Description
Bastro – Diablo Guapo – Cassette
Diablo Guapo is a album by the American experimental rock band Bastro. Bastro was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was known for their unconventional and avant-garde approach to rock music.
Bastro was the more prominent of guitarist David Grubbs’ two immediate post-Squirrel Bait projects, the concurrently running Bitch Magnet being the other. Grubbs originally joined the Louisville, KY-based Squirrel Bait while still in high school, and was actually one of the oldest members of the group; when he and bassist Clark Johnson left for college, it effectively spelled the end of the band after two important releases.
Grubbs went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and formed an early version of Bastro in 1987 with bassist Dan Treado, who soon left. Even though Clark Johnson had gone to Chicago, he and Grubbs reteamed as the new core of Bastro, and pursued a more twisted and abrasive style of post-hardcore punk than their former band.
The album showcased the band’s dissonant guitar work, complex rhythms, and abstract song structures. Diablo Guapo is a standout track that captures the band’s unique sound, characterized by angular guitar riffs, aggressive percussion, and cryptic, often poetic lyrics.
Bastro’s music often defied traditional rock conventions, incorporating elements of noise rock, post-punk, and experimental music. They gained a cult following for their challenging and boundary-pushing sound.
Backed by a drum machine, they issued a six-song EP, Rode Hard & Put Up Wet, on the Homestead label in 1988. They subsequently played some tour dates with My Dad Is Dead, whose drummer at the time was Oberlin College percussion major John McEntire. McEntire wound up joining Bastro full-time for their LP debut, 1989’s Bastro Diablo Guapo, which drew comparisons to the blistering extremity of Steve Albini and the precision and shifting dynamics of another Squirrel Bait offshoot, Slint.
Following the release of Diablo Guapo, Bastro disbanded in 1991, and members went on to pursue other musical projects. The album remains a notable example of Bastro’s experimental rock sound and their contribution to the underground music scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic seal
Homestead Records
Track Listing
1. Tallow Waters
2. Filthy Five Filthy Ten
3. Guapo
4. Flesh-Colored House
5. Short-Haired Robot
6. Can Of Whoopass
7. Decent Skin
8. Engaging The Reverend
9. Wurlitzer
10. Pretty Smart On My Part
11. Hoosier Logic
12. Shoot Me A Deer
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