The Western Reserve – Anyway Records 25th Anniversary (part 2) – Episode 3

Jerry Wick (left) and Bela Koe Krompecher, photo by Jay Brown
Jerry Wick (left) and Bela Koe Krompecher, photo by Jay Brown

The Western Reserve is back with our third episode and part two of our interview with Anyway Records founder Bela Koe-Krompecher! Bela and Brian talk about what Anyway is doing now, the plan for the 25th anniversary celebration (September 1-3 in Columbus, Ohio), and we get to listen to another chunk of Ohio tunes curated by Bela including music from The Mice, Lydia Loveless, Goners, St. Lenox, The Sidekicks, Jenny Mae, New Bomb Turks, and more. Take a listen, share, and enjoy. Go over and checkout Anyway Records site too and buy some stuff, and go to Columbus this weekend and celebrate 25 years at Spacebar (Thursday, September  1) and Ace of Cups (Friday, September 2 and Saturday, September 3). See you in a few weeks for episode 4.

The Mice – “Little Rage”
St. Lenox –  “21st Century Blues”
Connections – “Month 2 Month”
Closet Mix – “It’s Better My Way”
Mary Lynn – “Funeral”
Goners – “Teenage Depression”
Jenny Mae – “Ho Bitch”
Moviola – “Broken Horses”
The Whiles – “Lonesome Reply”
Sidekicks – “Jesus Christ Supermalls”
Lydia Loveless – “Clumps”
New Bomb Turks – “Tail Crush”

The Western Reserve – Anyway Records 25th Anniversary (part 1) – Episode 2

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The Western Reserve returns with its second episode, the first of two parts celebrating the 25th anniversary of Columbus, Ohio’s Anyway Records! Anyway founder and mastermind Bela Koe-Krompecher joins us for episodes two and three to talk about his life, starting a record label, growing up in Ohio, continuing to find new bands after 25 years, and a whole lot more. In between we listen to a ton of Ohio music from the past few decades. Anyway is celebrating with a big party in Columbus on September 1-3, with the September 1st at Spacebar and September 2nd and 3rd at Ace of Cups. Find out more here.

Guided By Voices – “Motor Away”
Gaunt – “Jim Motherfucker”
Ass Ponys – “11:11”
Gibson Brothers – “The Man Who Loved Couch Dancing”
Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments – “Rump Government”
V3 – “Negotiate Nothing”
Greenhorn – “Chemical Land”
Appalachian Death Ride – “Comin Around”
Scrawl – “Ready”
Mike Rep and the Quotas – “Aliens in our Midst”
Cheater Slicks – “I Think I’m Going Down”

REVIEW: Connections “Private Airplane”

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Connections, “Private Airplane”
Anyway Records, 2013

Take a quick glance at the cover of Connections’ debut LP and you’ll surely notice a hot pink biplane soaring across an empty sky. It’s a seemingly calculated piece of iconography that links this record to Dayton, OH, the birthplace of aviation and the ancestral home of legendary Ohio rockers Guided By Voices. Located an hour east via I-70, in the relative metropolis of Columbus, this group of local music scene veterans have managed to channel the same sort of energy that Robert Pollard and company began tapping into almost 30 years ago.

For singer Kevin Elliot and guitarist Andy Hampel, the association is far from superficial. Four track recordings made by the pair’s high school band 84 Nash found their way into the hands of Pollard, resulting in the release of their debut full length on GBV’s own Rockathon Records in 1998. Drummer Adam Elliot’s group Times New Viking toured alongside the recently reunited ‘classic lineup.’ And if their previous musical output is any indication, guitarist Dave Capaldi (of El Jesus de Magico) and bassist Philip Kim (of Andrew Graham & Swarming Branch) have definitely listened to Bee Thousand.

