American DIY/ punkwave/ no wave/ postpunk/ experimental: 1976-1984...
 A B C [D-to-Q] R S T U V W X Y Z + links for other series

ADAPTORS -In the Slot 2:31 (Plastik Rapture) S.F. '81: San Francisco's Adaptors are a near-perfect example of the "hardwave" sound: plenty loud, but not much Killed By Death appeal. Despite their complaints, thrills sure were cheap before AIDS and the Internet...

ADULTS -Call on Me 5:02 (demo) Seattle '81: Although the Contortions and the LAFMS crowd had rediscovered Ornette Coleman (and Joujouka) some years earlier in NYC and L.A., Seattle's Adults integrated Ornette's wild reed squalls into their sound with a singular ferocity. That's clarinetist/co-leader Harvey Tawney on "Call On Me." (Naturally they all also turned out for Captain Beefheart's 40th birthday bash in Seattle.) Since there were several other Adults around they soon changed their name to the Colorplates (Homework #9) but it's the same band. Singer Tom Dyer later ran the Green Monkey label through 1989 or so... Nothing by the Adults or the 'Plates ever came out on vinyl, but we're hoping Tom'll make more of their stuff available (including some brilliant cover-versions): watch greenmonkey.com. Bassist Bob Blackburn went on to Liquid Generation (Green Monkey 009).

ALCOHOLICS -Pesticides 1:56 // EP (Overindulged #3) L.A. '80: The Alcoholics weren't completely sure punk was dead in 1980 (another track is on H2D #42), but they chanced an emphatically unpunky jangly/strummy guitar sound on "Pesticides" -otherwise a nicely generic Dils-style political punker. Look for the Alcoholics' full-length LP in mid-2003 on the Rave Up label called "Early South Bay Punk." Mac whiz Arne Hulty helped out with Henry Weld's updated International Discography of Punk.

A-MOMS [The Algebra Mothers] -Strawberry Cheesecake 2:49 / Modern Noise 2:40 (Aftertaste 100) Detroit '80: I fell in love with the A-Moms' "Strawberry Cheesecake" the moment I heard it twenty years back... Cheesy Stranglers keyboards, annoying post-Devo vocals, and three or four of the most insidious hooks ever committed to vinyl. It's a special punkwave favorite, particularly because there were zillions of them priced less than a meatloaf special (there still are). The handsomely-distorted squawking of "Modern Noise", however, should thrill a completely different bunch of, um, noise fans. From Detroit, 1980. Keyboardist (and sometime Sillie[s]) Kirsten "Cranky" Rogoff's current plans for world domination at realcranky.com.

AMAZEMENT COMPANY -Miss Crash Head 2:11 (Dinosaur 801) Madison '80: Madison, Wisconsin gets a lot of grief in these pages --especially in the Teenline notes- for its chronically insular (and resolutely un-pop/un-punk) scene. But a couple offerings here are among Mad City's best and weirdest. The Amazement Company started off as a theater troupe who gradually developed a musical set. In "Miss Crash-head" they managed a lovely -well, let's say a loveable- hybrid of Tin Huey, Kate Bush and any one of Madison's long-running hippie jam-bands. Singer Cele Wolf is working on a tribute website for the Madison art-scene of the 70s and 80s: details tba.

AMBIENT NOISE -Hostage Hotspot 3:22 (Glimm 001) N.Y. '80: Ambient Noise hit a studio in Red Hook, recorded four songs and parted ways. They scored a minor fake-punk hit with "I Was There at the Texas Chainsaw Massacre" [H2D #41], but the flip's a classic under-competent DIYwave'n'roll shuffle recorded while the Iran hostages were still waiting on Ollie'n'Ronnie's secret deal to get them out...

AMPS -Wall of Flowers 3:36 (Faster-Fidelity 001) Milwood, NY '82: The Amps hailed from Milwood, New York, and were probably quite punky live; the anti-Moral-Majority lyrics are punk-friendly, too, but something rather strange happened in the mix of "Wall of Flowers" that's sure to piss off the old-skool crowd. Cool, though Guitarist Chris Cush went on to the Fuzztones and Headless Horsemen: he now runs NYC's Mojo Guitar Shop and guest-stars with Roy Loney and the Flamin Groovies.

