So what I know about Squirrel Bait is merely what is on the internet and from maybe a couple eyewitnesses. That’s it. Seems like Louisville’s Squirrel Bait, albeit popular in retrospect, wasn’t nearly as documented as some of the heavier hitters on Homestead in the mid-80’s. And you know what? I’m okay with that.
Over the years, I’ve been looking for live recordings of Squirrel Bait with very little success. The Motorola Cloudburst demos seem to be out and about, but screw that, I want to know what they were like live! And finally, I hit paydirt.
What I’ve includes is what I’m guessing is a recording that is from Minneapolis. I mean, how many references to Man Sized Action and Brian Paulson can one band muster in a set? The performance is fantastic, and I’m still a bit stunned that these guys are all my age. Fuck, in 1986 I was still in high school! Unbelievable. But yeah, enjoy it as I’ve been doing for the past couple months. Enjoy!
And with this posting is one very modest offer. Chunklet contrib (and dude that saw SB in Kentucky!) Billy Carter gave me a legendary "I HATE THE BAIT" t-shirt. Yes, I know! I had only seen a photo of Bob Weston wearing it when he was in the Volcano Suns, but to think I’d own one?! Oh, man. I’m indeed a lucky boy. However, with what I hope is the band’s blessing, I’d like to make a small number of this shirt available to the die-hard fans. I’m hoping to make perhaps ten "I HATE THE BAIT" shirts to anybody that contacts me directly at henry (at) chunklet (dot) com. The only thing that’ll be different from the original is that they won’t be such beefy t-shirts and rather just thinner shirts. In all the time I’ve done this site, I like doing these offers of charity every so often in the hopes that the band in question is into it. So with that said, I’m only making a handful of this shirt and charging cost. Yeah, I know. Hard to believe.
Anyway, that’s it. Enjoy the Bait. Good god, they’re so criminally underrated it hurts.
Squirrel Bait – Virgil’s Return
Squirrel Bait – Thursday
Squirrel Bait – Tape From California
Squirrel Bait – Sun God
Squirrel Bait – Rose Island Road
Squirrel Bait – Kid Dynamite
Squirrel Bait – Hammering So Hard
Squirrel Bait – The Final Chapter
Squirrel Bait – Choose Your Poison