Harvey Milk

One of the countless Harvey Milk recordings I’ve accumulated over the years is a spotless recording of the band performing on Atlanta radio stalwart WREK 91.1 over at Georgia Tech. The year is 1994 and the band has barely been a band for less than two years. Two freakin’ years. Harvey Milk drove into Atlanta on a weeknight to perform their puzzling Southern Gothic dirge for the weirdos that religiously tune in to hear the vanguard of Georgia music on the Tech station.

All these years later, I listen back to this recording and sit in sheer awe of what a fully formed, self-actualized and succinct powerhouse Harvey Milk had become so quickly after their beginning not two years prior. While the band’s full lengths are unassailably well conceived and air tight, their live performances of the era leaned more on the material that lurked on their many seven inch releases that sat dormant on local record shelves until the world outside of Georgia caught on, leading the locals to take stock in this puzzling and extremely righteous band. Taut megajams like “Probolcoc/Jim’s Polish,” “Yer Mouse Gets My Dander Up” and “Women Dig It” were merely tucked away in singles bins while their full length masterpieces had yet to find their fans across the globe. Nary a hair out of place.

Sitting on my patio during an extended layover a couple years back, Tanner said “anything you ever want to put out by me, Creston and Paulie is fair game.” Enter WhaRvEy milK.

Perfectly sweetened by Jason NeSmith, this release shows a band not just at the height of their powers, but also a band on the balls of their ass. No recognition. No cult of devoted superfans. Yet. Just three dweebs becoming the astonishment we now know them to be.

Sleeve photography by the always amazing Hillery Terenzi. Set list drawn by Tanner. Each copy comes with one of four repro flyers of the band playing around Athens and Atlanta during this time. All the other thankless slop done by yours truly because why the heck not. Dedicated with love to Doug Ahern.