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Fresh Sounds from Alien Hands

by The Buckthrusters

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thefxc
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thefxc Wichita Lawrence Kansas City MO / hydraulic arm into the audience / thrustin thru the show

This is Wichita c.1980–spaced-out K-Mart trips, nuclear angst, deconstructed swing music, synths vs accordions, apocalyptic poetry, gigs at pizza joints, fresh sounds from the greatest of plains. Devo hears these guys and gal and say, 'they got it right'. Listen to them now before 'Wash Your Troubles Away' gets licenced for a Tide Clean ad and everyone pretends they always rode with the Buckthrusters Favorite track: Blu Lite Special.
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1.
Words and Music Greg Cowper Song recorded for the compilation - Fresh Sounds from Middle America (vol 2) Greg Cowper - Vocal / Accordion Jim Skeel - Synthesizer / Keyboard / Vocal Staci Stull -Guitar / Vocal Britt Rosencutter - Drums / Vocal Jim Rosencutter - Bass
2.
Words and Music by Jim Skeel Song (recorded for but not on) the compilation Fresh Sounds from Middle America (vol 2) Jim Skeel - Vocal / Keyboard / Synthesizer Greg Cowper - Accordion / Vocal Staci Stull -Guitar / Vocal Britt Rosencutter - Drums / Vocal Jim Rosencutter - Bass
3.
And It Is 02:58
Words and Music by Greg Cowper Song recorded for the compilation - Fresh Sounds from Middle America (vol 2) Greg Cowper - Vocal / Accordion Jim Skeel - Keyboard Staci Stull -Guitar / Vocal Britt Rosencutter - Drums / Vocal Jim Rosencutter - Bass
4.
The Drive 02:30
Words and Music by Staci Stull Song recorded for the compilation - Fresh Sounds from Middle America (vol 2) Staci Stull - Vocal / Guitar Greg Cowper - Accordion Jim Skeel - Synthesizer Britt Rosencutter - Drums / Vocal Jim Rosencutter - Bass
5.
The Moment 03:58
Words by Greg Cowper / Music by Greg Cowper / Britt Rosencutter , Jim Rosencutter, Jim Skeel & Staci Stull Song recorded for the compilation - Fresh Sounds from Middle America (vol 2) Greg Cowper - Vocal / Synthesizer Jim Skeel - Keyboard Staci Stull -Guitar Britt Rosencutter - Drums Jim Rosencutter - Bass
6.
Ha! Ha! 03:01
Words and Music by Jim Skeel Song recorded for the compilation - Fresh Sounds from Middle America (vol 2) Jim Skeel - Vocal / Keyboard Greg Cowper - Synthesizer Staci Stull -Guitar / Vocal Britt Rosencutter - Drums Jim Rosencutter - Bass
7.
Words and Music by Staci Stull songwriting / practice sessions Staci Stull - Vocal Jim Skeel - Slide Guitar Greg Cowper - Synth Bass / Organ / Backing Vocal Britt Rossencutter - Drums / Backing Vocal
8.
Words by Staci Stull / Music by Greg Cowper, Jim Skeel & Staci Stull songwriting / practice sessions Staci Stull - Guitar / Vocal Jim Skeel - Synth / Vocal Greg Cowper - Synth Bass / Vocal Britt Rossencutter Drums
9.
Wash Your Troubles Away songwriting / practice sessions Words Staci Stull / Music Greg Cowper, Jim Skeel & Staci Stull Staci Stull - Vocals and Delay Manipulation Jim Skeel - Synth and Keys Greg Cowper - Synth
10.
No Laughing Matter Words and Music by Greg Cowper Bucks first live gig at Hobo's Pizza 4-3-81 Greg Cowper - Vocal, Synth bass Staci Stull - Guitar , Vocal Jim Skeel - Synth Britt Rossencutter - Drums, Vocal
11.
Love LIke a River Words and Music Nan Geary songwriting / practice sessions Staci Stull - Vocal, Guitar Jim Skeel - Slide Guitar Greg Cowper - Synth Britt Rossencutter - Drums
12.
Leasure 03:09
Leasure Words and Music Jim Skeel Friday the 13th gig November 1981 Jim Skeel - Vocal Keyboard Greg Cowper - Synth Jim Rossencutter - Bass Britt Rossencutter - Drums, Vocal
13.
Tuff 02:54
Tuff Words and Music Greg Cowper Britts birthday party gig at Sundance Apartments 11-6-81 Greg Cowper - Vocal Synth bass Jim Skeel - Keyboard Jim Rossencutter - Bass Britt Rossencutter - Drums, Vocal
14.
I Dream of You Words & Music Staci Stull ( with) G. Cowper, B.& J. Rossencutter & Jim Skeel - Music songwriting / practice sessions Staci Stull - Vocal, Guitar Greg Cowper - Synth Jim Skeel - Keyboard Jim Rossencutter - Bass Britt Rossencutter - Drums
15.
D-day 04:09
D-day Friday the 13th gig November 1981 Music G. Cowper / B.& J. Rossencutter / J. Skeel / S. Stull Jim Skeel - Keyboard, Synth Greg Cowper - Synth Jim Rossencutter - Bass Britt Rossencutter - Drums
16.
Come Back Johnny Words and Music Greg Cowper Britts birthday party gig at Sundance Apartments 11-6-81 Greg Cowper - Vocal, Accordion Staci Stull - Guitar, Vocal Jim Skeel - Keyboard, Synth Jim Rossencutter - Bass Britt Rossencutter - Drums, Vocal
17.
Just You 05:05
Just You Words, Greg Cowper, Staci Stull / Music, Greg Cowper, Jim Skeel, Staci Stull songwriting / practice sessions Greg Cowper - Vocal, Accordion Staci Stull - Guitar, Vocal Jim Skeel - Keyboard / Synth Bass Britt Rossencutter Drums
18.
Open Season 01:49
Open Season Friday the 13th gig November 1981 Music G. Cowper / B.& J. Rossencutter / J. Skeel / S. Stull Jim Skeel - Synth Greg Cowper - Synth Jim Rossencutter - Bass Britt Rossencutter - Drums, Whistle
19.
Coming Out Tonight Words and Music Greg Cowper Britts birthday party gig at Sundance Apartments 11-6-81 Greg Cowper - Vocal, Accordion Jim Skeel - Synth Jim Rossencutter - Bass Britt Rossencutter - Drums
20.
Wash Your Troubles Away Bucks first live gig at Hobo's Pizza 4-3-81 Words Staci Stull / Music Greg Cowper, Jim Skeel & Staci Stull Staci Stull - Vocals and Delay Manipulation Jim Skeel - Synth and Keys Greg Cowper - Synth Britt Rossencutter Drums
21.
Blue Lite Special Words and Music Greg Cowper Friday the 13th gig November 1981 Greg Cowper - Vocal, Organ Jim Skeel - Synth,Keyboard & Vocal Jim Rossencutter - Bass Britt Rossencutter - Drums, Vocal

