It's the 2nd of many, many posts compiling the Lucy's Record Shop calendars. This time around we have January 1993 as the Migraine Matinee's get into full swing. Keep in mind that the lineups of these concerts were subject to change so this is a non-definitive guide based on old Lucy's calendars and Tennessean listings. If you see anything you know for sure is wrong just let me know in the comments. We're going to start this month with the schedule and then add stuff below.
3-Jan-93 | House O' Pain Migraine Matinee: Blend, Impetuous Doom, Excruciating Pain 2PM $4 | |
10-Jan-93 | House O' Pain Migraine Matinee: Disco Squid, Godplow, No Remorse 2PM $4 | |
17-Jan-93 | House O' Pain Migraine Matinee: The Fed, Melvins Headtrip, Shadow Den 2PM $4 | |
20-Jan-93 | Anti-Extravaganza with Crop Circle Hoax, Collin Wade Monk, Imposter Child 8PM $3 | |
21-Jan-93 | Anti-Extravaganza with Idaho Beach House, Judge Nothing, No Remorse 8PM $3 | |
22-Jan-93 | Anti-Extravaganza with Jack, For Kate's Sake, Godplow 8PM $3 | |
23-Jan-93 | Anti-Extravaganza with Who Hit John, Teen Idols, Scull Soup 8PM $3 | |
31-Jan-93 | House O' Pain Migraine Matinee: Staring at the Sun, Brainiac, My Name 2PM $4 | |
Impetous Doom comes back to play Lucy's in January 1993 and this time they're with Blend and death metal merchants Excruciating Pain. They had been together with various members since 1988 and had put out an album called Thou Shall Choose on the Mexican record label Avanzada Metalica in 1992 which was also released in the US by JL America. Most folks consider them to be the very first Nashville death metal band. Excruciating Pain is listed as playing Lucy's 9 times over the next 4 years. I liked their thrash instrumentation, but I have never been a big fan of the Cookie Monster vocal style. It just doesn't sound menacing to me.
Excruciating Pain - Thou Shall Choose
Godplow is back for their 2nd of 6 listed appearances. They would release a couple of full length albums on Grass Records. Heavy guitar and introspective lyrics were their thing. I'll post a tune or two from them later on in this series. I don't know anything about Disco Squid while No Remorse was a Lucy's Record Shop staple with 7 listed appearances.
January 17, 1993 features The Fed, Melvins Headtrip, and Shadow Den. I must have seen Melvins Headtrip at some point as they played on a bill with Jack, but don't remember it. Bold choice for a name when the much more well known Melvins existed. I hadn't heard of The Fed and while Shadow Den played 4 times at Lucy's I really can't place their music. I suspect they were a Mary booking. And this as good a time as any to talk about how Lucy's Record Shop put together the shows. Co-owner Donnie Kendall put together the punk/metal/noise shows. Mary Mancini, who opened Lucy's as sole owner before Donnie came on board, would book the more typical 90's alternative rock concerts along with the surf/garage and alternative country offerings. It was a key part of their success as the store didn't get pigeonholed into just one extreme or one stereotypical type of music. I believe that Mary and Donnie must have combined forces at certain times as the bills do get a bit mixed up which is how it would be the inaugural run of Lucy's 4 night Anti-Extravaganza.
A quick history lesson is called for to put the Anti-Extravaganza in context. Way back in 1986 the non-profit Nashville Music Association started these annual Extravaganza showcase concerts which promoted local music artists. They would also sometimes press compilation tapes and compact discs with these acts. It was a noble cause, but the selections tended to be geared toward the more commercial as major label reps from New York and Los Angeles would get invitations to these shows. As you can see from the following articles there was already controversy over a lack of diversity in the bands featured in 1986 as the scope of artists is broadened in 1987. Sure, there's a few metal bands, but true alternative music is really nowhere to be seen. This would be the case throughout the events, which is exactly what Donnie and Mary were reacting to with the Anti-Extravaganza.
I do love many of these bands - 1986
1987
The first night of Lucy's Anti-Extravaganza bill looks like one Mary would have booked with Crop Circle Hoax, Collin Wade Monk, and Imposter Child. Imposter Child, which had been known as Poster Child, would soon change their name to Lambchop and become, perhaps, the most critically lauded band to come out of the Lucy's scene. I would see them many times over the years and listen to their albums, but try as I might I just don't get their appeal. They definitely appealed to Mary Mancini as she would marry main Lampchop man Kurt Wagner. I had played some shows with Collin Wade Monk and was never a huge fan even though Jim Ridley loved him. I did really enjoy Crop Circle Hoax who sounded much like an East Coast group that could have had their music played on an episode of The Adventures of Pete and Pete or, perhaps, a Hal Hartley movie. I suspect they were big fans of Yo La Tengo. They had put out a single with Poster Child in 1992.
The next night, January 21, featured Idaho Beach House, Judge Nothing, and No Remorse. Judge Nothing were a pop punk band from Illinois and they did have that Chicago edge to their music. Here's a video from 1990 of them performing on DHTV.
Judge Nothing - "Loose Wire"
I'm sure I saw Idaho Beach House at some point, but if I did they didn't make much of an impression. They would play Summer Lights later in 1993 as part of a "Migraine Matinee" with Jack. Here's their song "Friends with Cameras." It's got that 90's funk rock vibe. There's no Discogs entry for them, but I recall a tape and maybe a CD floating around by them.
Idaho Beach House
No Remorse - Sigh 1992 at the Cannery
January 23, 1993 wraps up the first annual Anti-Extravaganza with locals Who Hit John, Teen Idols, and East Tennessee punk rockers Scull Soup. Who Hit John played power pop and you can get their album "Hey Buffy", that would come out in 1997, through Bandcamp. I'll have much on Teen Idols in a future post. Maybe.
Who Hit John
The month of January ended with Staring at the Sun, Dayton, Ohio's synth punks Brainiac, and My Name who hailed from Tacoma, Washington. Brainiac's Smack Bunny Baby album would come out in 1993 on Grass Records and would become one of my favorite records. Seeing them live was always a big thrill. There are videos posted of Brainiac playing this very night at Lucy's thanks to Tiny Corkscrew.
Brainiac - Supersonic at Lucy's! January 31, 1993
Brainiac - I, Fuzzbot from the same show
My Name - Rumpled Blanket
I still haven't found any information on Staring at the Sun, but I'm pretty sure they were local. If anyone out there wants to give me data on them, just leave a comment. That's all for this installment. Only 60 more months of Lucy's calendar to go through. I may or may not continue these types of posts as they take lots of time and this blog is just a hobby. There are some bands I want to write more about so I might just highlight when they played and just make most of the posts mere calendar listings. We'll see. My first post only got 7 views or something with no comments. Maybe this one will garner more and get me more excited. I didn't plan on this project being a chore and I've made it into one. That's on me.
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