Soophie Nun Squad/ Abe Froman-- split LP (FCH022)

Soophie Nun Squad/ Abe Froman-- split LP (Harlan Records #22)

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13 songs.
SNS side recorded October 2002 by Tim Scott at ElectricLeedyLand in Kansas City MO.
AF side recorded July 2002 by Fred Thomas at the Tobey house in Lansing MI.
1000 copies pressed (900 black, 97 opaque purple, 3 black/purple starburst), April 2003.
CD version released by Plan-It-X Records. 1000 copies pressed, November 2003.

Credits:

Soophie Nun Squad:
Maralie Armstrong-Rial-- voice
Dustin Clark-- guitar
Mark Lierly-- drums
Mike Lierly-- voice, talking guitar on "Headbangin' In LR", body percussion
Eli Milholland-- bass
Mike Motley-- percussion
Asa Newell-- guitar
Nate Powell-- voice, piano
Tim Scott-- voice, keyboards, production, samples
Alan Short-- voice, percussion
Mikael Wood-- voice, keyboards

Abe Froman:
Ryan Batkie-- bass, voice, acoustic guitar on "July 1998"
Erin Tobey-- guitar, voice
Matt Tobey-- drums, voice
Fred Thomas-- steel drums on "Fair Friend"
Nate Powell & Art Middleton-- extra voice & percussion on "Walking Distance"

Track Listing:

SNS side:
1. Maybe You Heard
2. Hemispheres
3. Headbangin' In Little Rock
4. You're Too Young For The Living Dead
5. Snap, Crackle, Props
6. The Extreme Discomfort Dance

AF side:
1. Willing Suspension Of Disbelief
2. Droppin' Like Flies
3. Hobbit Hole
4. The City That Never Wakes Up
5. Fair Friend
6. Walking Distance
7. July 1998 (Old Style)

Notes:

* Abe Froman recorded one unreleased song from this session, "The Guerrillas", which Ryan Batkie's subsequent band Hissyfit rerecorded and released on a split 7" with The Reflectors in 2004.

* This record was initially to be an Abe Froman/ Boomfancy split LP, but when the time came to record, no Boomfancy was even remotely in sight. Attempts were made at assembling Boomfancy 2.0 in Providence RI, which turned into the short-lived band Braids To Your Ass (Nate Powell, Sara T Huber, Natalja Kent, Peter Woods, Daniel Pastrana) with one show and two songs to their name. Fortunately, Soophie had a multitude of song ideas for their fall 2002 recording summit, and this split LP fell into place perfectly. It holds Abe Froman's best and most intimate recording for sure, and personally represents the merging of my two family units spread across the map.

* Folks from SNS also in Humanbeast, V Manuscript, Bloodhuff, Sand City, Deadbird, Zucura, Holy Angell, Universe, Pallbearer, R.I.O.T.S., The Evelyns, Divorce Chord, Wait, The Insides, Tem Eyos Ki, Sugar And The Raw, Big Boots, Rainy Day Regatta, Boomfancy, Gioteens, Shake Ray Turbine, Revolver Red, William Martyr 17, and K.

* Folks from AF also in  Fat Shadow, Erin Tobey, Pink Razors, Mt. Gigantic, Hissyfit, Memory Map, Good Luck, and Canine Sugar. 

Abe Froman's last show @ Plan-It-X Fest. Bloomington IN, June 2004. Photo by Mark Novotny.

SNS @ Plan-It-X Fest. Bloomington IN, June 2004. Photo by Ginger Alford.

The Good Good/ Cha Cha Cha-- split 12" (FCH021.5)

  

The Good Good/ Cha Cha Cha-- split 12" (Harlan Records #21.5)

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7 songs.
Recorded summer 2002 in Cincinnatti OH.
500 copies pressed (100 on light blue/white vinyl), December 2002.

Credits:

The Good Good:
Natalja Kent-- bass, voice
Peter Woods-- guitar, voice
Carter Gillis-- drums

Cha Cha Cha:
Steve Wetherington-- drums
Peter Woods-- keyboard, voice
Ryan Woods-- upright bass

Track Listing:

TGG side:
1. i i i i
2. Kites And Skies
3. Dance As They Did
4. (Untitled, live in Providence RI, August 2002)

CCC side:
1. Take The Sweet Gum Path
2. Backyard
3. Take The Willow Path

Notes:

* Members of TGG also in Bloodhuff, Querent, Hotbox, Boomfancy, Cobra Kai, and Short Millie.
* Members of CCC are/were also in High Dive, Pink Houses, Defiance Ohio, Pretty Hot, Memento Mori, The Good Good, Cobra Kai, Gal & Lad, and Short Millie.

