Estrus: Shovelin’ the Shit Since ‘87

Korero Press's rich tradition of showcasing world-renowned graphic art will soon include the infamous purveyors of a unique brand of punk rock. Estrus: Shovelin' The Shit Since '87 is the complete, as-yet-untold, story of US garage rock powerhouse Estrus Records, which for nearly two decades churned out hundreds of releases from some of the biggest garage, trash, surf, and punk bands worldwide, among them The Makers, The Mummies, Man or Astroman?, and label head honcho Dave Crider's drunk-punk quartet The Mono Men. Shovelin' charts the label's highs and lows - from its highly successful hosting of the annual Garage Shock, arguably the greatest series of garage rock 'festivals', to the devastating loss of its warehouse in a fire that virtually wiped out its mailorder stock, as well as master tapes and precious personal possessions. Estrus is one of the few record labels whose cover art and other graphics matches the brilliance of its music, thanks to the contributions of US trash-culture visionary Art Chantry, as well as Alex Wald and Darren Merinuk, and the book is packed with many of its iconic visuals. It also draws on lively, extensive interviews, never-seenbefore archival photos, oddball artefacts and more to give a fascinating insight into the major players behind one of garage rock's most influential and successful independent record labels.