Demo by Streetlight Manifesto

I'm fairly certain that Streetlight Manifesto need no introduction and I was a little hesitant to put them up here but here goes. Streetlight formed in 2002 just after Tomas Kalnoky put together another band Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution in 2001.  Taking the sounds and styles that they had forged in Bandits, Streetlight picked up where Tomas had left off with his previous band Catch 22, lean mean fast ska punk, just don't tell Tomas that. They would go on to expand their sound in later albums even further by adding styles of Jazz, Latin, and Eastern European Traditional music. All the songs on this demo were later rerecorded and refined for their debut album Everything Goes Numb. The stand out track on this album for me is Point|Counterpoint, while a much shorter version of the song it's almost a step better as it simply ends on a beautiful bass line instead of getting to long for its own good.

Streetlight Manifesto is: (On this release at least.)
Dan Ross on Bari Saxophone and Alto Saxophone
Jamie Egan on Trumpet and Trombone
Josh Ansley on Bass
Pete Sibilia on Tenor Saxophone
Stu Kamratz on Drums
Tomas Kalnoky on Guitar and Vocals

Track Listing:
1. Everything Went Numb
2. Point|Counterpoint
3. The Saddest Song
4. We Are the Few

Yar!

Orange County's Punk vs. Ska: Round One by Various Artists

There is nothing I like more than a good compilation and this one doesn't disappoint. This time we steer a little away from stickily ska with a cd that is half punk. Many of these bands have more or less dropped off the face of the planet as far as the internet is concerned, though a few have gone on to become popular or in one case a genuine legend. Since we have two genres I figured I would do my stand out tracks a little different this time. In the punk corner some of the stand outs include 22 Jacks, Ignire, and Stymie with their rousing rendition of La Bamba and in the ska corner the bands to check out are My Superhero, Pocket Lent, and the legendary Suburban Rhythm.

Track listing:

1. In the Ring by Various Artists

2. Girl in the Pit by White Kaps

3. Trust by Straight Faced

4. La Bamba by Stymie

5. Just a Waste by Drain Bramaged

6. Embrace by Ignite

7. Buzzkill by Jigsaw

8. Remember When by Mind Driver

9. Vacation by 409

10. Gillette by The Grabbers

11. Race Car Driver by Co-Dependents

12. Charles Taking Over the World by Clean-X

13. Dead Girl by 4-Gazm

14. Swallow by 22 Jacks

15. Rowena's Theme by Longfellow

16. Out for Blood by Various Artists

17. Artificial Life by Save Ferris

18. 12 by Jeffries Fan Club

19. TV Life bu Channel 6

20. Groovy Kind of Love by My Superhero

21. No Way Out by Six Feet Deep

22. Incomplete (Version) by Suburban Rhythm

23. Kids With Guns bu Low Pressure

24. Lil' Suede Shoes by Pocket Lent

25. Slingshot by The Ex-Presidents

26. Talk Show Host by Lone Raspberry

27. Why Me? by Grover's Headache

28. To a Part by Slightly Stoopid

29. Ska, Ska, Ska by Turkey Mallet

30. The Bell by Various Artists

Yar!

Oh and by the way despite putting up a good effort, ska totally wins this fight!

Myspace Recordings by Grover's Headache

A rather hard band to track any info about Grover's Headache was yet another ska band from that 90s mecca Orange County, California, USA. These are the songs featured on their Myspace page that I recorded onto my computer via Soundflower and Audacity, so forgive me if the quality isn't the greatest. If anyone has anything else by this band please get in contact as they are amazing. There was apparently an album or EP titled Ain't Frontin if a comment on their Myspace page is to be believed but I can't seem to track down anymore info. They were around from 1995 to 1999 and in some instances their name is stylized 'grovers (headache)'. Quick web searches seems to indicate that most of the members didn't do anything after this band minus a couple that were apparently in other local bands though I can't seem to confirm any of this. Stand out tracks for me are B and H for its awesome horn lines, something this band does well, and Lie Awake a soulful song about longing after a girl.

Grover's Headache is:
Alan Oakes on Guitar
Brent Seehusen on Saxophone
Cris Aparri on Flugel Horn & Trumpet & Tuba
Drew Baker on Drums
Jeff Dube on Trumpet
Mikey Hamada on Vocals & Bass Trombone
Victor Lucero on Bass

Other Members: (Being listed as I'm not sure if any of theses people were in the songs here.)
Alex Guillen on Guitar
Jason Lacoss on Trumpet
Kyle Martin on Trombone
Max Shantar on Trumpet
Rich Iwason on Pocket Trumpet


Track listing:
1. B and H
2. Teddi Bear
3. Anorexic
4. Lie Awake
5. There You Are

Yar!

Oolooloo by The Pietasters

The Pietasters started life as The Slugs in 1990 at Virginia Tech. Soon changin their name to Dancehall Crashers before ultimately settling upon The Pietasters, a reference to what some English neighbors called the heavier guys in the band. They toured in a used school bus and played dive bars around DC before being discovered by Bucket Hingley the lead singer of The Toasters and owner of the famed Moon Ska Records. Shortly there after The Pietasters were signed to Moon Ska Records and out out their second album Oolooloo. Stand out tracks on this amazing album are Tell You Why/Maggie Mae (technically two songs but are on one track.) with it's combination of slower mellow goodness and the perfect drinking song ever written and Night Before a song about sex, need I say more?

The Pietasters are:
Alan Makranzy on Tenor Sax
Carlos Linares on Trumpet
Chris Watt on Bass and Vocals
Eric Raecke on  Tenor Sax
Jeremy Roberts on Trombone
Paul T. Ackerman on Keyboard
Rob Covington on Drums
Steven Jackson on Vocals
Toby Hanson on Trumpet
Todd Eckhardt on Guitar and Vocals
Tom Goodin on Guitar and Vocals

Track Listing:
1. Something Better
2. Freak Show
3. Tell You Why / Maggie Mae
4. Same Old Song (Originally by The Four Tops)
5. Pleasure Bribe
6. Girl Take it Easy
7. Can I Change My Mind
8. Night Before
9. (Hidden Track)
10. Biblical Sense
11. Movin on Up


Yar!