Artificial Peace and Blatant Dissent

Two new LPs (and a book!) from two totally classic punk bands.

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ARTIFICIAL PEACE

Live at The Wilson Center | June 25, 1982
LP / CD

Released on the 40th Anniversary of Artificial Peace’s best live show ever, this album features 15 tracks. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Tom Lyle of Government Issue. For anyone who was there that night, they can close their eyes and practically re-live the experience. For those who weren’t, they can sonically experience the intensity of Artificial Peace live!

The release of this live recording documents this important, influential band of the early DC hardcore punk scene, and in a more authentic way than their well-known studio recordings.

Limited edition 160 gram white vinyl LP in a 20pt board jacket with printed inner sleeve featuring Artificial Peace show flyers.

CD is housed in a board jacket style case.

PRE-ORDER ONLY – in addition to the live album, “Artificial Peace in Words and Images” is a hardcover book companion piece. The book contains more 50 pages and features 17 essays from key members of the DC scene, 18 photos taken by Malcolm Riviera (many never seen before), plus 36 video stills of the June 25 1982 show, flyers and other ephemera.

Contributors include Alec Bourgeois, Barry Henssler, Brendan Canty, Brian Gay, Brian Kiviat, Chris Stover, Danny Ingram, Donald Kessing, Ian MacKaye, Ivor Hanson, Jason Carmer, Marc Alberstadt, Mark Haggerty, Tom Berard and Tom Lyle.

**Preorder LP / CD copies include bonus pre-order only fan club extras. Stickers, posters, screen printed wrap. **

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BLATANT DISSENT

1985 – 1986
LP

Blatant Dissent’s story is the story of evolution. They started in Dekalb, Illinois, in 1983 as a cover band. Over the next few years, Blatant Dissent developed and recorded their own distinct brand of midwestern indie-skate punk. By 1988, the evolution was complete and they had become Midwest noise-rock stalwarts Tar.

Their music had the backbone and energy of hardcore punk but Blatant Dissent were too smart and well informed to play run-of-the-mill uniform hardcore. Their style was also illuminated by the innovations of contemporary bands including Naked Raygun, whose Jeff Pezzatii produced their first session. Also influential were Chicago punk pioneers Trial By Fire as well as innovative national acts like Husker Du, The Minutemen and The Replacements.

After an initial demo, Blatant Dissent eventually recorded a total of 22 songs over two sessions between 1985 and 1986. Recorded by Iain Burgess and Steve Albini respectively, these sessions offer insight into the development of the group as they tightened their song writing and laid the groundwork for later becoming Tar.

During 2021 the original multitracks were remixed by the band with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago. The music was subsequently mastered by Carl Saff and pressed into 160 gram color vinyl in Chicago at Smashed Plastic Record Pressing.

22 song limited edition blue / white swirl color vinyl LP. Comes in 20pt board jacket with full color, four page booklet. Beautiful.

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Alona’s Dream is really excited to offer the following new releases for your consideration:

Assault & Battery

The Complete Session, May 1981

LP / CD

DC hardcore punk legends Assault & Battery featured members of the original lineup of Government Issue, Artificial Peace, Marginal Man and Savage Beliefs.

This first ever official release of their only studio recording – expertly transferred from the original 4-track master – documents a vital group in the first flourishing of the DC scene. It contains the band’s previously bootlegged songs, plus never before heard takes!

Evil I

Official Bootleg

LP

First ever official release of 1983 suburban hardcore masterpiece!

These songs were recorded in west suburban Chicago in 1983 by Lombard, Illinois based Evil I. This record perfectly captures the spirit of the first wave of hardcore punk. Cutting vocals, tight rhythm, shredded guitar and a take no prisoners attitude make for a timeless hardcore document. Originally distributed by the band at shows, it remained largely unheard outside the Chicago scene until now.

