All I know about HANG'N PRIDE is that their drummer was Skypp Krantz, who used to work the door at Canal Street Tavern and lived in the downstairs portion of the duplex that Kattie Dougherty (PURE PLASTIC TREE, REAL LU LU) lived in. He also played drums in a Dayton rock-a-billy band called THE JITTERS at this same time. Gail tells me he designed the little Tooba Dude mascot for TOOBA BLOOZE. He also did the artwork for the cassette by the Denny Wilson side project, 8-BALL CABARET (more on that when I post it) and probably a lot of art for other Dayton bands in the late '80s.I've had this tape forever and remember the exact day I got it because HANG'N PRIDE played with OXYMORONS at our first show ever (Canal St. Tavern, 5-18-1989). It's pretty straight, southern hard rock--but with just enough drive and edge to place it (at least marginally) into the punk/alt-rock category. Some of the guitar playing (especially on "Dance") reminds me of the guitar playing on the PLEASURES PALE album. Unfortunately, there's no band roster on this one, so I've no way of knowing if it's the same guy -- probably not though.
This one is also the quintessential example of that late-'80s "Cro-Magnon" sound I've been blathering about (in the UNDERDOGS and OXYMORONS posts mostly). Hear the reverb? The brief delay? The cranked mids? That's it. Pure Joe Buben...
One curious thing about this one: the tape cover bears the dedication "To Abby Leandra Kuras 9-4-89." As I said, I'm sure we played with HANG'N PRIDE on 5-18-1989, and I'm sure that's when I got this tape. But if the date in the dedication is right, that can't be true. Maybe they got the numerals 4 and 9 reversed? Possibly? This is one of those Twilight Zone things that's going to bug me in my grave.
My favorite cut is "Hokey Pokey." At the show (which is the only time I ever saw this band), I distinctly remember they closed with that one, and they fuckin' rocked it. It was 1 a.m. on a Thursday night (in Dayton...), and the bar was practically empty--but they still gave it everything they had. So I must thank HANG'N PRIDE for showing me that no matter where you're playing or how many people come, you should always play like you sold out the Enormo-Dome. Any band that doesn't understand why has no business playing music. That's a lesson I've carried with me through every band and every show I've ever played, and I'd forgotten where I learned it until just now.
Track list:
1. Same Ol'Thing
2. Heart Attack
3. The Road
4. Now And Again
5. Dance
6. Go On Home
7. Hokey Pokey
Download it! (22 MB) (link re-upped on 2-1-2013)
take care
---Jones
5 comments:
Yeah, that was a fun show and a great tape. I think we all got cassettes that night. The only thing I'd like to add about Skyp is that he also used to work at the late great Renaissance Records. (You should write something about Renaissance or Geoff sometime.)
Grog
I'll second Grog's remarks re: Renaissance. Geoff, Skyp and sweet Miss Lucy were the best.
Just want to make a small correction to your information. Yes, I designed the Steamy Tooba logo for Tooba Blues. I also designed the jacket for Toxic Reasons' first LP ("Independence") and the book that came with it, and the 45 sleeve for Real Lulu's "Motorhead".
Besides Renaissance, I also served the Dayton music masses at Second Time Around (when it was a cool little homey shop) '76 - '80, Goldenrod on Main St. 81 - 83, Armadillo's on Wilmington '96, and Trader Vic's on Brown St. (now Cassano's) '97. I still see Geoff ("Mr. G") all the time, and we still miss Lucy! (She made it to 14 yrs. old.) And we appreciate the nice remarks - we miss the old store,too. You can now find me at Dayton Mall Office Depot.
Your one bit of misinformation is I DID NOT play drums for Hangin' Pride. That was Chris Brzynski, who looks nothing like me. I did design their logo for their first cassette. Chris now lives in Bloomington, IN, with his wife, Carol, last I heard.
I also (to blow my own horn) did a drum track on one cut from Aunt Beanies' CD.
Just wanted to get the facts straight. Now you know!
By the way, I am reviving my old band with my rhythm player, Kevin Schirmer, and have Jimmie Rogers on lead (former keyboardist), but we're looking for a bass player. We're back to doing more Rockabilly stuff and we're not using the old name. We'll let that RIP!
Hope this helps.
- - Skyp Krantz (that's with a "Y" and one "P"!)
Addendum to previous post:
after: "...and the book that came with it..."
insert: with the photographic collaboration of Steve Watkins, who also worked at Renaissance for some time,...
The date (9-4-89) is not wrong.
Post a Comment