Mark Tough
@marktough.bsky.social
Doin' stuff at the nexus of tech, community development, and education. Geezer Xer. Iowa farm boy, 33-year Baltimore City rowhomie. Indie music, Patterson Park, pinball, disc golf, hiking, cat appreciating, econ/soc.
They were just fun in a low stakes way -- great purveyors of party music without the exhausting Cosmic A Lot-ness of RHCP or anything like that. Borrowed some legitimacy in having a former Ohio Player behind the drum kit as well.
December 12, 2025 at 6:59 PM
They were just fun in a low stakes way -- great purveyors of party music without the exhausting Cosmic A Lot-ness of RHCP or anything like that. Borrowed some legitimacy in having a former Ohio Player behind the drum kit as well.
Might have been a tad early for you yearwise (or not), but did you ever see Royal Crescent Mob? There was SO MUCH egregious white funk in those days, but I felt those guys mostly understood the assignment. Columbus-based, if I remember correctly. Them and New Bomb Turks.
December 12, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Might have been a tad early for you yearwise (or not), but did you ever see Royal Crescent Mob? There was SO MUCH egregious white funk in those days, but I felt those guys mostly understood the assignment. Columbus-based, if I remember correctly. Them and New Bomb Turks.
... Apparently said review had focused overmuch in Bob's view on Bob's inebriation. " 'Wild Bob, the drinking boy,' huh? Are you HERE? Do you have the balls to come up on THIS stage, motherfucker?!" It was the best show I ever saw them do. And it was only midly scary being, like, 5' in front of Bob.
December 12, 2025 at 5:30 PM
... Apparently said review had focused overmuch in Bob's view on Bob's inebriation. " 'Wild Bob, the drinking boy,' huh? Are you HERE? Do you have the balls to come up on THIS stage, motherfucker?!" It was the best show I ever saw them do. And it was only midly scary being, like, 5' in front of Bob.
I'll shut up already with the war stories. But I remember seeing Imperial Era GBV (circa Under/Under or slightly thereafter) at the old Fletcher's at Fleet and Bond. Bob was LIT UP all night about the City Paper review of their prior live show in town, which may have been written by Lee Gardner. ...
December 12, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I'll shut up already with the war stories. But I remember seeing Imperial Era GBV (circa Under/Under or slightly thereafter) at the old Fletcher's at Fleet and Bond. Bob was LIT UP all night about the City Paper review of their prior live show in town, which may have been written by Lee Gardner. ...
... undeniable. I just want Shapeship LP to have a little more skronk is all. If Pavement, then Slanted.
I'll always remember seeing Pavement on their swan song Original Era tour at Bohager's and the band being completely surprised when the audience massively irony-cheered for the "Baltimore."
I'll always remember seeing Pavement on their swan song Original Era tour at Bohager's and the band being completely surprised when the audience massively irony-cheered for the "Baltimore."
December 12, 2025 at 5:17 PM
... undeniable. I just want Shapeship LP to have a little more skronk is all. If Pavement, then Slanted.
I'll always remember seeing Pavement on their swan song Original Era tour at Bohager's and the band being completely surprised when the audience massively irony-cheered for the "Baltimore."
I'll always remember seeing Pavement on their swan song Original Era tour at Bohager's and the band being completely surprised when the audience massively irony-cheered for the "Baltimore."
I mean, THIS was literally my post from a few days ago. Alien Lanes is everything and it saddens me that GBV's centrality has maybe been a wee bit marginalized of late.
Range Life is DEFINITELY the 90s Indie Video for our spaceship. And the zeitgeist centrality is ...
bsky.app/profile/mark...
Range Life is DEFINITELY the 90s Indie Video for our spaceship. And the zeitgeist centrality is ...
bsky.app/profile/mark...
Not really a vodka drinker but it's been a VERY long day. Accompanied by Alien Lanes and other Dayton indie.
December 12, 2025 at 5:15 PM
I mean, THIS was literally my post from a few days ago. Alien Lanes is everything and it saddens me that GBV's centrality has maybe been a wee bit marginalized of late.
Range Life is DEFINITELY the 90s Indie Video for our spaceship. And the zeitgeist centrality is ...
bsky.app/profile/mark...
Range Life is DEFINITELY the 90s Indie Video for our spaceship. And the zeitgeist centrality is ...
bsky.app/profile/mark...
(granting bannermen like Pavement, PJ Harvey, Liz Phair, GBV, etc., I've always kinda felt like if I had to pick one lp to put on a spaceship to represent "90s indierock," Vee Vee would be right there in that conversation. But then too, there's The Grifters' Ain't My Lookout so . . . . )
December 12, 2025 at 5:05 PM
(granting bannermen like Pavement, PJ Harvey, Liz Phair, GBV, etc., I've always kinda felt like if I had to pick one lp to put on a spaceship to represent "90s indierock," Vee Vee would be right there in that conversation. But then too, there's The Grifters' Ain't My Lookout so . . . . )
I was at a Crooked Fingers show at The Ottobar about twenty years ago with a housemate's younger friend and I literally remember him disapointedly exclaiming to me, "THIS is the 'pin in your back bone' guy?!"
I like all the Bachmann incarnations but Younger Guy was not wrong to note the difference.
I like all the Bachmann incarnations but Younger Guy was not wrong to note the difference.
