The Wolfgang Press

Artist: The Wolfgang Press

LP: Scarecrow EP

Song: "Ecstasy"
[ listen ]

Beacon Cinema in the Columbia City neighborhood of Seattle assembled a tribute to my favorite record label—4AD! The 100-minute program, which screened last night at 7pm, included music videos by iconic groups that were on the label (Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Clan of Xymox, etc.), along with interview clips and concert footage. (The show was sold out; I barely squeaked in! They're showing it again at 8:30pm on Sunday, February 16.) The tribute begins with clips of Bauhaus and The Birthday Party, who were on 4AD shortly after it was started in 1980, and covers roughly up to the early '90s, with bits from Pixies, Lush, Spirea-X, Pale Saints, His Name Is Alive, and Red House Painters from around that time. 

Of course they couldn't include EVERY band on the label, or the film would have been 500 minutes instead...but still there were three groups in particular that I'd like to have seen featured, perhaps instead of Pale Saints, Dif Juz, and Spirea-X. Two of them are Modern English and Colourbox. They barely got a mention, though both were prolific on the 4AD label in the formative years. The third is The Wolfgang Press, whose members were parts of other 4AD bands before starting The Wolfgang Press and releasing their first LP, "The Burden of Mules," on the label in 1983. They became progressively more danceable over the years, and released their final LP, "Funky Little Demons," on 4AD in 1995. More than any other, The Wolfgang Press represent the label's transition from their post-punk goth roster of the early '80s to the more accessible dancefloor-friendly sound the label moved toward on into the 1990s. ("Pump Up the Volume," anyone?)

The Wolfgang Press 3-track "Scarecrow" EP, released in 1984, was already out of print by the time I learned about it from the listing in the 4AD catalog on the inner sleeve of the 1987 label compilation album "Lonely Is An Eyesore." On the lookout for all things 4AD, I remember being ecstatic when I found my copy of "Scarecrow" at Randy's Records in Salt Lake City in the spring of 1988, after taking the bus up from Provo, Utah to record hunt in the big city for the day. (I didn't have a car...or a job...or any friends.) On the bus on the way home that night, the woman sitting next to me saw my bags and asked me what I'd bought. I excitedly showed her, and she began ranting about how my music was Satanic and I was going to go to Hell. I changed seats, but it still made for an awkward and longs bus-ride home.

Anyway, thanks to The Beacon Cinema for putting this tribute together. It brought back lots of memories, as the music of 4AD was basically the soundtrack of my life between ages 16 and 24.

[ The Wolfgang Press ]

John Doté

Artist: John Doté

LP: 12" single

Song: "Gypsy Jane"
[ listen ]

There's a dog named Gypsy on Wallingford Route 75 that barks ferociously at me from behind the gate of her yard when I deliver the mail, but she's a sweetheart when I meet her on the street when she's on walks with her owner. Her owner told me that Gypsy speaks Spanish, so when I deliver mail there, I try calming her nerves by greeting her in her own language: "Hola, Gypsy. ¿Como estás, perra bonita?" It doesn't really seem to make any difference, probably because of my accent. I've tried singing "The Gypsy" to her, which seems to briefly confuse her, but then she goes right back to barking at me again. This week I'm going to try singing "Gypsy Jane," since I have a hunch she prefers late-'80s disco to classic ballads by The Ink Spots.

John Doté was born in the Bronx (why do I feel like I could have guessed) in 1955 and then moved to San Francisco in the '70s (why do I feel like I could have guessed) and became a popular drummer in the music scene there, working with Buddy Miles and Gregg Allman. Doté had a knack for music production, with credits including the theme songs for the popular TV shows "Dallas" and "Dynasty." He also handled promotions for big hits by both Janet and Michael Jackson...but not for Elmo and Patsy. You can read more about John Doté here.

Los Carabelas

Artist: Los Carabelas

LP: Los Carabelas

Song: "Asi Se Baila La Cumbia"

[ listen ]

Well, rats. I found all sorts of neat stuff in the Christmas used vinyl bins last month, but with six-day work weeks, the bustle of the holidays, and 11-to-12-hour workdays, my plan to regularly post things throughout the month of December failed to materialize. Guess I'll save them for next year, when I'll hopefully have two days off each week.

Here's something else I found in the bins last month—the dollar bins at Daybreak Records, to be exact. I figured I'd get an early start at my resolution to post here more regularly in 2020, and as a bonus it's nice to have at least one solid idea for my Halloween costume in the bag so early in the year! You can read (in Spanish) about Los Carabelas here.