Hovercraft "Zero Zero Zero One" 7 inch (Repellent/1995)

It has been quite awhile since I posted something in this space and quite honestly seeing what is happening in blog land as far as the war, if you will, on file sharing sites is making me want to get back up speed with sharing some of the music in my collection before this type of sharing becomes impossible. Even though I have been following independent music since the early 90s when I was a teenager truth be told I have found out about even more music than I could have ever imagined through the means of blog sharing. Whether it was a newer artist, an artist that I missed out on and didn't know about or in some cases flat out ignored as a result of youthful ignorance. Bottom line blog culture has introduced me to a lot of great music. And I don't only appreciate the free music, I appreciate the blogger's insight and personal relationship with the music he or she is sharing as well as biographical and historical context. So with that being said I feel like there is a lot of music in my collection that I would like to share because I haven't seen them elsewhere in blogland so before these file sharing sites go the way of the Dodo  here goes nothing...

The release I am sharing today is a 7 inch from the instrumental and experimental noise rock band Hovercraft. Zero Zero Zero One features two songs of dark, dirges of noise anchored by pulsating bass and drums which move along the wall of sound emitted from the guitars. And that is more or less the sonic theme that is present through the Hovercraft's sound. The guitars seldom resemble anything resembling standard guitar sounds or even structure, as they are merely shards of jagged sound, wavering static and noise. In lieu of melody in the classical sense Hovercraft's songs are more ominous in nature. Hovercraft initially gained notoriety as it became known that Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam was playing drums for the band, which he did for a short period. However, the band sans Vedder went on to make two albums that garnered critical acclaim for their own merit, most notably 1998's Experiment Below on Blast First/Mute.

As far as this single is concerned which includes a wonderful fold out poster, I shall post the rather informative write up about Zero Zero Zero One from Wikipedia:

"On January 8, 1995, recordings by Hovercraft and Magnog were played back to back on Pearl Jam's Self-Pollution satellite radio broadcast, a four-and-a-half-hour-long pirate broadcast out ofSeattle, Washington which was available to any radio stations that wanted to carry it.^[4] The tracks which followed immediately after Pearl Jam's final set are described by Eddie Vedder as a "cleansing of the palette."^[5] The recording would appear on Hovercraft's first release, a seven-inch single on the band's own Repellent Records. Recorded in August 1994, "Zero Zero Zero One" featured Bobby Tamkin aka "Paul 4" on drums and on "box of nails." No track titles were given, but "0001-A" and "0001-B" are etched into either band of the vinyl sides. It was also released as a VHS tape "video single" in a simple black slipcase.

The single was initially handed out at gigs; stickers affixed to the plastic slip of ones sold in stores boasted, "Featuring Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam." However, the single featured Bobby Tamkin on drums, not Vedder as rumored. "Paul 4" is the pseudonym of early member Bobby Tamkin, currently with his own band, Xu Xu Fang, and former drummer of The Warlocks. In 1995, Hovercraft accepted a slot opening for Mike Watt on his U.S. tour.^[3] Hovercraft, and Dave Grohl's new band Foo Fighters, played short sets before both Grohl and Vedder would join headliner Watt as members of his band. This was Hovercraft's first tour, as well as the first major tour for Grohl since the suicide of Kurt Cobain. Hovercraft toured later that year with Sky Cries Mary."

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