Album Notes

The Ravers , wild dogs matt mccourt’s first band on vinyl, recorded at recording techniques during fall 1980.it also features matt’s 21st birthday bash in studio with some friends who lend a hand on “Spend me like a dollar” katy mckernan and madonna doonan
The album is raved up waved up rocknroll born in the clubs of Portland’s Prime at places such as the long goodbye, and underground noize. That would bring in people like johnny thunders for a one off gig.or Joan Jett. Of which the ravers were opening bands
And regulars on the portland “artsy fartsy city scene”of the late 70’s early 80’s which included a cast of qiueens, and dramataists of every type, and spawned athe core of todays northwest legends,
Produced y Andy Mckaie, brought in by matchbox records owner to help launch the “then unheard of” indie label. Andy formerly was with CBS in the publcity department and started Arista reocrds with Clive Davis, and later onto MCA and Universal.
Andy provided many hours of great rocknroll stories from a point of view I hadnt experienced let alone knew existed! He worked with all the big names and was a schoolmate of Lou Reed how cool was that?.” Matt says. The album was released on the matychbox label one of the very first real indie labels ;aunched by a high school friends father and connected by mccourts original producer, radio man rob sample.
Who ramped up mccourts lineup which was originally called rude awaken ing
The name change was inspired by the label . one memorabl;e gug was the eruption of mt st helens, coming out into the gray dust thinking it was radiation fallout! At the l;ong giidbye where matt had a standing reputation for smashing a guitar everytime he played the place(fans actually brought “sacfricial axes” for this purpose!)
The band kept playing portland clubs and outlying cities but the big dreams of the “record contract that fixes everything were not to be as seen in ciurcus magazine
But a nice write up in billboard and cashbox magazine made it all worth while
And an education you cannot buy is priceless!
I pass the house we reocrded this every day and remember the wrap party for all the bands on the label including the tower of power horns,and all these jazz greats. And future Malice singer James Neal who was high and highly unpredictable
who rolled around in the yard in the freezing cold (sans clothing, returned to the house as if nothinhg had happened(still naked as the day he was born,casually folds his arms, grabs a drink and continues in the conversation long enough for his stench to reach our nostrils, and clears the room. Freaking out, he runs out the door and we don’t hear of him for 6 months! How very rocknroll.
So later on the label falls down, offers matt a setllement, he takes records instead of money to which they are grateful im sure,and here we are 25 years later! With the silver anniversary release of the ravers I was a teenage rocknroller, a release going international, and now the lps are considered very rare and collectible by those who claim its value. We here at usmetal and matt mccourt want to provide you with an affordable piece of history for all of you who this applies. And to you we salute!.
this disc also contains pre wild dogs sessions with pete holmes,(black n bluie, michael shemker,) jeff mark,wild dogs) mick zane malice, monster) the ravers also had in its ranks Jay Reynolds who later formed Malice,sided with Megadeth and of late Metal Church) for those of you who follow the family tree of the pacific northwest.
http://www.usmetal.com for more info