Muuy Biien and Eureka California at Flagpole

2014 was the year Eureka California made the shift from “the band that could” to “the band that did.” With little fanfare and almost zero downtown club presence, the group quietly released a true kicker of an LP, toured the UK and steadily increased its stateside audience without jockeying for the ever-shifting hometown spotlight. The… Continue reading Muuy Biien and Eureka California at Flagpole

Joe Jack Talcum at This is Book’s Music

You may know of Joseph Genaro as one of the members of The Dead Milkmen but he also recorded some material under the name Joe Jack Talcum, who you may be more familiar with. HHBTM Records has released a new compilation of his home recordings called Home Recordings 1993 – 1999, which were recordings between… Continue reading Joe Jack Talcum at This is Book’s Music

Eureka California at Scene Point Blank

When I hear the phrase “indie rock,” I think of about 4-5 things: Pavement, The Pixies, maybeWeezer, glasses, skinny guys, and bizarre instrumentation or time signatures. Some of that (queue the ‘90s references there) is due to my age, as the former part of that description is a bit more rock oriented than the latter.… Continue reading Eureka California at Scene Point Blank

Joe Jack Talcum at Whisperin and Hollerin

This album is the second instalment in the home recordings of Joe Jack Talcum who used to be the singer in The Dead Milkmen: a band I have a vague memory of having seen live once a long time ago. In the old days this album would have been on cassette with a Xerox cover… Continue reading Joe Jack Talcum at Whisperin and Hollerin

Crayon at Magnet

There is some mysterious appeal about bands with short names and short track names. Either way, Crayon, from Bellingham, Wash., had that and more, and now the band has released “Small” for free download. Crayon’s music was a messy blend of punk and indie rock. There’s snotty vocals, reminiscent of the ’80s hardcore scene, and there’s also a… Continue reading Crayon at Magnet

Eureka California at Lost in the Cloud

Also among the great garage and punk rock records released this year, Eureka California’s Crunch distinguishes itself with a shelling of persistently energetic, witty and hook-laden gems.  As singer/guitarist Jake Ward confesses in the track of the same name, ‘You put your hand to the pencil and the pencil to the pad, never has anything… Continue reading Eureka California at Lost in the Cloud

Crayon at PureHoney Magazine

Crayon’s “Brick Factory” sounds like the best ‘90s record you never heard. Give it two or three listens, and its lo-fi, occasionally off-key earworms will find permanent residence in your sense memory, not to mention your iPod and your record collection. So much so that you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life—particularly that time in… Continue reading Crayon at PureHoney Magazine