THIS BIKE IS A PIPEBOMB - 1st 7" - 1997

   THIS BIKE IS A PIPEBOMB started in Pensacola, FL in 1995 as a new wave band; complete with a keyboard and bouncy songs. They booked a two week tour before they even had a set and then broke up afterwards. Later, they reformed as a three piece trying to play country music and that lasted until...oh, I'd say about 2010 or so. Some people are convinced that they started the genre of "folk-punk" and should be lauded for convincing the youth of this land to pick up acoustic guitars and strum to their heart's content. Others are convinced that they started the genre of "folk-punk" and should be mercilessly fucked with for the rest of their natural born lives. I fall somewhere in the middle of those two beliefs. I hate the shit out of folk-punk, but I love TBIAPB...but not really for their music. I think they are wonderful people that try really hard at everything they do and make their dreams a reality. Once they had an old taxi cab that they wanted to go on tour in, but the transmission needed to be rebuilt. Their drummer, Ted, taught himself how to do it at home and rebuilt the entire transmission on their dining room table...and then they went on tour in a taxi. Terry, the bassist has been running a bar/vegan restaurant/DIY show venue in Pensacola since the 80's and even through its many changes in location, it is still running strong. In the last few years, she has relocated to Chattanooga, TN and opened a 2nd location that is doing well. If you're ever in Pensacola or Chattanooga, I highly recommend eating there and playing/ attending a show.. Rymodee, their guitarist, is still writing songs that are, in my opinion, building on the foundation of TBIAPB, but way better. He and Terry are still playing music together these days in a band called ZIPPERS TO NOWHERE.
    TBIAPB sent this 7" to my zine in 1997, even though I blatantly wrote in my zine that I don't do music reviews. I had never met them and had no idea that they would soon be my friends for life. They asked me to review their 7", so I did. I think I gave it a pretty tepid review, but these songs have definitely grown on me over time. It's TBIAPB at their most primitive, when David Dondero was still playing drums for them, before all of their songs were lightning fast. I learned important facts from this record, like Ted Bundy was caught in Pensacola. I also learned other crazy facts about Ted Bundy from talking to the band, but that's a story for another time. I saw them during this era and they were blowing fire on stage and were more loose, in a way. I'm pretty sure they didn't know what was coming next for them.

                         

This is my first time uploading vinyl. Let me know if it's fucked up.

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Link fixed 3/2020