash Rawk Records, it's a resounding body of support that still stands up as well as any benefit.

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various artists - All Power To The People, Not The State

I'm pretty certain I flipped past this CD a half dozen times in various distros back at the turn of the millennium. So how did I end up with a copy in 2024, and why?

The how is simple: I paid less than a buck for it from an eBay seller I frequent. See, when the auction is over, you just click a button and BAM! a week later, a padded mailer or box arrives in my mailbox with this CD in it.

The why is less simple, but still simple. It has a bunch of bands on it that I like: Submission Hold, Gasp, Good Riddance, I Spy, Citizen Fish. It was released in an edition of 1,000 CDs, benefiting a pair of anarchist collectives. I think it was probably released by the fella $eth, whose record is the only other release on Black Star Recordings. It has a pretty amateurish illustration of a cop in riot gear on the cover; it's the kind of spare graphic design that really stopped flying around that time. Yesterday was Mumia Abu-Jamal's 70th birthday. And since a portion of the proceeds from this release ostensibly went towards his legal defense, I figured now was as good a time as any to share.

Discogs

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various artists - Dark Was The Night

I've been thinking a fair bit about the phrase "can't be arsed" recently.

It's not just that you don't care, it's that you really don't care. It has that English charm not present in not giving a "shit" or a "fuck" or a "good Goddamn". It's a really fun expression, perfectly evocative of your current level of concern.

The Red Hot Organization is the opposite of that. For 34 years, the Red Hot + series has created 25 benefit releases, benefiting public health, raising awareness, and supporting humanitarian causes. It led off with the likes of Tom Waits, U2, the Jungle Brothers, and Neneh Cherry performing Cole Porter songs. The latest releases came in 2023 with a trio of (brilliant-looking & sounding) Sun Ra tributes. Want contemporary takes on Fela Kuti, Tropicalia, George Gershwin? Look no further than Red Hot +.

"Dark Was The Night" was produced by the Dessner brothers, they of the National fame. Hosted by the National's label, the esteemed 4AD, this double CD/triple LP is a great snapshot of Western indie rock circa 2009. There are the old stalwarts (Yo La Tengo, Arcade Fire, the Decemberists), some (at the time) up & comers (Beirut, Yeasayer, Bon Iver), and some cool one-off collabs (Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch, Anohni & Bryce Dessner, Feist & Ben Gibbard). My personal fav is Cat Power performing with Jim White, Judah Bayer (JSBX), and Gregg Foreman (Delta 72), but, you know, there's something for everyone.

This is a good opportunity to mention that, if yoi like this, swing by Red Hot's Bandcamp and throw them some coin. While "Dark Was The Night" isn't available via Red Hot's or 4AD's Bandcamps, contributing to their mission by copping a digital version of that Sun Ra tribute, or 2022's deluxe reissue of "Red Hot + Riot" is a great way to pay back the enjoyment you get out of this one.

Discogs

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various artists - Flying Side Kick: Home Alive Compilation II

I hope it's not too obvious that I'm burning off the rest of the comps on my Kraken so I can start fresh once they're all gone.

Shit, I queered the deal.

Today, I learned that Home Alive ended as a non-profit back in 2010, but still teach self-defense here in the Seattle area. I'm glad to hear it.

This was one of the first times I heard the Gossip, Dead Moon, Clarissa's Wierd. I bought it mostly to benefit the non-profit, but it opened me up to a few incredible bands.

Discogs

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various artists - Farm Sanctuary Benefit Compilation

Clearly, it bothers me that this record is old enough to drink legally. Although, it won't, what with the sXe representation present herein.

Anyhow, it's a nice slice of East Coast DIY, circa 2001, courtesy of the Mountain Collective, home to the bleeding edge of hardcore, screamo, crust, and other far-out version of punk as diametrically opposite from the contemporary Warped Tour paradigm as the Guardian is from the New York Post. How's that for an evocative sentence.

Here's to taking bands like Frail seriously, to coming up with ways to help an urban garden thrive, to scratching a handgrip into that hundred-foot wall you've been screaming at for years, hoping it'd fall. If demolition doesn't work, erosion will.

