The Musings of Sense Field and Running From Dharma

I don't write about split releases all that often, in part because there aren't a great deal many that I've wanted to revisit. But this one resurfared recently, and upon giving it a few spins, I figured, "what the hell?" and sucked a high-quality, 320kbps rip up into the ol' MEGA portal for your listening pleasure.

I've wirtten a fair amount of Sense Field-related posts over the years, but nothing since 2020, so as one of my favorite bands of a certain era, it makes sense (HA!) to dig back into my recollections and share this latter-day release from 2004. You get a Smiths cover and a live recording of Killed For Less's "Soft". The other two tracks are from Central PA's Running From Dharma. Truth be told, I should be able to remember these guys, but nothing comes to mind, despite an acoustic version of "Drive Not Driving" and their own take on a Marr/Morrissey classic.

It has occurred to me in the writing of this blog that this was the last new Sense Field release before Jon Bunch's death in 2016. What a loss. This is a good way to remember a very good guy.

Discogs

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The Mummies / Supercharger - Live At Cafe The Pit's

Once you reach the fourth year in a row, you're kinda obliged to keep a thing going.

So Happy Halloween, you maniacs. Thanks for stopping by, downloading some jams, and occasionally leaving a comment. It's the Mummies...LIVE, along with fellow garage enthusiasts Supercharger, in a Belgian club you can still visit.

Discogs

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various artists - Deadly Mince Grinder: The Third World Scum Project

The one had all the hallmarks of a "must buy" when I found it, tucked away on the dusty bottom shelf of a thrift store I'd never set foot in just an hour from the Canadian border.

Were there bands I'd never heard of? Check! Hailing from a place (Indonesia) I'd never been? Double check!

Was there a Carcass cover? Check! Was it "Reek of Putrefaction"? Lemme give ya a check!

Was this co-released by five or more labels? Check! Did at least one of those labels also release records by Unholy Grave or Agathocles? Mic check!

Recordings like this are a great reminder that you can find gold literally in the weirdest, most unexpected places, sorted in between an Elton John "Candle in the Wind '97" CD single and a Boxcar Willie cassette. I cannot tell you how much this made my day.

Discogs

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Raooul / Skinned Teen ‎– Jail-Bait Core / Bazooka Smooth!

Juuuuuussssstttt clearing out the decks here, folks.

"Letterkenny" plays in the background, and my thoughts go to this tasty slab of circa 1993 from the good folks at Lookout! and Willja. The internets tell me that Raooul was a quintet of East Bay pre-teens making a racket, two of whom went on to playing Tourettes and Out Hud. Nice pedigree. Skinned Teen was a real solid UK contemporary of Huggy Bear and Pussycat Trash, two of my fav British riot grrrl bands from that era. Layla from S.T. would go on to write a shitton of excellent columns for MRR...a real reason for yours truly to pick up the esteemed zine for its last ten years of so in existence.

File under: teenagers making a racket. This is never not thrilling to me. I would definitely bootleg this onto a cassette to get it in front of people in 2021.

Discogs

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Devoid Of Faith/Voorhees - Network Of Friends 5

Sunday circle pit, y'all. Join the Bedroom Dancer's Union Internationale, dive off the dresser onto the bed. You don't need a live band. All you need is a pair of bands from Albany, New York and Durham, England, a 22-year-old split LP, and a set of loud speakers.

I say - follow your dreams. Even if they're about a giant spider with your father's head and he keeps stealing your penis!

Discogs

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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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SCRM & the Tim Version Go Halves on a Bastard

And so we come to the end of our half-assed feature on Superchinchillarescuemission. A.D.D. Records must not have lost any money on their 4-song EP, so they grouped SCRM together with Tampa's the Tim Version on this 9-song CD. For me, the Tim Version was the revelation here...I hadn't heard them before cracking the plastic, but I kinda got a big ol' .org-core chubby for 'em. If memory serves, you can still find this 5" slab o' plastic fairly easily, although the ADD Records site says this is out-of-print. Definitely worth owning the genuine article...

As a side-note (and this is the really fun part of research): were you aware that the saying "go halves on a bastard" refers to two unmarrieds copulating for the purpose of conceiving offspring? Ha, I love a good euphemism on a Sunday night!










SCRM & the Tim Version Go Halves on a Bastard

RIYL: PUKU13, fishing, the dried-up smell of PBR