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Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Crawlpappy

Sure, Crawlpappy were from New York City, and yeah, the had a couple of releases on NYC hardcore label Blackout!, and OK, they had a split single with Sheer Terror, but they weren't a bland, by-the-numbers NYHC outfit. Call it "post hardcore", or "power-core" or whatever, the fact is that Crawlpappy rocked during their short existence. Here's a spot-on description from Blackout:

The Pappys were a late 80''s/ early 90''s post-hardcore rock band,
contemporaries of bands like Prong, Helmet, or White Zombie. They rocked a sound like pre-Nevermind era Sub- Pop band hopped up on Sabbath. Crawlpappy bridged the gap between punk, metal, and hardcore and played lots of CBGB matinee shows for the moshaholics as well as night shows to an older crowd. In the days of the straightedge heyday these boys were drinkin'' beer, throwing punches, and slinging some of the best goddamn rock this side of the Bowery.


Anyhow, the group disbanded in the mid-90's leaving an underappreciated body of work. Here's a couple:

Crawlpappy - The Street is Mine.mp3
From their 1990 self-titled mini LP. 6 songs in total, all with a nice and satisfying guitar crunch courtesy of Rick Roy. Like all of their material, this one is out of print

Crawlpappy - Mind's Eye.mp3
The "B" side to their 1991 single on Blackout. Chunky guitars, tough vocals, excellent drumming courtesy John Stanier of Helmet. "I'm dying inside but my outside is goddamn mean"

Crawlpappy - Jack Shit.mp3
This one is taken from a compilation that appeared with Squat or Rot zine. I've lost the zine and the info sheet, so I'm going on memory. The song title may be incorrect, but hey, if you have info then get in touch. A solid tune, just wait for that kick-in at the 2:00 mark, it's a killer.

Stuff:
* Guitarist Rick Roy went on to front Gin Mill who had one fantastic release in 1994
* The entire Crawlpappy catalog is out of print, but savvy searchers should be able to turn up a cheapo copy of their 1992 CD Deluxe.
* The original drummer for Crawlpappy was also a member of Alice Donut. Listen to Donut's tribute to the band