Based on the title, about 3 million artists could qualify as someone Mike Park knows. That said, he definitely knows the following artists well, based on doing features with him, being on his label, and having all the members of a band that was on his label respectively.
Catbite “Call Your Bluff”
This is the first single of their record Nice One! released today (Aug 6). It’s an amazing ska record with some great guitar and keyboard. The words will get stuck in your head, but I guess that’s the point. This track has a rad 90s Rancid guitar sound.
You might recall the Mike Park and Catbite duet featured in edition #31 “In Quicksand“.
People should watch out in the poker game tonight, as I will be paying off every river in the hopes of calling bluffs. It will work against at least 3 players.
Joyce Manor “Constant Headache”
This album was just remastered and re-released for its 10th Anniversary on Asian Man Records (Mike Park’s label). I’d seen their name on comps and their records up on his site, but never really checked them out. I’m glad I look into them earlier this year, they have some really great songs with hard driving guitars and powerful vocals.
In checking the words to this song, there is some discussion about it being from the perspective of a dog. Artist confirms, definitely not true.
But I’m a constant headache, a tooth out of line
Joyce Manor
Desa “Knives to the brain”
This is the Bay Area post-Link 80 rock band Desa. Their Year in a Red Room record got a lot of listens driving around in the early 2000s. I rediscovered it thanks to the In Defense of Ska podcast, and its cohost, Adam Davis. He’s the guitar player in Link 80, here, and in other bands like Omnigone.
As well as being fellow Bay Area residents, Mike Park definitely knows these guys from the Link 80 records put out on his label.
The cover art to this record is rad, it is their name spelled out with photos over a year in a red room.
