The Gelcaps began as a solo project in 1993 with Derelict Hotel alumnus Doug Anson making improvisational music on a cheap guitar, Casio keyboard and effect pedals. In ’94 he started working with Vibrolux guitarist John Boothman, a.k.a “the king of noise.”
Anson played chunky and repetitive rhythm guitar riffs while Boothman filled out the soundscape with drones and plinks. The band’s first EP, Death Star From Budokan, was a remarkable balance of catchy pop-punk and trippy noise rock.
After going through several members, the lineup solidified in the fall of ’95 when bassist Mark Nolan and drummer Spencer Sweeney joined the ranks. They kept the bottom end just tight enough to give the arrangements structure and depth. The second Gelcaps release, the single “Cows,” was more straight-ahead, but still memorable.
A few months later, they started work on their third release. Songwriting was going so well that by the time July rolled around, the single had turned into a mini-album entitled 24 Hour Pythons.
In late July, everything fell apart. Boothman quit the band over creative differences. On July 27, Nolan died in a drug-related accident.
From City Paper story “Styling Gel” by Neil Gladstone Read More
Here is both of their 7 inches and cd – 24 Hour Pythons plus a live from Jackie’s show on WKDU . Thanks for the tape Jackie.
Live on WKDU 10-20-95
00 – Intro
01 – unknown
02 – Punk Blood
03 – Unknown
04 – All Understood
05 – New Miami Vice
06 – Blue Sunshine
07 – Hotel Congress
08 – Diamonds
09 – unkniwn
10 – Outro
MediaFire Zip of all files
Death Star From Budokan 7″
A1 – Full Time
A2 – Dripper
B1 – Realness
B2 – Hotel Congress
B3 – Do a Bat
Diamonds b/w Cows 7″
A1 – Diamonds
B1 – Cows
24 Hour Pythons
01 – Little Coat
02 – Swedish Mathematician
03 – Polytronic Pillbox
04 – Citizens Band
05 – Xanax Guccione
06 – Love Dude
07 – King of Cedar Crest Plaza
08 – the Original Jams Recording Artists
09 – N-N-N-N-Nineteen