Neotribal Stream Side 1 and 2

Here is side 1 and 2 of the Neotribal  LP by Sloppy Joe and the Random Rhythm Section.  Click to play! Released in 1989, this was the band's only official release. The recording session at Audio Incorporated was a classic analog capture of our staple tunes.

Loading Out in Greensboro 1989

Loading out after the Greensboro Cityfest show in October 1989. Mike and Kahlil appear to chat it up while the rest of us are slogging gear off camera! Look at that sweet bus! Pic by Caroline DeMerritt.

Live at Springfest 1989

Here is the live set from the 1989 Springfest in Charlotte, where SJRRS played for our biggest crowd ever. This concert propelled us into the public eye like no other event. It rained before our set and sprinkled on and off during the first songs. I remember the wet mics blitzing out and the sound man digging out more! We had a sweet trailer to use before the show which was cool rockstar action. We rocked the rain away with a neotribal party.

Click below to play! (Users of the free Soundcloud app can make this track a favorite and listen on your mobile device).

Concert Dancing with Sloppy Joe

Look what I found searching Google. I was suggested as a grotesque concert dancer! Classic!

Classic Flyer Art

Old school Sloppy Joe flyer art. We would get 1000 of these made at the copy store and hit the clubs, staple them to light posts on 7th street, give stacks to friends until they were all gone. I'm lucky to have held on to a few! This one is for a 1989 show at the World Famous Milestone Club.

Early Milestone show 1988

Sloppy Joe played the third electric show in early June 1988. After a year of college and graduating high school, the Joe's were ready to unleash their sonic meltdown on Charlotte full time. This day was in fact Mark Evangelist's graduation day from East Meck, as indicated by his rocking of the robe! Special notice should be payed to the vintage Ovation acoustic/electric, a guitar that helped define the early sound up to Neotribal. Tricia Tuttle on drums, giving the band the grooviest garage beats ever!

Tonight's light-show brought to you by Dr. Drew!

Whenever the venue afforded the scope, our light-show wizard Drew Detweiler delivered mind-blowing collages of film, light, smoke, and other visual trickery to push the show over the top. Imagine mixing the liquid light-show from the Fillmore West with the avant grade films from Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground happenings, and then compressing them through a rave disco explosion! The Pterodactyl provided the greatest canvas for this art. The picture is from our show opening for the Flaming Lips at the Pterodactyl Club in 1988.

Neotribal Back Cover Photo

Here is the back cover photo from Sloppy Joe's Neotribal. Caroline DeMerritt shot an amazing roll of film one cloudy afternoon in Charlotte. This shot captures our retro-leaning, bohemian vibe along with some classic REM-like reflective posing. The dog Lana brought it home!

Sloppy Joe in 1988. Photo by Caroline DeMerrit.

Sloppy Joe and the Random Rhythm Section LP "Neotribal"

In 1989 Sloppy Joe & RRS released Neotribal, the debut LP, on Third Lock Records. Featuring album art by Jennifer Fadel, the best of the early songs, and an excellent recording session at Audio Inc in Dilworth, Neotribal captured something more than the usual run-through of songs. This recording is the wild side of FM album-oriented rock, slicing through the sonic-sphere with far-out guitars, boundless percussion, and strange chants. More than anything we ever did, in my opinion, Neotribal represented Sloppy Joe. In it, one can hear the formative backyard practices, the grinding work ethic, the innocent pride of discovery, and even the tribulations of early gig experiences. It ends with an extend-length track "Ride," and I hope this album still has a few rides left!

Listen to it free in the SoundCloud links below. Side 1 and 2 are separate tracks. SoundCloud app users can choose it as a favorite to listen easily on your mobile device.