Rose Chronicles - Shiver (1994)

"Glide (Free Above)" by Rose Chronicles


Maow's only album was produced by Pete Wonsiak, a prolific recording engineer who worked with a number of artists signed to Canadian record label Nettwerk.  When working with Maow, Wonsiak brought along an assistant, Judd Cochrane, from another band Pete produced: Rose Chronicles.  Rose Chronicles formed in the early nineties and consisted of Cochrane on bass, Steven Van Der Woerd on drums, Richard Miranda on guitar, and vocalist Kristy Thirsk.  They became a Cranberries-like alternative rock band.  Signed to Nettwerk, they released their debut album Shiver in 1994.  With the hit singles "Awaiting Eternity" and "Glide (Free Above)", Rose Chronicles became a surprise sensation that seemed to come out of nowhere.  Their early success culminated in a Juno Award win for the first Alternative Album of the Year in 1995.

Here is the discography surrounding Rose Chronicles's debut album:

Dead and Gone to Heaven (1993 EP)
Shiver
Glide (Free Above) (1994 single)
Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young (1994 compilation song)

"Awaiting Eternity" by Rose Chronicles


"Nothing's Real" by Rose Chronicles


Pass the Headphones!!

Maow - The Unforgiving Sounds of... Maow (1996)

"Wank" by Maow


The position of drummer for cub had never been set in stone, and a couple of drummers were needed to record Betti-Cola.  One of the drummers was American expat Neko Case.  In Vancouver on a student visa, she played in a number of local bands including cub and her own Maow.  Maow consisted of Tobey Black (guitar), Corrina Hammond (bass), and Case on drums.

Associated with cuddlecore because of Case's connection to cub and the fact that they were an all-girl pop-oriented punk band, the brand doesn't really fit Maow's attitude.  An attitude that was, simply, badass.  Case-in-point: the cover to their only album The Unforgiving Sounds of... Maow.  Released in 1996, the songs are fast, furious, and full of an in-your-face feminist stance that's ready for a fight.  Taking on all comers!!  Moreso than cub, Maow was also ready to experiment beyond simple punk.  Some songs take on a country influence (most likely sourced from Case) and any track over a minute and a half shows some sign of non-traditional song structure.  The band found itself on a couple compilation albums but broke up around 1998 when Case graduated and lost her visa, forcing her to move back to Seattle.

Here is the complete discography for Maow:

I Ruv Me Too (1995 EP as Meow)
The Unforgiving Sounds of... Maow
Nothing Beats a Royal Flush (1997 compilation song 2-18)
Girl Crazy! (1998 compilation song 8-17)
Oh Canaduh! 2: Another Collection of Canadian Punk Rock Covers (1998 compilation song 4-18)

"Ms. Lefevre" by Maow


Pass the Headphones!!

cub - Betti-Cola (1993)

Betti-Cola by cub


Shoestrings found its songs a way onto a good number of compilation albums.  The most iconic of these compilations is 1996's Pop American Style which helped highlight and cement some of the 90s' best underground indie pop groups.  Vancouver's cub was one of those groups.

cub formed in 1992 with Lisa Marr (bass, vocals), Robynn Iwata (guitar, vocals), and Valeria Fellini (drums, vocals).  In essence, they were punk.  But, their songs played at a laid back pace and featured Marr's high-pitched voice singing simple, playful, and honest songs.  The mood of the band mixed a childlike innocence and imagination, an unabashed femininity, a melancholy optimism, and raw cool that all might seem incongruous in writing but can only make you smile when you listen to them.  Although punk, they were so superficially different from what most people hear as punk that their brand of music was dubbed "cuddlecore" and seen as an offshoot of twee pop.

They started recording right away in the lo-fi fashion and were a favorite in the Vancouver indie scene.  Their debut full-length Betti-Cola came out in 1993 as more of a compilation album that gathered most of their recordings from their first three EPs.  It featured cover art by legendary Archie artist and Josie and The Pussycats creator Dan DeCarlo.

Here is the discography surrounding cub's debut album:

Pep (1992 EP)
Hot Dog Day (1993 EP)
The Mint Is A Terrible Thing to Taste (1993 compilation song)
Betti-Cola (1993 Double EP)
Betti-Cola
Volcano (1994 single)
Periscope: Another Yoyo Compilation (1994 compilation song)
13 Soda Punx (1994 compilation song)
All Kindsa Girls Vol. 2 (1994 compilation songs)
Johnny Hanson Presents... Puck Rock Vol. 1 (1994 compilation song)

"Nicolas Bragg" by cub


cub Live at Hastings Community Center in Vancouver, 1993


Pass the Headphones!!

Shoestrings - Wishing on Planes (1997)

"Timeline" by Shoestrings


The connection between last update's Shoes and Shoestrings may seem arbitrary, but the string that connects them is a little more than just titular.  Like Shoes, Shoestrings is a DIY... just of a different era and genre.  The duo of Mario Suau (vocals, multi-instrumentalist) and Rose Uytuico (vocals, keyboards) from Sterling Heights, MI met at university.  At first, Rose joined Mario's existing band but the two broke off to form Shoestrings after the group splintered.  Mario and Rose were fans of UK "twee pop" that came from now-legendary Sarah Records.  Their own music joined a healthy mirror scene in the US, but American twee never ascended above its indie roots due to the long competing shadows of grunge, alternative rock, pop, and hip hop at the time.  Shoestrings rarely performed live (let alone toured), and they released one single "Some Things Never Change" in 1994, a single album Wishing on Planes (on Le Grand Magistery label) in 1997, and a handful of compilation songs.  The duo never broke up (they actually got married), but just life did its part in ending any further Shoestrings recordings.

