THE BARNHILLS, s-t 7'' (vinyl, 1996)

Before we get to today's record, I wanted to ask about the makeover I gave the blog earlier tonight.  Is it too busy?  Does it make the site harder to read?  If you've got an opinion, let me know.

I also want to mention that my original intention for this post was to put something up from Jonathan Drexler, who we lost yesterday.  I have a CD that he gave me years ago from his then-current band MY SECRET SERVICE, and it's a great disc that I would love to post.  But there's a story that goes along with the night Jonathan gave me that CD, which also happens to be the last night I saw him.  It's a good story that should be told at some point.  But it's not a story with a happy ending, and my attempts to write it up haven't been good.  Truth be told, Jonathan's passing is something I'm having a lot of trouble dealing with right now (and I'm sure a lot of other people are having similar troubles).  I've been thinking about it all night.  So although I will post that CD and tell that story soon, I just can't right now.  For a few minutes, I really just want to think about something else.

THE BARNHILLS just might be my favorite Dayton band of all time.  I saw them play many times and was never disappointed.  The band got together around 1995.  Their first show was at the old Sub-Galley on Brown Street.  I was living in Yellow Springs at the time and drove into town to see them.  They had a contest that night to guess how long they would play.  I don't remember what the prize was, but I definitely didn't win it because I guessed 27 minutes -- and they ended up playing for less than five.

Short songs and short sets were sort of their thing.  THE BARNHILLS wrote straight-up indie-emo-punk tunes -- fast, loud, and brief.  But even if they were playing a song that lasted less than thirty seconds, you were humming along within the first three.

I'll be posting their CD at some point, along with an interview I did with them for MAXIMUMROCKNROLL.  And when I do, I'll give you more of their story.  For now I'll just say that every single second of this record is badass -- a true Dayton pop classic.  Enjoy!

THE BARNHILLS were...

• David Graeter - drums, vocals
• Joel "Lucky" Lensch - bass, vocals
• Jeremy "Bruiser" Apland - guitar, vocals

Track List:

1. Side 1 (I Helped Save the Lady, Buy Me A Drink, Superbreaker), 4:52
2. Side 2 (Amy's Pissed Off, Toyota Club, Schroeder), 5:46

Ordinarily, I break out individual songs into individual files, but that just seemed wrong here.  These tunes sort of bleed into each other (just like they did when they were played live -- THE BARNHILLS abhorred silence and between-song banter), and each side here is really sort of a mini rock opera.  They should be listened to in the order the band intended.

Download It!  (16 MB)

take care,

---Jones()