AWESOME
So, how is it that all these unique bands from different pockets in the USA wind up on a compilation of a Dutch label? Holland. That country known to many to be near Amsterdam somewhere. And why for Christ sakes is the Dutch label named after a German town? When jazz afficionado J.C Zomer started his label early 1972, he named it after the city that was to hold the Olympic Games a few months later. The first main event to have all nations of the world participate in harmony, celebrating mondial peace. By the time the games were over and the anticipation of global unity was disturbed again, the first albums had already been released and thus the label had its name.
This compilation features songs from some of the acts released on Munich Records over the last few years. Four years ago, my collegue Ben and myself accidentally stumbled on a demo recording of The Gourds when we paid an unannounced visit to our friend Mike Stewart in Austin, TX. When we knocked on his door I turned to Ben and said I had to ask Mike what that fantastic record was that he was playing (we could hear it through the front door). But it wasn't a record. It was the band recording live in Mike's front room. We just sat there in total awe as the band finished their recording and have been in total awe of their songs and their natural attitude to music ever since. The Gourds are family. On this compilation you find two songs of The Gourds. Since the band is based around two unique singer/songwriters (now three!), we thought they deserved two songs on this album. Kevin Russell's hookie junk style- one arm hanging out of the window - in natural born drivin' man's "Hey Little Light" and Jimmy Smith's breathtakingly musical rendition of Frederico Garcia Lorca's poem "Flamenco Cabaret".

Two years later, it was Gourdsman Kevin Russell who gave me a demo tape of The Baptist Generals. Again, I was completely amazed by what I heard. With literally hundreds of tapes and cd's passing our desks every week, never had I heard anything as honest and direct as this. Featuring on this album is "Pats The Rub" from their debut cd "Dog". In turn it was C.S. Flemmons of The Baptist Generals who put me on to another band from his home town Denton TX: the songwriting genius and frail beauty of Centro-Matic and their little cousins South San Gabriel. On this cd you will find Centro-Matic's soon-to-be pop classic "Most Everyone Will Find" and South San Gabriel's fragile immediacy in the yet unreleased "Evangeline".
So, that is how these bands got to be on a Dutch label named after a German town. Basically because we found all of them very unique and denying simple categorization. We are so proud to be able to present something different which is soooo good that it hurts. We released all these records because we think they're awesome.

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