ANNE MARIE & the PISTONS -Private World 2:25 (Popular) Boston '80: Anne Marie and the Pistons' "Private World" was widely ignored when it mysteriously appeared in Boston in 1980. The coy packaging and the clumsy tease of a (rather well-clothed) bonus "poster" left everyone feeling quite smug and proper for leaving it behind while they picked up their Unnatural Axe 45s instead. Turns out it was all Mach Bell [Thundertrain / Joe Perry Project vocalist] backing an old pal of his... (The "band" on the sleeve was just for show.)

APPARITION -Astral Spirit 5:10 (Nebula 1) Detroit '78: The Apparition 45 dates way back to '73. It's the first release on Scott Campbell's Nebula label that brought you the Sillies (H2D #2), Scott solo (Homework #105) and R.U.R. While he was still in junior high, Scott taught himself guitar, keyboards, drums, and recording engineeringand spent every penny he had on a genuine Mellotron. (That's his school chum Arthur Sokoluk on vox). The result fit right in with Detroit's energetic -if isolated- pre-punk psychedelic scene (viz. Xanadu, who became Destroy All Monsters, or the Miller brothers' Sproton Layer -pre-Mission of Burma).

THE ARMS OF SOMEONE NEW -Left to Right 3:43 // Burying the Carnival LP (Office 007) Illinois '84: Mel Eberle started off in an edgy jangle-pop combo --seemingly the same way everyone else in Champaign did. The First Things were a fine band, but then Mel started fooling around with their manager, Steve Jones and that's how The Arms of Someone New formed. "Right to Left" is a great, slow guitar-and-electronics swirl off their debut LP: check the ASN website --everything's reissued now on the Projekt label.

ATTACK UNDER ATTACK -Operating Instructions 4:56 (J&J Records) Boston '82: Attack Under Attack, meanwhile, had a huge two sided 1982 college radio hit in Boston with "Los Alamos" and "Operating Instructions," Jeff and Jane Hudson's second or third post-Rentals release (see Homework #101). Jeff and Jane are still active in music and multimedia up in Boston and Jane's got this and much more for sale through their website. It's also on Jeff and Jane's "Flesh" LP --reissued on Daft Records CD.

AUGUST SONS -Vampyre 3:30 // I Am Not a Vampyre LP (Eyes in the Woods) Wiggin, MS '89
-You Taste So Good To Me 3:17 (own label NR-18010) Mississippi '89[?]
The August Sons came from Wiggin, Mississippi, where they made a scant 92 copies of their single (Homework #104) and 200 copies of their LP (Homework #10) Though they could only afford 100 covers, which they hand-decorated with $20-worth of fake blood... Sounds like a classic Homework story, but they're not quite as obscure as all that. Through most of the '80s leader/audio gear-head Jerry Scruggs was a studio-jockey in an elaborately tricked-out 18-wheeler studio, while he played on the side with the 'Sons. The August Sons were to have been one of Homestead's first signings, and they toured and played CBGB and Max's (while staying in Bensonhurst during the 1984 riots). But the LP never happened and Jerry went back to the studio. There's a 1995 CD called Plants, Planets and Insects. The 'Sons played their final gig in San Francisco a day after Jerry Garcia's death...

B PEOPLE -Weather To Worry 1:46 (IRS/Faulty Products 03) L.A. '81: B-People were Alex Gibson's punkwave band when he was mostly famous (and greatly envied) for being Penelope Houston's boyfriend, along with Pat Delaney (Deadbeats, Geza X, Romans) and Tom Recchion from a zillion LAFMS projects [the Los Angeles Free Music Society*]. The horn charts are unapologetically lifted from the Flesheaters Reissue news TBA.

B-LOVERS -Shakin 209 2:05 (Sabine 001) Champaign, IL '82: H2D usually mentions Champaign, Illinois as the southern apex of powerpop's Golden Triangle (points in central Wisconsin and Iowa being the others). But there's another, rather less friendly Champaign sound we'll call gnarl-pop or maybe Sneakers-wave that bands like the Outnumbered and B-Lovers dipped into as well. The 'Lovers 45 marks the first vinyl appearance of pop-scene titan Nick Rudd* (Turning Curious, Weird Summer, Big Maybe, Arms of Someone New).