December 12, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I was at a Crooked Fingers show at The Ottobar about twenty years ago with a housemate's younger friend and I literally remember him disapointedly exclaiming to me, "THIS is the 'pin in your back bone' guy?!"
I like all the Bachmann incarnations but Younger Guy was not wrong to note the difference.
I like all the Bachmann incarnations but Younger Guy was not wrong to note the difference.
Lovely set there! (Really hate that I never managed to see Low).
I'd toss this ditty into the mix. I was residin' in the Triangle in their heyday when they were cutting their teeth alongside Superchunk and all the rest and those were great times.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QrD...
I'd toss this ditty into the mix. I was residin' in the Triangle in their heyday when they were cutting their teeth alongside Superchunk and all the rest and those were great times.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QrD...
Archers of Loaf - White Trash Heroes
YouTube video by kim wilmoth
www.youtube.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Lovely set there! (Really hate that I never managed to see Low).
I'd toss this ditty into the mix. I was residin' in the Triangle in their heyday when they were cutting their teeth alongside Superchunk and all the rest and those were great times.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QrD...
I'd toss this ditty into the mix. I was residin' in the Triangle in their heyday when they were cutting their teeth alongside Superchunk and all the rest and those were great times.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QrD...
I exagerate given that John's voice is John's voice. But that admittedly central feature aside, Rise could otherwise be a joint by some band like The Call or The Alarm or a handful of other marchy-marchy midtempo anthem merchants of those days.
December 12, 2025 at 4:46 PM
I exagerate given that John's voice is John's voice. But that admittedly central feature aside, Rise could otherwise be a joint by some band like The Call or The Alarm or a handful of other marchy-marchy midtempo anthem merchants of those days.
No Desk For Old Kitteh?
December 9, 2025 at 1:41 PM
No Desk For Old Kitteh?
assuming a sincere ask ...
"pew pew, pew pew pew!"
"pew pew, pew pew pew!"
December 8, 2025 at 6:44 PM
assuming a sincere ask ...
"pew pew, pew pew pew!"
"pew pew, pew pew pew!"
Love that exquisite DAIRY air!
December 7, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Love that exquisite DAIRY air!
ps: never mind the street specificity. I PARTLY confused this thread with another one. Anyway, Reagan is great!
December 6, 2025 at 6:13 PM
ps: never mind the street specificity. I PARTLY confused this thread with another one. Anyway, Reagan is great!
She used to live on unit north Decker; she's on Baltimore around Luzerne now. As you may or may not know, her husband founded and owns blacksauce kitchen.
December 6, 2025 at 6:12 PM
She used to live on unit north Decker; she's on Baltimore around Luzerne now. As you may or may not know, her husband founded and owns blacksauce kitchen.
ps: long shot, but you don't happen to know my old neighbor Reagan Mosley? She had a natl role in PP in the 2000s/2010s; my old non-profit sold her and her husband their rowhome here in Baltimore.
December 6, 2025 at 1:45 AM
ps: long shot, but you don't happen to know my old neighbor Reagan Mosley? She had a natl role in PP in the 2000s/2010s; my old non-profit sold her and her husband their rowhome here in Baltimore.
Side note: got to see "The Davd Lowery Band" in North Carolina in '91 before they settled in on the name Cracker. David was like, "I've still got plenty of Camper merch!" Sister offshoot Monks of Doom is the only show I've seen where the band passed out edibles from the stage ('92, Baltimore).
December 6, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Side note: got to see "The Davd Lowery Band" in North Carolina in '91 before they settled in on the name Cracker. David was like, "I've still got plenty of Camper merch!" Sister offshoot Monks of Doom is the only show I've seen where the band passed out edibles from the stage ('92, Baltimore).
Def a different seam. I love Pie but prefer Beloved. I pair Beloved and Aero for the shared 20th C continental Euro vibes and mildly eccentric instruments; Pie mostly feels more contemporary. As for NMH, I think Aero has three or four truly amazing tunes and then . . . other spotty stuff.
December 6, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Def a different seam. I love Pie but prefer Beloved. I pair Beloved and Aero for the shared 20th C continental Euro vibes and mildly eccentric instruments; Pie mostly feels more contemporary. As for NMH, I think Aero has three or four truly amazing tunes and then . . . other spotty stuff.
I don't tend towards such strongly contrarian takes, but I have long said this album is both a relevant comparison for and in fact superior to In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.
December 5, 2025 at 10:33 PM
I don't tend towards such strongly contrarian takes, but I have long said this album is both a relevant comparison for and in fact superior to In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.
"Captain Jim throws the prime directive out/
For the umpteenth time, it's habit for him now/
Reeling wild from the stern to the bow/
With T'Pring and T'Pau/
I know why they call a starship 'she' now"
-- Game Theory, One More for St. Michael
For the umpteenth time, it's habit for him now/
Reeling wild from the stern to the bow/
With T'Pring and T'Pau/
I know why they call a starship 'she' now"
-- Game Theory, One More for St. Michael
December 5, 2025 at 4:53 PM
"Captain Jim throws the prime directive out/
For the umpteenth time, it's habit for him now/
Reeling wild from the stern to the bow/
With T'Pring and T'Pau/
I know why they call a starship 'she' now"
-- Game Theory, One More for St. Michael
For the umpteenth time, it's habit for him now/
Reeling wild from the stern to the bow/
With T'Pring and T'Pau/
I know why they call a starship 'she' now"
-- Game Theory, One More for St. Michael