Blue Devils

Came across an old demo of a song called "Blue Devils" and thought it might be interesting to throw it up on the interwebs. Basically, it's an attempt to merge the smooth stylings of Inexact Replica with the noiser, more discordant approach of some of the earlier recordings. Originally considered it for inclusion on The Night All Systems Fail, but was eventually scrapped.
Blue Devils by Sloe

Sloe Chronicles Vol. I: When Good Things Happen to Bad People

In the summer of 2003, Sloe played Lollapalooza.  No really, we did.  Not one physical shred of proof - photo, write-up, prison cell painting, fax - exists to support this claim, but seriously . . . it happened.  For reals.  So hey, figure we might as well write something about it.  Ever thus to deadbeats.
 
While the Lollapalooza Festival persists as a yearly event in Chicago, 2003 was the last year it existed as a touring entity.  And when the circus came to town, our friendly neighborhood, media conglomerate-owned, commercially-viable alt/rock station "Live 105.3" hosted a contest where one local artist would have an opportunity to kick off festivities at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in beautiful Mountain View, CA.  Against all odds (great jam), with the benefits of modern science (and maybe a little social media networking), Sloe managed to beat out a multitude of other bands in a weekly contest that culminated with us actually winning the fucking thing.  Strange, right?
 
So, we packed up our (t)rusty trailer, hopped in the van, and pulled up alongside the legion of tour buses backstage, clearly out of our element.  However, later that day we ripped through our brief set and mopped the floor with the faces of other bands.  It's amazing the difference a few side-fill monitors and a professional sound system can make!  Faces were melted and minds were blown.  That's our story and we're sticking to it.  And since there isn't any evidence to the contrary, that makes our version of the events FACT.  While maybe this says a little something about how we sounded, it speaks volumes about the feeble attempt at playing rock music of our peers that day (we're looking at you Kings of Leon & 30 Seconds to Mars).  Don't worry though, there were lots of fancier haircuts yet to be had (yep, still looking).

A fun time was enjoyed by all, with Eric accosting the poor dude from Mooney Suzuki with, and here is a direct quote, "hey! . . . hey!. . . HEY!!!!! . . .  MOONEY SUZUKI!!!!!   DRINK THIS!!!!" **shoves bottle of Jim Beam deep into his chest, repeatedly**.  The appellation "Party Barge" isn't given, but earned.  In case you're wondering, "Mooney Suzuki" (or whatever his real name is, we think it might be "Who Givesashit Jr." ), didn't partake.  Jerk.
 
Rock victory was ours!!!  We basked in the warm afterglow of sweet success and drank the blood of vanquished foes!!!  Well.  . .  we did until we had to go back to keying in purchase orders, working on marketing materials, or whatever the hell else we were doing to pay the bills, anyway . . .
 
Here is the version of the song "8" that we entered into that contest.  Recorded by Gordon Gurley @ J31. 


8 (Lollapalooza mix 2003) by Sloe

This fucking rules.

KAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome.
Thanks to McHank for finding this and whomever actually created it.

This is what we sounded like in 1995. How about you?

Recorded mostly live on a shoestring budget in Oakland, CA about 6 weeks after finalizing the line-up, we released ". . . Perhaps Karate is the Answer" in 1995.  "Hinckley" was the last song on that EP.   Features Keith Brinkley and Aaron Fletcher tearing it up on bass and drums.


Hinckley by Sloe

Skullshifter (unreleased)

We recorded this during the sessions for The Night All Systems Fail and had plans to release it as a 7", but never got around to it. . . .

Skullshifter by Sloe

Great Scott!

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