Private Airplane possesses a sort of polished scruffiness, echoing the lo-fi roots of some of its key personnel without assaulting your ears with distorted blasts of tape hiss. The thrashing chords of “Miller’s Grove” and noisy hooks of “Casuals” sound as if they were written in beer can-strewn basements and hastily recorded using equipment identical to that which birthed albums like Under the Bushes Under the Stars. By the same token, short, divergent interludes like “Sister City” and “Capital of Strange Cravings” might have been fleshed out over the course of a few smoke breaks. And while Kevin Elliot may not have Uncle Bob’s vocal presence, the band’s unison delivery shares the consistent aspiration of treating a Thursday night bar crowd like a densely packed arena.

That’s not to say that Connections are entirely derivative of their most conspicuous influence. From the woozy chords of “Cindy” to the earnest sentimentality of “I Can Fix Memories,” the group consistently finds new ways to wrap their thoughts into succinct, pop-indebted rock songs. There’s a visceral feel to the half hour of music presented on the album, divided into bite-sized pieces that, while easily digestible on their own, are enhanced when placed in the context of the record itself. It’s a testament to Adam Smith’s production work which along with Adam Elliott’s understated rhythms, help unify the LP’s 15 varying tracks into a cohesive whole.

Amid all the muddy guitar tones and muffled cymbal crashes, there’s a palpable sense of midwestern nostalgia that finds the group’s romanticized small town recollections clashing with contemporary urban realities. It’s a source of inspiration that easily lends itself to uncovering universal truths, much like those exposed by their elders down the road in Dayton. Boarding their Private Airplanes, Connections achieve catharsis through a very specific strain of concise musical expression, giving a salty salute to their forbearers while proving that the club is still open.

You can find this record at your finest local record store.

Anyway Records Celebrates 20 Years at Ace of Cups

logoAnyway Records turns 20 this year and Bela Koe-Krompecher is throwing a big party over at Ace of Cups in Columbus to celebrate! Two nights of music (Friday and Saturday) featuring some of the best bands to come out of Ohio since the label’s beginning in 1992 including New Bomb Turks, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, Moviola, Orchestraville, Necropolis (covering Gaunt), Obnox, Kyle Sowashes, Connections, County Pharaohs, Greenhorn, Jenny Mae, Winter Makes Sailors, St. Lenox, Belreve, and Chris Biester. Whew. That’s one hell of a lineup. And proceeds go to some real good causes: Peloton, Columbus Music Co-Op and NAMI Ohio. Read about the history of Anyway Records here.

FROM THE EVENT: “Starting in the pre-text world of vinyl records and shiny over-priced compact discs, Anyway Records was founded on the assumption that music is to be found in our own backyards and meant to be cheap and affordable, like the founders themselves. Jerry Wick and Bela Koe-Krompecher started Anyway Records under the guise as a project for Jerry’s excellent mid-western band Gaunt. Jerry left the label to concentrate on Gaunt and Bela continued to pour hours and beers into the label. We have worked with a variety of bands (mostly Ohio, mostly Columbus) including: Moviola, The Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, Jenny Mae, V-3, Gaunt, Guided by Voices, Ass Ponys and Mike Rep. in the Naughts we have had the pleasure to work with: Ghost Shirt, Kyle Sowash, The Lindsay, Connections, Obnox, Winter Makes Sailors, Terribly Empty Pockets, the Whiles, and a few more. Here’s to 20 years!” Cheers from Aquabear!

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21 – 9pm:
9:00 – St. Lenox
9:30 – Winter Makes Sailors
10:00 – Obnox
10:30 – New Bomb Turks
11:30 – Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments
12:15 – NECROPOLIS – covering Gaunt

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 – KIDS SHOW: 6-8pm – Free
Orchestraville
Chris Biester (from Appalachian Death Ride)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 – ADULTS: 8pm
8:00 – Belreve
8:45 – Jenny Mae
9:15 – Kyle Sowashes
10:00 – Moviola
10:45 – County Pharaohs
11:30 – Connections
12:30 – Greenhorn