Discogs

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various artists - Freedom Of Choice: Yesterday's New Wave Hits Performed By Today's Stars

The joys of crate digging lie in the discovery of the unknown and the rediscovery of the forgotten. For example, I'm sure I should have known that, in 1992, Caroline Records and City Slang did a benefit record for Planned Parenthood that was bookended with Sonic Youth and Superchunk covering Plastic Bertrand and Devo (respectively). But I wasn't familiar with it until I turned up a copy on CD this week for $2.10 (plus tax). And what a joy it's been to rediscover it.

There are the aforementioned SY and 'Chunk tracks. I was a bit surprised to hear Mac sing in a lower register on "Girl You Want", but it wasn't unwelcome. There's a lot of the Triangle represented here, with Polvo and the Connells rubbing elbows with early Merge alums Erectus Monotone and Raleigh natives Finger. Hoboken also gets a shoutout, via contributions from Yo La Tengo and Tiny Lights. I'd also never heard Mudhoney's cover of "Pump It Up", one of my least-liked Elvis Costello songs, but, in their hands, I dug it. The "best" cut here is probably Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights", covered with great enthusiasm by White Flag. It's a weird choice that works well for me.

It's all pretty peak college rock/Lollapalooza second stage. I don't say that as a bad thing. It definitely took me back to reading about Rock For Choice shows and wondering when I'd make it to the Sanctuary Theatre to see Fugazi. It hurts my head to think that we're nearly 30 years on from this, and we probably need support for Planned Parenthood more now than ever.

Discogs

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various artists - Land Of Greed... World Of Need

I keep coming back to Rick Pitino's quote about being saved:

"Larry Bird isn't walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they're going to be gray and old."

If there's a better summation of where we are as a country as we end 2020, I've yet to hear it.

Hope and cynicism rarely go hand in hand, which is probably why I've been diagnosed with major depression and really connect with "Welcome To Hell World". If I've been able to weather COVID-19 and layoffs and potential evictions and the deaths of family members and everything else that this year has thrown at me...welp, I'm sure that it's because I live the old adage "Hope for the best, but expect the worst," and I've lived believing that it's only those closest to you that will be willing to help when the chips are down. It's almost validating to see a jowly Senator decline to offer a financial lifeline to people days away from homelessness while pushing for corporate protections and military funding.

Jack Crosbie had a very good blog the week before Christmas about mutual aid, and it was a great reminder that, even when the pillars of power refuse even bread and circuses, there is empowerment and growth available by banding together. Not only that: it's easy to support mutual aid, and it's easy to do it yourself. We can keep each other afloat. Each other is all we have.

Punk and hardcore comps were the first examples I had that facilitated mutual aid. Case in point: 1994s "Land Of Greed... World Of Need". It was a tribute to Embrace, that short-lived Revolution Summer alliance of Minor Threat's Ian MacKaye and members of Faith. A contemporary band covered each song on the sole Embrace LP, with the proceeds going to local, grass-roots homeless shelters and organizations. It's still a pretty great comp: the cuts by Lifetime, Rancid, Farside, Ashes, and Avail remain standouts. And it taught me that, if you want to see a change in the world, it's not even as complicated as coordinating a 14-band compilation. Just figure out what you want to see done, and do it.

Whatever the analogy, no deus ex machina is going to save the day for us. The vaccine isn't going to solve all illness, Joe Biden surely isn't going to lead us all to a promised land, and Amazon isn't going to magically keep your fridge full. WE are going to have to make things suck a little less in 2021. But we already have the examples available, we have the power, we have the ability, and we have the time. So let's get to it.

Discogs

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New Celebrated Summer Records benefit tees

Friend of the blog, Deep Sleep/WarXGames/Daybreak front man, and Tight Bro from All the Way Back Tony Pence owns one of the best record stores in the world, Baltimore's Celebrated Summer Records. Like everyone else, he's seeing a massive drop in income due to the quarantine. So he's partnered with Bonfire and artists Nick & Lindsay DiFabbio of Cherry Moth Cake to put out a pair of really dope looking t-shirt designs! As Tony put it, "Sadly the current world heath crisis has forced us to close our doors temporarily for both our and our customers sakes. In buying a shirt you will be helping us with rent and continuing store operations until we can get to the other side of this together!"

I'm personally stoked on the 3/4 sleeve baseball tee, altho I did order one of each style. I like this Bonfire concept a lot; everyone loves t-shirts, and having them as a fundraising tool is a great idea. It looks like they use pretty quality bodies as well.

So get right for the summer, support a cool record store, and order one (or three) today.