The Good Good (w/ Art Middleton on drums) @ Downtown Music. Little Rock AR, January 2003. Photo by Nate Powell.

The Good Good @ The Sickle. Providence RI, August 2002. Photo by Nate Powell.

Tem Eyos Ki-- LP (FCH021)

Tem Eyos Ki-- LP (Harlan Records #21)

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12 songs.
Recorded March 2002 by Chuck Schaff with Tim Scott, at Olive Street house in North Little Rock AR.
1000 copies pressed, July 2002.

Credits:

Maralie Armstrong-Rial-- voice, accordion
Mike Lierly-- guitar, voice
Jay Lytle-- bass, voice
Eli Milholland-- guitar, 12-string guitar, voice
Kevin Rains-- drums, voice
Tim Scott-- guest voice on "Wolf And Moon"
Tina Samples-- didgeridoo on "Ogoni" and "Last Of The Mastodons"

Track Listing (original LP version):

1. Spring
2. Pangaea
3. Wolf And Moon
4. Ogoni
5. The Lion, The Roach, And The Naked Mole Rat
6. Pulpit And The Pallbearer
7. Argenta
8. Drinking Gourd
9. Portrait Of Agatha Bas
10. John Parker's Iron Wheel
11. Cruithne
12. Last Of The Mastodons

Notes:

* This LP was recorded during 9 days of continuous, unrelenting rain in Little Rock. The rain sample in "Pulpit And The Pallbearer" is from the front of the Olive Street house as the album was being recorded. The entire process of making this album was surrounded by marriage, new babies, intense health problems, separation, crises of faith, and heartbreak amongst those involved, and is tangible within the songs.

* The original mix was a bit rushed (as Soophie Nun Squad left on our first European tour immediately upon the completion of this LP, and we had to send it off to be mastered at that time to ensure it would be out in time for Tem Eyos Ki's summer tour), and the LP's mastering job was absolutely horrible thanks to unpredictable work at Aardvark. In 2003 Kevin attended school for music engineering, moved to Chicago and began working in studios there; around 2005 he began the long process of remixing the entire album, which was finally completed around 2010. It sounds immeasurably better, with a new song sequence, and with the inclusion of a song left off the original LP pressing.

* Members also in Humanbeast, V Manuscript, Bloodhuff, Universe, Holy Angell, Them Of Delphi, Ridin Dudes, Shitfire, Sickshine, Zucura, Tom Sweet, Divorce Chord, Soophie Nun Squad, Boomfancy, Gioteens, and K. 

TEK @ The Map Room. Memphis TN, January 2002. Photo by Nate Powell.

TEK @ The Map Room. Memphis TN, January 2002. Photo by Nate Powell.

TEK @ The Map Room. Memphis TN, January 2002. Photo by Nate Powell.

Abe Froman-- LP (FCH020.5)

 
Abe Froman-- LP (self-released; Harlan Records #20.5)

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ORDER LP from Houseplant Records here!

15 songs.
Recorded May 2001 on 4-track by Mike Reid at Erin & Ryan's house in East Lansing, MI.
1000 copies pressed, November 2001.
CD released by Plan-It-X Records, April 2002. 1000 copies pressed.

Credits:

Ryan Batkie-- bass, voice
Erin Tobey-- guitar, voice
Matt Tobey-- drums, voice
Lisa Bennett and Mike Reid-- backing voice on "Mayday"

Track Listing:

1. Citizen's Arrest
2. I Got Sick Of Waiting For You
3. After The Fact
4. Mosquito Season
5. Burgess Shale
6. Treadmill
7. This Dense Life
8. Dear Mr. Elliott
9. Mayday
10. Mom, I Want To Move
11. Pothole Luck
12. The Most Beautiful Sight
13. "You've Got Good Style."
14. Back Outside
15. Soup Can Phones

* Members also in Fat Shadow, Erin Tobey, Pink Razors, Mt. Gigantic, Hissyfit, Memory Map, Good Luck, and Canine Sugar. 

