The Dickeasy EP

The songs on this recording, the debut disk from Abattoir Buggery (Ab), are chock full of enough catchy riffs, off-the-wall lyrics, and straight-up rockin’ out to satisfy the most arrogant, snot-nosed fan of that thing called alternative music. Or maybe not. Either way, we don’t give a hoot.

How to best surmise this recording? One word: Beer.

Yes, The Dickeasy EP was fueled by a neverending torrent of fine, tasty brews. Pick any brand (well, any noteworthy brand, mind you), and Ab has more than likely quaffed it while thrashing away and making a full-on ruckus. There was food — on occasion — and soda (when the bottles of Honey Brown ran dry), but the one faithful consumption (and companion?) at each and every Ab session was beer.

Apart from beer, however, there were many other constants: noise, dementia, and, uh... more noise. The majority of the songs were recorded and mixed at Root Cellar Studios in East Flushing, N.Y. The remainder were laid down at La Maison du Mixe et Merde (also in East Flushing). The former studio (which happens to be situated in Ab’s Stickist-vocalist Ian Kremenic’s basement) has been the site for many a Purple Puke Music (PPM) recording session, from Ab to Pudtug, Too! to Krazy Krem’s Funky Kryme.

As for the latter studio, quality over quantity reigns supreme. It was here that PPM was founded. That’s right: The sweltering, goopy depths of Chris’ brain were housed at La Maison (though said brain has since moved). There have been only a few PPM releases recorded within the hallowed, horrid halls of La Maison; the first was the one and only firestarter, so to speak — The F.d. Demo. As for the others, check out the back catalogue.

Anyway, getting back on track now...

Ab had a bunch of special guests perform on its debut album. Friends and family members pitched in — sans contract (snort) — to give The Dickeasy EP that extra bit of oooomph! that made the record what it is today — freaky, funky, funny. Ab’s guitarist-vocalist Chris Woods had the pleasure of working with his brother Matt, who sang co-lead vocals on “Kill a Mime.”

But Matt was no stranger to such work, as he has been involved with a couple of other PPM acts (namely, Pudtug and Pudtug, Too!). And, strangely enough, so have the other special guests — Lynne Woods, Clara Lengyel-Kremenic, and the Riedl Family Singers — Ed, Elisa, and Ken.

Lynne and Clara wrote the lyrics to “Penguins Rule the World,” and sang co-lead vocals on that song and a few other tunes. Brothers Ed and Ken freaked out on vocals for “Continuity Is a Chopped-Down Tree,” while Ed’s wife Elisa set off “Spork” with a rousing sneeze. And in addition to dueting with Ed, Ken committed himself to some truly inspired solo creativity — all without the aid of an instrument, to boot! He sang lead and backing vocals on a number of Ab tunes, including “Navel” and “The Jimmy Hoffa Mosh.”

All in all, a demented albeit talented bunch o’ folks!

The Dickeasy EP was recorded and mixed during the heady days of September 1995 through June 1996 — roughly 10 months of nonstop inspiration! To keep the ball they had rolling, Chris and Ian passed on the opportunity to be a third-stage attraction on the 1996 Lollapalooza tour and instead started working on their sophomore effort, Simply, Karl, right away.