Loud guitars. Weird chord progressions. Ear-bleeding vocals. For Louisville's punk scene, these were hallmarks that span decades — all the way back to the city's first attempts at punk rock. We've asked three stalwarts of Louisville's music scene, people who've witnessed much of this city's punk history, to discuss three albums that are must-haves for any Louisville music collection. These three albums captured how this city sounded in their respective eras, and shaped how many of Louisville's bands sound today.
“Circle X,” Circle X (1979)
What I like about this record is the width and breadth of songs — they crammed so much disparate information into like 11 minutes. They were kind of connected with New York City's No Wave movement and were a precursor to New York's noise bands, like the Swans. But Circle X was basically just four Kentucky hicks who moved to New York for a while before going to Dijon, France, to make a record. And, speaking of France, they remind me of the cave painters of Lascaux — they just had two guitars and drums, making a reflection on the world with the most primitive of instruments.
Douglas Maxson plays guitar in Minnow and was a member of Your Food and the D---brains.
“Poppy,” Sunspring (1993)
When I think about it now, Sunspring and “Poppy” are the epitome of my teenage years — hanging out on Bardstown Road, going out with skaters. Sunspring meant I no longer had to listen to pop rock on WDJX. It was an alternative to mainstream rock, and it had crunchy guitars and Scott Ritcher's different voice, but the songs were still catchy. I went to a lot of their shows, seeing them play at a battle of the bands at Collegiate High School. I think the main draw was the energy.
Lizi Hagan is a concert promoter for Production Simple
“Evergreen,” Evergreen (1995)
This album really grooves and the production is really awesome — it was produced by James Murphy, who went on to become LCD Soundsystem. Evergreen took the best elements of the Stooges, the Rolling Stones and Minor Threat. Evergreen had a large following in Louisville and Chicago, and they're definitely part of the Louisville sound, right up there with Slint, My Morning Jacket and even the hardcore stuff. It's one of my all-time favorite albums, and I'd highly recommend the 2003 reissue from Temporary Residence Limited.
Benny Clark is the guitarist for the Broken Spurs
