Pitchfork

Like those limited edition art print Nikes you bought on eBay and later regretted, Winston-Salem, North Carolina's Sneakers were a short-lived phenomenon. But not regrettable.

The Southern-fried post-punk/power pop band only released one EP (1976's The Sneakers) and one LP (1979's In the Red) in their original incarnation before band members went on to form the dB's and produce R.E.M.'s first two albums. However, Sneakers later reformed in 1992 to assemble the Racket anthology and record a few new songs.

The forthcoming Nonsequitur of Silence compilation one-ups Racket by including-- in addition to the EP ("culled from restored original mixes," according to a press release), the LP, and all of the later recordings-- two bonus tracks: "Decline and Fall (Fidelitorium mix)" and the demo version of "Love That Girl" (the previously unreleased song that became "Love's Like a Cuban Crisis").

Collectors' Choice Music will release Nonsequitur of Silence on January 30. Sneakers co-founders Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter curated and remixed the songs, respectively, with Brent Lambert handling remastering duties at Carrboro, North Carolina's Kitchen Mastering. Music critic Scott Schinder wrote liner notes for the release.

Sneakers will celebrate the release of the compilation with their first live appearance since 1979 tomorrow, January 13 at New York City's Bowery Ballroom. Stamey's dB's and Mitch Easter will appear separately at the show as well, and both have a few dates scheduled on their own.

Tracklist:

01 Ruby
02 Condition Red
03 Driving
04 Nonsequitur (Of Silence)
05 Love's Like a Cuban Crisis
06 On the Brink
07 Story of a Girl
08 What I Dig
09 Stuck on You
10 No Wonder
11 Some Kinda Fool
12 Decline & Fall
13 The Perfect Stranger
14 Be My Ambulance
15 I Will Understand
16 S'il Vous Plait
17 Quelle Folle
18 Mark Peril Theme
19 B&G Pies Commercial
20 Decline and Fall (Fidelitorium mix)
21 Love That Girl (original demo)

(Former) Sneakers pounding the pavement:

01-12 Brooklyn, NY - Magnetic Field [Mitch Easter]
01-13 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom [the Sneakers, Mitch Easter, the dB's]
02-02 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle [the dB's]