Download: Gunilla Mixtapes

I've snuck a little link in the new Music + Mixtapes section (waaay down on the righthand side) but felt this needed to be shouted out LOUD! Gunilla Mixtapes is my new favourite blog; a regularly updated mixtape site, sharing the knowns and unknowns of the 80s grrrl (post-)punk wasteland.

The posts pop-up monthly, showcasing hand-picked tracks from the backcatalogues of little known names and forgotten gems. It's freaking awesome and even if your iTunes is already at bursting point, the links section alone is worth a visit.

I've had trouble finding most of the tracks on youtube, but here are a few examples of what's instore...

Visit Gunilla Mixtapes here.

Chalk Circle - Reflection

I'll admit that Chalk Circle are a totally new find for me, but after The Girls Are reported that the 'strictly women-only endeavour in an overwhelmingly male hardcore scene' from the early Eighties were officially releasing their recordings for the first time, I had to check them out.

Made up of Mary Green, Sharon Cheslow, Anne Bonafede and alternating bass players Jan Pumphrey, Tamera Lyndsay and Chris Niblack, the band played between '81 and '83 in Washington, DC and according to their Myspace, were the first all-female punk band to record and play in the city. They have a crazy amount of links to other bands - Henry Rollins was originally considered as their drummer but decided to pursue fronting a band instead, John Waters showed up at one of their first gigs and members of the band also went on to play and collaborate with Lydia Lunch, Lesley Woods from the Au Pairs, Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill/Julie Ruin/Le Tigre) and Tim Green from Nation of Ulysses, amongst others.

The new release, entitled Reflection, is an anthology of live recordings, compilation appearances and unreleased material, and is being put out by Post Present Medium and Mississippi Records. The release will be out on the 29th March, but for now you can listen to some of their tracks here.