While hardly momentous, I’m proud to say that this compilation is finally finished! For the last couple of years, I’ve wanted to put together a (primarily) garage-rock mix, but I didn’t feel like I was knowledgeable enough to do it justice. Starting last November, I became entrenched in what could be described as a fuzz bender. If it was from the 60’s, came charged with pre-punk grit, and asked to be played loud, then I was listening to it. Please understand I’m not claiming expertise in this expansive and regional genre. I’ll leave that to the ultimate collectors; those who hunt down bands who may or may not have released a couple hundred 45’s in, say, rural Missouri. Instead, I chose to compile the artists and tracks that fueled my interest to begin with. While many of the bands featured here are well under-the-radar of mainstream listeners, these are guys that “made-it.” Most of them released at least one full album, which is rare enough in this genre. Some have even been featured in films like Rushmore (The Creation) and High-Fidelity (The 13th Floor Elevators open the movie). All have served as an influence to recent punk, rock and independent music (See Arial Pink’s cover of Bright Lit Blue Skies by The Rising Storm).
So please… roll down your windows, turn it up, and enjoy your summer!