In 1990, the world was beginning to discover what used to be known as “indie rock” – adventurous music produced by artists and record labels not affiliated with the corporate entertainment industry. As a college radio music director, I became exposed to quite literally hundreds of artists all over the world that I didn’t know existed, and college radio and fanzine culture helped vault some of those artists to legitimate stardom.
That year, I discovered two records in particular that stuck with me for decades – _Burnt Sienna_, by avant-garde signer and songwriter *Azalia Snail*, and _Mystical Shit_, by avant-rock band *King Missile*. Both artists became alt-rock household names over the next decade; Azalia released more than a dozen solo records including three on the excellent Dark Beloved Cloud label, a single on Sub Pop, and split singles with *Sebadoh* and *Jenny Mae*. King Missile, of course, reached #1 on the college radio charts with _Mystical Shit_ and then scored legitimate _hit singles_ with “Martin Scorsese” and the unforgettable “Detachable Penis.” Both artists remained in heavy rotation in my life all this time, and have remained creative forces.
Dan West began playing gigs in the infamous Sunset Strip at the tender age of 14, sharing the stage with Redd Kross and other Los Angeles pop/punk mainstays. Local music legend Rodney Bingenheimer took note, acting as MC on multiple occasions and Bomp! Records’ Greg Shaw courted Dan to sign with the label. He went on to form popular LA band *Aqua Fantastica*, is a virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and bassist, and currently a renowned composer and arranger for big bands. He produces young artists like Frieda’s Roses and Mystery Rose, who are popular favorites on Rodney’s SiriusXM radio show, and his pristine production work on the music of *You, Me and This Fuckin’ Guy* is masterful and creative.
In addition to her solo career, Azalia teamed up with her husband Dan West to form the duo *LoveyDove*, John continued writing his quirky, offbeat poetry and lending his unique vision to the world of music with bands like Unusual Squirrel and Sensation Play, while occasionally performing with King Missile as well.
All three artists have an incredible body of work.
In the summer of 2014, John began publishing poetry on a blog, adopting the persona of “This Fuckin’ Guy,” but it wasn’t until Azalia pointed out to me five years later that she, Dan and John had actually _recorded_ some of it, releasing an EP on New Zealand’s Powertool Records. Over the next several months, a project began to take shape, and we are THRILLED to announce that we’ll be releasing their music in the coming months.
First, in January, look out for “Garden,” a single we’ll be releasing as part of our limited-edition lathe-cut 7″ series.
Even better, we’ll be releasing a full-length LP in the spring of 2020 – it’ll be our first full-length release in a while, and we couldn’t think of a better project than the artists that helped us fall in love with weird music in the first place.
Stay tuned for news about how you can preorder “Garden” – it’ll be super-limited, so you’ll have to act quick!