Threadbare - s/t ep

Moving, dark, intense and passionate are all applicable adjectives one could use to describe the Minneapolis band Threadbare, who were active between 1993 and 1997. They are one of the more musically-inclined straight edge bands that I've ever come across, as well as one of the more inspiring groups of their era. Threadbare crafted emotionally-charged and intelligently-penned songs that somehow intertwined the two completely differing feelings of depression and/or despair with something that was much more optimistic and hopeful at the very same time, with this dualism often occuring in the same song. The dynamic aspect of their songwriting led to lots of awesome moments on their records. Their discography isn't a very extensive one, yet it was apparent they put more emphasis on quality rather than quantity. All told, Threadbare released three records, and this eponymous ep was their first.

This was originally released as a 2 song 7" on Watermark Records, run by the Jordan brothers who played in New Jersey's Encounter. It was also offered as a 3 song cdep on Minneapolis, Minnesota's own FurFace Records, with the additional track "Penicillin" being pulled from their earlier demo tape (this track was eventually re-recorded for their next release). It's a raw and brooding journey, and although the production isn't quite as full as their next two Doghouse efforts, these songs aren't lacking in power at all.

I used to own a Threadbare hooded sweatshirt which I purchased from Doghouse at the same time their final record came out. It had the flame artwork that is pictured on the cd below. I let some girl I was briefly seeing when I was living in Georgia borrow it one morning, and I never saw her or that fucking shirt ever again. I'm way more than extremely confident she had no idea who the band was, but I do recall her strategically placed Grateful Dead tattoo (but not her name, which in hindsight is worth a chuckle).

"Ignition" and "Hoover" were recorded at The Terrarium in January 1994, and "Penicillin" was recorded at AmRep in August 1993. There is no catalog number for FurFace included. Dudes from Threadbare also played in Bloodline, 108, Snapcase, Krakatoa and The Judas Factor. Genuinely a brilliant band.

-cracking the facade-