B TEAM -Caught 2:22 // First Product EP (own label) S.F. '82: B-Team's "I'm Caught" showcases the bass-heavy early-80s San Francisco sound, but instead of th'usual bogue whitefunk or reggae, they borrow a rant and a groove from the Fall --with really handsome results. Faulty folded on their follow-up 12" but it's well worth sampling, too (and see Homework #9). There was a cassette, too. Greg Baker paused in B-Team between the Tools and Yo [Homework #103]. Vox/bassist Todd Stadtman crooned first with accidental power-poppers the Blitz [Teenline #107], and he's now with the lush-pop combo Zikzak (who briefly included B-Team gtrist David Rubenstein as well).

BABYLON DANCE BAND -When I'm Home 2:32 (BDB) Louisville, KY '81: The Babylon Dance Band were Louisville, Kentucky's New Wave royalty. They debuted on the "New Accounts" sampler on Hit-a-Note Records, and by the time "When I'm Home" appeared in 1981, they were arguably the Louisville scene's biggest success (although the Endtables got to be a bigger deal with collectors, and, later, Squirrel Bait [ex-Happy Cadavers] sold a lot more records). The 'Dance Band morphed into Antietam, who didn't do too badly either (6 albums, 3? singles: check their fanclub website).

BALLISTICS -Naugaflexi 2:00 // flexidisc EP (Mighty Stegosaurus / Evatone) New Orleans '83: The Ballistics launched a rousing barrage of no wave honking and ranting on their lone flexidisc- whence "Naugahyde." It came with a magazine but there were some sleeves, too. Leader Spencer's artwork (and much more) is online at www.vainline.8m.com and he's currently performing as Spencer Livingston and the Little Sisters of the Protecting Veil.

BAND OF SUSANS -You Were an Optimist 3:33 // Blessing and Curse EP (Trace Elements) '86: Band of Susans actually did start out with several Susans in the group, but it was always Robert Poss' band. He'd done three singles as Tot Rocket & the Twins [H2D #3 and a Rave Up LP] as well as a solo cassette before getting into the tail end of the Noise scene (and some seriously dayglo ink) for Band of Susans' first LP, Hope Against Hope.

BASICS -Slow Motion Suicide 3:50 // EP (Basic 101) Atlanta '80: Worldwide, only a handful of bands tried getting extra mileage out of John-and-Exene's dueling/feuding vocal sound. The Basics' "Slow Motion Suicide" is an earnest X tribute lyrically, as well ...though life in 1980 Atlanta would only have added to their time-warped anomie.

BLACK CAT BONE -Judas Tree 2:45 Boston '87 demo:
Jeri Cain Rossi's band Black Cat Bone never got signed but they tore up the college radio charts in Boston with a string of snarling demos. "Judas Tree" is atypically downtempo --downright pretty, in fact. I licensed it for the Lobster Quadrille compilation on my old label Throbbing Lobster but we ran out of money before it ever came out. Jeri's currently a writer and film-maker based in New Orleans: her newest novel is (not coincidentally) entitled Red Wine Moan...

BLUE COLLAR -First Snows 3:25 (T.M.I./Blue Collar 002) Pittsburgh '81: From Pittsburgh, 1981, on the uneven but important T.M.I. label, here's Blue Collar. Bassist Mike Halyko had been in the Targets, Karl Mullen's pre-Carsickness punk-band, but had to quit when he got a job working swing-shift at the mill -where he got recruited by co-worker and gtr/vocalist Bill J. Oliver to join Blue Collar. "First Snows" from their only 45 is sort of hard to categorize, but what amazing slide-guitar-work! Blue Collar broke up when Mike got laid off, but Bill's got more Blue Collar, 3+ solo LPs, and plenty more on his website: www.billjoliver.com.

