THE EPISODE

From Used Bin Forever on Thursday, October 26, 2006:

After disbanding in 1996, [Action Patrol's singer] Dave Grant, bassist-turned-guitarist Tom Baisden and drummer Rich Green formed The Episode, who neighbored AP, stylistically, but couldn't quite deliver the same greats. To my knowledge, they only released one album.

I still hang onto the editorial part of that first sentence, but not like I used to. I picked up their eight-song s/t as soon as it came out in 1998, and after a few semi-enjoyable spins, I shelved it. Action Patrol, I thought, was so much better. The Episode wasn't bad, no, not remotely. But something was missing from their sound. It didn't have--I dunno something. The crazy, snotty factor? That was probably it.

But I never sold the record, just in case something, at some point, popped and I was able to find a new bond with it. Well, about three months ago, I pulled it off the shelf and HOLY CRAP WHAT WAS I THINKING ALL THESE YEARS? What's wrong with this recording at all? I had no complaints, and I replayed it time after time and again. The difference was only in that it was darker and more (here comes that word) sentimental. It wasn't AP's blast of confetti. The Episode was in a different mood, and hey, maybe because they were a different project and AP was dead. So simple.

The Episode is certainly not their former selves, but they're good, and AP fans lacking this release need it. The old spirit resurfaces in "Ronald Reagan Memorial Wing." And the rest is boss too.

I'll close by saying that I really hate it when 'critics' review a band based on what their older band sounded like, and boy am I guilty here. Why not go back and rewrite it? Ehe, well...

TITLE: s/t
LABEL: Whirled
YEAR: 1998
TRACKS:
My Cartography Internship / Ronald Reagan Memorial Wing / All The Chickens In Hong Kong / Good Fear [Up 1/4%] / Mercy Trophy / Enameled / Fleering / Palindrome

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PINK COLLAR JOBS

A repost based on an accumulation of requests. Great western N.C. scrummy, suffrage-y, four-track punk, and very nice people. Here's what I wrote about Pink Collar Jobs on Friday, December 8, 2006:

The ideology of Boone, NC's Pink Collar Jobs' was made pretty clear through their lightly sarcastic moniker. Comprised of two babes and two jocks (take a joke), PCJ were one of the best mid '90s punk bands in North Carolina, punching out homophobia, sexism, war, drug abuse and whitey through supremely catchy budget punk. My old trio played a couple house shows with them around '96 and they were easily one of the nicest music gangs I've ever met. Last I heard from any of them, [guitarist/vocalist] Jason and [guitarist/vocalist] Lynn were continuing the fight in Dead Things (this band actually did long tours on nothing but bicycles and borrowed equipment), meanwhile my information on [drummer] Landon and [bassist] Julie is years of out date.

RUSTWEILER...

...was the band on the flipside of this split, and, as I wrote in that same post, were pretty much the same brand of political punk, with a just smidgen more of Born Against in the songwriting. I feel funny not having more info than I do, as many of my old friends were buddy-buddy with them. They were from Illinois, their music flooded my mix tapes and their logo had some prime real estate on my high school Eastpak (I wonder where that patch got off to).

PCJ and Rustweiler released a split 7" in '95 (I think), which got it on with my turntable on the daily. These are easily some of the most memorable punk melodies to come out NC in the '90s, and while Rustweiler is great too, there was too much competition in IL for me to say the same for them (though they were still top-shelf).

The digitizing process of this record marked my first time hearing it in a good seven-or-so years. I love how it held up over time.

TITLE: Pink Collar Jobs / Rustweiler (split)
LABEL: (none)
YEAR: 1995 (?)
TRACKS:
Pink Collar Jobs - In The Kitchen / Pink Collar Jobs - Dead On The Floor /
Rustweiler - Soapbox Ministers / Rustweiler - Dead Poets Society

Here's all the music discussed in this post.