Abe Froman @ Mr. Roboto Project. Pittsburgh PA, June 2002. Photo by Nate Powell.

Abe Froman somewhere in Florida, 2003.

Abe Froman @ Clunk. Fayetteville AR, January 2002. Photo by Nate Powell.

The Stranger Steals-- The Goals Of Misbehavior CD (FCH020)

 
The Stranger Steals-- The Goals Of Misbehavior CD (Harlan Records #20)

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11 songs.
Recorded 2000-2001 by Joel Szymanowki in Little Rock, AR.
1060 copies pressed, September 2001.

Credits:

Lloyd Benjamin-- drums
Jeremy Brasher-- bass
Alan Disaster-- guitar
Louisa Rook-- guitar
Victor Wiley-- voice

Track Listing:

1. Insectivroid Inspector
2. Dripping Brush
3. Electromagnetic
4. Shields Up Motherfucker
5. Satellite
6. Ocular Doppler
7. From The Market Grows The Swinging Rope
8. Rou Senil
9. Haunted Home
10. The Unlovable Dollar
11. Living In A Small Mine

Notes:

* This is possibly the best single recording Harlan Records ever released, and I really wish I would've invested the time to make an LP out of it instead of a posthumous CD. TSS deserved to be spread far and wide.

* TSS's vocalist Victor Wiley was, in my opinion, the most original and inventive vocalist in Little Rock punk history, and perhaps its greatest performer. Sadly, Victor passed away on May 20th, 2007, and central Arkansas has felt his absence ever since. Rest in peace, sweet visionary!

*Members also in Smoke Up Johnny, R.I.O.T.S., All Night Drug Prowling Wolves, Clicking Beetle Bad Omen Band, Sex, Amor Es Revenge, FuYu, Uptown Prophets Of Armageddon, The Moving Front, The Looks, Rock City Symptom, Chaos LR, The Divine Hook-Up, Foxy Emma, and Bloodless Cooties.

TSS @ Park Street. Little Rock AR, December 2000. Photo by Eli Milholland.

The sweet visionary Victor Wiley. Photo by Eli Milholland.

TSS @ UALR. Little Rock AR, January 2000. Photo by Nate Powell.

Tem Eyos Ki-- tour CDR (FCH019.75)

 
Tem Eyos Ki-- tour CDR (Harlan Records #19.75)

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11 songs.
Recorded March 2001 by Chuck Schaff at his house in Fayetteville AR, except "Aluminalkalyde" and "Stop Action" recorded January 2000 (same as 7" session) by Dwight Chalmers in Fayetteville AR. "Ogoni", "Barefooted", and "Kaput Mortem" recorded by Tim Scott in Kansas City MO.
Roughly 400 copies made, May 2001.

Credits:

Maralie Armstrong-Rial-- voice, accordion
Mike Lierly-- guitar, voice
Jay Lytle-- bass, backing voice
Eli Milholland-- guitar, voice
Kevin Rains-- drums, voice
Justin Crooks-- cello
Jason Baldwin-- lyrics to "Barefooted"
Nate Powell-- lyrics to most of "Stop Action"
Emil Heiple-- lyrics to "Blind Guardian"

Track Listing:

1. Ogoni
2. Drinking Gourd
3. Tigris/ Euphrates
4. Letter To The U.S. Marshalls
5. Blind Guardian
6. Stop Action
7. John Parker's Iron Wheel
8. Barefooted
9. Aluminalkalyde
10. Grinding Rogue Honest
11. Kaput Mortem

Notes:

* This CDR was self-released by the band for their 2001 tour with Them Of Delphi (Kevin Rains, Alan Short, Luke Hunsicker, and Jack Lloyd). Around 2004, plans were made for Jonathan Lee to release these songs as a split LP with Countdown To Putsch on his record label, but that never happened.

* Lyrics to "Barefoot" were written by Jason Baldwin, an Arkansan falsely imprisoned as a teenager for the terrible murders of three children in 1993-- widely known as one of the West Memphis Three. He and his co-defendants were released in 2011, after 18 years behind bars for crimes they did not commit. More information can be found at www.wm3.org.

* Members also in Humanbeast, V Manuscript, Bloodhuff, Universe, Holy Angell, Them Of Delphi, Ridin Dudes, Shitfire, Sickshine, Zucura, Tom Sweet, Divorce Chord, Soophie Nun Squad, Boomfancy, Gioteens, and K. 

