Mudhoney at Maxwell's (10-28-1990)
On October 28th, 1990, Mudhoney played at Maxwell’s!
Minutemen at Maxwell's (10-27-1985)
On October 27th, 1985, the Minutemen played at Maxwell’s! Hailing from the working class town of San Pedro, California, the trio consisting of D. Boon, Mike Watt, and George Hurley formed in 1980 after the dissolution of The Reactionaries. The band would go on to release four full lengths and a number of EPs on Los Angeles’ SST Records, including their double album magnum opus, Double Nickels On The Dime.
Though the band was associated with the underground punk and hardcore scenes in the 1980s, the Minutemen incorporated a wide variety of stylistic influences into their music, including funk, jazz, and blues. In popular culture, the group is most widely recognizable for their song “Corona,” which served as the theme song for the popular MTV show Jackass.
Tragically, guitarist D. Boon passed away in a car accident on December 22nd, 1985, less than two months after this show. The end of this tape contains a short radio segment (on WFMU, I believe) announcing his passing.
Mudhoney at Tramps (10-23-1998)
On October 23rd, 1998, Mudhoney played at Tramps!
Babes In Toyland at Maxwell's (10-23-1995)
On October 23rd, 1995, Babes In Toyland played at Maxwell's! Earlier that year, the Minneapolis noise rock trio released their third and final studio album, Nemesisters. The group rose to prominence in the early 90s with their 1990 debut, Speaking Machine and their commercially successful follow up, Fontanelle. The group disbanded in 1997, but reunited in 2014.
Sonic Youth at The Academy (10-21-1995)
On October 21st, 1995, Sonic Youth played at The Academy! The band’s setlist mostly focused on songs from their ninth studio album Washing Machine, which was released in September 1995. The band also played some tracks from EVOL, Daydream Nation, Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. The Academy was a concert hall style venue in Midtown Manhattan that also hosted The Smashing Pumpkins, Pavement, Marilyn Manson, and Blur before closing in 1996.
Firehose at CBGB's (10-20-1990)
On October 20th, 1990, Firehose played at CBGB’s! The gig occurred about a year after the trio released their third studio album, FROMOHIO.
R.L. Burnside at The Cooler (10-20-1998)
On October 20th, 1998, R.L. Burnside played at The Cooler! The renowned blues guitarist played music for much of his life but received little recognition before the early 1990s. In the latter half of the decade, Burnside recorded and toured with Jon Spencer, expanding his fan base, and introducing his music to a new fan base in the punk and garage rock scene. He played at The Cooler, a popular club in the Meat Packing district that hosted a variety of acts throughout the 90s.
Screaming Trees at CBGB's (10-18-1992)
On October 18th, 1992, Screaming Trees played at CBGB’s! Known as one of the "Godfathers of Grunge," Screaming Trees emerged out of Ellensburg, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, in 1985 after their debut LP, Clairvoyance, caught the attention of Greg Ginn at SST Records. The band would release four albums on SST before signing with major label, Epic Records, in 1991. In September 1992, the band released their sixth studio album, Sweet Oblivion.
Jason and The Scorchers at Tramps (10-18-1996)
On October 18th, 1996, Jason and The Scorchers played at Tramps. Like many of the acts that performed at Tramps in the mid to late 90s, Jason and The Scorchers were an alt-country/cowpunk band that originated in Nashville, TN in 1981. In 1996, the band released their eight and ninth studio albums, Both Sides of the Line and Clear Impetuous Morning. The band disbanded in 2007, but briefly reunited in 2010.
Chrome Cranks at CBGB's (10-17-1997)
On October 17th, 1997 Chrome Cranks and White Hassle played at CBGB’s! Chrome Cranks were an American punk-styled blues band that originally formed in Cincinnati, but after a brief hiatus, reformed in New York City in 1992. Bob Bert joined the band on drums in 1994. In 1997, around the time of this show, the band released their final studio album, Love in Exile, before disbanding in 1998. White Hassle, the opening act, released their debut record in 1997, National Chain.
Mike Watt at Mercury Lounge (10-14-2000)
On October 14th, 2000, Mike Watt and his back band The Pair of Pliers returned to Mercury Lounge. Watt and his group played Mercury Lounge again one year to the date and threw in some fun surprises in their set. The band even played some Minutemen songs, including “I Felt Like A Gringo!”
