24 February 2012

UG-IT

I wasn't initially sure if this was a compilation packaged for actual release, or if it was just a mix tape of bands that Dan Riffe played in or was friends with.  Dan's bands VAN GOGH'S EAR (will share their unreleased Clear Album soon - brilliantly subtle psychedelic noise) and ILLEGITIMATE SONS OF JACKIE O make appearances on this comp, along with BIG SKIN HEARTS and freaked out sounds from NOEL BOLTE. Dan set me straight via the internet, and it seems that UG-it was released by Ron King, who was in Dan's words, "a fucking genius." The HO tracks are the highlight, a complete assault of fuzzed out psych-punk guitar mania from BIG SKIN HEARTS frontman and the Dick Dog Records impresario responsible for this release, tasty jams for the freaked out hippie queer trapped inside each and every one of us.  The SONS tracks are characteristically excellent, and the PLOPS tunes are the epitome of the weirdness that was going on in our little neck of the woods at the time. Circa 1992/3 in my corner of Oklahoma, guitar noise and punk rock were on a collision course with frequently fantastic but often shitty results...Dan was an accidental mentor who made me several mix tapes while we worked together and played in a couple of bands, including the one with this compilation sandwiched in between the BRTUAL GARDENERS demo (that was our band, not sure why he put it on a mix tape for me) and X-MAS TREE, one of his SONS side projects. It was through him that I first heard WRETCHED, NOTA and a host of other forks in the road that got me pointed down the right path and I blasted the shit out of all of those tapes countless times. Hopefully they will all eventually stop by The Escape for a visit...and we'll start those visits with UG-it.



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Please re-up? I was involved with this and played on some tracks. Haven't heard it in years. Even Ron King, my best friend, who put this together no longer has it. Please!