Mayfairgrin – Collections: Early Demo Tapes

Mayfairgrin
Collections: Early Demo Tapes
2019 (no label)
Portland, Oregon, USA

Andrew Farris – synths, programming, frankenstein computers, acoustic guitars, sheet metal, 1970’s radio noise, 808

1. Psalter (1998)
2. Before Fear (mfg mix) (2000)
3. More Than Free (1999)
4. whom have I (live & apostate 2001)
5. Ashes Fall (1997)
6. Elysium Song (1999)
7. The Speed of Heaven (slow hell mix) (2000)
8. Planetarium (1998)
9. Cinder (1999)
10. Creation (mfg remix) (1999)
11. Planetarium (obscure element mix) (1998)

This is not technically a demo tape, but a collection of songs from earlier demo tapes. The dates on these songs go back to 1997, but most information I find online goes back to 2001. So I don’t know if the tapes represented here were ever widely released. But you may remember Mayfairgrin as an experimental ambient and electronica act that had songs on various compilations like Automata. There is a bit more of a driving beat in many songs that you don’t usually get with many ambient acts, but there is also a lot more ambient music than you get with many electronica albums as well. But there are also songs with vocals and a guitar with various electronic noises and percussion sounds added in an experimental fashion. If that appeals to you, then you can check it out on BandCamp, as well as the large number of releases since then – Farris is still active to this day.

Weltwasher – Kerr-@ng

Weltwasher
Kerr-@ng
1997 Jerk Records
Red Banks, New Jersey, USA

Pete – all music

1. This Might be Our MAN
2. Bart’s Nightmare
3. The Chunk
4. Castlevania
5. Modern Man in Revolt
6. The Land of Chocolate

When this tape starts off, your first thought is probably “this song sounds familiar…?” And sure enough, the liner notes confirm that they did sample “sounds and licks” from bands like Primus, King’s X, Christafari, and others. Other songs appear to be taken from videos games. So it’s a lot of found noise (including television and speech samples) that is put together to form songs. But it is strangely interesting as well. So it’s kind of noise, kind of industrial, kind of experimental. “Modern Man in Revolt” was also included on Escape the Furnace Volume 1. Not sure who Pete is, but he was responsible for all of this.

Matthew Basso – Town Cryer

Matthew Basso
Town Cryer
1997 (no label)
Canton, Ohio, USA

Side A:

1. Stringside
2. Stringside Call
3. Lost Along the Wayside
4. Shall be Saved
5. All of Your days
6. Rejoice
7. Make up Your Mind

Side B:

1. The Vision
2. In the Country

When reviewing the 1998 demo by Basso, I had a hard time describing the style. This one starts off with a very Led Zeppelin-inspired acoustic number. That seems to be the style for most of the songs, even though songs like “Lost Along the Wayside” bring in some other influences and even some aggressive distorted guitars (with no drums, though). In fact, I don’t think there are any drums or percussion on this whole tape. Several different guitars and bass guitars often layer over each other, but not much else other than an occasional keyboard part here and there. This is labeled as a pre-release, but I don’t know if a full release with cover art was released or not.

Dert – Demo #1 and #2

Dert
Demo #1 and #2
1997 (no label)

Demo #1

1. Alien
2. Stay Away

Demo #2

1. Paranoid
2. Janie

These are two separate demos, but as you can see from the pictures, there wasn’t much difference between them other than the songs. This is kind of heavier 90s alternative rock, with louder guitars and vocals than your average 90s alt rock. Also some nice bass guitar work on songs like “Stay Away.” “Paranoid” almost feels like it gets into Funk Metal, or even a noticeable Primus influence. In fact, overall I would almost put both demos in the funk metal realm? They just sometimes pull back to a heavy alternative sound during the songs. But that is all I really know about these.

Missing Information: Who played on these demos?

