LOOK: J Marinelli/Samuel tour photo, 1995

J Marinelli posted this photo today. It was taken in Minneapolis in 1995 and is from the Samuel tour with Avail, Chamberlain, and Colossus of the Fall tour. Marinelli is the fourth from the left in the back row. On the far left is Avail singer Tim Barry who I recently saw play this show in Austin with my good friend Aaron (The Warriors), who gets a shout out from Tim in the video. Oh, punk rock.

DOWNLOAD: Samuel - Lives of Insects / Self-Titled 7"

Though Samuel was a short-lived project from ex-members of Junction and Glendale (including J Marinelli) they managed to record a pair of memorable releases for Art Monk Construction including the Lives of Insects EP and a self-titled 7" before doing 1995's split with Texas Is the Reason.

As one blog writes of Lives of Insects: "[Samuel was] streamlined and no-nonsense, guitars that roared, and a vocalist more than capable of issuing bitter denunciations and offhand lyrical putdowns in an instant. The group’s ability to encompass so much without being easily pigeonholed is why these songs still sting."

Artist: Samuel
Albums: Lives of Insects / Self-Titled 7"
Year: 1994 / 1995
For fans of: Shudder To Think, Split Lip, Samiam

DOWNLOAD: Samuel - Lives of Insects
DOWNLOAD: Samuel - Self-Titled 7"

WATCH: Samuel live in 1994

Here is a couple of videos of Samuel playing in Pennsylvania in 1994.

DOWNLOAD: Samuel/Texas Is the Reason - Split

J Marinelli has been a name to appear frequently on this blog. From his solo efforts to his involvement in Glendale or current Lexington, Kentucky-based rock outfit Arcane Rifles, Marinelli has been playing quality music for a number of years. In the mid-'90s, he also played guitar for Samuel, a female-fronted post-hardcore-ish rock band from D.C./State College. One of the band's few releases was a 1995 split 7" with New York City's Texas Is the Reason, who gained a bit of popularity in the emo scene and courted major label interest before disbanding.

On the split, as is the case with Samuel, the standout feature is the aggressively beautiful vocals from Vanessa Downing, who also played in Junction with Jay Demko. The music is crunchy and emotive with pop sensibilities, which has invited comparisons to Doghouse recording artists Shudder to Think or Split Lip. The track from Texas Is the Reason later appeared in shortened form on their Revelation Records full-length Do You Know Who You Are?, which gained the band its success, but is not as good as their earlier, more Quicksand-influenced material.

Aritst: Samuel
Album: Split w/ Texas Is the Reason
Year: 1995
For fans of: Split Lip, Shudder to Think, Junction

DOWNLOAD: Samuel/Texas Is the Reason - Split

DOWNLOAD: J. Marinelli - Keep It Fake

Keep It Fake is the 16-song album from Morgantown's lo-fi, one-man band legend J. Marinelli (Arcane Rifles, Glendale). Consistently drawing comparisons to Hasil Adkins and Mark E. Smith of The Fall, one reviewer writes of Keep It Fake: "Most of the songs are short pop tunes with a big dose of punk attitude and aesthetic. The disc is crammed full of loud, catchy tunes that rock, which is what pop music should be all about, at least in my mind." The track "Telephone Teeth" has always been one of the highlights of Marinelli's impressive body of solo material.

Artist: J. Marinelli
Album: Keep It Fake
Year: 2007
For Fans Of: Hasil Adkins, The Fall, Daniel Johnston

DOWNLOAD: J. Marinelli - Keep It Fake*
*Download link fixed on 31 July 2011.

LISTEN: Arcane Rifles - Wicked Girl

Arcane Rifles is the newest band from Lexington-based Morgantown legend J Marinelli, who is on drums with Ben Allen on guitar/vocals and Phil Farmer on bass. Described by Marinelli has having a Stooges/Wipers/Joy Division vibe. I dig it.

DOWNLOAD: J Marinelli - Dirty Poncho EP

Yesterday I posted a couple videos of Morgantown's J Marinelli, so I figured it was only reasonable to provide at least one record. Dirty Poncho is Marinelli's out-of-print vinyl EP from 2007. Fitting nicely into the middle of Marinelli's discography from the last four years, all the descriptive vocabulary for Dirty Poncho is the same as any other - lo-fi, noisy, upbeat, catchy, energetic, ragged, etc. I've already mentioned the comparisons to The Fall and Young Pioneers, but others have mentioned Lester Bangs and Hunter S. Thompson. (Note: I read reviews, I don't write them.) This is a man whose talent and music are so respected in the region that Morgantown bands made a tribute album of his songs.

Dirty Poncho at four songs is a short but lively and fun listen, and just a taste of the catalog J Marinelli has assembled over the years - and I recommend all of it.

Artist: J Marinelli.

Album: Dirty Poncho.

Year: 2007.

For Fans Of: The Fall, Young Pioneers, Hasil Adkins.

DOWNLOAD: J Marinelli - Dirty Poncho.

WATCH: J Marinelli, 2009, Morgantown

Legendary Morgantown musician J Marinelli has gotten a lot of press over the years. On his MySpace page, quotes from reviews compare him to The Fall, Young Pioneers, Billy Bragg, and West Virginia's own Daniel Johnston and Hasil Adkins. So maybe you get an idea. Now based in Lexington, Kentucky, Marinelli is a one-man band of lo-fi punk-rockabilly-folk rock. As pictured above, the former Braille Drivers front man plays the guitar and harmonica, drums and sings at his shows, which include a lot of booze and singing along. See for yourself.

Here are a couple videos from two of J Marinelli's shows earlier this year at 213 Green Street in Morgantown.

From Marinelli's tribute to Daniel Johnston:

Check out J Marinelli on MySpace.