Name: Laughing Hyenas – Merry Go Round [w/ 5 bonus cuts] – New LP
SKU: 244415

With their roots firmly planted in Detroit’s Cass Corridor punk rock and hardcore scene of the early 80s, John Brannon (Negative Approach) and Larissa Strickland (L-Seven), along with the locked in rhythm section of Kevin Strickland and Jim Kimball, the Laughing Hyenas took it to a completely different plane. Taking pointers from The Birthday Party and Funhouse era Stooges as well as early blues and jazz artists, the Laughing Hyenas were a fierce, sulfuric blast of noise. Kevin’s sinister and hypnotic bass riffs and Jim’s tribal swing laid the perfect framework for Larissa’s (she only picked up a guitar a couple months before the band was born) slicing, jagged, she might even be murdering that thing, guitar playing and John Brannon’s devilish howl.

The Hyenas travelled to Smart Studios in Wisconsin to record Merry Go Round, marking the start of a creative partnership with producer/engineer Butch Vig that would result in three of the most groundbreaking, game changing and scariest records to ever come out of Detroit...or anywhere.

Bonus material

“Soul Kiss” — originally on MGR cassette (first time on vinyl)

“Candy” — b-side to “Here We Go Again” 7’’

“Dedications to the One I Love” —- Live (ftov)

“Don’t Bouge My High” — with P.W. Long (ftov)

“Public Animal #9” — from Sub Pop singles club Cooper tribute 7’’

Laughing Hyenas were a band based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, that existed from 1985 to 1995. The band was formed by vocalist John Brannon (ex-Negative Approach), guitarist Larissa Stolarchuk (ex-L-Seven), bassist Kevin Monroe, and drummer Mike Danner. Danner would quickly be replaced by Jim Kimball. Both Stolarchuk and Monroe, who were new to their respective instruments when the band formed, would adopt the surname "Strickland" during their time in the band.

This line-up remained intact through the band's first 5 years, recording 3 LPs. Monroe and Kimball the departed to form the band Mule while Brannon and Stolarchuk added bassist Kevin Reis and drummer Todd Swalla (ex-Necros (2)). This line-up released the 1992 EP "Crawl". Ron Sakowski (ex-Necros (2)) would replace Reis on the band's final LP, 1995 "Hard Times". Brannon would would go on to form Easy Action (2) and later re-launch Negative Approach (with both groups featuring contributions from Ron Sakowski). Larissa Stolarchuk passed away in October of 2006.