Paintings of Zinnias from My Garden

 

September 25, 1993: Spastic Cracker @ the Loft

September 25, 1993

30 years ago, I was 17, in my first year of college, and the singer in a band called Spastic Cracker. I recently found a VHS tape in a box and I took it to get digitized.

The lady who transferred it to a flash drive had a lot of questions and a lot of apologies. First, she said, “It’s very dark and so loud. I tried to brighten it and I can’t do anything about the sound.”

It was a show at the Loft in Baltimore. As I was standing there, I was thinking to myself, “Sounds about right.”

Then she asked, “Is that you singing?” “Yeah, I was 17.” She then said, “Well, this is nice to have then. Do you stay in touch with your bandmates?” “No, sadly, we’ve lost touch, but I can share it with them on social media I guess.”

One of my favorite songs we wrote, “Thistle,” is at about 10:30, followed by “Level 3” where I scream a ton (a fun song to sing).

Looking back, one of the best things about being in Spastic Cracker was all of the great people I met at the shows we played. It was also really cathartic to be able to create and perform with friends at that time.

You can view the video here:  https://vimeo.com/858998170

In 1994, we released a split 7” with Big Heifer from Chattanooga, Tennessee. (Big Heifer / Spastic Cracker - Big Heifer / Spastic Cracker | Releases | Discogs)

Photo by Brian Storms. *I’m not sure who filmed this, but thank you.

*My friend Mike has written a tremendous amount in incredible ways about this time period.  You can check it out here:  The Retarded Dogs, Spastic Cracker, and the first underground concert in Glen Arm | Towson-Glen Arm Freakouts (wordpress.com)

And here:

Think Baltimore Music Is Weird? In The ’90s, Towson And Glen Arm Music Was Even Weirder. | Bandwidth (wamu.org)

You can hear “Thistle” here: 

https://nunsliketofence.bandcamp.com/track/spastic-cracker-thistle