Season to Risk

"IN A PERFECT WORLD - PART 1

It was the spring of 1994, acclaimed underground music producer / recording engineer, Martin Bisi was coming to Kansas City to check out a Season to Risk rehearsal. We wanted to see if it would be a good fit to work together and record the follow up to our 1993 debut at his B.C. Recording Studio in , NY. Columbia Records had committed to letting us follow our artistic path and hire someone off our short list of desired producers. We were writing and practicing in what was a dirt floored hovel behind an ancient barbershop in the, at that time, desolate Crossroads area of Kansas City. Side note, when we weren’t bashing out at volumes of sonic proportions, we could hear the old timer Greek immigrant barber fiddling away on an ancient violin. We should have used him on the record!

Martin had recorded some of our all time favorites, early Sonic Youth, Foetus (JG Thirlwell), Swans and many others. We were nervous and excited. This being pre-social media days, we had no idea what Martin looked or acted like. He must be some dark gothic overlord of the New York underground, for certain, right? What we met was a humble, down to earth, slightly meek but confident long haired man with a bandana, sleeveless t-shirt and a pronounced New York brogue. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been to Kansas. We corrected him that he was in Missouri, but we explained that it confuses everyone.

Under the hanging bare lightbulbs, set up on plywood panels that kept the dirt down, we bashed out our noisy, intense, dissonant and strangely time-signatured screeds one by one. We discussed our thoughts on the tunes, our favorite records, our wishes and desires. We seemed simpatico and the deal was signed. We were to head to Brooklyn in a few short months to begin the recording of our next record. One small snafu, we weren’t sure who was going to be our drummer.
To be continued..."
Photo / painting by Matt Bramlette
Get the from Spartan Records
https://seasontorisk.bandcamp.com/album/in-a-perfect-world-30th-anniversary-edition

Friday May 22 miniBar with Dan Jones & The Squids, Combo Diablo! Ticket link in comments!

IDIOTEQ.com interview, discussing Derek Hess' art:
"The cover art still feels unsettling — half industrial nightmare, half biblical fever dream. What were those images supposed to represent to you at the time?

Steve: We gave the rough mixes to the artist Derek Hess, who had promoted shows of ours in Cleveland for years at this point. He was becoming quite lauded at this point. We gave him carte blanche. We always loved his artwork. The title was something our manager would always say and we thought the juxtaposition worked. We always liked confusing the message. I feel it forces someone to make their own meaning and add a personal layer to their experience with the music. Derek nailed it.

And when you see it now, do you read it differently?

Steve: I don’t. It still works. It’s of the time. Have you seen the video for Bloodugly that is basically a live action version of the artwork. It’s NOW!

David: To me, it’s a “perfect” working-class suffering image for the late-stage capitalist meltdown we all knew was coming, mixed with superstitious delusions hoping the apocalypse will cleanse the world, but save a chosen few. The boomers plundered the world, now they get to go to heaven.

Duane: We wanted the angst of an enslaved capitalistic world mixed with mechanical factory rhythms. Derek nailed the images."

Read the full piece: https://idioteq.com/season-to-risk-discuss-thirty-years-of-in-a-perfect-world/

GET THE Record Store Day blue !
https://rsdmrkt.com/item/68dfcf05b3f6539e1622fe11

JUNE 5, 2026 Caterwaul we play with some mental bands!
The Crosses (Yes, Die Kreuzen fans!)
The Didjits
mike watt
Season to Risk
New Brutalism
resurrectionists
@100063574015906 Birdhands Ca Caw!
Mad Mojo Jett