Fat Sandwich

There are tons of great bands from Memphis and the surrounding areas that go relatively unnoticed and I’ve been wanting to showcase some of those bands on the site. I’ve decided to start posting free downloads every once in a while. While I will mainly focus on Memphis bands, I’ll probably post some Fat Sandwich related bands as well and hopefully people will hear some great bands they may not have heard before.

The first band on the block is Memphis’ THAT WAS THEN. They were active from October 2003 – December 2008. My first experience with the band was in the Spring of 2004 when a college friend played me their first 7″ in his dorm room. I remember sitting there thinking “This band is awesome, I want my band to sound like this.” Little did I know that a couple years down the road I would become good friends with most of the ever changing roster of the band and eventually play in other bands with many of the guys.

Early promo of the first lineup of the band. Photo by Amanda Raney.

Joel G, original singer for the band. Photo by Amanda Raney.

Matt Strini, original guitarist and Jeremiah Chandler, second singer of the band. Photo by Amanda Raney.

That Was Then released a 7″, two CD EPs, a split CD-R with XUpright CitizensX, a split 7″ with Cut the Tension, and various demos. They did some touring with bands like Comeback Kid, Terror, and Fight Like Hell and also played countless Memphis shows. Members of That Was Then went on to be in other bands like Dead City, Jay Reatard (R.I.P.), While I Breathe I Hope, Karma Elektra, First World, Thirsty!, just to name a few.

Download:
THAT WAS THEN “THROW DOWN YOUR SHOVELS – COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY”

Track listing:

1. Intro
2. Rabid Notions
3. Friday Nights
4. Turnabout
5. Windswept
6. Violence
7. Weathered
8. Outro
9. While I Breathe, I Hope
10. Treading Water
11. Anchored
12. Gulliotine
13. Awake
14. Troublemakers
15. While I Breathe, I Hope
16. Awake
17. Nothing Gold Can Stay
18. Gulliotine
19. Troublemakers
20. The Torch
21. Nothing Gold Can Stay
22. The Torch
23. No Friend of Mine (Live)
24. Landmines
25. Stand By Me
26. Smoke & Mirrors
27. A Family’s Tears

Feel free to download this, give it to a friend, whatever. If you are interested we also have physical copies of the “Troublemakers” CDEP in our store. If we can find copies of the 7″s we will put those up in the store as well. Check back for more free downloads soon.

We’ve added a few new items to the store:

PEZZ “THE WICKED LEADING THE BLIND” 7″
PEZZ “THE WICKED LEADING THE BLIND” DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
Twenty year Memphis punk veterans, Pezz, are back with another great release. Two new originals and a Leatherface cover.

PEZZ “LIVIN’ THE LIFE OF RILEY” CD
Pezz’s first full length album. Released in 1995 on Truant Records.

PEZZ “WITH EVERYTHING WE GOT” CD
Pezz’s fourth full length album. Released in 2001 on Soul is Cheap.

PERICLES “CITIZEN WORLD” CD
The second full length album from Dominican Republic punk rockers, Pericles. These guy work hard and sound great. Visit www.pericles.bandcamp.com to hear a couple tracks.

We’ve set up a Kickstarter page to help raise some money to buy a resurfacing machine for Black Lodge Video. You can read more and pledge by clicking here.

We’ve gotten a good amount of press for the Pezz 20th Anniversary and 7″ release. Here’s yet another piece about the band. Thanks to Elizabeth Lemmonds for a great three part interview with Ceylon and Marv.

Check out the interview here.

See you at the show tonight. Pezz 7″s will be online Tuesday for you out of towners.

Andy Earles wrote a nice piece about the Pezz 20th Anniversary for the Memphis Flyer. If you live in town go pick up a copy. If not, you can read it right here.

Hope to see a lot of you out at the Hi-Tone tomorrow night!

“Pezz celebrates twenty years of making music together this Friday night at the Hi-Tone, and judging from the sound of their new 7”, they don’t show any signs of slowing down. For two decades, Pezz has released their brand of very American sounding punk rock laced with messages of personal empowerment, social justice, and the individual duty to live with honor and serve those in need. Their new three-song 7” expands their legacy…”

Click here to read the entire review.

Thanks to Kirk Rawlings & Live From Memphis for the review.

“The untold story of the decade since Y2K is how Generation X grew up, stopped wandering and settled down with a mortgage and a couple of kids. But part of the original voice of that generation in Memphis that came into its own in the late 1980s and ’90s lives on in a band that refuses to retire the meaning in its message…”

Click here to read the whole article.

Friday, June 11, 2010 @ the Hi-Tone

Pezz
Panther Piss
The Westbound
Tanks

9PM / $10 (Free copy of the new 7″ with admission)

We are pretty stoked about this show and the new Pezz record coming out. 20 years is not an easy feat for a punk rock band. We will have color vinyl to give away at the show…first come, first served. Panther Piss will also have copies of their 7″ for sale.

Hope to see you there!

We’ve got a brand new website up thanks to our friend Brent from Broken Circles Records. Expect pretty frequent updates with news about the bands, the label, shows, etc.

Lots to come in 2010…