The former SNL cast member and indie-scene lifer Fred Armisen is teaming up with Drag City to release a couple of less-heralded songs from his tenure on the show. Next month, the label will release a split 7″, featuring two fake songs: the Blue Jean Committee’s “Massachusetts Afternoon” and the Fingerlings’ “Embrace Me.” The label is, of course, presenting these like they’re genuine obscurities from long-defunct real-life bands…

Around the biz, it’s well known that most celebrities have quirky little fetishes: Kristen Stewart and her armpit licking, Richard Gere and his gerbils, Heather Mills and her stump. Then there’s Fred Armisen, who gets his kicks with ear play – by listening to obscure records, of course! Fred’s got an immaculately curated collection of them, one we felt should naturally be shared with others. So with great pleasure, we introduce a new 7″ single series dedicated to regional music stars of decades past, artists who share the common experience of hitting the big time, at a purely local level: Hometown Heroes.

The first in this series is a split featuring two distinctly different artists. The Blue Jean Committee were the proud products of the late 70’s Northampton, Massachusetts music scene. Comprised of some of the most sought after local session musicians, the group was most defined by Richie Cornish’s busy talk-singing lyrical style. The gently soulful “Massachusetts Afternoon” celebrates the time in ones life when independence, friendships, and the autumn sunset seem to go on forever.

On the flip, from Bath, England, come The Fingerlings, a prolific synth/post-disco band who released twelve EPs between 1981 and 1983. Typically, a group such as this would have been formed at an art college, and The Fingerlings were no different. Their aesthetically meticulous nature earned them a reputation for creating some of the most elaborate and expensive 12″ EP covers ever to be produced in the UK. “Embrace Me” is the jam, a huge local hit, its lyrics evoking imagery of neon framed cities like Paris and Berlin.

Below, check out some terrible-quality embeds of both of those skits.

The “Massachusetts Afternoon” b/w “Embrace Me” 7″ is out 2/18 on Drag City; pre-order it here.