The Telephone Man
The Telephone Man 1992-1994
In 1992 Louisville, KY was home to a unique and diverse punk rock scene that was fast becoming a highly influential underground mecca, and for every Slint and Rodan there were a half-dozen brilliant and forward-thinking bands that went virtually unnoticed – most of whom were guilty of more than a little self-sabotage. Plenty of cities across the world have these kinds of musicians, the ones who are cherished in worn-out mix tapes and increasingly unbelievable stories of historic local live shows. The Telephone Man were one of those, and one of the best ones to ever fall through the cracks of Louisville music history. With a maturity and level of execution that betrayed their youthful age, they were the missing link between the introverted slow burn of Slint, the angular aggression of Bitch Magnet, and the emotional expressiveness of early 90s DC punk. It was a unique combination at the time, and twenty-five years later sounds downright prescient. Less than 75% of this collection ever saw the light of day, and even that was limited almost exclusively to short-run handmade cassettes passed around at live shows and sold at local record stores. Though its members would move on to more notable endeavors – guitarist/singer Matthew Ronay is now a world-renowned artist based in NYC, while others continued to pursue music in a diverse array of bands, including Guilt, Ink & Dagger, The Metroschifter and Weird Weeds – this beautifully remastered anthology fills in a little-known but enlightening piece of the legendary Louisville music puzzle.
TRACK LISTING1. Automatic Pilot
2. Castner
3. Douglass Boulevard
4. Let Me Tell You How Much I Love You So You Can Treat Me Like Shit
5. Rain = Flood
6. Kelly
7. Muldoon
8. Whole Man, Half Man
9. I Will Follow You
10. Grandfather
11. Camaro
12. Inspector 29
13. Nothing
14. Rebel Yell
15. Dollar