Nathan Maddox R.I.P.
The reason I own/ know of this record.
In 1992 Louisville, KY was home to a unique and diverse punk rock scene that was fast becoming a highly influential underground mecca, and for every Slint and Rodan there were a half dozen brilliant and forward-thinking bands that went virtually unnoticed -- most of whom were guilty of more than a little self-sabotage. Plenty of cities across the world have these kinds of musicians, the ones who are cherished in worn-out mix tapes and increasingly unbelievable stories of historic local live shows. The Telephone Man were one of those, and one of the best ones to ever fall through the cracks of Louisville music history. With a maturity and level of execution that betrayed their youthful age, they were the missing link between the introverted slow burn of Slint, the angular aggression of Bitch Magnet, and the emotional expressiveness of early 90s DC punk. It was a unique combination at the time, and twenty years later sounds downright prescient. Less than 75% of their music ever saw the light of day, and even that was limited almost exclusively to short-run handmade cassettes passed around at live shows and sold at local record stores. Though its members would move on to more notable endeavors -- guitarist/singer Matthew Ronay is now a world-renowned artist based in NYC, while others continued to pursue music in a diverse array of bands, including Guilt, Ink & Dagger, The Metroschifter and Weird Weeds -- a little-known but enlightening piece of the legendary Louisville music puzzle.
The reason I own/ know of this record.
In 1992 Louisville, KY was home to a unique and diverse punk rock scene that was fast becoming a highly influential underground mecca, and for every Slint and Rodan there were a half dozen brilliant and forward-thinking bands that went virtually unnoticed -- most of whom were guilty of more than a little self-sabotage. Plenty of cities across the world have these kinds of musicians, the ones who are cherished in worn-out mix tapes and increasingly unbelievable stories of historic local live shows. The Telephone Man were one of those, and one of the best ones to ever fall through the cracks of Louisville music history. With a maturity and level of execution that betrayed their youthful age, they were the missing link between the introverted slow burn of Slint, the angular aggression of Bitch Magnet, and the emotional expressiveness of early 90s DC punk. It was a unique combination at the time, and twenty years later sounds downright prescient. Less than 75% of their music ever saw the light of day, and even that was limited almost exclusively to short-run handmade cassettes passed around at live shows and sold at local record stores. Though its members would move on to more notable endeavors -- guitarist/singer Matthew Ronay is now a world-renowned artist based in NYC, while others continued to pursue music in a diverse array of bands, including Guilt, Ink & Dagger, The Metroschifter and Weird Weeds -- a little-known but enlightening piece of the legendary Louisville music puzzle.
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