If you believe local outsider artists reflecting the creative edge of the early punk scene are culturally significant, then the history of Razorhouse will matter. Razorhouse singer and lead writer, Mark Panick, formed The Bonemen of Barumba in the early 80’s when the Chicago punk/art music scene was a few hundred people at most; contemporaries at the time included Steve Albini’s Big Black, Naked Raygun, and The Effigies. When Steve Albini was a DJ at WNUR, he lovingly called the Bonemen’s first record (also a 10″ EP) “Barbecue music from hell”. Four decades later Razorhouse’s “Songs About Bunnies & Crocodiles” is Mark Panick building upon and foraging poignant, forward leaning, personally storied art.
This EP was bore of yet another further isolation (those following know that last years’ Scolds Bridal LP was birthed from the Covid isolation), this time medical necessity required Mark to become a caregiver for his partner as they were both forced to isolate an additional year. There was a lot of quiet time for Mark to breathe life into new songs until they started walking around on their own. Much of the record was tracked in Mark’s home studio, then finished by tracking drums and vocals at Kingsize Sound on the west side of Chicago with engineer Mike Hagler. Not long after living with some of the rough demos Mark had a conversation with Steve Fisk (producer/mixer of many Pacific Northwest artists from Screaming Trees to Nirvana) who expressed interest in working on the record. Steve and Mark’s history goes back to the 1981 Sub Pop 5 cassette compilation where both their bands were featured. A working mix and production friendship was born where as Mark likes to put it “Steve’s ears and heart got smeared all over the project” — Razorhouse and Mark are delighted with the results. Steve recommended John Golden to What’s behind the songs!
“Sad Manifesto” originally recorded on the EP Codex Jun by Razorhouse 12 years ago, has since grown, shed a skin or three, and reemerged in new form. This recording includes Brad Elvis on drums. “Gods Favorite Crocodile” is a short story of sorts with definitive Beefheartian vibe (if you ask the author) from the footsteps to the door buzzer to the last warning…Where the Blutschwein go! “Rabbit Run” is told in a chant almost a nursery rhyme, part cautionary tale part whimsical reminiscence. “Poultice” lives in a poem set to a revolving stage setting of a momentary reflection. “Is That All There Is?” in the classic Leiber & Stoller song Peggy Lee tells of her circus experience. This Razorhouse version is quite confessional. The first verse is Mark’s experience of his father’s nightclub being burnt down because he planned to sell the business to Black men. In the second verse the author tells of a time in 1976 when he and his friends were embracing the punk ethos and because of their appearance they were physically assaulted several times over an evening while homophobic curse words were being yelled at them.
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