Various Artists

Punks In Peoria

Making A Scene In The American Heartland

Book / LP / CD

Various Artists
Punks In Peoria
Making A Scene In The American Heartland

Alona’s Dream Records
ADR 12 038
Releases: June 11 2021

14-song document of the DIY punk/alternative scene in Peoria, Illinois, from its hardcore roots in the early 1980s through the late ’90s. The album highlights out-of-print punk rock anthems, unreleased demos and rare studio tracks alongside extensive liner notes, photos and a scene poster.

This compilation is the companion soundtrack to the book Punks In Peoria: Making A Scene In The American Heartland by Jonathan Wright and Dawson Barrett, published by University of Illinois Press.

Punks In Peoria documents the evolution of the DIY punk scene in Peoria, Illinois—from its primal beginnings in the early 1980s to the dawn of the digital era. A lovingly curated collection of long-lost gems and hometown favorites from “Anytown U.S.A.,” it connects the varied work of disaffected youth across nearly two decades and multiple “generations” of Peoria punks, performers and scenesters.

From Midwest hardcore legends Constant Vomit and Caustic Defiance to the inimitable shock rocker Bloody Mess, the Peoria punk scene was built on the DIY spirit from the very beginning. As it grew beyond the rudiments of hardcore, the Peoria scene mirrored the larger slicing and dicing of post-punk into ever-narrower sub-genres—embracing goth, synth, pop, psychedelia, metal, and more.

Amidst the post-Nirvana haze of the early ‘90s, the gritty melodies of Dollface paved the way for a new generation of Peoria youth—some of whom would go on to tour the world in bands like Minsk and Planes Mistaken for Stars. This record is a document of that musical journey.

– Limited-edition 160-gram color vinyl LP
– 20pt board jacket
– Full-color printed inner sleeve featuring band photos and detailed liner notes
– 18” x 24” poster featuring an extensive collection of flyers from the 1980s to the 2000s.

About the Book:
Synonymous with American mediocrity, Peoria was fertile ground for the boredom- and anger-fueled fury of punk rock. Jonathan Wright and Dawson Barrett explore the do-it-yourself scene built by Peoria punks, performers, and scenesters in the 1980s and 1990s. … What emerges is a sympathetic portrait of a youth culture in search of entertainment but just as hungry for community—the shared sense of otherness that, even for one night only, could unite outsiders and discontents under the banner of music. A raucous look at a small-city underground, Punks in Peoria takes readers off the beaten track to reveal the punk rock life as lived in Anytown, U.S.A.

“One of the strongest legacies of the hardcore punk movement in America was its emphasis on the local and the seeding of the country with self-supporting scenes. Every town has a story to tell itself about itself and Punks in Peoria explores this in magnificent detail for the hardcore scene in Peoria, Illinois. While more storied scenes from bigger cities may get the most ink, this book shows how the ideals and power of the music penetrated every corner of the land, but was only ever sustained by the grit and ingenuity of the people involved on the ground level. We need a book like this for everywhere.”
–Guy Picciotto of Fugazi



”Punks in Peoria isn’t just a deep, heartfelt dive into the punk subculture of America’s quintessential small city. It’s an exquisite map of how music flows through social structures and between generations. Essential reading for anyone interested in how art impacts life.”
–Jason Heller, author of Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-fi Exploded



”Punks in Peoria is free of jargon, centers the stories of the people who actually helped build the scene, and speaks to the experiences of the small cities and towns that have been the lifeblood of punk rock in the United States. It is a model for good research on punk.”
–Zack Furness, author/editor of Punkademics: The Basement Show in the Ivory Tower

About the Authors:
Jonathan Wright is a writer, editor, musician, and longtime veteran of the Peoria music scene. He is editor in chief at Peoria Magazines. Dawson Barrett is an associate professor of history at Del Mar College. His books include The Defiant: Protest Movements in Post-Liberal America. 

