Spectre Folk - Quabbin Winter LP

Reading the musical resume of Pete Nolan (aka Spectre Folk) has brought back vivid memories of a thrilling time for new music discovery. Pete was a drummer for Magik Markers, a (Connecticut/Massachusetts?) band that had somehow conjured up an infamous reputation for violent free rock that me and 3 other friends just had to hear! I did manage to get some CDs, and flogged them, but lost track of their evolution and associated acts.

That’s where Sophomore Lounge Records steps in, doing what they do best, joining the dots and giving us all a way into the ‘lifers’ and bypassing the opportunistic ‘lifestylers’.

Spectre Folk’s ‘Quabbin Winter’ has stayed close to the turntable since we got it and I grow more fond of it with every listen. A laid-back-but-with-tubes-still-running-hot take on psychedelic rock, like ‘Cats & Dogs’ era Royal Trux, or Spacemen 3 meets a particular USA underground sensibility that spans the likes of Strapping Fieldhands to Sic Alps (who helped out with this recording!).

I wonder what else I’ve missed from the Magik Markers crew??? Oh well at least I’ve got this one! - Nic

Made it onto our ‘Best of 2025 (So Far!)’ list. View collection here