Rare recordings from an East Coast post-punk outfit offer up fire this week. Via was a short-lived Boston/NYC band in the late Eighties, 1987-1988 to be specific. The sound reflects that of era peers like Live Skull, whose Thalia Zedek is featured here. Drawn from singles and sessions not released before, Via by Via is a souvenir of a pre-Nirvana American college rock time of fertile creativity on independent labels.
Via was Thalia Zedek (Come, Live Skull, Uzi), Jerry di Rienzo (Cell, Nuclear Theater), James Apt (Six Finger Satellite), Adam Gaynor (Nuclear Theater), and Phil Milstein (Uzi). What's on Via, out now, reflects a sound that's edgy and abrasive. Opener "JJ" sounds more than a little like early Sonic Youth, while the hard "How We Got This Way" is a cousin to what Zedek brought to Live Skull. The tune nearly disintegrates in a squall of bad attitude and feedback. It's wonderful!
What's here really reflects a lost era. There was a whole lot of stuff like this on labels like Homestead. Admittedly, it was hard for bands like this to set themselves apart from their peers. And the material is similar to probably a dozen groups we could name. However, hearing this now gives us a little window into the future careers of these players, especially Thalia Zedek. If you were a fan of Live Skull and Come, you'll want to check out Via for sure.
Via by Via is out now via Dromedary Records. Details below.
[Photo: Dromedary Records]