Thinking about The Lassie Foundation, I reflect equally on its mind-blowing output during my formable college listening years as well as all the bands it referenced in its playing (that I would, in turn, get hip to).
The band’s first EP and first two full-length albums still stand up well alongside the best work of bands like Medicine or The Boo Radleys, so it’s easy to revisit them and not just defensively snap to your friends, “Well, you just had to be there.”
Wayne Everett and Eric Campuzano (the primary forces in The Lassie Foundation) were responsible for much of my musical discoveries in college. When I read them name-drop Ride, The Boo Radleys, Loop, The Beach Boys and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in interviews, I immediately sought out any of those bands’ records I could find. (Remember, this was still before Napster…it took me a year to find even one CD by The Boo Radleys!)
In retrospect, I was bound to be smitten by The Lassie Foundation’s work. The band was a collective of guys from Starflyer 59, Fold Zandura and The Violet Burning…three of my favorite bands at the time. But The Lassie Foundation was totally different than those bands; it had a cool, surfy, California vibe. Enjoy, and remember, enlightenment is its own reward.
You’re welcome.
- “I’m Stealin’ to Be Your One in a Million” – The Lassie Foundation (California | Velvet Blue Music | 1996)
- “I’ve Got the Rock and Roll for You” – The Lassie Foundation (Pacifico | Shogun Sounds | 1999)
- “She’s the Coming Sun–She’s Long Gone” – The Lassie Foundation (Pacifico | Shogun Sounds | 1999)
- “Conquer Me” – The Lassie Foundation (El Rey | Shogun Sounds | 1999)
- “Look All Ways” – The Lassie Foundation (I Duel Sioux and the Ale of Saturn | Grand Theft Autumn | 2001)
- “Face Your Fun” – The Lassie Foundation (Face Your Fun | Northern | 2004)
Radio Free Raytown 