BIG STIR RECORDSis proud to announce the long-awaited, first-time on vinyl reissue of OFF TO A BAD START, the 1994 debut and only full-length album from Santa Barbara, CA's underground heroes of alternative rock and punk-edged power pop, POPSICKO. This deluxe edition packages the LP with a new book, TO WOULD HAVE BEENS: THE OFFICIAL ORAL HISTORY

BIG STIR RECORDS is proud to announce the long-awaited, first-time on vinyl reissue of OFF TO A BAD START, the 1994 debut and only full-length album from Santa Barbara, CA's underground heroes of alternative rock and punk-edged power pop, POPSICKO. This deluxe edition packages the LP with a new book, TO WOULD HAVE BEENS: THE OFFICIAL ORAL HISTORY OF POPSICKO, edited by S.W. Lauden and featuring insights from all surviving band members and others who were there for the band's meteoric and all-too-short career. The LP artwork and book also offer up a generous selection of never-before-published photos and memorabilia from the Popsicko archives and remembrances of the band's frontman KEITH BROWN, whose tragic 1995 death in a car accident ended the band's career far too soon. The reissue sees exclusive release as a strictly limited run Vinyl LP on April 28 and is up for pre-order at www.bigstirrecords.com and major online retailers now, landing on record store shelves worldwide on the street date. (Note: Book contents not available digitally; print edition packaged exclusively with LP.)

Long out of print and previously issued only on CD in two versions with differing track listings, OFF TO A BAD START hits vinyl in its definitive and band-approved version. It's been preceded by Big Stir's release of a pair of Double-A-Side Digital 45s, including the lead single “Nastassja” and the non-album track “Ashtray Mouth”. With the vinyl album, the book, and the overdue bow of the tracks on all streaming services, the legacy of POPSICKO will finally be on display for those who remember, those just now discovering this lost chapter in '90s alt-pop-rock history, and anyone seeking a treasure trove of enduring songs in the spirit of bands from peak-period Soul Asylum to Nirvana. “We were often described as Cheap Trick meets The Replacements, which I feel works as a quick and easy way to characterize Popsicko’s sound,” recalls guitarist Cullen, and OFF TO A BAD START captures that sound for the ages.

POPSICKO's music has more than stood the test of time, as underground rock fans worldwide are about to discover. Brown was known to say of the band, “The description of our music is supposed to be in our name,” and the tunes on OFF TO A BAD START emphatically bear that out. Legends of their local scene and beloved on the road, POPSICKO possessed everything it took to rule the airwaves in the '90s heyday of the alternative rock and pop punk sound: the jagged guitars and rocket-fueled rhythms, the indelible hooks, and, in Brown, an electrifying frontman capable of crafting indelible and often heartbreakingly beautiful tunes. Seemingly destined to join the ranks of Weezer and Green Day (both bands with whom they shared stages) on the charts, the band's trajectory was tragically halted by Brown's passing. The surviving members would go on to build impressive resumés of their own – guitarist Tim Cullen with his band Summercamp and solo career, bassist Marko DeSantis with Sugarcult and Bad Astronaut, and drummer Mick Flowers with stints in bands including The Rentals, and together as a side-project called The Playing Favorites. but the music they created with Brown has stayed close to their hearts.

Reflecting on the album today, bassist DeSantis says: “Off to a Bad Start is a well-rounded document of where we'd arrived after after a whirlwind two and a half years or so as a band. It showcases Popsicko’s sonic mood swings: upbeat barn burners like 'Nastassja,' 'Dragging Me Down,' 'Getting’ Used to You,' 'Back It Up' and 'Distrust' juxtaposed with gin-soaked ballads like 'Story,' 'Starless' and 'To Would Have Beens,' whose title fits the new Oral History book so perfectly. There's also the heaviness of 'Some Mother’s Son' and 'I Don’t Need You' balanced by the bittersweet power pop of 'Hard To Tell,' 'Same Old Me,' and 'No Better Time'.

“These songs are mostly short stories about the trials and tribulations of young adulthood; navigating the choppy surf of love and lust, ambition, guilt, recreation and occasionally drifting out past the buoys into the darker depths of self-destruction,” continues DeSantis. “I would tell you what each song is specifically about, but I would hate to spoil the fun of deciphering them for yourself! Some lines from Keith do stand out: 'I’m washing down my pride with a bottle full of wine, and I’m forcing down my shame, and I’m chasing it with a life left of time' from 'Story'. And from 'Some Mother’s Son': 'I lost myself so many times I can hardly recognize it.' Those are lyrics that kinda sum up our worldview at the time, and they really cut deep in retrospect.”

