Saturday, April 2, 2011

"ADVENTURE JUKEBOX" RADIO SHOW - WXCI-FM, DANBURY, CT. 1985. HOSTED BY RAY CAPPO



I've long been a fan of regional college radio programs that had the audacity to play hardcore punk on the airwaves during it's formative years. The 1980s American hardcore scene will probably be forever indebted to programs like the seminal Maximum Rock & Roll radio show as well as more regionally focused programs like WNYU-FM's "Noise the Show". These radio shows were so essential at the time because they represented the starkest opposition to the then (and now, sadly) flaccid brand of corporate FM radio. More specifically, these pioneering shows gave listeners a chance to hear all of the great new records that were coming out at the time, advertisements for local hardcore gigs, and interviews with local and touring bands.

The "Adventure Jukebox" was the premier hardcore punk college radio show in the western Connecticut area for quite awhile. Broadcasted from the campus of Western Connecticut State University (my alma mater), this show began sometime in the early 1980s and presumably ended sometime in the late 80s. "Adventure Jukebox" was hosted by a fellow named Darryl Ohrt. Much like the aforementioned MRR & "Noise" radio shows mentioned above, "Adventure Jukebox" focused on all of the rad newly released underground music that was coming out at the time as well as spreading the word about local hardcore punk shows that were happening at the Anthrax in Stamford (and later, Norwalk).These gigs featured top notch touring bands and as well as blossoming local hardcore bands. During the early 80s, the Connecticut hardcore scene was flourishing quickly because of such exciting bands like CIA, Vatican Commandoes, 76% Uncertain, Violent Children, Lost Generation, Reflex From Pain, Seizure, No Milk On Tuesday, Young Republicans, etc. "Adventure Jukebox" was responsible for playing these killer bands on the radio before anyone else.

This specific episode posted here for download is pretty cool because it features a set of crucial tracks hand picked by Danbury native Ray Cappo, right around the time that the mighty Youth of Today formed. The first few tracks on this tape have Daryl Ohrt as DJ but the majority of the tape features Ray. It's possible that Daryl was there in the studio the day this was recorded since the "AJ" was his radio show or those tracks are from an earlier broadcast.

Essentially, this serves as an enjoyable mix tape for me. Ray picks a bunch of ultra classic tracks (all of them, nearly) that are favorites of his and plays them live on the radio. It's really awesome to hear bands like Discharge, 7 Seconds, Code of Honor, DOA, and Urban Waste played on the radio within a few years of these records being released. It must have been very exciting times to hear this kind of music on local radio and be involved in the underground. These days, college radio is far less exciting as it's more or less a bastion of formulaic fluff selected by independent labels with major label tactics. Come to think of it, the disintegration of contemporary college radio into a consolidated mass of CMJ and Pitchfork Media approved sterility is quite ironic when you consider how the medium got it's start.

This broadcast was recorded sometime during 1985. I don't have a more specific date because the cassette master doesn't provide any other information than this year. I've been meaning to ask Ray Cappo if he has any additional information about this tape, but I'd imagine recalling anything like this would be analogous to me remembering something I did when I was 13. You can also see that some tracks were cut out by the original taper.

Track listing:

The FU’s: Beast In My Bed
Rich Kids on LSD: Adolescent Death
White Flag: Psycho Cop
Broken Bones: Problem
DYS: Stand Proud
Jerry’s Kids: I Don’t Belong
Gang Green: Have Fun
The Freeze: Broken Bones
Deep Wound: I Saw It
DYS: Yellow

Scream: Your Wars/Killer
Bad Brains: Coptic Times
Iron Cross: You’re a Rebel
Meatmen: Tooling For Anus
Double O: You’ve Lost

Agnostic Front: Blind Justice
Major Conflict: Out Group
The Mob: Dr Butcher
Urban Waste: Police Brutality
Anthrax: Deathrider
Abused: Drug Free Youth
Adrenaline OD: AOD vs Godzilla
The Misfits: Astro Zombies
The Plasmatics: Monkey Suit

DOA: Unknown
Negative Approach: Your Mistake
Corrosion of Conformity: Tell Me
Verbal Abuse: Power Play
Big Boys: Sound on Sound
Discharge: Hell on Earth

7 Seconds: Boss
7 Seconds: Racism Sucks
7 Seconds: Fight Your Own Fight
Code of Honor: Code of Honor

DOWNLOAD:

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CIA "GOD GUTS GUNS & MORE" LP (MTAWP #1) IS ALMOST OUT OF PRINT



I am down to my final copies of my first release, CIA's "God Guts Guns & More" LP. The first pressing of 1000 copies sold out in the blink of an eye and I quickly repressed another 350 copies. Of this second pressing, I have less than 50 copies remaining. If you would like to restock your webstore, distro, or shop, please drop me a line soon so I can help you get some wholesale copies. To the best of my knowledge, Ebullition, Revolver, Revelation, Subterranean, and Get Hip may still have wholesale copies available. If it makes more sense for you to place an order with those folks you can probably get copies from one of them too.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of the record, you can do that right here. All prices INCLUDE POSTAGE. If you'd like to get a copy of the CIA LP and anything from the last distro update, drop me a line and I'll give you the correct total price.


PLEASE SELECT WHERE YOU LIVE:




As much as I want all of my releases to remain in print forever, I have 4 new LPs with deluxe packaging coming out this year. It is possible that I may press another 350 copies of the CIA LP at some later date but I cannot guarantee that. This CIA material is timelessly great and I'll do my best to always have some copies around. We'll see.

A few people have asked about the differences between the first and second pressings. I hope to assemble a new webpage shortly with an easy to use webstore for purchasing records and a ton of information, including pressing information on all my releases. In the meantime, here is some information on the pressing differences.

TEST PRESSINGS:
10 test pressings with custom hand silkscreened sleeves featuring alternate cover art and customized labels. Black vinyl. I one or two of these that I would be willing to trade for something cool. If you're interested in this, drop me an email.

FIRST PRESSING:
Black vinyl.
1000 copies.
White labels with black type.
Does not credit Mark Dudak on the inner sleeve.
Includes a few other typos. See if you can find them all!
Comes with More Than a Witness promo postcard.

SECOND PRESSING:
Black vinyl.
350 copies.
Red labels with black type.
Features the words "second pressing" on the printed inner sleeve.
The bottom right hand corner of the inner sleeve credits Chris Prorock for liner notes and layout and gives a special thanks to Chris Minicucci.
Comes with More Than a Witness promo postcard.