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Charlie Poole and his North Carolina Ramblers weren’t the only musicians in the Tar Heel State to put their stamp on handed-down ballads and to create their own misty mountain hops in the hardscrabble late 1920s and early 1930s. That said, it’s hard not to cite the music made by Poole and his two cohorts—a banjo, fiddle, and guitar chasing Poole’s “vinegary bark” (borrowing a lively phrase from roots music scholar/deejay/musician Kinney Rorrer, grandnephew of Rambler fiddler Posey Rorer) around a single microphone—as the inspiration for the proto-country sounds that immediately followed.

That was the premise of the three-disc “You Ain’t Talkin’ to Me”: Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music, released by Sony/ Legacy in 2005. That compilation made its point by including, in addition to a generous helping from Poole’s catalog, turn-of-the-century recordings of songs later interpreted by Poole and sides cut by groups that followed in the Ramblers’ wake. One outfit in that latter group was the Red Fox Chasers, whose 1928 recording of “May I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister?” was included on “You Ain’t Talkin’ to Me” alongside Poole’s version, itself a sizable hit three years earlier.

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Here's another reason to dig through CyTunes, the digital music download store designed to benefit Duke University's Tisch Brain Tumor Center in the name of late local music booster Cy Rawls, who died of cancer last year: Pipe's long unavailable 1992 debut EP, Ball Peen, was re-released this morning via the Web site. Purchased at once, the 13-minute set runs $5; each of the six songs can be purchased separately for $1.

These six tunes, originally released by Boston label Sonic Bubblegum, feature the band's original line-up of Mike Kenlan, Ron Liberti, Chuck Garrison and Dave "I.T." Alworth. By the next year's "You're Soaking in It" 7" for Amish, Kenlan—who took his leave to lead Small 23—had been (temporarily) replaced by Bad Check Clif Mann. Ball Peen roars from its haunches with a tuneful punk ambition, the harmonies of "The Astronaut Song" making its central desire—the hope to be the first man to smoke in space—that much more memorable. "Bender" is a tight mess about getting loose and living to tell the tale, while the great closer "Basement" is a great little slab of young-dude confusion. Click that box above to stream it, and here to buy it.

And just a quick reminder of other CyTunes goodies: live Superchunk, live Magic Babies, live Polvo, Hammer No More the Fingers, exclusive Rosebuds collaborations, Chew Toy, The Whole World Laughing, live Double Negative, Lud and lots more. And one more reminder: Pipe at Broad Street Cafe Saturday, Aug. 15.