STUMBLEBUMS - Demo - Tape - 1995

   I only got to see the STUMBLEBUMS a handful of times before moving my sorry ass to Huntsville, AL (their hometown) in 1995. I was seriously scared of them because they looked fuckin' punk, were covered in bad tattoos and they usually looked pissed off. Also, they made fun of me and threatened me, so that helped the fear factor. It was funny to play in bands with them later and realize that they were total sweethearts and incredibly nice people most of the time.
    This band sounds like a tug of war between Heiko's (bass player/singer) love of "The Word As Law"-era NEUROSIS and Neil's (guitar/vocals) penchant for writing catchy guitar parts inspired by THE FREEZE, PEGBOY and GENERATION X. Ben (their drummer) stayed somewhere in the middle and worked to congeal their disparate styles into something concrete and punk as fuck. Their live shows were usually a chaotic mess, with punks throwing cans at them and the band trying to hold it together. They were definitely one of the reasons I moved away from my hometown and settled in Huntsville.
  Later in 1995, Heiko went on a one show tour to California with his other band THE SLACKERS (who will have a very long post on here one day) and his band left him there. He still resides in Oakland and has played in ONE MAN ARMY and U.S. BOMBS. Neil played in bands with me and then moved away to Arizona and I haven't seen or heard from him since. Ben, once a dude who scared the shit outta me, is now a tender, sweet man who plays drums in THE PINE HILL HAINTS.

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Link updated 4/6/15. RIP Heiko