BEATFOR106 - December Singles Weekender I

The Dangtrippers were one of the few Iowa bands to play power Byrdsy-pop for a global audience. Their only album Days Between Stations remains an underrated classic of the genre with consistently fine songs. The songwriting team of singers and guitarists Devin Hill and Doug Robertson penned gorgeous tunes of guitars weave in and around each other over a sturdy rhythm section. Fantastic.

The Dangtrippers - Masquerade / Lover's Again [7' Dog Gone Records 1989]

Craig Hallsworth formed The Bamboos in the West Australian township of Collie. He’s an aussie legend, formerly of Zuvuya, The Bamboos, Healers, Outstation, and as solo artist. The band’s brand of raw guitar trash and country-swamp rock caught the attention of Citadel Records boss John Needham. Wonderful dust and liquor coated vocals, reminds me of Gurus Dave Faulkner singing. This song makes them sound like the great rock & roll band they always were, like most Australian bands creating a distinctly kitschy and catchy sound.

The Bamboos - With Which To Love You [7' Citadel Records 1987]


The Boston-based Dambuilders were a college radio staple for the better part of a decade, thanks to their noisy, chaotic take on guitar pop, in which melodies were laced with feedback and that distinctive, moaning violin played by Joan Wasser. Formed in Honolulu, Hawaii in the late '80s by Dave Derby and Eric Masunga, the band relocated to Boston early in their career, where they solidified their lineup and quickly found a place in Boston's then-thriving alternative music scene. While The Dambuilders are generally considered an "indie" band, they have received some commercial airplay with their single "Shrine" from 1994's "Encendedor". Although the song has no viable chorus, they manage to create an appealing and memorable single using a distinctly melodic verse and an innovative instrumental section used as an intro, outro, and bridge. In this section, the bass guitar plays a melodic riff using two bass strings simultaneously, as opposed to the more conventional method in which the bass player plays one string at a time. Wasser is now performing under the name Joan As Police Woman.

The Dambuilders - Shrine [7' Spinart Records 1992]

From London, an ephemeral quartet pop-rock band, The Passengers, leaded by Robert Randall. Just one single has gone down in history of the unknown, lost and crushed bands. Classic pop song, lively choruses. Enjoy it.


The Passengers - Hell To Heaven [7' True Pass Records 1988].