BLUE TRAPEZE -In the Still Darkness 3:44// Who Were You Then LP (Fullspeak) Orange County '84: The Beat-E-Os were Null & Void pals who had a cut on the legendary Orange County compilation, Up Another Octave, plus a 12" of their own before they morphed into Blue Trapeze, whose debut LP was plagued by pressing glitches --and not exactly helped by a flimsy UK-style paper sleeve that made it look like a 12" single. "In the Still Darkness" lurches splendidly between a Mission Impossible Theme rhythm and a more, um, conventional 6/8. Over their 10-year career, a somewhat streamlined edition of BT did three further LPs (and enjoyed considerably more success).

BOB -Thomas Edison 2:44 (Dumb 0400) S.F. '80: "Thomas Edison" -from San Francisco's Bob- combined grinding electronics-with-a-migraine and Novak's trademark dense production, but any chance at posterity or re-discovery probably vanished with the rise of the Bobs- America's cretinous champions of annoying acapella. Bob drummer Pons Maar* has had quite a colorful acting career [imdb page] since then [here'e a fansite, too]: most recently he's "The Noid"... There's an Bob LP, too [sampled on Homework #9].

BOLIVIANS -Underground Passion 2:47 // EP (own label FW18029) Philadelphia '79-80: The Bolivians had the D.I.Y. look, but they were plainly comfier borrowing from the Seeds and Max Frost on "Underground Passion." The rest is a discomfiting mishmash of Pere Ubu, Contortions, and maybe Root Boy Slim. Pre-Secrets [Teenline #102].

BOMIS PRENDIN -Auto Acupuncture 2:23 // Test EP 10” flexidisc (Artifacts) Richmond '78-9
BOMIS PRENDIN -Vacation A 2:16 // Phantom Limb EP 10” flexidisc (Artifacts) '80: H2D has gassed on at some length already elsewhere the Richmond, VA art-scene and the Artifacts label, who released two Bomis Prendin 10" flexi-LPs: one song from each appears here. There was a sampler cut and a C-45 released in between the flexis as well... Bomis Prendin have a retrospective CD called Put Me Down and Spin Me Around (Bomis Prendin Music) at bomisprendin.com.

BOOM -Nancy Packs a Piece 2:46 (Hand To Mouth) Boston '81: Boston's The Boom was another one-off novelty, inspired by Ronald Reagan's comment that of course he'd provided Nancy a little pearl-handled derringer to carry around in her purse. John Hinkley should count himself lucky "Mommy" wasn't standing next to James BradyTom Lamont went on to the Not.

BOUND & GAGGED -Chains & Polymers 4:08 // EP (Modern Method [001]) Boston '80:
Bound & Gagged were a six-woman experimental group from Boston who seemed at times only tangentially interested in making music. "Roach Motel" was their monumentally-annoying college radio hit, but here's "Chains & Polymers" from their 12" EP (the first release on Modern Method). Gtr/vox/lyricist Martha Swetzoff studied film at Harvard and MIT and has contributed to films from the Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" to E.O. Wilson: Reflections on a Life in Science. She directed and co-wrote/produced 1998's award-winning Theme:Murder. Check myspace.com/boundgagged for news.

B PEOPLE -Give Up 2:07 // Light Bulb #4 double-cassette V.A. (LAFMS) L.A. '79:
B People were Alex Gibson, Pat Delaney (Deadbeats, Geza X, Romans) and Tom Recchion (many LAFMS projects), "Give Up" originally came out on one of the most obscure LAFMS releases, a fanzine double-cassette called Lightbulb #4/Emergency Cassette, but it reappeared on the B-People's Petrified Condition LP retrospective (long out of print). We're still hoping for news of a BPeople reissue.

B.P.A. [Byproducts of America] debuted on the legendarily scarce Hospital Records double-EP in 1981, and followed it with a 12" EP (see Homework #10). "Leroy" takes artpunk to places it's seldom been B.P.A.'s Tim Schwallie and Todd Witt later teamed up in the Wolverton Brothers.

BRAIN DAMAGE -You're Not the One 2:51 // Kill Dan White EP (BD) S.F. '85: In 1985, after the deaths of Harvey Milk and San Francisco Mayor Moscone and the infamous "Twinkie-defense" trial of their assailant, Brain Damage rush-released their "Kill Dan White" EP, which showcased a dizzying range of musical stylings. The spectacularly wheezy, garagey loopiness of "You're Not the One" is our favorite.... Stefan George founded the Brain Damage Orchestra some years earlier, and he now appears around Tucson in varied (and mostly acoustic) settings His newest CD is on the Blue Bhikku label.

