Duckbutters: Feelin' Dirty EP and unreleased LP

The Duckbutters came out of nowhere. I'd been going to shows around the Bay Area since 1998, and playing shows since 2000 (as I just confirmed using Smitty's excellent database at http://bayareapunk.com/). I thought I knew everyone in the "scene", though looking back that probably meant I knew 50 people in Berkeley, Alameda, and East Oakland. Then in 2002 I moved into the Chapman St. Warehouse, and suddenly all these peninsula weirdos were just around. How had I missed S.H.A.T., the Duckbutters, the Abi-Yo-Yos, and everyone else who came out of the West Bay woodwork at that point? These kids could fucking HANG - their bands were great, and it was always worth the time to bullshit with Dave, Boof, Ramus, and the rest between sets.

Out of all those West Bay bands, I think the Duckbutters were my favorite, though I probably only saw them two or three times. They put out a tape EP on RISK! records, and I believe they were supposed to put out an LP on SPAM before that all imploded (the tape I ripped, from Corbett, says "upcoming LP" on it). At some point (before the tape?), they also put out a S/T CD, but I never really listened to it much, even though the rest of their output was usually in my rotation.

Here is everything the Duckbutters recorded, as far as I know. I don't think these tracks are available for purchase or download or anywhere else.

Duckbutters: Feelin' Dirty EP, S/T CD, and unreleased LP (.zip file)

Boof is now in the Trainwreck Riders and also plays in (or is?) Old Pal. Dave is no longer with us. I never really hung out with Soki, and so I don't know what he's up to these days.

Hoover Flags: Demo and Live

Hoover Flags was a band I was in, a band I loved, and a band that infuriated me. It was also, as far as I could tell at the time, a band that broke up in part because I was a dick. Live and learn. Right after we stopped playing Keith, Duncan, and Kever formed Bad Blood (someone called them the "Newver Flags", which I thought was fucking hilarious).

Anyway, here's our demo, as well as a basically unlistenable live recording, which I think Denise was kind enough to make on her phone in 2006.

Hoover Flags Demo (.zip file)

Hoover Flags live at ABC No Rio (.mp3 file)

The high point of this band will forever be when I put my hand down the pants of Adam from Books Lie thinking he was Kever. Oh, memories...

Modern Machines: three demos

Preamble: right after ripping these tapes I realized that they are already available over at Remote Outposts, and in lo-fi format at MKE Punk. Whoops...

Anyway, I first saw the Modern Machines at Gilman sometime in 2002. I was shit-hammer wasted and traded them 75 cents and an AA chip for two of these tapes (Cancer and Feline Leukemia). The chip wasn't mine -- I found it outside the club -- but it was funny enough for a discount, apparently. No idea when I got the Huberty demo, but it's in here too.

These tapes are a bit uneven -- Huberty, in particular, is not so great (it's pretty clear from the recording and the liner notes that the band was just fucking around on this one). But Feline Leukemia got a lot of play in my tape deck. "A.N.I.A.O." is still a killer cut; the melodrama of "Pierce St." still works pretty good for me; and "Tight pants" still has a great hook.

As anyone familiar with the band knows, there's a lot of Replacements/Husker Dü worship going on here. But the songwriting is solid, and it's more than mimicry.

The Modern Machines were a pretty productive band, but I frankly lost track of their releases after these tapes (even though I ended up seeing them a billion times in Oakland and New York). Enjoy!

Three tapes by the Modern Machines (.zip file)

• Cancer
• Feline Leukemia
• Huberty