Denver gloom.

In the 80's Colorado had a very interesting punk scene that can pretty much be attributed to the Wax Trax record store that opened there in the 70's. The store was sold in 1978 and the duo of Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher set out for Chicago and the rest is black vinyl corset and clove cigarette history. But we are staying in Denver as this is where an unassuming and very overlooked scene starts to form. Much in the way Rough Trade served as a post for young British punks, Wax Trax becomes the central spot for anyone in Denver who is looking to establish a punk band, label, or whatever else you could possibly think of. As the 70's come to a close Denver sees many punk bands come and go unrecognized. Into the 80's... more of the same. Bunch of bands and very little exposure. One such band that has an amazing amount of material that was created with in just two years of it's existence is the Soul Merchants. Based in Denver but frequenting Boulder as well, the Soul Merchants recorded around 100 songs together from 85 to 87. Most of this material can be found on a now out of print double cd set that was released by Smooch Records in 2007. Much like the doom and obscurity that plagued all these Denver punks, Smooch seems to be done or at least not doing much these days. They also released a comp called Local Anesthetic that covers the Denver punk scene and is a fucking brilliant comp of very eclectic bands. That will probably appear here soon. The Soul Merchants capture the gloom of the Sisters of Mercy, the demonic brilliance of early Christian Death, and the sonic heat of the Jesus and Mary Chain perfectly. I have in one file for you the double cd. Really want the other 60 songs.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ylva6oeyewad2