about

credits

released March 28, 2015

August 2021
This site has been recently revised again adding 12 additional songs mastered from live recordings and songwriting / practice sessions. Notes for all songs are shown under the lyric section.

1981 Wichita, KS punk/new wave music scene with the Embarrassment. The Buckthrusters toured Wichita / Lawrence / KC venues with the Embos.
Greg Cowper - Vocal / Accordion / synthesizer / Organ
Jim Skeel - Vocal / Synthesizer / Keyboards / Slide Guitar
Staci Stull - Vocal, Guitar and Bass
Britt Rosencutter - Drums & Backing Vocal
Jim Rosencutter - Bass
Recorded and Produced by Jim Skeel with Greg Cowper
Mixed by the Buckthrusters
All Songs Mastered by Jim Skeel
©℗ 1981 / 2015 / 2021

Late 1980, in their early 30s, just in time for their mid-life crisis, Greg Cowper and Jim Skeel were trying to overcome the breakup of their first band together, Dr. Doom and the Victims of Circumstance.
drdoomandthevictimsofcircumstance.bandcamp.com/releases
www.facebook.com/thevictimsofcircumstance
Doom had been a fun start to being in a band creating original music and pursuing a sort of punk version of art rock. Greg and Jim had been working with hard rock bands and been exploring other music going on in Wichita. The local music that was most interesting to them was the punk, new wave scene centered around the band The Embarrassment and other bands such as The Aagarns and The Inevitable. www.embos.org

Jim & Greg made friends with the Embos and Jim started to record the band at his home studio. Dr. Doom also performed at the Flatiron Building, the Embarrassment practice space.

After Dr. Doom's breakup Greg and Jim were looking to put together a band whose sound was more streamlined. The first instrument to go was Jim’s Hammond organ since one of the reasons for the Doom break up was the issue of hauling heavy equipment.

