This is about Push On Junior, a band that existed in Minneapolis, MN for a spell during the years 1994 – 1998.
There is an entry on the discogs site which describes the group as a three piece alternative rock band, also noting that they released 3 albums and toured the US and Canada – – yes, Canada.
Known members of the band included these talented gents: Al Grande, Brian Parizek, Bryan Knisley, Diedrich Weiss, Brian Sather, although the revolving door presented a different configuration for each of their releases. Within a couple of years, the final line-up featured all three band members with the same name, with one vowel difference between them. Around the same time, a re-vamped version of the Susstones group Big Red Ball boasted the same dynamic, a three-piece band of women named Lisa – Perhaps Push On Junior were trendsetters ahead of their time? Perhaps both bands were in cahoots? A cloning conspiracy using the Twin Cities music scene as a cover? I’ll leave that for you, the discerning listener, to decide – just listen to the music already!
What follows are a couple of live recordings which the members of Push On Junior graciously allowed me to record back in the day, and to share on Live Music Archive with other past, present and future fans.
Push On Junior • 1994-05-05
Minneapolis, MN • 7th St. Entry
stereo audience recording
duration (34:27)
[01] start (00:12.57)
[02] unidentified title (04:01.29)
[03] Enemies (04:35.34)
[04] Where Do I (04:37.64)
[05] unidentified title (03:53.70)
[06] Best Of Three (05:07.48)
[07] interim / tuning (00:42.43)
[08] Bumblefuck (04:04.72)
[09] Never Talk (03:51.52)
[10] Rodeo Pants (03:19.46)
Diedrich Weiss or Brian Sather : bass
Brian Parizek : drums
Al Grande or Bryan Knisley : guitar, vocals
bill:
Black Happy [from Coeur d’Alene, ID]
No Apparent Reason
Push On Junior
Humdinger
Live Mix: Colin Levine
Here’s an early capture of Push On Junior, right about the time they released their self-titled demo – five of the six from which are included in this rockin’ little set. I’m pretty sure the line-up at this time would have featured the ubiquitous Al Grande on guitar, which I believe is how I was introduced to the band in the first place, but I wasn’t always great at taking notes back then. I’m sure that someone can help me sort out the details. I was recording all four bands that night, and had also been working towards doing some booking, etc, with the band Humdinger, who later changed their name to Blanket. All in all just another night of live music in the Entry, exposing your ears to a wide range of musical territory in a mere four hours.
Recorded / transferred / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives
Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive
Push On Junior • 1996-08-24
Minneapolis, MN • 7th St. Entry
stereo audience recording
duration (46:24)
[01] start / Mike Suade intro (00:32.28)
[02] unidentified title (04:01.25)
[03] interim (00:14.09)
[04] unidentified title (04:54.24)
[05] Bio (04:05.18)
[06] interim (00:30.61)
[07] Linguini Eastern Nude (04:20.50)
[08] interim (00:42.32)
[09] unidentified title (05:01.20)
[10] interim (00:43.04)
[11] Spaghetti Western Man (03:37.05)
[12] unidentified title (05:16.33)
[13] unidentified title (06:41.24)
[14] interim (00:15.47)
[15] unidentified title (00:10.08) [start only – tape flip!] >
[16] unidentified title (05:18.09) [continued]
Diedrich Weiss or Brian Sather : bass
Brian Parizek : drums
Al Grande or Bryan Knisley : guitar, vocals
bill:
The Glenrustles
Push On Junior
Apparently I neglected to write down the date of this show at the time, but the calendar lists a CD Release Party by The Glenrustles on Saturday, 24 August 1996, so that’s what I’m going with here. Did I already mention that my note-taking abilities were fairly hit-and-miss back then? Speaking of which, it may be that Al Grande had left the band at this point, and this might be the classic three-Brian line-up, but I’m waiting for confirmation about that. At any rate, the band seemed to be light years ahead of themselves at this point, skipping over most of their current material, and blazing through a handful of tunes that to the best of my awareness, remain unreleased. Was there yet another album in the works? One can only imagine where that might have taken them, but it seem we may never know.
I had hoped to record The Glenrustles, as well, but Rich Mattson declined to give me permission to record them – I think that at the time, a lot of band folks were puzzled about the motivations for doing this kind of live recording, what with pesky bootleggers running around and all of that. However, I was given the thumbs-up to record this rockin’ set by Push On Junior, which you can now enjoy, two decades later!
Recorded / transferred / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives
Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive
One more time, y’all – it is definitely worth your time to track down any of the band’s releases!
The band’s 1994 self-released demo and both of their subsequent albums – in digital and physical formats – can be purchased directly from the band through their bandcamp page
If that ever changes, all three of these fine releases have also been spotted on the discogs site.
The band also contributed a couple of tracks to the Big Money Inc Workman’s Comp, which also has been seen at discogs.
Download or stream all sets by Push On Junior from Live Music Archive
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