Circadian Rhythm – Twenty-Five

Circadian Rhythm
Twenty-Five
1997 (no label)
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Shane Lankford – Vocals
Stephen Cyford – Guitar
Jason Chaillou – Bass, vocals, percussion
Law McMillan – Drums

Side A:

1. Skies
2. Twenty-Five

Side B:

1. Ownly
2. Checkerboard

This is not the same Circadian Rhythm that released Over Under Everything on 40 Records in 2001. This band ended up changing their name to About a Day to avoid confusion with that band. The sound on this demo is your typical mid to late 90s Chrindie rock – similar to what many bands were doing on Forefront Records or Rustproof Records at the time.  There is some guitar bite to songs, some swagger in the performance, but still acceptable to youth groups around the nation. Their was a short two song demo before this one. All of the songs on this demo except “Twenty-Five” were re-recorded for the 1998 follow-up CD About a Day (whish later became the name of the band as well).

Jasper Gate – Jasper Gate

Jasper Gate
Jasper Gate
1997(?) (no label)

1. Hey
2. Wake Up
3. Lights Out
4. Just Make You Wonder
5. Come to the River

This is kind of a singer/songwriter duo type release – one person on guitar and another on vocals. No list of who did what is given, but with female vocals taking the lead, I would guess the dude on the cover is doing acoustic guitar and backing vocals. That was just the way it usually was, but he could also just be providing backing vocals only as well. No date, either – but the person that sent this to me guessed it was around 1997. The guitar is also at times played with some interesting strumming and even plucking/hammering patterns. Also some occasional small hand percussion instruments here and there.

Missing Information: Who played what? Is 1997 the release date?

Face of Humanity – Demo

Face of Humanity
Demo
1997 (no label)
Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

1. Destruction
2. Strive
3. Pharisee
4. Feeding Off Of

Most people probably associate Face of Humanity with the 2000’s due to their 2001 ep As Darkness Whispers on Clenched Fist Records. They were kicking around back into almost the mid-90s, however. This demo being proof of that. They also made appearances on several complications as well. “Feeding Off Of” from this demo was on the Hardcore 101 compilation from M&M Records, while “Destruction” was on the Living is Our Example Volume 1 compilation from Rescue Records. The sound here is mid-90s hardcore, before it went to other “cores” like metalcore. A bit faster and more gruff vocals than your average hardcore band at the time, though. None of the songs on here appear to have been on their later ep.

Radio Flyer – Radio Flyer

Radio Flyer
Radio Flyer
1997 (no label)
Tennessee, USA

Aaron Siller – Vocals, guitars
Daniel Dee – Bass
Joshua Rice – Drums

1. Caroline
2. Hear Too Soon
3. To Be Me
4. Juliet
5. Slipstream

If the name of the band gives off a Starflyer 59 vibe, you would kind of be right. The guitars often start off reminding me of early Velour 100 at first – but with male vocals. You also hear some Gold-era SF59 influence as well as some emo influence. They seem to mostly forgo the wall of guitar sound of many shoegaze bands of the era, but I don’t know if that was the choice of the band or a limitation of a demo recording. Songs like “To Be Me” even have a slight hint of 80s alt rock thrown into the mix. Ever so slightly, though.

Uneven Ground – Groove Krank

Uneven Ground
Groove Krank
1997 (no label)
Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada

Tony Lavender – Vox, keys
Jason Armstrong – Guitars, BGVs
Jay Cromie – Bass
Jeff Lamers – Percussion

1. This or That
2. Stupider
3. Backslide
4. Lonely Man
5. Legion

When you name your demo “Groove Krank,” you make people immediately think of bands like Korn. But Uneven Ground doesn’t sound like Korn – the lead singer sings well, and there are many melodic parts. They do have a heaviness and strong bass presence that seems to display a groove metal influence. But they also mix that with progressive metal influences as well. Also some vocals that border on gothic at times. Interesting mix of sounds. But they do come back to the groove quite often, like in “Backslide.”

Cradle->Grave – Moths

Cradle->Grave
Moths
1997 (no label)
Australia

Matthew Aitchison
Warren Wheeler

1. FreedomSlave
2. You Are of the Broadest Skies
3. Moth

Automatapedia described Cradle->Grave as a band that “fused ambient, electro-industrial and trip hop styles to create a unique hybrid sound that could be described Peter Gabriel meets Portishead” and, well, that kind of works. It also appeals to fans of darkwave as well. All of the songs on this demo have appeared on various Flamming Fish or Blacklight Records compilations through the years, so you have likely heard a version of all of them. They were also re-recorded for the band’s 1998 full-length Saper Vedere, so you might have heard those versions instead.