Russ Stedman - "Bad Vibes" (C-60, 1993)
RUSS STEDMAN - "BAD VIBES" : (HOMEMADEMUSIC.COM ) Stedman's tapes are always full of surprises, even to those familiar with his past work. And while many hometapers have what you might call a "kitchen sink" approach to compiling tapes for release (seeming throwing every sort of imaginable style into the mix), Stedman pulls it off better than most. His tapes, however, are by no means "smooth" or "crafted." It also doesn't sound like Russ does a whole lot of careful editing. That gives tapes like Bad Vibes a slap dash feel that, I think, works in its favor and makes the whole listen very fun. Sure, a couple of the instrumentals state their case and then overstay their welcome, but the title cut still has me singing the hook with its distorted Skinny Puppy -esque vocal line and Ramones -esque punk swagger. (Bryan Baker)