To build a new band they started by asking Staci Stull to join them on bass and guitar as she was free after the demise of the all girl band, the Inevitable. Greg and Jim started teaching Staci some stuff written for Doom and Staci turned them on to her songs. A lot of sparks went flying while trying to develop a sound they all liked. They focused on rearrangements of existing material and writing some new songs. They discussed band names and thought "Alien Hands" might be good.

They wrote, practiced and did some rough recordings while looking for a drummer. The Aagarns had recently broken up which freed up Britt Rosencutter who was asked to join them on drums. Meanwhile, Jim went on a road trip to Sooner Sound Labs to witness the recording of the Embo's material for their new EP. While killing time created by a technical issue, John Nichols, the Embos singer, started messing around with some dance steps he called the “Buck Thrust”. One thing led to another and John took to calling the new band the Buckthrusters. Somehow the name stuck.

The Buckthrusters started performing and after a fashion, they became a go to band as openers for the Embarrassment. This made a lot of sense as Jim was running live sound for the Embos and Ron Klaus, the Embos bass player was running the live sound for the Bucks when he was available. Although it was not an exclusive arrangement, they performed together a lot.

After the Bucks first couple of gigs, it was decided to add Jim Rosencutter on bass (also from the Aagarns). Staci now moved exclusively to guitar.

The band moved into high gear, playing gigs with the Kansas City band, the Yard Apes as well as touring Wichita / Lawrence / KC with the Embos. They continued to evolve their sound which was different from other bands in the scene having 2 guys playing synthesizers & keyboards and Greg playing accordion.

The Bucks were then asked to record some songs for Bill Rich's Fresh Sounds From Middle America tape series vol 2. This volume also included songs from the band "The New Wave Brothers" which both Britt and Jim R were part of.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_Sounds_from_Middle_America_%28vol_2%29
The first volume of Fresh Sounds included songs that Jim had recorded for the Embos as well as music from their Kansas City, friends the Yardapes. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_Sounds_from_Middle_America_(vol_1)

Unfortunately, shortly after recording 6 songs for the tape, the band came apart at the seams. Staci was dealing with illness and dropped out. The band soldiered on as a 4 piece but Greg then decided that it was time to move back to Philadelphia to be near his son. Jim had been hanging out with Yard Apes drummer, Frank Womack during some of their gigs and he mentioned he had a chance to take a job in KC. Frank was wanting something different and encouraged Jim to come on up and start a band and the move was on.

Greg moved to Philly and did a stint as the accordionist for the Ben Vaughn Combo and you can see him on this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yi3lQOtPZU

Britt filled in as drummer for some Embarrassment reunion shows and he continues to this day playing drums in various bands in Wichita.

Jim R carried on when he replaced Jim S as the Embarrassment's sound man and helped them record their Death Travels West LP.

Jim S moved to Kansas City and after being involved in the startup of A Peep Show in Reverse and John Doe (the band) in 1982, went on to help form Short-term Memory a band that formally lasted a decade and still releases recordings from time to time.
short-termmemory.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Short-term-Memory/233909016804159
johndoetheband.bandcamp.com/releases

Staci moved to Boston to pursue a career in Art and has recently surfaced with some new songs.
stacistull.bandcamp.com/releases

A more complete list of other bands follows:
some later bands of Jim
randomrex.bandcamp.com/album/random-rex
cyberchump.com
cyberchump.bandcamp.com/music
jamscience1.bandcamp.com
damawa.bandcamp.com/releases
thankfreud.bandcamp.com
short-termmemory.bandcamp.com
johndoetheband.bandcamp.com/releases
thebuckthrusters.bandcamp.com/releases
drdoomandthevictimsofcircumstance.bandcamp.com/releases
sosss.bandcamp.com/releases

Greg
drdoomandthevictimsofcircumstance.bandcamp.com/releases
jamscience1.bandcamp.com/album/jam-science-roughing-it-lo-fi-and-noisy
thebuckthrusters.bandcamp.com/releases
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Vaughn
books.google.com/books?id=772AV6upth4C&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=bands+that+greg+cowper+was+in&source=bl&ots=MFFif4NM90&sig=lScp6wCpUXrKYLNCiel27ZSw0fo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjc1-j5x_rMAhWi8YMKHWOXCiEQ6AEIOTAE#v=onepage&q=bands%20that%20greg%20cowper%20was%20in&f=false

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The Buckthrusters Wichita, Kansas

1980/1981 The Wichita punk/new wave music scene. In Support of the Embarrassment, The Buckthrusters played the Wichita / Lawrence / Kansas City area shows. These recordings document their short career.

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