Mike Watt at Mercury Lounge (10-14-1999)
On October 14th, 1999, Mike Watt played with his back band the Pair of Pliers as part of the “Searchin’ the Shed for Pliers” tour behind Watt’s 1997 punk opera, Contemplating the Engine Room. The Pair of Pliers backing band included Tom Watson on guitar and Vince Meghouni on drums. Tom Watson also played with Watt in The Missingmen and like Mike, was in a 1980s SST band, Slovenly! Some highlights include a cover of Wire’s “The 15th,” a few Minutemen songs, and Watt taking a dig at “that singer of Limp Bizkit!”
True Believers at Maxwell's (10-04-1986)
On October 4th, 1986, True Believers played at Maxwell’s! The group was the Austin based project of brothers Alejandro Escovedo, formerly of the Nuns, and his brother Javier, formerly of the Zeroes. The band only released two albums, a self-titled record, which was released shortly prior to this gig, and Hard Road, a compilation which was released in 1994, seven years after the group disbanded. Although the group broke up in 1987, they reformed for a well-received one-off performance in 2012 at SXSW.
Superchunk at CBGB's (09-29-1990)
On September 29th, 1990, Superchunk played at CBGB’s! The McKenzie Tapes contains a few records from early in Superchunk’s career, but as of today, this is officially the earliest. The band had only formed a year prior and had just released their self-titled debut album, four days prior. This is the very beginnings of a legendary band! Although Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan founded Merge Records in 1989, Matador released the band’s debut record.
Aquanettas at CBGB's (09-28-1990)
On September 28th, 1990, The Aquanettas played at CBGB’s! I recently discovered this wonderful band after I found their debut album, Love With a Proper Stranger, in the “Hoboken and Related” section at my local shop, Iris Records. Since then, I’ve been a fan, and I was quite delighted to discover a live recording of one of their early performances in The McKenzie Tapes archive!
Shortly before this gig, the band played the New Music Seminar in NYC, and signed a deal with Canadian record label Nettwerk Productions, who distributed their albums through IRS Records in the U.S. The band would release two more EPs before disbanding in 1995.
Mojo Nixon Live Performance and Interview at Maxwell's (09-28-1986)
On September 28th, 1986, Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper played at Maxwell’s! Prior to their set, Mojo and his band were interviewed by none other than Dave McKenzie (this site’s namesake) and his college pal Jim McGuiness. Mojo’s set is well over an hour and even though Mojo mentioned at the start of that he didn’t have a ton of time, he chatted with Dave and Jim for about 45 minutes! This is quality stuff that you can’t hear anywhere else!!!
Jonathan Richman at Maxwell's (09-27-1986)
On September 27th, 1986, Jonathan Richman played at Maxwell’s! In 1986, Jonathan released his sixth studio album as Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, It’s Time For.
Bob Mould at Irving Plaza (09-25-1998)
On September 25th, 1998, Bob Mould played at Irving Plaza. Bob was originally only scheduled to perform on Friday the 25th, but due to high demand, a second gig was added for Saturday the 26th. Two years prior to this show, Bob disbanded his highly renowned post-Husker Du project, Sugar, and resumed his solo career. He released a self-titled album (referred to as Hubcap due to the cover art) in 1996, and then released The Last Dog And Pony Show about a month prior to this show at Irving Plaza. The album was named as such because Mould decided that the tour that followed would be his "last electric band tour." Subsequently, Bob took a hiatus from music to pursue his other passion, professional wrestling! He’d release his next solo album, “Modulate,” in 2002.
Son Volt at Tramps (09-23-1999)
On September 23rd, 1999, Son Volt played at Tramps. When I took this tape out of its case, I discovered that the reel was cut. Thankfully, I was able to patch it back together with some scissors and scotch tape. You can hear the weird-ish scotch tape-y part in the beginning, but aside from that, the rest of the tape was salvaged!
This show was a part of Son Volt’s final tour before the band’s first hiatus. Right after the conclusion of this tour, Jay Farrar announced that he’d be pursuing a solo career. Farrar would release two full-lengths in 2001 and 2003 before resurrecting Son Volt with a new backing band in 2005.
Lunachicks at Maxwell's (09-10-1989)
On September 10th, 1989, Lunachicks played at Maxwell’s! This New York City punk rock band originally formed in 1988, when Theo Kogan Gina Volpe, and Sydney "Squid" Silver were students at New York City's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. The group gained the attention of Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth after seeing the band perform. Through their efforts, the band landed them a deal on Blast First. The group released their debut full length, Babysitter on Acid, in 1990. The band would go on to release another five LPs before disbanding in 2000.
