GREENHORN - Please Don't Sue Me Vol.3

GREENHORN - Please Don't Sue Me Vol.3
(Chemical Wire Records) Out Of Print / Limited Edition of 25 CDs

Bumped By Karaoke Compilation
01. Sassafras
02. The Dreamer

The Progress 7"
03. The Progress
04. A Bit Of Real Sadness

Conversations With Myself 7"
05. Conversations With Myself
06. Callous

Cowtown Vol.1 Compilation 7"
07. Shell

For Your Ears Only Compilation
08. Leadhead

Through The Thick Of It 7"
09. Through The Thick Of It
10. Chastity

Lover's Song 7"
11. Lover's Song
12. Liar's Song

Why Do You Think They Call It Pop? Compilation
13. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover

Personnel:
Dan Spurgeon - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard
Pat McGann - Drums
Steve McGann - Bass
Mark Spurgeon - Guitar

Another quality Columbus band that couldn't take that next step. It seems like every band these guys were in, always critics darlings, fell apart. The McGann brothers made up half of alt.country band Big Back Forty who released their sole album on Polygram in 1997. Before the album was even released, the McGann brothers went their way. This release collects most of the singles and stray tracks recorded by Greenhorn during their volatile existence. Chemical Wire Records is another interesting story; It was founded by a Columbus, OH resident that was transplanted to Dewey, OK. His love for Ohio indie rock influenced him in the creation of his own label, where he collected rare singles and stray tracks by OH bands he liked, pressed them in limited quantity and gave them away for free. That's why each release was titled "Please Don't Sue Me Vol.__." I believe the label is gone, but it was great while it lasted.

From Dan Spurgeon's Web Site:
I was once very bored and I sat down to write this personal bio and musical history. There are a few details missing but these are all the groups I've played with that ever recorded and released anything. I had to get this down before my memory started fading...

I started, in earnest, playing and recording music in 1987, forcing my way into my brother's band, Two Hour Trip. They didn't really want another guitarist, much less a beginner, but they got both. I later learned we were all cutting our teeth to some extent. I also started writing songs around this time. The band slowly disintegrated for no determined reason and we all went our separate ways. We did manage to record a decent demo tape and released a single for Columbus' own, Datapanik Records. We did a cover of a Peter Laughner song, Dear Richard, recorded in April of 1989.

Shortly thereafter, I started my own power trio, Big Red Sun with Pat McGann and Jason Sturgis. Pat stayed with me for a long time, in fact he's still around. Jason went on to propel Train Meets Truck and started Hensley/Sturgis with Barry Hensley to further his own material. There's nothing like getting it right the first time. Saves a lot of headache down the line. Big Red Sun's claim to fame is another single for Datapanik, this time of two original tunes : Compulsion b/w Faintest Clue 7" came out in 1991. We ran 600 singles, total with 100 beautiful, clear, red vinyl. All the records are individually hand -numbered.

Big Red Sun had some fun, but ultimately, laid the groundwork for the rock outfit, Greenhorn. Greenhorn came to be when Pat and I were without a bassist and Pat's brother Steve and my brother Mark, who were also playing together, were without a drummer. Two pairs of brothers seemed a little volatile. It was. The chemistry was so thick you could taste it three days later. Though it makes for an electric experience it was also ultimately what led to our downfall. Greenhorn collapsed amid these and other pressures on the eve of signing a deal with San Francisco's Alias Records. But that was far from the end for this group. After what seemed like three or four "reunion" shows, we decided that we were enjoying ourselves too much to limit our involvement to just reunion shows. So we became a band again, this time loosely organized and without the push that separated us. Though we have officially put our performing days behind us, I'm still hopeful we will someday release a vanity pressing of a collection of our work. Don't hold your breath though, cause we've always worked on another schedule.

We released a string of singles and kicked it all off with two tracks for a Datapanik compilation CD, Bumped by Karaoke, to which we provided, "Sassafras Tea" and "The Dreamer." This was followed shortly after by another Datapanik 7" , "a bit of real sadness" b/w "The Progress." We were picking up momentum and, bolstered by a scene that was as prolific as it was talented, we contributed a song to the first Anyway Records compilation 7" , "Shell." Gaunt, Belreve and V-3 shared the grooves with us and this was the start of something beautiful. The Cowtown E.P.'s came out punching and this was the start of our relationship with Bela, one of Anyway's enigmatic founders (the other being the late Jerry Wick of Gaunt). Anyway Records had picked up where Datapanik had left off and has put out a number of fine records to date. Unsure of what was happening, our next single came out as a joint effort of both labels. 1992's "Conversations With Myself" b/w "Callous" garnered great reviews and the grumbling rock machine kept humming. So we kicked out another 7" , this time on Anyway. "Through the Thick of It" b /w "Chastity" was recorded in the summer of 1993 and was supposed to be the prerelease of two album tracks. That record never came to be for God knows what reason. It was too long ago. So we motored on, though the wheels were starting to come off. Mostly due to the success of the New Bomb Turks and Gaunt, Engine Records re -released all the Datapanik singles on a CD. Convenient for those without a turntable, I guess. I still have plenty of vinyl copies of our singles in the basement, so it surely wasn't for that reason. 1993 also saw a track contributed to Eardrop Production's, For Your Ears Only sampler, a live version of the anthem, "Leadhead." Later that same year, Ajax Records of Chicago formed a subsidiary label, 3 Beads of Sweat and Greenhorn gave them two tracks for their initial single. A concept 7" , "Liar's Song" b/w "Lover's Song" came out of the same recording sessions as the "Through the Thick of It" record, now affectionately referred to as the Steve's Garage sessions. The records were individually hand-numbered and 500 were issued. The sleeve features an original work by NY artist, Sharon Anderson and the Barbie Doll imagery contrasted nicely with the testosterone -fueled skronk within. In another attempt to get the music to the masses, Get Hip Recordings of Pittsburgh re -released the Anyway singles on a compilation CD in 1994. That disc included two of the Anyway 7 -inches mentioned above, "Conversations With Myself" b/w "Callous" and Cowtown EP, Volume 1. Strangely, our other work was not included... hmm, I'd never thought about that before. 1994 brought the beginning of the end for Greenhorn and the band slowly disintegrated, but not before contributing a track to Pop Narcotic's, Why Do You Think They Call It Pop? EP. Beautifully packaged and released on two 10" platters, we handed over a ripping version of Paul Simon's, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and shared space with Boston's Kudgel and southern deconstructionists The Grifters on our slab of vinyl. This and the Ajax 7" were released after the demise of the band but the connections proved fruitful for me.

GREENHORN - Please Don't Sue Me Vol.3 (320kbs download)