Tem Eyos Ki. Richmond VA, June 2001. Photo by Chris Boarts Larson.

Tem Eyos Ki. Richmond VA, June 2001. Photo by Chris Boarts Larson.

Tem Eyos Ki. Columbus OH, June 2001. Photo by Nate Powell.

Abe Froman-- "Baltimore Is Scum" 7" (FCH019.5)

 
Abe Froman-- "Baltimore Is Scum" 7" (self-released; Harlan Records #19.5)

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6 songs.
Recorded fall 1999 on 12-track by Scott Flaster in East Lansing, MI.
500 copies pressed, spring 2000.

Credits:

Ryan Batkie-- bass, voice
Erin Tobey-- guitar, voice
Matt Tobey-- drums, voice

Track Listing:

1. Russian 101
2. Wet Newspaper
3. MSNBC
4. Finnegan Royce
5. Rex
6. What's Your New Address?

Notes:

* This 7" was self-released by the band, and kicks off a precedent I set with Harlan Records carrying/handling distribution duties for a handful of friends' DIY releases. I ordered this record in October 2000 from No Idea's distro while going through a rough patch in life, and constant listens to these songs helped pull me out of my hole, reminding me that new things are always unfolding, and that it's possible to put one's faith in other people again. I wrote Abe Froman a love letter explaining how they'd moved me, and got a phone call from Erin a few days later. It turns out that both of our bands were booking tours in the same general area over the holidays, so we teamed up and booked a leg of tour together without ever having met. Our bond was so immediate and powerful that, upon Boomfancy's return from that tour, Abe Froman called me up inviting me to move into their house in Michigan. I packed up my stuff, settled into my new northern home, and life has never been the same.

* Members also in Fat Shadow, Erin Tobey, Pink Razors, Mt. Gigantic, Hissyfit, Memory Map, Good Luck, and Canine Sugar.

Abe Froman @ Secret Sailor Books. Bloomington IN, May 2001. Photo by Nate Powell.

Abe Froman @ Secret Sailor Books. Bloomington IN, May 2001. Photo by Nate Powell.

Abe Froman (plus Lisa Bennett). Bloomington IN, January 2001. Photo by Nate Powell.

Boomfancy-- s/t 7" (FCH019)

Boomfancy-- 7" (Harlan Records #19)

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7 songs.
Recorded August 2000 by Dwight Chalmers at Listen Laboratory in Fayetteville, AR.
500 copies pressed, January 1, 2001.

Credits:

Jenny Holt-- voice
Natalja Kent-- bass
Mike Lierly-- drums, backing voice
Asa Newell-- guitar
Nate Powell-- voice
Mikael Wood-- backing voice on "In Defiance Of Gravity"

Track Listing:

1. Walking In My Sleep
2. The Script
3. Coffee Table Book
4. Holly Springs Retirement Plan
5. Version 2.0
6. The Music Makes You Happy
7. In Defiance Of Gravity

Notes:

* This band happened because our friend and fellow SVA student Natalja Kent came to Little Rock by Greyhound, and was gonna travel with us on the first Tem Eyos Ki tour. She got off the bus with a bass across her back and the intention of starting a band. I had written lyrics tentatively for Soophie songs (including "Walking In My Sleep"), and Mike & Asa had been working on some parts together. 48 hours later, we had recorded a 4-song demo on an 8-track, and had played two shows in town! On the Soophie Nun Squad/ The Body tour a few weeks later, Natalja got in the van again, and either Boomfancy or Gioteens would often play an impromptu set at each show (including a set in front of 800 people at More Than Music fest--wild!).

* "In Defiance Of Gravity" is written for my friend Sarah Zeidan (member of This Robot Kills, Voglio Capirlo, Galicjia,  Curse Of The J, and The Grey Electric), who passed away in a car accident late at night en route to the 2000 More Than Music Fest. Our friendship was relatively new but promising and exciting, and we had just played a show together in the Detroit area the night prior, but chose to delay spending time together until we both arrived at the fest. Sarah also appeared to me in spirit form a few months later-- the only ghost encounter I've ever had of a person I knew in life-- and this encounter was depicted in my comics story "Satellite Worlds", both in Walkie Talkie #4 and Sounds Of Your Name.

