‘”I share the view that most of today’s best music is never heard or is pushed back and written off for a dime a dozen top 40, FCC and MTV sanctioned bullshit,” declares Hammond. “I hope your ear for undiscovered music will spread back to the other mediums of exposure one day after the general public realizes what kind of crap has been spoon fed to them for so long now.” As if! The follow-up to 1998’s scuzzy but wonderful The Bug That Bored Into Stevie’s Brain benefits from a drum machine (never thought I’d say that) that helped Steve clean up his sound without losing the urgency of his emotionally raw but tuneful music. As before, Steve’s guitar is the star: By turns a rusty knife cutting his own throat, a dull needle sliding into a resentful vein, a crystal trinket glimmering through a soot-stained window, the instrument in Hammond’s hands does more for the cause with six strings and a few amps of bedroom socket juice than a thousand megapixels of obscure web ramblings.’ — Demo Universe, 1999

PERSONNEL: Steve Hammond, vocals, guitars, drum machine

TRACK LISTING:
Side 1
1. Cankersore
2. Train From 91
3. Un-dub
4. Russian Textbook
5. Adhere
6. Kill It

Side 2
1. The Space Between (four songs, untitled)

I do not know for certain what Steve Hammond is up to these days, but there is evidence he moved from Manhattan, Kansas, to Albuquerque and now plays in a band named Leeches Of Lore. To whit, this tape came out on Flying Midget Music, and the New Mexico band, whose members include a Steve Hammond, released on Flying Midget Records. There are similarities in style, as well. If anyone can confirm this, I’d appreciate it!