BRAIN PEOPLE -Strange Things to Come 3:41 // Ladies and Gentlemen...Captain Cheerfull and a Party of Favorites LP (Sod Records) NYC '87-89: Legend has it that Lester Bangs took Tommy Dog under his wing when the latter was all of 11 years old and hauled him round NYC's record-shops for an education. Tommy started recording in his early teens under his own name (see Homework #103), but he also had an occasional 1980s band called the Brain People [Orchestra]. The Brain People did four singles and three cassettes (which we've never seen), plus this one LP (in an edition of 100). Tommy's complete exploits are chronicled online at tommydog.com.

BRONCS - Part Of The Problem 3:19 (Terminal 3) Cleveland '80: Cleveland's Broncs were ex-AK-47 and pre-Faith Academy: Tim Allee had also played with the Pagans, Keith/Lair Matic added the Medusa Cranks, Offbeats, Witch Hunters --and Rand Primos' first job was at the print-shop that did CLE Magazine #1. (More recently he helped "Cheese" Borger set up the CLEpunk.com website. The Broncs EP features a couple great unknown punkers and a truly Pere-Ubu-worthy DIY-psych chug/rant, offered here: "Part of the Problem." On the Terminal label (Cleveland Confidential, Defnics, Clocks), this 45 came with two different sleeves.

BUDDHA COLLECTION -Mr. Potatoman 1:08 (cassette tape) L.A. '91: The mindboggling genius of Buddha Collection? Well, Jonathan Grillo was 11, and that's his cousin Sally (who was not my wife at the time) on tabletop organ. There are rumors of another tape which we'll keep digging for if you ask nice... "Mr. Potato Man" was completely ad-libbed, bytheway.

BUDGUZZLERS -Weak and Strong Man 2:56 // Go Surfin' EP (Schleppo) Philadelphia '78: Future Philadelphia stars Ben Vaughan, Lonesome Bob, Steve Iannetti (Zizzors.com) and songwriter Ed Brady got started in '78 as the [Gertz Mountain] Budguzzlers. The 'Guzzlers obviously enjoyed their Little Feat, but the falsetto guitar-work on "Weak and Strong Man" -their D.I.Y. masterpiece- shows they were quite fond of the KC & the Sunshine Band sound, too...

BUNS -Anti-Matter 3:09 ('Lectric Eye 4) New Orleans '79: From the always-amazing early New Orleans scene comes the Buns, on the 'Lectric Eye label (Skinnies, Normals, Men in Black). Leader Michael Fell's recently been running Wild Crotch Records (and he's got a newer MP3 of "Anti-Matter" online), and Dave Gostl is with Lucky Dog...

BUNNYDRUMS -Little Room 2:55 (Bunnydrums) Philadelphia '81: Bunnydrums were the best of Philadelphia No Wave, and enjoyed a modest indie hit with 1981's "Little Room." They toured the US a couple times, but broke up on the eve of their second European tour (Butthole Surfers took over the dates). Their LPs were more gothy/funky/noise-y: there's a retrospective CD on the way...Bunnydrums.com

SCOTT CAMPBELL -The Gates [of Hell] 3:04 (Nebula 4) Detroit '81-85: Scott Campbell is a charter member of Detroit's new wave/indie-rock royalty. He made his first big splash with the Sillies (H2D #2), but there's tons more, beginning with the Apparition single (Nebula #1, from 1973!!). Other credits range from Mitch Ryder to the late Tiny Tim). "Gates of Hell" was a one-man solo effort from 1981 that Scott jazzed up some while later. Check our listings for the Sillies and the Apparition... and scottcampbell.net for more.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT -Berkowitz Hop 3:23 // We Deliver EP (Thumb Records) Detroit '77: Finally among the Midwesterners we come to Capital Punishment (many bands by that name, but these are the only ones we know who didn't come from a state capitol -and spell it with an "o."). One song's already on H2D #51, but "Berkowitz Hop" is their chief claim to immortality. (Unless one of'em grew up in the Bronx, the "lived next door" part is entirely fictional...) Leader Sean Varner's now at electricviolence.com