Drummer Flowers feels much the same. “I still listen with teary-eyed nostalgia. I’m very proud of the end result,” he says. “Honestly, recording is where we shined.” The new reissue will be cherished by those who were there, and awaits discovery by those who love the perfect short, sharp, bittersweet pop song delivered with power and passion. OFF TO A BAD START is a revelatory work emblematic of POPSICKO's charm and energy in their prime, and the potential for what could have been. “No doubt had Popsicko stayed together, they’d have been at the very forefront of the ‘90s pop punk explosion,” says Pat DiPuccio, co-founder of Flipside fanzine, and the contemporaneous reviews of the band's celebrated live sets and eyewitness accounts collected in the companion Oral History back up that assessment handily. Anyone craving heartfelt and powerful guitar pop shot through with punk abandon and glam finesse will find a cure that's been there all along in the music of POPSICKO. This is their story.

BIG STIR RECORDScontinues our celebration of the legacy ofPOPSICKOwith the release of a new double A-side digital single, “Ashtray Mouth” b/w “Same Old Me”, setting the stage for major news on the long-awaited first-time-on-vinyl reissue of the beloved Santa Barbara band’s only album. The new release pairs an exclusive non-album track “Ashtray

BIG STIR RECORDS continues our celebration of the legacy of POPSICKO with the release of a new double A-side digital single, “Ashtray Mouth” b/w “Same Old Me”, setting the stage for major news on the long-awaited first-time-on-vinyl reissue of the beloved Santa Barbara band’s only album. The new release pairs an exclusive non-album track “Ashtray Mouth” sung and written the band's much-missed late frontman KEITH BROWN with “Same Old Me”, a cut written & sung by guitarist TIM CULLEN (who would go on to form and front SUMMERCAMP). The “Ashtray Mouth” / “Same Old Me” double single sees release on February 10 and is up for pre-order and pre-save at https://orcd.co/popsicko-double-a-side now, with details on LP reissue to follow soon.

Legends of their regional music scene and beloved on the road, POPSICKO possessed everything it took to rule the airwaves in the '90s heyday of the alternative rock & punk-edged power pop sound: the jagged guitars, sweet hooks, acerbic lyrics, and, in the late Keith Brown, an electrifying frontman capable of crafting indelible and often heartbreakingly beautiful tunes. Seemingly destined to join the ranks of generational peers like Weezer and Green Day (with whom they shared stages several times) in the mid-'90s wake of Nirvana, the band's trajectory was tragically halted by the death of Brown in a car accident in late 1995. The songs left behind are cherished by those who were there, and await discovery by those who love the perfect loud fast pop song delivered with raw power, conviction and passion. 

Big Stir Records has already reignited interest in the POPSICKO sound with the single “Nastassja,” paired upon release with a heartfelt oral history of the band penned by rock writer S.W. Lauden (a close friend of Brown and the band) published in The Santa Barbara Independent. This single brings us one step closer to the 2023 re-release of OFF TO A BAD START in a limited vinyl edition packaged with an expanded book version of the oral history with contributions by all of the surviving band members and full-color images of Popsicko memorabilia (flyers, set lists, original handwritten lyrics, photos, etc.) unearthed from the band’s personal archives.

The tracks on offer here demonstrate the depth of both the album and the potential for so much more. Looking back and listening again now, Popsicko bassist MARKO DESANTIS (known for his subsequent work with SUGARCULT and BAD ASTRONAUT) says: “I’m proud of the work we did in our day, but even more so, I’m amazed at how well the songs we made still hold up now, nearly 30 years later!  After Off to a Bad Start we wrote & recorded a bunch of new songs.  One of my favorites of the bunch was 'Ashtray Mouth'; that song represents the darker, heavier direction we were headed as a band.  It’s both a clue as to what our next album might have sounded like, and sadly a candid insight into the demons Keith was battling at the time.” Meanwhile, Cullen's album track “Same Old Me” stands as a sign of more positive things to come in his own work: it was singled out by Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett (a close friend of the band and contributor to the oral history book) as his favorite Popsicko song.

POPSICKO's music has more than stood the test of time, as underground rock fans worldwide are about to discover. “The description of our music is supposed to be in our name,” Brown was known to say of the band, and those who suffer from the malady of craving a new dose songs in the spirit of bands like The Replacements, Cheap Trick, Soul Asylum and Nirvana, will find a cure that's been there all along in the rediscovered music of POPSICKO. Expect details on the LP reissue this Spring from Big Stir Records.