SALVO RAIN

I've spent my life thus far on the Carolina coast, and when I started this blog, I wanted to dedicate it to the NC/SC (and sometimes VA) punk and hardcore sounds of the late 1980s through the mid '90s. Due to the fact that I've reduced myself to a limited resource of such wares (I curse myself for selling certain bits of vinyl), I wouldn't be able to support the format for very long, so instead the focus shifted to relatively or significantly hard to find tunes I happen to love. Besides, there are other figures from that era that are far better suited for the job than I.

But, like many, I have a lot of pride in the rock my region crafted. Sure, if you're thorough enough, you'll find an A1 run of bands from just about any part of the world (hey, that's the concept of this blog), but I do feel there was a moment in my spot of the world that really cooked. The heroes of my locale were Assfactor 4, Cornelius (later Captain Speky/Zuexeus), Eagle Bravo, Tonka, Unherd, Blownapart Bastards, and, if I can include them, Richmond, VA's Action Patrol.

And you can add Rock Hill, SC's Salvo Rain to that list. Between '93 and '97, they slid us two 7"s and a full length LP, which, to me, could be the the spokes-sound of the region and time period. The songs were well written and easily stand the test of time. Along with the first Assfactor 4 LP and the Cornelius 10", their 1996 LP is one that endured countless revolutions on my turntable.

Just recently I told their drummer, Greg, that I wanted to post some of their material here. Aftering throwing me the ok, he told me a label in Chicago had planned to release their discography, "but," as Greg said, "they realized they were out of their fucking minds and pulled out at the last minute." He added that there is still a lot of lost material from some cassette releases (there are existing copies but they've deteriorated with age to the point where they're not even considered). Regardless of what their potential Chicago label had to say, Salvo Rain was awesome, and so was the rate of their output. "We shat out 60-odd songs in three years and actually recorded 46 of them," Greg said.

Greg currently plays in a band called Cannons, who I highly suggest you look into if you're in a Pitchfork/Jehu phase.

After realizing how much I've typed here, and how detached most people are from text, I'd better can it and post something listenable. Here are a few songs from Salvo Rain's 1996 LP.

1. Drivethrough
2. Thanks But No Thanks
3. Fridge Magnet
4. What Do You Make Of?
5. Today's Kids
6. South Of Charlotte
7. Have A Nice Life
8. Halves
9. Taking Up Karate
10. New Black Eye
11. Keep The Receipt
12. No Vacancy