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SQUIRREL BAIT

Adored by critics and a small cult following, the seminal Squirrel Bait remain consistently underrated in terms of their influence on post-hardcore punk and alt-rock. A big part of that is due to their unfortunately scant recorded legacy: two albums, both under half an hour, both only sporadically available. Their visibility certainly wasn't helped by the lack of a bustling scene in their native Louisville, KY, at the time (though they helped kick start one), nor by the high-school-age members' youth, which made it difficult to tour and to make the transition to college. Furious and melodic, Squirrel Bait's music was most often compared to Hüsker Dü and the thrashier side of the Replacements, but that only began to capture the essence of their high-tension dynamics and angst-riddled mania. Their sensibility was often compatible with the emerging Dischord stable, yet indebted to heavy metal as well, and their musical chops foreshadowed the intense prog-punk that would become one wing of the emo movement. Most of Squirrel Bait's members remained active musicians after the band's dissolution, playing in bands that ranged from grunge and indie rock to experimental math rock and post-rock. The list of bands whose personnel included former members of Squirrel Bait is a daunting one. Peter Searcy recorded several albums as leader of the alt-metal group Big Wheel. Ben Daughtrey played briefly with the Lemonheads before forming a lounge-revival band called Love Jones. Brian McMahan reunited with original Squirrel Bait rhythm section Ethan Buckler and Britt Walford in the equally influential Slint; Buckler and Walford later moved on to King Kong, while McMahan formed the For Carnation and moonlighted with Will Oldham's Palace project. David Grubbs was the most prolific, however: after Squirrel Bait's dissolution, he played in two challenging bands, Bitch Magnet and Bastro, the latter of which also included Walford for a short time. In the early '90s, Grubbs moved farther into avant-garde rock with Gastr del Sol, a project with multi-instrumentalist and producer extraordinaire Jim O'Rourke. Grubbs also briefly joined O'Rourke in Brise-Glace, and played with a reorganized version of Mayo Thompson's Red Krayola. When Gastr del Sol disbanded in the mid-'90s, Grubbs released a number of increasingly experimental solo recordings, usually spotlighting his spare, improvisational guitar work...

"SKAG HEAVEN"

Produced by Squirrel Bait

PRINTED IN U.S.A. ORIGINAL  PRESSING [Silver labels variant, also with red labels]

SINGLE COVER + INSERT

Barcode: none

LABEL: HOMESTEAD - SILVER LABEL - BLACK TEXT

Catalog on cover: (spine) HMS072

Catalog on labels: HMS 072

Matrix / Runout (Side A): A-  [Horizontal Triangle With Dot Inside]  HMS?072?A

Matrix / Runout (Side B, Etched): A-  [Horizontal Triangle With Dot Inside]  HMS? [012, scratched out] ?B HMS 072 B

On labels: © Squirrel Bait

? 1986 LSR Records, Inc.

(on Side B only) *© Barricade Music (ASCAP)

On Spine: © ? 1986 LSR Records, Inc.

On Back Cover: Manufactured and Distributed by Dutch East India Trading.....

Distributed in Europe by Shigaku Trading Co. Ltd........

tracklisting

Side 1: KID DYNAMITE - VIRGIL'S RETURN - BLACK LIGHT POSTER CHILD

CHOOSE YOUR POISON - SHORT STRAW WINS

Side 2: KICK THE CAT - TOO CLOSE TO THE FIRE - SLAKE TRAIN COMING

ROSE ISLAND ROAD - TAPE FROM CALIFORNIA

  grading

RECORD EX but (please, read above description)

SLEEVE VG+ but (please, see pictures and read above description)

On their sophomore release, Skag Heaven, Squirrel Bait not only continued with the hard rockin' punk sound of their debut, but improved on it with better material and performances. Peter Searcy's speed grit vocals, David Grubbs' dirty, Van Halenesque guitar attack, and Ben Daughtrey's varied and tight drumming all sound more polished here, especially on the locomotive, punk metal driven tracks "Kid Dynamite" and "Virgil's Return," as well as on the relatively straightforward thrash number "Kick the Cat." Newfound melodic touches appear too on "Black Light Poster Child" and the Phil Ochs' cover "Tape from California," along with tempo shifts which punctuate the dark drama of "Choose Your Poison" and "Short Straw Wins." If Squirrel Bait had not disbanded after Skag Heaven, it's hard to say if their intense sound would have continued to benefit from the expanded songwriting sensibilities. With their small but potent output, though, Squirrel Bait did help reconcile punks to the hard rock they were supposed to hate by demonstrating, along with metal camp sympathizers Metallica, that the two styles are linked through a shared love of alienation driven intensity. Look for used copies of the out of print Homestead two-fer for all the band's indie rock lessons...(AllMusic)