Here is the complete discography for Shoestrings:

Some Things Never Change (1994 single)
Pop American Style (1996 compilation song)
I Started a Joke (1996 compilation song)
All Done With Mirrors (1997 compilation songs)
Wishing on Planes
Little Darla Has a Treat for You V.8 Winter 98 (1998 compilation song)
Seven Summers International Pop Volume 2 (1998 compilation song)

"Massachusetts" by Shoestrings


Pass the Headphones!!

Shoes - One in Versailles (1975)

"One in Versailles" by Shoes


Spooner's early recordings were made with the aid of members from another midwestern power pop band called Shoes.  Brothers John and Jeff Murphy and friend Gary Klebe settled on forming a band after they graduated from high school in Zion, Illinois.  They taught themselves to play their own instruments over the course of a year where John picked up bass and Jeff and Gary both picked up the guitar.  They formed Shoes and immediately set to recording music.  Not yet capable enough to take the traditional route of playing covers on the local bar circuit but still impatient to lay down their own material, they taught themselves how to record and produce their own songs on a simple four-track system in their bedroom.

Shoes's first recording was the acetate 10" Heads or Tails of which only four copies were made in 1974.  They followed it up quickly in 1975 with their first proper-length album One in Versailles which John and Jeff wrote and recorded with temporary drummer Barry Schumaker while Gary was studying abroad in Versailles.  The album is clearly the work of young men working on their craft, but it's clear even so soon after starting to play music that Shoes already have a strong sense of songwriting.  Their debt to The Beatles can't be overstated, but they still break out of the pop mold to experiment with various structures and different sonic styles.  Even amidst the amateur quality of production and craft, they surprise with their musical sincerity.

Here is the discography surrounding Shoes's debut album:

Heads or Tails (1974 EP)
One in Versailles

"Do I Get So Shy" by Shoes


Pass the Headphones!!

Spooner - Every Corner Dance (1982)

"Member of the Family" by Spooner


Legendary producer of The Smashing Pumpkins's Gish, Butch Vig, holds another strong career as a member of a multi-platinum successful band a handful of other not-so successful bands.  His first band was a Madison, Wisconsin outfit of which he was not a founding member.  Spooner founded in 1974 by Doug Erickson, Dave Benton, and Bob Nelson: all of them songwriters, vocalists and guitarists.  Nelson left the band early on but enter Butch Vig as Spooner's drummer.

Erickson, Benton, and Vig would be the backbone of the band that featured a roundabout of supporting players.  Whenever a line-up solidified enough for the band to gel, they'd enter the studio to record an EP or album.  Their debut album Every Corner Dance featured new band members Jeff Walker on keyboards and Joel Tappero on bass.  It also marked the second time they recorded with producer Gary Klebe of the power-pop band Shoes.  Spooner were a power pop outfit along the same vein and proudly wore the influences of early English beat groups and their forerunners in midwestern garage rock of the 60s.  They toured around the Midwest and as far out as New York and supported big names such as Cheap Trick, The Police, and Pat Benatar.

Here is the discography surrounding Spooner's debut album:

Cruel School (1979 EP)
Where You Gonna Run? (1980 single)
Every Corner Dance

"Will You Remember Me?" by Spooner


Pass the Headphones!!

The Smashing Pumpkins - Gish (1991)

"Drown" by The Smashing Pumpkins


The Cabaret Metro in Chicago and its owner Joe Shanahan did their part in bringing together The Smashing Pumpkins.  He gave the band their first residency (under the stipulation that they replace the drum machine) and managed their early career.  The band consisted of guitarist James Iha, bassist D'Arcy Wretzky, and drum machine replacement Jimmy Chamberlain.  The mastermind behind the band, however, was multi-instrumentalist, lead songwriter, and lead singer Billy Corgan.  They formed in 1988 when Iha met Corgan at the record store where the latter worked.  Their early music owed a heavy influence to the British post-punk / goth rock scene, but their sound changed drastically when Chamberlain became the group's last original member.  The Smashing Pumpkins live shows and early recordings showed a melding of influences that included heavy metal, psychedelia, and post-punk.

Signed to Caroline Records, their debut album Gish came out in 1991 to moderate commercial and critical success.  The album was produced by Butch Vig (who was simultaneously producing Nirvana's Nevermind to be released a couple months later).  It also featured Corgan playing almost all the instruments on the record (save the drums) as he didn't see Iha and Wretzky as quite accomplished enough in their skills to gain the specific sound he wanted.  Because of this, unrest already stirred in the band and Billy was seen by both the band members and the media as a musical tyrant.  On the success of the album and its many singles, they toured and opened for the biggest alternate rock bands of the day: Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and (not-as-alternative) Guns N' Roses.

Here is the discography surrounding The Smashing Pumpkins's debut album:

Joliet Tape (1986 demo as The Marked)
1985-1987 Demos (1985-1987 demos as The Marked)
Snake Train Demo (1988 demo as Snake Train)
Live at The Cabaret Metro (1988 live recording)
October 1988 Live (1988 live recording)
Nothing Ever Changes (1988 demo)
Moon (1989 demo)
The Smashing Pumpkins (1989 demo)
March 1989 Live (1989 live recording)
Reel Time Studios (1989 studio sessions)
Reel Time Studios Acoustic (1989 studio sessions)
I Am One (1990 single)
Tristessa (1990 single)
Live at The Metro (1990 live album)
Gish
Siva (1991 single)
Lull (1991 EP)
Rhinoceros (1991 promo single)
Live in New Haven (1991 live bootleg)
I Am One (1992 single)
Daughter (1992 promo single)
Drown (1992 promo single)
Peel Sessions (1992 EP)

"Siva" by The Smashing Pumpkins


"Bury Me" by The Smashing Pumpkins


An Interview with Billy Corgan


Pass the Headphones!!