The Poor Man’s Comp Volume 1 was a means for west Texas bands to get their names and music circulating around in public. In its heyday, it appeared on cassette- only and featured 13 incredible artists. It sold about 30 copies, had at least 10 or 15 given away, was later converted to MP3s by “Angry Bob” Hutchison, and continues to be downloaded more than many of the most popular contemporary West Texas acts. In effect, it united a many of the local residents  and immortalized music that otherwise would have been forgotten as the Sands of Time buried them.

Volume 1 is currently available through Facebook, MySpace, and Youtube, as well as through a mobile app. These days, you can take The Poor Man on the bus, the subway, for long walks on the beach, or to your local crack house.

Most of the original tracks were recorded with primitive means ranging from tape recorders to 4-tracks. The “sound” of Volume 1 has a distinct DIY feel to it, it’s rough – even jagged – around the edges, and represents people doing what they could with the resources they had. Indeed, rofessional recording was beyond the means of most of the bands involved. The bands who contributed their work to Volume 1 likely had no other exposure beyond the PMRBC and occasional shows ranging from outdoor farm/ranch gigs, to local parties, to band practice sessions, to shows set up (particularly by Insanus and The Gorevettes) in motel conference rooms. Volume 1 of The Poor Man’s Rock Band Compilation included the following Texas bands:

God's 4-Letter Word
The Pathetics
Ice-P
Product of Isolation
Legless Dog
Shiteater
Dead Black
The Brewskis
GNN
Love in Vein
Can't Get It Down
Dump
Insanus