CARDBOARDS -On the Road... 3:40/Electrical Generator 3:23 // Greatest Hits Vol.2 LP (Mom's) Pittsburgh '81: From the Pittsburgh artscene, the Cardboards were a thoroughly D.I.Y. affair who performed with as many as four keyboardists and some serious homemade electronics... Their lone release was the cryptic "Greatest Hits Volume Two," lovingly assembled with stickers, rubber-stamps, a pasted-on color photo, two colors of duct tape...and autographs, of course. Unfortunately they all used pseudonyms, so for a full year we agonized over whether to do Homework #10 without them until an e-mail (from a hitherto unknown member) alerted us to the fact that leader/electronic gear-head Ron Solo was still living in plain view in Pittsburgh. Ron went on to Boy & the Moye Twins and Hector in Paris and helped out with tons more stuff on the Mom's label.

CARSICKNESS -Falling 2:56 // Shooting Above The Garbage LP (T.M.I. 004) Pittsburgh '80
-They Came Crawling 3:02 (TMI 0011) Pittsburgh '82 third 45: Carsickness and the Five defined an inimitable Pittsburgh punk sound, which was chiefly characterized by a vocal style that would be absurdly melodramatic if it wasn't so thunderingly, um, potent. Carsickness left the world three fine singles ("Crawling" is #3: we couldn't get our hands on their awesome first) and a couple varied but still worthwhile LPs. After Carsickness ground to a halt, leader Karl ("Joe Soap") Mullen formed the Ploughman's Lunch. Check out them and lots more at karlmullen.com. Steve Sciulli now does Life in Balance.

CATS FOR DINNER -Hot and Wired 4:24 (CD 111) D.C. '83: Rounding things out here are Cats for Dinner (goofy, over-long band-names were something of a D.C. specialty: one of'em's pre-French are from Hell), whose "Hot and Wired" must have sounded especially time-warpt in 1983. But if you're in the right mood, it's a jewel of a musical history-lesson, with everything from prog-wave guitar-chops and Velvet Monkeys keyboard-torture to the best of No Wave groove and swing...

CCCP-TV -Fear That Mindless // Propeller Product V.A. (Propeller 1) Boston '81: Up in Boston, it was the Propeller musical collective that most ardently carried the artwave banner (check out Christmas, V;- and Wild Stares). Propeller put out three samplers: two 7"s and a posthumous cassette (every one of them ruined by ineradicable duplication-noise -and virtually all the master-tapes burnt up in a fire). CCCP-TV debuted on "Propeller Product" in 1981: "Fear That Mindless" was a massive hit on local radio -and we guarantee it's the only time you'll ever hear the words "funk" and "spunk" both used with their etymologically original Anglo-Saxon meanings. Three other comp cuts are all they wrote.

CHEMICALS MADE FROM DIRT-Beatniks Looking for Tourists 2:37 (BiroMino 115) Long Island/NYC '80
-Panic No Fusion 2:41 '81 demo
-Ike '81: unreleased demo
Chemicals Made from Dirt spent 5 or 6 years on the NYC artwave/no wave scene sandwiched around one 1980 EP (with "Tourists") and a flexi. There's piles more material -some of it was headed for the abandoned Live at CBGB Vol. 2 LP: "Panic" is one of 30-odd tunes from a possible Chemicals retrospective. (Did you know that lead Chemist Douglas Milman shared a locker all through highschool with John Berenzy?)

CHINA SHOP -Kowtow 3:54 // Atomic Notions EP (Condensed 001) NYC '81: NYC's China Shop were a collaboration of Mike Allison and Steve Cohen [both pre-Empty House] with Naux [ex-Voidoids, circa Destiny Street] and Jim Allington. "Atomic Notions" was their only vinyl, though Mike and Steve backed a Naux solo effort on their way to Empty House. Mike's currently d/b/a Darshan Ambient.

CHRISTMAS -Close My Eyes // Laughing at the Ground V.A.(Propeller ) Boston '82: Christmas debuted several months later with "Close My Eyes" (co-written by Daved Hild of the Girls) on Laughing at the Ground (+Thalia Zadek's Dangerous Birds, the fabulous 21-645, and V;-). It took three years to get their first LP out, but "In Excelsior Dayglo" is an absolutely essential record (and way out of print). "Millionaire" and "Lily" from Christmas AND Pete from CCCP -TV carried on in Combustible Edison (w/gobs of tunes on SubPop).

