What can be said or done about 2020? Here at Dig! we’re sticking to what we know and diggin’ in, while making every effort to stop and smell the roses, play more records, and take a moment for hindsight – like the year’s numeric value suggests – with this trip down memory lane, on The Ar-Kaics’ Ar-Kives: Volume 1.Sidelined from touring and recording their third full length (because COVID), The Ar-Kaics are staying home and finally getting around to doing the laundry. It’s all here, and fresh as a summer daisy; all of the out-of-print, pre-Wick Records 45s, an early demo standout, and an inexplicably unreleased song from their s/t album sessions are all on offer. Remastered loud for maximum rock’n’roll, but unlike the late and great rag of the same name, these songs are here to stay, in print!For those not yet indoctrinated, Ar-Kives brings listeners up to speed on The Ar-Kaics’ off-brand of spot-on 60s garage punk originals, something they’ve been channeling back from the grave and making their own for the better part of the last decade.Now, after 10 releases, it’s high time to rollout Dig! Number 1, simmering on the backburner since the label’s formation. Will this ultimately be the first or last release from Dig!? Only time – not to mention, the survival of humankind matched by the insatiable appetites of music lovers the world over – will tell. In the meantime, stay home, kickback and order-in with this new pandemic-proof platter from Dig!’s favorite Virginia garage punk unknowns.
