Category: Tape Pull

This Tape Just In: Pancho And The Wizards “Residual”

Mike Seay


I went to a recent club show here in Fresno that had mostly local acts, except for the band Pancho And The Wizards (they are from the Central Coast of California – almost local). So I had not heard of them before, but I really enjoyed their set.

Somehow I didn’t catch that they had any tapes (even though I checked the merch table, I thought). One of the band members hit me up on TikTok and said they do, in fact, have tapes, and he was nice enough to send me one.

While the tape was released back in 2021, the music shows no signs of age. Psychedelic garage rock with accessible punk. Listening to the cassette made me think of things like:

  • Chunky and crunchy.
  • Playing with the switches on an old truck’s dashboard.
  • Eating a fresh bowl of Grape Nuts.
  • Sunday afternoon, just getting over a hangover and thinking about having a beer.

Tracks I Liked Best

  • Ghosts?
  • Smoke Stains.
  • Remorse (Residual)

Favorite side: B

Find more Pancho And The Wizards on Bandcamp.

This Tape Just In: Jason Trachtenburg “I Really Love You Tonight” / “Frankie It’s Me! Waiting In The Wings!”

Mike Seay
Left side is the jewel case with a cassette jcard and Jason on the cover. The right side is a yellow cassette of the album

I really didn’t know what to expect from Jason Trachtenburg’s tape, “I Really Love You Tonight”. Getting to listen to something in the literary folk genre might be a first for me. But holy crap, the talent here can’t be denied.

Honestly, I was expecting something experimental and was pleasantly surprised to find out it’s only a little bit. Very catchy but with some weight to it somehow.

I hear the fun side of the Beatles mixed with some Oingo Boingo, Dave Edmunds, and the Bakersfield sound.

Familiar, but with a flair I think only Trachtenburg can deliver.

Find it on Bandcamp.

Frankie It’s Me! Waiting in the Wings!

You’re not going to find many cassettes that have a piccolo trumpet, flutes, a conch shell, and a cow horn. A fun cassette to play for the tikes in your life.

Find it on Bandcamp.

-Mikey

This Tape Just In: Prewar Yardsale “Sylvia Plath”

Mike Seay 2 Comments

New York City anti-folk band, Prewar Yardsale, new album “Sylvia Plath”!

I was lucky enough to get sent this spiral staircase of hidden black cloud, folksy, dark fun.

Gotta say, I enjoyed the B side of this tape the best. It could be the fact that I was into my second beer while listening to side 2, but I dunno. Song highlights for me include “Sway”, “She Knows Her Place”, and “Where Did You Go”:

Prewar Yardsale’s girtty lo-fi is working for me today. Check out their Bandcamp for a copy.

New Tape Pulls: Minecraft, Ukrainian Hardcore, Castle Rats

Mike Seay

I filtered through some new albums and recent indie releases to give you some new tapes to listen to.

Flower by Dead Drugs

A punk and lo-fi garage band out of Los Angeles:

The Bestinary by Castle Rat

Hard rock with some Doom Metal influence, for sure. Heavy duty.

Big Feeling by PYNKIE

A New Jersey alt-rock/bedroom pop artist who is a registered nurse.

New Rules by Kakerlaken

Hardcore punk from Ukraine. Yep, Ukraine. Seems like supporting anything coming out of Ukraine is the most punk thing to do right now.

Incomprehensible by Double Infinity

Alternative love rock out of Brooklyn.

Minecraft – Volume Alpha by C418

Damn enjoyable and interesting ambient experimental stuff, even if you are not into Minecraft.

Okay. That’s a little taste of some new cassettes I thought you might like. I hope you enjoy one or two, and I’ll be back later with more.

In The Window: “Agnosiareign” by Cementation Anxiety

Mike Seay


I dunno if I am renaming my Tape Pull segment here or starting a new one but today I was reminded that there was a time when I walked home from school near a record store and I would make sure to walk by the shop to see if there was anything new in the window or inside.

So I felt like starting a no-frills In The Window series. Just posting a new/new-to-me album (with a tape available) whenever I can, so you have something new to see on the blog (and later on the newsletter).

Today, I have been listening to “Agnosiareign” by Cemntation Anxiety from the experimental label, Black Artifact.

Tape Pull: Off! “Free LSD” on Cassette

Mike Seay


The poster pulled me in. I was unaware of the punk supergroup, OFF!, until then. Also, excited to find out they do have a cassette of Free LSD available on Bandcamp.


If you scroll down the album’s Bandcamp page, you will find the perfectly pink cassette of which (at the time of this posting) there are surprisingly still some left:


I had planned this post for a while and just now finally getting it up. Since then we have all experienced the passing of Steve Albini, making the Shellac/OFF! show in Chicago a somber one – or maybe there will be appreciatively joyful respect for still being around to see a killer live show.

Sadly there isn’t a tape of the acclaimed new Shellac album. But you can always get some blanks and make one (something I plan to do). I feel like Steve would be cool with a bootleg of a Shellac album.

Tape Pull: Sweeping Promises – Hunger For A Way Out

Mike Seay


Just sharing a wonderful band and album I came across while letting the Bandcamp algo’ take me where it wanted me to go.

Perfect music for wandering the Internet as you enjoy a fruity IPA.

The Lawrence, Kansas, post-punk leaners, sound fresh and still familiar in the best way.

And of course, there is a tape to buy.

But at the time of writing this, there are only four left so I hope there is one for you, if interested. I myself am interested.