Two Two One Press releases punk rock LP, a compilation of local rockers and audio engineers

Spokane’s own punk rock scene has spent four decades developing its own tight knit community and sound, one that can be explored through a brand-new compilation album consisting of the Lilac City’s musical veterans and newcomers.

Brett Noble, one of the co-owners of the locally based Two Two One Press and a longtime punk drummer initially from Illinois, can’t help but remember the once common regional LPs that would define a scene. Especially in the punk or alt-rock world, some of these compilation records remain legendary even decades later.

“In that spirit, we wanted to capture what was going on in Spokane with a throwback to the old days,” Noble said. “The big goal would be to help, just like in the past, get our bands out there to the rest of the world so they can see what’s going on in a city like Spokane.”

Although the record, titled “Beneath The Falls: A Spokane DIY Sampler,” generally follows the local punk sound, it simultaneously encompasses that of shoegaze, indie, emo, post hardcore and more.

“It’s not so much one sound, but it’s the idea and the attitude,” Noble said. “All these bands share a DIY approach and are committed to the all-ages scene and have the same basic values and ethics and way of conducting their business as a band, so that was a key point.”

The record features a mesh of Spokane’s sound, that of the 1990s and 2000s veterans like Loomer and Belt of Vapor alongside the younger scene standards like Hayes Noble and Bad Trip Motel. This range of ages displays another special aspect of the Spokane scene: how committed people remain even over the passage of time.

“They’ve stayed involved, and they stay involved not just with an older crowd, but with the all ages scene and playing to kids who are from a different generation of punk rock,” Noble said. “That’s just how Spokane is. The Spokane scene has this broad range of people who are involved and making music.”

Spokane’s musical niche has continued to grow, especially in recent years, but often remains overshadowed by the likes of Seattle and other major musical hotspots around the country (the Midwest and its longtime association with emo, for example). So although Noble hopes the compilation will help spread the word, he also wants to put the scene on display for locals who may not be familiar with Spokane’s long standing yet underground rock outlet.

“There’s so many good bands right under our noses,” Noble said.

This is also why Noble and Two Two One Press wanted to expand upon another aspect of Spokane’s younger students of the musical craft: those behind the scenes. They teamed up with Spokane Falls Community College and their audio engineering program to record about half of the project and give students hands-on industry experience. All proceeds from the project will also go to the college’s program.

“We used ‘mutual aid’ to get the bands in there, get young kids who are just starting out in audio engineering a chance to record bands, get our bands into what is really a pretty amazing studio for a community college to have on its campus,” Noble said. “It really is like a celebration of our community and what’s going on here and the hidden gems.”

Two Two One Press will celebrate the release with two nights of local music at the Garland Theater on Friday and Saturday.

“One of the cool things about DIY punk is that you can play anywhere,” Noble said. “It’s pretty awesome because the Garland has been a key part of a lot of people’s lives getting to see movies there, so it’s fitting to throw a punk show there.”