* Members also in Bloodhuff, The Good Good, Querent, Universe, Divorce Chord, Soophie Nun Squad, Tem Eyos Ki, Gioteens, Wait, No City No State, and Physical Science.

Boomfancy & Abe Froman on a life-changing tour together. Bloomington IN, January 2001.

Boomfancy. Philadelphia PA, January 2001.

Boomfancy. Philadelphia PA, June 2000.

Boomfancy. Philadelphia PA, June 2000.

Soophie Nun Squad-- "The Devil, The Metal, The Big Booty Beats" LP (FCH018)

Soophie Nun Squad-- The Devil, The Metal, The Big Booty Beats LP (Harlan Records #18)

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Order CD version from me.

14 songs.
Recorded August 1999 by Barry Poynter in Little Rock, AR. "Diarrhea Of A Madman" recorded August 1998 by Darian Stribling at Blue Chair Studio in Ward AR, and "Singalong" recorded on cassette in Mikael Wood's bathroom the night before the album was recorded.
First released on CD (Phyte Records #18) in January 2000.
First LP pressing: 500 copies, September 2000.
Second LP pressing: 300 copies, February 2002.
Third LP pressing: 510 copies, 2003.

Credits:

Maralie Armstrong-Rial-- voice, whistles
Dustin Clark-- guitar, backing voice
Mark Lierly-- drums
Mike Lierly-- voice
Eli Milholland-- bass
Nate Powell-- voice, donkey drum
Tim Scott-- voice, turntables
Mikael Wood-- voice, organ, additional guitar on "Chicken Fight"
Asa Newell-- acoustic guitar on "Unspeaking"
Jeremy Brasher-- drum machine on "Donkey Call" breakdown
Ashley Goodspeed-- "Chromatic Death" vocal lead on "Diarrhea Of A Madman"
Alan Short-- beatbox
Mary Clarendon Mulkey-- backing voice on "The Drawbridge"
Chip King-- Mayor of Ghost Town on "Rattlesnake Attitude"
Emil Heiple, Michael Motley, Courtney Kaiser-- backing voice

Track Listing:

1. Blackout
2. Dragon Style
3. Cinderblock
4. Mean Streak
5. Diarrhea Of A Madman
6. No Moms Allowed!
7. Unspeaking
8. Donkey Call
9. Wannabe (Spice Girls cover)
10. (Mister Nister)
11. Chicken Fight
12. Singalong
13. Rattlesnake Attitude
14. The Drawbridge

Tim Scott stayed up all night and finished 100 LP covers at an anarchist squat in Leipzig, Germany in April 2002. Photo by Nate Powell.

Notes:

* This album was first pressed on CD as Phyte Records #18 in January 2000. 3 pressings and 2,000 copies were made. It was then repressed as Plan-It-X Records #46 in 2005, with 1,000 more copies made.

* Every single copy of this LP was hand-painted/collaged over used LP covers. Nate, Mike, Eli, and Maralie painted most of the 1st pressing; Nate, Erin Tobey, Matt Tobey, and Lisa Bennett Merva painted most of the 2nd; Nate did nearly all of the 3rd pressing in soul-crushing marathons. If you have a copy, please send me (Nate) a photo/image of the cover so I can post it! My email address is seemybrotherdance@yahoo.com. 


* "Rattlesnake Attitude" is written in the same universe as the song "Ghost Town" from SNS's 2nd 7", and as more songs were introduced, certain characters were intended to cross over. Soophie intended to include an additional song, "John Paul Rains" (named after Tem Eyos Ki drummer Kevin's brother), from this universe on the album, but forgot that occasionally it's helpful to write the music to songs before attempting to record them.

* Here is a collection of Soophie Nun Squad photos on my Flickr page.

* Members also in Humanbeast, V Manuscript, Bloodhuff, Sand City, Universe, Pallbearer, R.I.O.T.S., The Evelyns, Divorce Chord, Wait, The Insides, Tem Eyos Ki, Sugar And The Raw, Rainy Day Regatta, Boomfancy, Gioteens, Shake Ray Turbine, Revolver Red, William Martyr 17, and K.

SNS at The Living Room, Goleta CA, August 2001. Photo by Joshua Peach.

SNS in Richmond VA, June 2000. Photo by Natalja Kent.

SNS at 40th Street warehouse, Oakland CA, August 2001. Photo by Joshua Peach.