
Bastro was an American post-punk band formed by guitarist/vocalist David Grubbs in 1987 while he was attending college at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He was initially joined by bassist Dan Treado but the union was brief and Grubbs soon invited his childhood friend Clark Johnson to fill the role (Grubbs and Johnson had previously both been members of the band Squirrel Bait in their native Louisville, KY while in high school). The group's first EP, "Rode Hard and Put Away Wet" featured the duo accompanied by a drum machine. Later, drummer John McEntire joined the band. This line-up released two albums, "Diablo Guapo" and "Sing The Troubled Beast". Johnson left the group after the latter release to focus on law school and Grubbs and McEntire, who had relocated to Chicago, were joined by bassist Bundy K. Brown. Feeling limited by their format and dynamic, Grubbs put the Bastro name to rest and would re-group with Brown to write and perform the first Gastr Del Sol album (with contributions from McEntire) in 1993. Brown and McEntire would also co-found the post-rock group Tortoise.
Links to Peel[]
Peel seemed to first play Bastro in 1989 via the 'Human Music' compilation album. So impressed with their material, that he invited the band to do two sessions for his show in 1990. Some of Peel's listeners also voted their track, Nothing Special, in the 1990 Festive Fifty, which led to a comment by Peel when presenting it, that he was pleased that it got into the Festive Fifty and it would have been in his own as well.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1990 Festive Fifty: Nothing Special #45
Sessions[]
BASTRO John Peel 1st July 1990
1. Recorded: 1990-01-14. First Broadcast: 29 January 1990. Repeated: 06 March 1990
- I Come From A Long Line Of Shipbuilders / Extrovert / (I've) Ben Brown / Nothing Special
2. Recorded: 1990-07-01. First Broadcast: 23 July 1990. Repeated: 20 October 1990
- Demons Begone / Krakow Illinois / Floating Home / Recidivist 2 (Instrumental)
Other Shows Played[]
- 1989
- 25 January 1989: Flesh-Coloured House (v/a LP - Human Music) Homestead
- 31 January 1989 (Radio Bremen): Flesh-Coloured House (v/a album - Human Music) Homestead
- 01 February 1989: Extract (LP - Rode Hard And Put Up) Homestead
- 08 February 1989: Extract (LP - Rode Hard And Put Up Wet) Homestead
- 21 February 1989: Extract (album - Rode Hard And Put Up Wet) Homestead
- 14 March 1989: Extract (album - Rode Hard And Put Up Wet) Homestead
- 13 June 1989: Shoot Me A Deer (7") Homestead
- 19 June 1989 (BBC World Service): Shoot Me A Deer (7") Homestead
- 21 June 1989: Shoot Me A Deer (7") Homestead
- 21 June 1989 (BFBS): Shoot Me A Deer (7") Homestead
- 12 July 1989 (BFBS): Shoot Me A Deer (7") Homestead
- 01 January 1990: Can Of Whoopass (album - Bastro Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 03 January 1990: Can Of Whoopass (album - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 08 January 1990: Guapo (album - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 16 January 1990: Flesh Colored House (album - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 17 January 1990: Pretty Smart On My Part (album - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 18 January 1990: Hoosier Logic (album - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 24 January 1990: Can Of Whoopass (LP - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 27 January 1990 (BFBS): 'Tallow Waters (LP-Diablo Guapo)' (Homestead)
- 31 January 1990: Flesh-Colored House (album - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 03 February 1990 (BFBS): Engaging The Reverend (LP - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 14 February 1990: Tallow Waters (LP - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 30 August 1990: Shoot Me A Deer (album - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 14 September 1990 (BFBS): Shoot Me A Deer (album - Diablo Guapo) Homestead
- 03 November 1990: Nothing Special (7" shared with My Dad Is Dead - Nothing Special / Flesh-Colored House) Clawfist
- 17 November 1990: Nothing Special (shared 7" with My Dad Is Dead - Nothing Special / Flesh-Colored House) Clawfist
- 23 November 1990 (BFBS): Nothing Special (7" shared with My Dad Is Dead - Nothing Special / Flesh-Colored House) Clawfist
- 07 December 1990 (BFBS): My Dad Is Dead (7") Clawfist
- 22 December 1990: (JP (referring to the next record): 'I was very pleased to see this get into the Festive Fifty: it would have been in mine, I think.') 'Nothing Special (7 inch-split single with My Dad Is Dead)' (Clawfist) (JP (after fade-out) : 'Actually this sounds like a crummy pressing too, and I don't think it is - it played alright at home anyway a couple of days ago. Maybe we're staring the spectre of stylusware in the face.') FF #45
- 1991
- 09 March 1991: I Come From A Long Line Of Shipbuilders (album - Sing The Trouble Beast) Homestead
- 17 March 1991: 'Jefferson-In-Drag (LP-Sing The Troubled Beast)' (Homestead)
- 22 March 1991 (BFBS): I Come From A Long Line Of Shipbuilders (LP-Sing The Troubled Beast)' (Homestead)
- 23 March 1991: I Come From A Long Line Of Shipbuilders (LP-Sing The Troubled Beast)' (Homestead)
- 1997
- 03 July 1997: Guapo (CD - Diablo Guapo) Homestead