DCxPC Live On the Making Of ‘DCxPC Live Vol. 22 Sticky Steve, Borrowed Sparks, Jacob Danielsen-Moore and Dougie Flesh & The Slashers’
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of 'DCxPC Live Vol. 22 Sticky Steve, Borrowed Sparks, Jacob Danielsen-Moore and Dougie Flesh & The Slashers?'
In the long run, it’s part of my entire niche which is releasing live punk, hardcore, ska, and metal albums on vinyl that came into being during the pandemic when I was doing livestreams and decided to release those on vinyl. Since then I’ve released albums I’ve recorded at places like Lou’s with the help of Josh from Danger Room Recording Services or I’ve re-released past live albums that were never on vinyl before or bands have found ways to record where they live and then send me the recordings like Year of the Fist or my forthcoming Skapossitory / Scum Shots split 12”
As for this particular release. I was at Fest in 2022 and saw Jacob Danielsen-Moore perform at Loosey’s, and it was kick-ass, so I went to chat with him and whatnot. A short time later he told me that he and Borrowed Sparks were on tour and wanted to play Orlando, so I set up the show with Sticky Steve and Dougie Flesh both of whom I was already a fan of. That was around November, and the show was in February which had the problem of me not being there since I had unexpectedly moved to NY for a PhD program in January. As such I had to get Mark from 2AMature to work the door, run the show, pick up pizzas, etc. and luckily Josh was still able and willing to record even without me there.
What is your personal favorite song from this album and why?
I hesitate to pick one song since there are four artists, so I’ll pick one from each:
Sticky Steve - Vultures - It’s got that early Against Me feel and I love the counting (LOL–You’ll have to listen to get it).
Borrowed Sparks - Man with a Different Name. I love the harmonica and the Americana feel to it. It’s got that Chuck Ragan feel where if you didn’t know they had roots in punk, you might just think of this as a rad al country song.
Jacob Danielsen-Moore - Deep Valley just gets me with the story of the shared mixtape and the loss of friends who can’t get out of the hell hole of a small town they were born in
Dougie Flesh & The Slashers - Printerdix is just a fun song and I appreciate him calling out his coworkers as racists or control freaks because I’ve felt that way before but I never had a song to let me express it.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for this album?
Since I wasn’t present, I can only go by the live recording, and it’s the little bits of stage banter i.e. “I’m Sticky Steve, I play music and it sounds like this” “Happy birthday Lou” or the banter about Bob Dylan that had to be cut but which greatly amused me. Even from a distance, I was getting texts from Mark and Josh, about how kind and friendly everyone was, which is a big plus because that’s the essence of what I think the punk hardcore scene is about.
Can you share a bit about your musical background and the journey that led you to where you are today?
I’m a resident of the DC era, and I’ve been playing in punk hardcore bands since I was 16 in 1992. The DC hardcore ethos has defined who I am as a person and as a musician for the last 30 years. DCxPC Live is based on the ideas of unity, mutual support, and documenting the scene we love.
Can you share an instance where you felt a strong connection with the crowd during a show?
I can’t speak for the four artists on this record, but I can say that for me it often comes when people are singing along in a crowd to one of my band’s songs. People can dance to songs they’ve never heard, but for people to care enough about my music to learn the words and then be moved to rush the stage to sing along or to wrap their arms around people near them to sing along is so beyond meaningful.