Enemymine...

Ah, feels good to be getting back into the swing of things after an almost two week absence. I am still trying to get some stuff back in order on here, so this is going to be a slightly shorter update than usual. Before all the site trouble began I had planned on doing a post on Enemymine, which was Mike Kunka’s band post-Godheadsilo. Not unlike Godheadsilo, Kunka stuck with the “bass only” approach, however brought on board a second bassist to expand things a bit. For their first Self-Titled EP in 1999 on K Records, the bassist was Low member Zak Salley. Filling out the lineup was drummer Danny Sasaki. However, Salley would eventually leave the band and be replaced for the recording of their only album The Ice in Me released in 2000 on Up. There is also a split floating around out there that they did with Vaz that is worth picking up.

Enemymine wasn’t entirely too different from Godheadsilo, however if you didn’t know it you probably wouldn’t be able to immediately tell that it’s two bassists. Kunka was able to make his bass sound more like a guitar more so than any other strictly bass outfit I’ve heard. Judging by the span of work in Enemymine, it definitely resulted in some experimentation with the already heavy assault of bass. It’s really quite neat to hear as the sound is very deep but ultimately sounds more like down tuned guitars than anything else.

While their debut EP sort of went back and forth with minor indie rock flourishes, possibly due to the inclusion of Salley, their album The Ice in Me definitely resembles the crushing power of Kunka’s past work in Godheadsilo, however listeners will notice that there is still a bit of a lighter side to the music. It’s definitely worth checking out for those that may have stopped following after the break up of Godheadsilo. After Enemymine called it quits, Kunka went on to be in Dead Low Tide for a very brief period of time and then moved on to Smoke and Smoke, both of which featured ex-Murder City Devils member Spencer Moody.

Enemymine:
Enemymine – The Were All Friends Club [MP3]

The Ice in Me:
Enemymine – Nightmare Air [MP3]
Enemymine – Setting the Traps [MP3]

Both the EP and full-length can be picked up over at Amazon if the tunes above are of interest.

Janitor Joe...

While I am a fan of a lot the bands that graced the AmRep roster over the years, Janitor Joe is pretty high on that list as one my favorites. Their debut album Big Metal Birds, released on AmRep back in 1993, absolutely floored me when I first heard it. Immediately upon hearing that first blast of distortion on “Early Retirement” I knew I was about to hear something completely raw and unrestrained, it was like a warning shot. I however didn’t take cover and had 13 tracks rip through my eardrums like a fucking buzzsaw. I definitely don’t regret it.

While Janitor Joe fits snugly in with the whole noise-rock deal, one thing that I loved about them was that their music was much more, for a lack of a better description, “rock ‘n roll”. It was completely filled with energy and an overall vibe that just felt down right rowdy. While they were no strangers to distortion and squealing guitars, they also had a very catchy side to them that really caught my attention as well. They were maybe not one of the more popular choices on the roster, but definitely one of the best in my opinion.

Big Metal Birds:
Janitor Joe – Limited Edition [MP3]
Janitor Joe – Big Metal Birds [MP3]
Janitor Joe – Head [MP3]

Bullethead 7”:
Janitor Joe – Bullethead [MP3]
Janitor Joe – KCL [MP3]

Sadly the band came to an end in 1994 after bassist Kristen Pfaff passed away due to an alleged heroin overdose. The music that the band left behind is no doubt in my mind some of the best material to be released on AmRep. I do highly suggest picking up any of their releases that may be had over at Amazon or wherever else people see fit.