Subterranean Café – Subterranean Café

Subterranean Café
Subterranean Café
1984 (no label)
Portland, Oregon, USA

Dan Zimmerman – Vocals, guitar
Blair Stevenson – Guitar, mandolin, vocals
Steve Bakunas – Drums
Sean Boyle – Bass, vocals

Side 1:

1. It’s Cold Outside
2. Red-Hot
3. Crush That Snake
4. Technical Idolatry Blues
5. Walk on Horizon Road

Side 2:

1. Madness From Above
2. Men Are Mute And Quiet Still
3. In Your Vaulted Room
4. Burgandy and Midnight

This is an early demo that featured Dan Zimmerman, who now works as a solo artist (having released some albums for Sounds Familyre) and painter. This album is kind of an interesting mixture of blues, rock, alternative, and jazz. Zimmerman’s bio describes it as art-rock/punk, but it is generally more laid back than most punk. But that description still fits. Kind of hard to describe, but I like it. Sometimes the vocals are sung, other times they are almost spoken in a skit-like manner. You can hear the roots of the vocals styles he would use on later solo albums. Seems like it was five more years until they released their next album Right on Target in 1989, and then another 5 years before releasing their final album When Dinosaurs Melt in 1994.