The Raymond Brake - Piles of Dirty Winters (1995)

"Philistine" by The Raymond Brake


If you were in a Chapel Hill indie band during the nineties, chances are your band's recordings would be produced by Caleb Southern.  From Archers of Loaf to the Ben Folds Five, his fingerprints were all over any album that made it out of North Carolina to gain critical acclaim on the national stage.  One of the bands he produced that faltered out of the gate was The Raymond Brake, a four-piece alternative band from Greensboro (because Chapel Hill is really only 45 minutes away).

The Raymond Brake formed in 1994 with Andy Cabic (guitar, vocals), Ryan Stewart (guitar vocals), Peder Hollinghurst (bass), and Joel Darden (drums).  Their only album Piles of Dirty Winters released as soon as 1995.  They gained a little success after touring the country and garnered favorable comparisons to other successful Chapel Hill alternative acts.  The band began to unravel soon after, having to replace Peder on bass with Matt Houston in 1996.  They released an EP that same year before the band slowly stumbled to the group's dissolution in 1998.

Here is the complete discography for The Raymond Brake:

The Raymond Brake (1994 single)
Split (1994 single)
New Wave Dream (1995 single)
Sentiment (1995 compilation track)
Piles of Dirty Winters
Never Work Ever (1996 EP)
Threnody (1997 compilation track)

"New Wave Dream" by The Raymond Brake


"Easter" by The Raymond Brake


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Metal Flake Mother - Beyond the Java Sea (1991)

"Mean to Me" by Metal Flake Mother


Jack Yarber (of Compulsive Gamblers) and Jim Mathis were two of the original founders of Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves.  Jim or Jimbo was in a number of other bands in the late eighties such as The End and Cafe des Moines.  He dropped out of Mississippi State at 20 to join the Merchant Marines and used his time off to travel the US.  Eventually, he moved to Chapel Hill where he could use the library for study and, at the same time, establish himself in the local alternative music scene.  He changed his last name to Mathus (prompted by his independent study of Latin) and helped form Metal Flake Mother.  He played drums and was supported by Quince Marcum on bass, and Benjamin Clarke and Randy Ward on guitars and vocals.  Together, they made up one of Chapel Hill's most popular alternative acts.  As for their sound, "imagine if the Pixies could play their instruments - maybe that's the sound."

Here is the complete discography for Metal Flake Mother:

Deem-On (1990 single)
Beyond the Java Sea

"Moss Howl" by Metal Flake Mother


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Compulsive Gamblers - Gamblin' Days Are Over (1995)

"Way Down in the Hole" by Compulsive Gamblers


The Reatards (in this case just Jay Reatard, really) got some early help from drummer Greg Cartwright and engineer Jack Yarber in getting their early EPs off the ground.  Note: The two declined to take the Reatard surname as they already had one... to be continued, I'm sure. Instead of explaining what Greg (guitar, vocals) and Jack (guitar, vocals) went by,  let's cover their first mutual band the Compulsive Gamblers, a quintet formed in Memphis at the onset of the nineties.

Together with Bushrod Thomas (drums), Fields Trimble (bass), and Greg Easterly (violin), they played blues and punk inspired garage rock and released three themed EPs without snagging a good record deal for a full length album.  They did, however, collect an album's worth of material from previous sessions ironically titled Gamblin' Days Are Over as it saw release two years after the band dissolved.

Jack Yarber was also a member of another band, Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves, before the Gamblers.  They didn't release much but left a notable impression on the Memphis punk and garage scene.

Here is the discography surrounding Compulsive Gamblers's debut album:

Joker (1992 EP)
Church Goin' (1992 EP)
Chokin' on a Lude (1993 EP as Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves)
Gamblin' Days Are Over
Good Time Gamblers (1996 EP)
Thanks for the Ride! (2005 EP as Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves)
Running in a Rat Race (2006 EP as Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves)

"Sour and Vicious Man" by Compulsive Gamblers


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Reatards - Teenage Hate (1998)

"I Can Live Without You" by Reatards


Guitar Wolf stopped through Memphis on their first American tour and caught the attention of Eric Friedl of Goner Records. The independent label mainly released local garage and punk rock 'n' roll, but were impressed enough to get the publishing rights to Guitar Wolf's debut album. Goner Records has signed a number of bands and artists, but one of their most famous discoveries was Jay Reatard whom they signed at the age of 15.

Jay Reatard was born Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.  Originally, Jay was the only member of the Reatards, recording all of the instruments himself.  After signing with Goner, label leaders Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber helped play on and record his first single "Get Real Stupid" released in 1997.  Then, a more tour-ready band was put together with Elvis Wong Reatard and Steve Albundy Reatard (taking monikers ala Ramones) joining the band as drummer and bassist respectively.  Together the Reatards released another cassette in 1997 and their debut album Teenage Hate the next year.

Here is the discography surrounding the Reatards's debut album:

The Reatards (1996 cassette demo)
Get Real Stupid (1997 single)
Fuck Elvis, Here's the Reatards (1997 cassette demo)
Teenage Hate

"Out of My Head, Into My Bed" by Reatards


"When I Get Mad" by Reatards


Pass the Headphones!!