trial by fire is the name i've used for a variety of projects and stagings since 1989. It was originally the name of barely not-fictitious record label for the indie cassette sampler For Lack of a Better World. The group of people who made that happen, Independent Creative Enterprises, didn't do any further work together, and i've used the name "trial by fire" ever since, if only because i thought of it in the ROTC when coffee was .50 cents a cup. Later, Chris Moody and I used Trial By Fire as a name for our work in a studio we built at the Fayetteville Peace and Justice Center, and he contributed much of the expertise and energy that made everything that came out of those two rooms (bands, recordings, all ages shows...)so special. The studio itself was literally physically remade almost singlehandedly by Brian Petty, and the entire enterprise couldn't have happened without the help of John Adams and the goodwill and patience of David Druiding. Thanks. Since that studio scene scattered, I've considered trial by fire (no caps) a kind of private imprint, with a circulation limited mostly to my house.
In it's latest incarnation trial by fire is an archival and organizational clearing house for the recordings (and the images) i've collected over the years as a soundworker, musician and fan. Most of this material is from Fayetteville, Arkansas (1983-2000), a little of it will be from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and some of it will likely be made here in Iowa as I go along. My intention is to present the stuff, the recorded evidence of moments that were worth being in, and make it available for anyone who participated in it or is curious about it. the quality of these recording will vary immensely as the (perceived, subjective, real) importance of these moments always trumped our ability (budget, preparedness, oops) to record them.
This isn't a commercial venture, and none of these recordings are for sale. They aren't mine, most of them. trial by fire productions is an educational venture aligned with my research on unpopular popular music. Besides recordings i will also try to stock the site with posters, photos and images and hopefully rants, discogrophies, historical notes and other textual ephemera.
You've all waited so patiently. What wonderful friends.
Yes it's true, The Punkinhead Family reunion will be this Halloween 2008 at the Green Door in Fayetteville.
Just to wet your appetite, here's a little video.
Albeit a very rough recording, I believe you'll all agree...Punkinhead...is...FUNKY.
More info and more shows forthcoming.
Peace and Love...see you on Halloween. --Punkinhead
