Dow Jones and the Industrials “Can’t Stand the Midwest”/The Gizmos “The Midwest Can Be Alright”
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
(This is the second post in a recurring marathonpacks feature on overlooked Indiana bands and musical artists from the past three decades.)
Bloomington and Lafayette, Indiana, the respective locations of Indiana and Purdue Universities, have enjoyed a rivalry spanning a century, mostly involving athletics. However, during the tail end of the Seventies and the early Eighties, another kind of friendly competition was happening, this one between two of the best punk bands to come out of the state.
Lafayette’s Dow Jones and the Industrials were known for a nervous, intellectual post-punk,
while Bloomington’s The Gizmos shredded amps with a loud, raucous attack. Both “Can’t Stand the Midwest” (mp3) and “The Midwest Can Be Alright” (mp3), (neither of which represent the “core” sound of either band) were released in 1981 (the year Isiah Thomas took IU to the national championship), and, while there wasn’t a rivalry between the two groups in the strictest sense of the term, the release of these two seven-inches stands as a testament to the breadth of quality music emanating from the state twenty-five years ago.
“Can’t Stand the Midwest,” which I saw Yo La Tengo cover at an Indy show in 2001, was originally released on the Bloodstains Across the Midwest compilation in 1981. It’s long out of print, but you can read more about DJ and the I at WFMU’s site, here.
“The Midwest Can Be Alright” was originally released on Bloomington-based Gulcher Records’ compilation Red Snerts in 1981, but a re-mastered version is available here.
Previously: Dancing Cigarettes “Pop Doormat“
Filed under: beef bloomingtopia Dow Jones and the Industrials Gizmos Gulcher Indiana Lafayette The Midwest
Dow Jones and Gizmos did a split LP, Hoosier Hysteria, that still has a cherished place in my record collection. I still vividly remember the record-release party in Bloomington in ‘79/’80.
15 years later, I’m in Memphis working for an ad agency. We had a client from L.A. who was putting on a special event in Memphis. We’re out at dinner, just drunk enough to say someting stupid about Sonic Youth. My client responds immediately about “Thurston and Kim” being in town last week. I’m shocked. “Dave,” I ask, “how the hell do you know about Sonic Youth.”
“I used to be a drummer in a band,” my client replies. “What band?” I ask.
“The Gizmos…”
I freak. Turns out my client is Dave Myers, who played drums for the Gizmos and Vulgar Boatmen. I’d seen him perform numerous times. I brought in the “Hoosier Hysteria” LP the next day. He was amazed. We remain good friends to this day.