Here, now, available for the first time ever on the internet, is the complete discography of the late nineties instrumental surf-punk band The Pottyshots. Taking their name from the informal underhanded basketball shot used on playgrounds across America, the trio started playing music together in late spring of 1998. Between then and the early autumn of 1999, The Pottyshots played 27 shows (including a six-date mini tour), while releasing a self-titled full-length CD and four-song vinyl EP. All of said music has been compiled here by Kaji-Pup Records, remastered from the original tapes in 24-bits, along with a new PDF picture book featuring vintage live photos and ephemera.

Hailing from the Greater Milwaukee area, the band consisted of John-Paul Young on bass, Dave Andrae on guitar, and Corey Baumann on drums—the three of them attended the same high school, in different grades. They were eager to play together, though all of these years later the exact details of why they decided to use surf-rock as their point of departure are a little hazy.

“I think there was always a link, sometimes unspoken, between surf-rock or twangy early rock and some of the first or second wave punk bands in America, groups like the Dead Kennedys, or Agent Orange, or maybe The Cramps or whathaveyou,” Dave remarks. “It had to do somewhat with playing tight spindly riffs that moved up and down the fretboard while keeping the beat fairly uptempo if not aggressive. Starting out with surf-rock as a reference point had more to do with that, our interest in punk at the time, and its vague lineage, than any desire to actually ingratiate ourselves into surf culture or become surfers. I guess some people do surf in Lake Michigan from time to time, but back then it didn't seem on the table.”

After playing together for a while, and honing their first batch of songs at practice and the occasional show, The Pottyshots were intent on recording a full-length. But rather than doing so in a studio, they went a different route. John-Paul explains, “I seem to remember that the decision to record on a 4 track was simply in line with us doing everything ourselves. At that point I know Dave had some experience recording with one. Along with us solely playing original music, cutting and pasting paper flyers together, promoting our shows in the pre-social media era of the late nineties by hitting the streets and posting flyers wherever we could, this approach just happened to be consistent with the DIY ethic that we stubbornly adhered to.”

What emerged was a self-titled CD, released on Beeshu Records. It remains a curious relic from the time in that, despite its somewhat primitive nature, it captures the band as they sounded playing together, with no overdubs or much in the way of studio trickery or added atmosphere. “There are all kinds of nuances to recording that aren’t represented here,” Dave admits. “And who knows, sometimes the guitar and bass might be a tad out of tune, or the drums will sound kind of garage-y with blown-out cymbals, etc. But I can appreciate it now as an ‘adult,’ because nothing really came out in the wash per se or sounds overly calculated. We tracked it in analogue in our own domain, where we wrote and practiced our songs, and where we were most comfortable, so it doesn’t sound that unnatural or gussied up. Like it or not, regardless of fidelity, it’s a fairly accurate representation of what we sounded like.”

From there the band continued playing shows whenever they could, all around Milwaukee and elsewhere in Wisconsin, while eventually dealing with its three members living in different parts of the state due to college. By the summer of 1999 they managed to record and release an EP, No Longer Building, that saw the band’s sound evolving a bit, possibly closer to noise rock territory. The Pottyshots soon went on a six-day tour, before realizing their break-up was imminent what with John-Paul having plans to move out west in the autumn. They concluded their tenure with a fiery show—literally—at The Globe on Milwaukee’s East Side. Corey remembers, “Before our last song we all pulled our shirts off with each of us having a letter on our chest that spelled out R.I.P. I lit my cymbals on fire for extra effect. At that point we were full on about the spectacle aspect of our sets. It was a fantastic ending to close out a good run. This band paved the way for me to expand with my next bands. I’m still proud of what we did and glad these songs are being resurrected for others to check out.”

And now the rest is up to you, dear reader. We hope you find something to like.