Scotch LaRock on Rabbit Holes, The 1990s, and Pond

I Can Relate

I've done this before. You hear a song by one of your favorite bands from back in the day, and it takes you down a path of sorts. The Internet has made this painfully easy; and, more than once, I've found myself in the time suck of YouTube videos and old album reviews. I'm looking at you, Cavedogs.

FoCDM Scotch LaRock and I had a conversation about chasing old bands around on the Internet the other night, and he sent me over an account of his most recent experience. It's kind of stream of consciousness, but that's the nature of these things.

I've Gone Down A Rabbit Hole
by Scotch LaRock

Alice - “How curious. I never realized that rabbit holes were so dark . . . and so long . . . and so empty. I believe I have been falling for five minutes, and I still can't see the bottom!”

Rabbit holes, they are everywhere. I get lost. Regularly. Something I read or hear or see triggers it, and I get lost. I might be down a rabbit hole right now.

A few days ago, I was driving and had on my local college radio station. Wedged in between the local acoustic tune and the new Real Estate song was The Posies' “I Can Dream All Day.”



I hadn't thought about The Posies in some time, but there they were calling me. It seems fitting as the jumping off point for this rabbit hole.

Later that night I put The Posies on and started to sink deep into the 90s. One thing led to another and so on. Finally, I find myself wondering how it's four hours later and I'm in the garage trying to find, well, I don't know. I got lost on the way.  Maybe there is something to Inception.

This was a rabbit hole within a rabbit hole. I started in Seattle, moved into Sub Pop, and then traveled down to Portland. Along the way, I went on a few side trips: Hazel, Elliott Smith, and Everclear from their time on Tim/Kerr Records. Then I tripped over Pond. Yes, I thought, Pond and my old friend Chris Brady.

Pond were a three piece from Portland that got swept up into the grunge era and eventually signed a major label deal. I can honestly say that grunge is a bothersome word to describe music; but it references the time, so I'll go with it. Pond's bassist / singer, Chris Brady, did this crazy pick hand slide thing that I haven't seen or heard since. Pond had an early single on Tim/Kerr before they moved over to Sub Pop for their first two LPs.

Ok, I came a little late to the Pond party. I bought their first album shortly before their second album came out, and I only vaguely remember the video for “Agatha."



Mostly, I remember it for the hat that Charlie wore and the image of the bands' heads in the hedges. I remember a lot of press photos of Charlie with hats. I started to get into the band and met Pond during South By Southwest. I struck up a bit of a friendship with Chris. We kept in touch, before the internets!

While rummaging around down in this rabbit hole, I spent some time trying to track down videos from my favorite Pond record The Practice of Joy Before Death. Such a collection of weird pop songs buried in a murky Pacific Northwestness.  It was the kind of record on which my favorite song changed from week to week, and that's the one that made it to the latest mix tape I gave to a friend.

Quirky man, just really, really quirky. Songs about old ladies and snakes and ants. Did I mention that slide bass? YouTube wasn't really cooperating with my desire for a video for “Sundial,”



but then I found this gem, a live version of “Rock Collection.”



Remember, I said there would be hats. What a snapshot of time and place. Hey there 90s, coffee shop!

I saw Pond a few times that tour, once at South By Southwest. If I remember correctly, that included seeing them play in the front window of a bar. I may or may not have met Doug Martsch of Built To Spill sitting on the curb outside. Times and places blend together almost twenty years later.

Now here's where we can get even more Inception. I saw Fugazi with the Pond guys in May of 1997. They were in NYC and played Brownies. I thought they were amazing, but you probably guessed that part. During their stay we went to see Fugazi at the Palladium. Five bucks. Amazing night, except for Branch Manager, who I still do not enjoy. I think it was the last rock show at the Palladium, too. I checked to see if it is part of the Fugazi Live series. Sadly it is not. That would have been cool.

I put on the album Rock Collection. Still weird, lots of dogs and astronauts. There was a fantastic video for “Spokes.”



If you look closely, you'll spot Leslie Hayman (Therese Lisbon from The Virgin Suicides) and Spike Jonze. P.S., I can rabbit hole even deeper on both The Virgin Suicides and Oscar-winner Spike Jonze. Along the way, I found a couple of Pond Peel Sessions that I never heard and some non-album tracks I didn't remember to round out my rock collection. Pond, I miss ya.

Unfortunately, like many bands that you or I cultivate and keep in the underrated / forgotten category, Pond didn't survive that major label move and didn't make another record. Chris Brady and Steve Birch of Sprinkler went on to form Mandarin, later changing their name to Audio Learning Center. They released two records on Vagrant in the early aughts. Sadly Vagrant doesn't have any info, but All Music does. I lost touch with Chris over the years but I find this to be quite a fitting end to this leg of the journey. Audio Learning Center's “Stereo.”



Now why was I in the garage?