April 1 has arrived and it is April Fools day. The day of trixters! This holiday, this tom-foolery goes back to 1392, or 1500 or something. But let’s just be straight, shall we?
Today we officially release “Moon” by Dead Air Fresheners, with Jennifer Robin on vocals. As previously noted, noisemongers DAF are ex-Olympians and current Portlanders. Their new album is “Moon”, a collaboration with noted P-town author (and vocalist). This is their 19th release since 1999, their first on GMR and it is most certainly their best. CDrs are available on Bandcamp and it is streaming everywhere. Everywhere! And it’s great!
Item #2. Capping Day. 12” vinyl EP + digital releasing Friday on Bandcamp and all streaming services. We will simultaneously be making their old CD back catalog available on Bandcamp!
They have an Easy Street Records release show Saturday 7:00 PM in beautiful West Seattle. It’s FREE and you wanna be there!
And what’s the official scoop? The lowdown? This:
After a hundred years away from the Seattle music scene spotlight, Capping Day has returned. On April 4,Green Monkey Records will release a 6-song vinyl album titled WHO DOES ANYWAY: THE KING ENDINO SESSIONS. This EP will feature a set of songs that were recorded by Gary King at House of Leisure in 1996, recovered from multi-track tapes after a fire destroyed the studio, and mixed/mastered by Jack Endino in 2024. At the same time, the band will also release a 15-song digital download which includes the songs from the record as well as other previously unreleased songs. This epic release will cement the legacy of Capping Day within the annals of PNW rock history. Honest.
Who is Capping Day anyway?
Like a flower growing among boulders, indie pop band Capping Day emerged in 1987 during Seattle’s now famous grunge era. As grunge band after grunge band got signed and become enormously famous, Capping Day stayed true to what made them unique: powerful melodies and harmonies, compelling songwriting, and a rock-solid rhythm section that kicked some serious ass.
Laura Weller (guitar, vocals) and Bonnie Hammond (keyboards, vocals) were joined by bassist Joe Ross and drummer Norman Scott, long time veterans of the local club scene in bands such as Skin Yard, Green Pajamas, and 64 Spiders. The band was well received from the start, playing shows and festivals. Their first single, “Mona Lisa”/”Slow Fade”, recorded at Reciprocal by the now legendary Jack Endino and released by Green Monkey Records, quickly rose up the KCMU charts, landing it in their Top 10 singles of 1989. In the same year, KCMU entered the single into a nationwide college radio “best unsigned band in America” contest, sponsored by EMI Records, which Capping Day won.
Capping Day used their prize money to go back into the studio, bringing in Jon Auer of the Posies as their engineer/producer. The result was an EP titled “Post No Bills,” released on Popllama Records.More shows and studio sessions followed at Red Farm Films and House of Leisure. Tragically, House of Leisure suffered a fire that destroyed the recording studio equipment, halting the project and ultimately resulting in the Capping Day material being shelved.
Laura and Bonnie continued performing as a semi-acoustic duo, opening up for the likes of Robyn Hitchcock, ExeneCervenka, and Bob Weir & Robert Wasserman of the Grateful Dead. As a duo, Laura and Bonnie earned a coveted Northwest Area Musicians Association (NAMA) award in1991 for Best Acoustic Group.
Next month we will have a couple new things for ya.
Tom Dyer – The Good Life
Last year, I was given a writing project as a gift from my daughter, writing about my life. It ended up as a two volume book set, 923 pages. I may take that and turn it into an actual autobiography, edited down to a reasonable length. We shall see. But of course, I thought my book needed a soundtrack. At first I thought I would make it a “best of” from my twenty-two albums. Then I said nope. All unreleased recordings, going back to when I was six. More about this next month.
Evan Schoenfeld
In 1982, Evan Schoenfeld walked in my door to record for the first time. In late 2024, he died. In May, 2025, I will begin releasing his catalog. This will be the first iteration.
See you’sa alls next months!
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