Legendary punk trio, Jawbreaker, has just released a remixed and remastered demo tape of seven songs. All seven of the songs were sold on cassette tapes at the band’s early shows in . Afterwards, some were used for splits and comps (“Equalized,” “Split,” “Caroline,” “Better Half”) and some were rerecorded (“Rich,” “Down”). One titled, “World of Shit,” was never released after the original cassette recording in 1989. Last year, the master tape was discovered inspiring the band to restore it for release. The band has previously remastered albums such as 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, Dear You, Bivouac and Unfun. The current remaster will be released on Bandcamp for five dollars.
The band first formed in 1986 while attending NYU together. Childhood friends from Santa Monica, Blake Schwarzenbach (guitar, vocals) and Adam Pfahler (drums), decided to form a band once they arrived in NY. They recruited Chris Bauermeister (bass) to join their DIY punk band. The group combined punk with grunge to create a new sound that showcased their west coast roots. They moved back to the West Coast and released their debut album Unfun in 1990. Full of pop charisma and punk angst, the album was a hit. The group then moved to San Francisco and released Biouvac, which was even more ambitious. The group began touring with Nirvana in 1993 which helped them gain even more recognition in the music world. The group released 24 Hour Revenge Therapy in 1994 and signed to major label DGC Records (Nirvana’s label) soon after. The band released Dear You in 1995 admits controversy. Many fans were disappointed that the band turned their back on their DIY roots in favor of a major label.
The lack of success for the album and years of frustration resulted in a breakup in 1997. The members went their separate ways, working on other projects for the next 20 years. However, this year, the group reunited to play at Riot Fest. Even thirty years after their conception, the band still knows how to put on a show. Now fans can check out their remastered demo tape. Hopefully there is more to come from the iconic group!
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