10
february 2021
THE COMET
b-sides judging by their covers
The Wreks - Fueled By Foodstamps Their second and final album. Solid classics the whole way through - these songs get stuck in your head with just one listen. While at the same time very rough around the edges, in my opinion some of the best songwriting of a local album I know. Early Snatchee Records stuff that I didn’t get to experience firsthand, so this album carries with it some added mystique. Cover art drawn by Mike Graham, the lead singer/songwriter. He works as a tattoo artist in Tacoma nowadays.
Ghost Power!!! - The Basement Ghost Power!!!’s first. The art is a perfect example of some of the amateur Microsoft Paint/Photoshop editing that was being used by bands on MySpace from around 2005-2009. The low end work always made stuff look so much cooler. This album also is just packed with good songs. It’s like those old 60s private press LPs that always had pretty questionable artwork. Yet once you heard the JAMS inside, you looked back at the cover and thought, “oh damn, this stuff is on the next level.”
Moss Dog - Midnight Forest Run Moss Dog’s 2nd and final LP. In my opinion the best thing to come out of the group of local bands from the 90s you could throw into the grunge category. Recorded at Ironwood in Seattle, it sounds legit as hell. Does not sound like some regional 90s rock band AT ALL. Catchy songs, really technical drumming - could probably rival Matt Cameron’s drumming most days. Paul Graves’ vocal work, the double tracks - some darn right tasty work. Cover art by Brad Hale. Each little square image could easily work as its own cover.
Empty Pants - Empty Pants Just a garbage drawing of an amp. It’s perfect. But what really gets this on the list is the lettering on the back of the cassette’s J card and the cassette itself. Recorded at Darik Peet’s studio on Springwater Street in 1993. All Wenatchee high school dudes. Bassist Joey McGuire grew up to own Revolution - the skate shop that sat on North Wenatchee Avenue up until three or four years back. Not sure who did the art here.
High Risk - Livin’ On The Edge From what I’ve heard, this is the only thing they ever released. I know there was a second batch of a few songs they recorded (a year later I’d guess) but I think the band split before they could put it out. It’s just 80s as all hell and I love it. The cover was drawn by the band’s bassist, Jeff Gerber. Cityscape drawing, super intense logo (with the cityscape inside the letters - for extra credit). It. Justs. Works. Recorded at Robin Goodrich’s home studio “Apple City Music” on Washington Street in Wenatchee. Tons of killer guitar playing by a young Darik Peet, Joey Dechenne on drums, just before Michael Dickes’ band Gypsy Kyss swiped him up and took him on tour in Germany. This tape is also fantastic because it includes the earliest Wenatchee hip-hop (as far as I know). A track titled “It’s Live.” 80s white boy hip-hop. Da best.
Lopez - The Kids Aren’t Bad The five song 7” from 1998 - the same year that the band relocated to Portland. Legends of the Wenatchee punk scene. An alternate cover art - a photo of a girl drinking outside the Lopez House was used for a handful of copies. That version is my favorite of the two but I haven’t found a copy of that yet.
