A kind of prequel to a previous 90s-centric Unearthed mix, 1992 Blend takes us on a kaleidoscopic trip through what they used to call “Alternative Rock” (Or College Rock? Or Indie Rock?) via a selection of dusty-but-dynamic live tapes. This stuff may be 30 years old now, but in many ways, these sounds represent a gold standard for guitar-forward rock music, finding inspiration in the past, but with eyes still fixed on the horizon. Nevermind the Buzz Bin — dig into this.
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Unearthed, Vol. 17 :: 1971 Blend
Time for another journey through the past! The latest volume of our ongoing Unearthed bootleg mix series features just about 71 minutes of live jams from 1971: krautrock, folk rock, hard rock, jazz rock, etc. Fifty years later, these sounds remain vital, even through that lo-fi tape hiss. Don’t delay — get blended.
Unearthed, Vol. 16 :: Abandoned Love (Bob Dylan)
As you probably know, Bob Dylan turns 80 years old today. As such, here’s a mix (approximately 80 minutes for Bob’s 80 years) of unreleased gems, stretching from 1973 to 2019, including studio outtakes, rehearsals, live performances and television appearances.
It’s a mess. It’s beautiful.
Unearthed, Vol. 15 :: Demolition Derby
For this Unearthed bootleg mix we’re digging into our decades-spanning stash of unreleased demo tapes. Some of them are exceedingly rough, still searching for the song. Others are fully formed, the finish line in view. Some are recorded straight to a boom box at home, others in a tricked out Hollywood studio….
Unearthed, Vol. 14 :: The Boarding House
Consider this one a sequel to the Unearthed series’ two other Bay Area bootleg deep dives — Sausalito Haze and Pacific High. The Boarding House, located at 960 Bush Street in San Francisco, had a good run in the 1970s as one of the city’s premiere nightclubs, presenting a killer mix of music and comedy (such stars as Robin Williams and Steve Martin had early successes here) seven nights a week, in a very intimate setting. For this mix, we’ve gathered together a typically eclectic blend of folk, reggae, jazz, country, punk and rock, all recorded live at the Boarding House.
Unearthed, Vol. 13 :: All Wrongs Reversed
Did indie rock peak in 1995? It feels like it did — but it’s possible that I think that because I was an impressionable 16-year-old then, having my mind blown week after week by the underground’s leading lights. Whatever, we can all agree that the indie scene was thriving 25 years ago, and the latest Unearthed bootleg mix gathers together some tasty live ’95 jams for your listening pleasure. Most of the big names are here, along with a few slightly underappreciated artists. Turn back the clock and take a dip in the Diamond Sea.
Unearthed, Vol. 12 :: Skating In Central Park
With live music still iffy this year, let’s travel back to some long-ago summers in New York City’s Central Park. For the 12th edition of the Unearthed bootleg mix series, we’re training our ears on Wollman Skating Rink, which hosted some truly stellar al fresco concerts back in the day. These performances span from the late 1960s to the early 1980s and encompass a wide range of freaky fresh air jams: dark funk jazz, ecstatic post-punk, prog epics, Texas boogie — it’s all here
Unearthed, Vol. 11 :: UnLoaded
Loaded has been rightly celebrated plenty over the decades, but what the hell, let’s celebrate it a little more. This latest Unearthed mix cobbles together an alternate version of the LP via some tasty live recordings, rehearsal tapes, backstage jams and other obscurities. Recording quality varies wildly, performance quality is great throughout. Heavenly wine & roses await.
Unearthed, Vol. 10 :: Pico Boulevard Blues
McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica isn’t just one of the best musical instrument stores in the great Los Angeles area. For a half-century, its backroom has been the site of thousands of concerts. It’s an incredibly intimate space, encouraging artists to loosen up and really connect with fans. For the latest Unearthed bootleg mix extravaganza, we’ve got 85 minutes of cherrypicked McCabe’s performances, stretching from 1972 to 2017, featuring mellow folkies, punk rockers, jangle guitar gods and more.
Unearthed, Vol. 9 :: Long Island Sound
If you were out on Long Island from the mid-70s to the mid-80s, your best bet for adventurous and eclectic live music was My Father’s Place. The Roslyn, NY club hosted an array of genre-leading talents: prog monsters, folk rock legends, reggae icons, jazz fusioneers, punk pioneers and beyond. Lucky for us, many of these shows were broadcast over the WLIR-FM airwaves — and drawing from that deep archive, the latest Unearthed bootleg mix extravaganza cherrypicks some choice My Father’s Place performances from the club’s heyday. Download and get lost in the Long Island Sound.
Unearthed, Vol. 8 :: Pacific High
Our semi-regular bootleg mix series returns in 2020 with another selection of murky and magical sounds: Fillmore West-ready boogies, mystical mantras, bloozy workouts and deeply stoned jams, plenty of Dead-adjacent action.
Unearthed, Vol. 7 :: Rocky Mountain Time
Welcome to the seventh installment of Unearthed, a series of thematic mixes that travel deep into dusty vintage zones to dig up bootleg gold.
For the latest Unearthed, we’ve gathered together a totally eclectic sampling of Mile High sounds, ranging from lowdown blues crawls to futuristic synth-pop, from blazing funk-rock to jangly Britfolk.
Unearthed, Vol. 6 :: 1969 Blend
Welcome to the sixth installment of Unearthed, a series of thematic mixes that travel deep into dusty vintage zones to dig up bootleg gold.
Unearthed, Vol. 5 :: Hoboken Nights
For fans of adventurous rock and roll in the 1980s, there was no better place to be than Maxwell’s. The Hoboken, NJ club (which closed its doors for good in 2013) consistently hosted the best and brightest artists of the era, often before they graduated to much larger venues. For our latest Unearthed bootleg mix, we’ve gathered together some choice audience tapes recorded at Maxwell’s between 1980 and 1990. There’s visionary jangle, guitar freakouts, breezy balladry and much more. And if this whets your appetite for more, get thee to the McKenzie Tapes site (where several of these performances were sourced), which is bringing NYC-area taper David McKenzie’s valuable vintage recordings to the digital age.
Unearthed, Vol. 4 :: Jerry Garcia & Friends at the Matrix, 1966-71
The array of sounds Garcia made at the Matrix is dizzying, from garage rock to jazz fusion to bluegrass to cosmic funk…and beyond. Download and enjoy.