Please note: If you would like to preorder this record for LOCAL purchase and pick-up in the Peoria, IL area, it can be purchased directly via Lit. On Fire Books. Please see this link for more information: www.litonfirepia.com/punks-in-peoria

The Only Ones – Live In Chicago 1979
Sunday Morning Nightmare Series Vol. 1 – LP / CD / Digital

*** LIMITED PREORDER ONLY EDITION includes fan club pack with: hand screened & numbered Sunday Morning Nightmare outer wrap, stickers, poster, postcards & more.*** . PRE ORDER ONLY EXTRAS! SHIPS 12/13/2019

PREORDER NOW – SHIPS 12/13/2019

Alona’s Dream Records and Regressive Films present: the Only Ones Live in Chicago 1979 – Sunday Morning Nightmare Vol 1. This live release documents Chicago performances of the Only Ones as originally aired on Chicago punk DJ Terry Nelson’s Sunday Morning Nightmare radio show in 1979. This no nonsense set was recorded by legendary mobile recording guru Timothy Powell of Metro Mobile Recording. This previously unreleased show finds the Only Ones at the peak of their early career. The set features a solid list of future classics drawn from their first three studio albums, deep cuts and influential hit singles.

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The Only Ones were not a typical UK punk band. They evolved out of the pubrock scene and had a rich history in the UK music scene in general. Members previously played with classic groups including Spooky Tooth and Beatstalkers as well as, Peter Perrett’s now classic ‘Englands Glory’. Their UK chart single ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’, set the Only Ones apart from the new wave of English rock bands swarming out of the late ’70’s. They had the complexity, range, soul, and songwriting skills lacking in most of their punkier peers. They would cut three essential LPs in the late 1970s and are still considered one of the UKs foremost rock acts. Today they are praised by critics and fans alike for their enduring influence.

Terry Nelson’s Sunday Morning Nightmare Radio was a show devoted to punk rock on WZRD. It was the one radio program for Chicago punk in the early 80s.

Red vinyl pressing of 500 on 160g vinyl. Artwork features live photography from their Chicago shows by Brain Shanley and Neil & Bruce Dinsmor. Printed inner sleeve with liner notes by DJ Terry Nelson of Sunday Morning Nightmare.

Recorded & mixed in Chicago in 1979. Mastered, pressed and released in Chicago in 2019. Enjoy! 

Alona’s Dream Records and Alternative Tentacles Records present the first ever official reissue of Articles of Faith’s first two 7” EPs: What We Want Is Free and Wait. What We Want Is Free and Wait were released during the first wave of American hardcore punk. Original pressings of these records are still sought after and held in high esteem by punk fans today. Alona’s Dream has teamed up with legendary punk label Alternative Tentacles to make faithful official reproductions of these essential 7”s available for the first time ever. These are the original mixes of the EPs, transferred and mastered by Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room in 2018 and are pressed in black vinyl with careful reproductions of the original jackets and inserts. 

Both records are released in a one time only edition of 666. What We Want Is Free will be in 222 red jackets, 222 white jackets and 222 blue jackets, to reflect the three different colors of jackets on the original pressings of that record.

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DuChamp Kansas City – 1980
LP / CD / DIGITAL

Now available

Preview audio / order here: Kansas City – 1980 by DuChamp

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First full length vinyl from Kansas City’s new wave pioneers compiles their early singles along with previously unreleased songs! Compression molded into either black or (limited) pink vinyl for your listening pleasure!
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DuChamp played devolved post punk with a funky backbone and a distinctly midwestern art rock vibe. Psychedelic synths and tense drums mix with sweaty, suggestive lyrics and melodies. This compilation collects the group’s first formal forays into Kansas City’s Chapman Recording Studio in early 1980. It features all three of DuChamp’s hard to find garage-wave singles remastered from the original tapes. As well as three songs recorded alongside the original singles and unreleased until now. Includes insert with rare photos and liner notes by the band.

BONUS: CD and download versions include DuChamp’s hard to find 1982 eight song cassette-only album Change.

*Exclusive online only bonus: The first 100 LP copies include a limited edition cassette reproduction of DuChamp’s hard to find 1982 eight song cassette-only album Change.