Light The Fuse And Run / Transistor Transistor - split LP

Did we ever call it "screamo" when it first happened? Maybe in the context of bands we didn't like, or obvious poses. Otherwise, the likes of Jeromes Dream and Orchid were just punk bands wilding out, slotted nicely on a four band bill with a straight edge hardcore band, an indie pop band, and a power violence band. "Emo" was for bands on Drive Thru and Vagrant, a marketing term, an easy opening to stick a peg in. This was just punk on the edges of convention.

Level Plane in Philadelphia and the Electric Human Project in Wilmington were two of the many homes for bands making this kind of music. EHP had put out records with Pageninetynine and Joshua Fit For Battle, would drag their distro down to Baltimore for shows. Level Plane had a deeper catalog, but had worked with a number of the same bands as EHP, plus folks like Envy, You And I, and City of Caterpillar. Everybody knew each other, went to the same shows, toured the same circuits. Again, it was just kids making DIY music.

We knew and booked Transistor Transistor because it was Brad from Orchid's new band. The pedigree was good enough for us when they started coming down from New Hampshire. As for Light The Fuse And Run, they were only a few hours down the road in Richmond. They'd already played with Hot Cross in town and were pretty good. Why not do a show for both?

What's lost to my memory now is whether the record was promoting the tour, or if the tour led to the record. All I know is that I found a copy on CD for a buck a few days before Christmas, which unleashed the swell of memories above, like the heat rolling into your face as you walk inside from a wintry yard.

Discogs

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You And I - The Curtain Falls

You hear a record and it immediately makes you think, "Man, I wish I'd have put that out." "The Curtain Falls" is one of those for me.

I have no clue how I never saw You And I play live. Their heyday very neatly coincided with the first big wave of my traveling to shows. They played with a lot of my friends during their lifetime. And yet, even though I bought records of theirs new upon release, I never actually got to see them. Hell, I don't remember them ever playing south of Philadelphia, which I KNOW can't be the case.

So, yeah, it dawns on me I've been listening to this record for over twenty years now. That makes me feel old. Yet there's nothing dated sounding about "The Curtain Falls". This totally fits in with anything getting released on Zegema Beach today. I'll chalk that up not only to a sound that still sounds vital, but also to the outstanding production from Geoff Turner. That's why I think's cool that Repeater Records, who put out those great City of Caterpillar reissues a while back, is releasing a discography double LP in the next several weeks. I really appreciate that this is going to be available again.

Call it screamo, call it skramz, call it hardcore, call it whatever you want to. It still feels honest, sincere to me.

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