The Violets were a punk/indie band from Athens, GA, mainly active from 1988-1992. The band was best known for their song 'I Hate The Grateful Dead,” which briefly charted on the College CMJ charts in 1991. That original 7" record is a big collectors item these days and the song has remained quite popular, even among Grateful Dead purists, who view the song as a humorous poke at the obsessive fan culture that still surrounds the Dead. Back in the 1990s Grateful Dead -based merchandise shops were even known to carry the record.

Their socially aware track “Forsyth” called out the racial inequality and disparity found in Forsyth County GA in the late 1980s, a place known to be hostile to people of color and homosexuals.

Both tracks are included in this collection of ten of the Violets’ most memorable songs, several recorded in the early ‘90s by David Barbe (Sugar, Mercyland), all chosen by fans and the band themselves. 500 copies are being released for Record Store Day, hand numbered and pressed on violet vinyl.

Side 1
Dew Drop In / Corrosion/ Big Wheel /Streetlight Sky/ David Close

Side 2
Evolution / Basement / I Hate The Grateful Dead / Motorman / Forsyth