The Martha's Vineyard Ferries — the supergroup of Bob Weston of Shellac, Chris Brokaw of Codeine and Come, and Elisha Weisner of Kahoots — is back today with new music. The band is announcing a 7" single arriving later this month, consisting of two covers: the Proletariat's 1983 track "Decorations," and Strike Under's 1981 song "Context." The latter is out now.
"I became obsessed with the song 'Context' after seeing the film You Weren't There in 2007 in Chicago," Brokaw explains. He continues:
It was a bit of a fluke that I was even there. The film documents the Chicago punk scene from 1977-1985, and during the screening, about 800 people were in the crowd — several fights broke out between old punk rivals!
That night, there was a show at the Empty Bottle where Strike Under performed, and I instantly fell in love with their song "Context." At some point, I suggested to the Ferries that we play this incredible lost classic, and we started playing it live, which eventually led to the idea of recording it as a single. But what about the other side?
To honor the Ferries' oddball mix of Massachusetts and Illinois, we agreed on the Proletariat, our unanimous favorite from the otherwise awful Boston hardcore scene, as the perfect choice. I'd always loved their song "Decorations" — apparently, I picked both tracks. You're lucky, they're both great!
Listen to their take on "Context" below, along with the original.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FjaRiUGF_Hc
https://youtube.com/watch?v=BTLDA1Pt568
"Decorations" b/w "Context" is out 2/28 via Ernest Jenning. Pre-order it here.
