Today I’m speaking with 2 fixtures of the Champaign-Urbana music scene, MARK BALDWIN & KENT WHITESELL.
In the ‘90s, Mark sang & played guitar in the highly influential Love Cup, a band name you’ve heard in almost every episode of this show. Their discography was small but their impact was huge, gradually perfecting what Mark has called the “heavy but pretty” sound at ear-splitting volumes.
Since then, he’s played in Absconder, California Mummy (with Matt Talbott), The Shit People, & The Mezzanines, who just released a new record called Sugarpants this year. There’s lots to explore in his ever-expanding discography on Bandcamp, links below.
Kent started playing in & recording with power-pop bands in high school, including The Martyrs, Schoolyard Truce, The Outnumbered, & Three Hour Tour, with whom he’s working on new material this year. In 2010, The Martyrs released a CD reissue of their discography, including their first & only record, plus compilation tracks & other extras.
He’s also produced dozens of Champaign bands at his local studio, Clubhouse, from the ‘80s & ‘90s through today, including HUM’s first record, Hot Glue Gun, Mother, 16 Tons, Corndolly, Hardvark, & many others.
In this episode, we talk about Champaign’s early indie & alternative scene, the importance of Jane's Addiction, & the telepathic thrill of improvising songs in public.
There were some technical difficulties toward the end of the interview, so the song conversation is a little abbreviated.
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TIMESTAMPS:
03:04 // \"Billfershort\" (Love Cup)
04:52 // Mark & Kent's Early History
06:06 // Kent's '80s Bands
06:55 // \"Trends of the Turmoil\" (The Martyrs)
08:19 // \"Boy on a Roof\" (The Outnumbered)
12:06 // Mark's First Bands
15:34 // Clubhouse Studio
18:03 // \"Strangled with Flowers\" (The Flat Earth Society)
20:55 // Love Cup Demos & Tearing Water EP
25:35 // \"Tearing Water\" (Love Cup)
27:30 // Jane's Addiction, the \"Heavy But Pretty,\" & Local Touring
38:06 // ...Grefus Gronks & Sheet LP
46:47 // \"Nothing in Particular\" (Love Cup)
49:00 // Meeting HUM Members
53:50 // \"Roar, I'm a Tiger\" Discussion
01:07:00 // \"Scientifically Yours\" (Love Cup)
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