CHRONICS -Calling all Cardinals 1:53 (Nuclear 101) Cleveland '78: The Chronics set out to perform instant "chronicles" of contemporary news stories: --which is how we end up here with the unlikely theme of the election of John Paul II. Other tunes included "Jonestown Survivor" and "Cardinals"' flipside, "Test Tube Baby." Tim Dorman went on to the L.A. Pistons, Dan Dinato to Little Girls and The Weeb, and Bill Elliot joined the Wild Giraffes (Teenline #105: he died in 1995). A. Mondo a/k/a Dave DeLuca then formed the Clocks with Tommy Metoff, ex-Pagans and Les Raving.

CHUMPS - 7-11 2:56 (Round Raoul 4) D.C. '79: The Chumps only release is terrific D.C. punkwave ranting, but they variously moved on to artier and edgier pursuits. Jack and Rick Dreyfuss were in XXOO [Homework #103] -the "big band" version of Half Japanese-- while Dav Findley (Hoback) and Rob Kennedy (Half Japanese, Purple Geesus, and recently the Workdogs) moved to NY and started Jihad (also Eyewitness News and No King). Gtr Mike Miller did the Rhomboids.

CIs -Show Me Light 1:40 (Major Label 11980) Brooklyn '80: The C.I.'s hailed from Brooklyn, and their EP would have been a solid Teenline candidate, except for the vocal arrangements, which feature a second, male singer in a deadpan speaking voice. doubling Peg Tronix' lyrics. CI's became the X-Patriots [spelling?] but they were also a/k/a the Collectors Items -who deliberately made fun of (horrors!) record-collectors: this EP, for example, is titled "Plus Bonus Single," but -cruelly- it never came with one.

THE CLAP -Bourgeoisie 1:33 // Catch the Clap EP (Kleen Kut 4004) NJ '80. The Clap were one of at least four bands with the same name: "Catch the Clap" was produced by Kenny Kaiser (Gizmos, Afrika Korps, Beachmasters*) and contains a Kinks cover, "Disco Jesus" (a jokewave hit on college radio), the obligatory serial killer ditty —plus "Bourgeoisie." Drummer Steve Yegelwel now honchos Scratchie Records for Seed /Atlantic.

CLICK -Rope Around My Neck 2:06 // EP (Sound Ideas) Lincoln, NE '82: The Click were Lincoln's newwave superstars. I've mislaid their complete history (from an old Capitol Punishment fanzine) but members swapped and guested with all the Cornhusker stars... Vocalist Sara Kovanda had been in the Specs with Matthew Sweet. More soon.

CLOCKS -Tick Tock Man 2:16 (Terminal 8013) Cleveland '80: After the Chronics, A. Mondo a/k/a Dave DeLuca formed the Clocks with Tommy Metoff, ex-Pagans and Les Raving. "Tick Tock Man" is a sublime bit of Crampsabilly, produced by Pagan Mike Hudson on his Terminal label. There followed a forced name-change for their LP -as the Radio Alarm Clocks (Teenline #101). Deluca and former Clock Chas Smith are now members of Einstein's Secret Orchestra and appear on radio (WCSB-FM* and more) as Lonesome Cowboy Dave. Look for a Clocks retrospective soon (maybe on Smog Veil), and get all the complicated personnel stuff sorted out at the fabulous CLEpunk.com website.

COMATEENS -Coolchick 3:04 (Teenmaster) NYC '79: The Comateens took their lead on "Coolchick" from the Suicide/Contortions crowd, and ended up with a major club hit about modern love and vehicular [wo]manslaughter that vaulted them into the elite ranks of NYC No Wave.

COME ON -Don't Walk on the Kitchen Floor 3:45 (Come On 85XX) NYC '78: No matter what came before, when you heard Television and the Talking Heads for the first time in 1975 or 1976 they changed the way you heard music. And for a time it seemed like they'd opened up a vast new genre just between them. Come On sounded (and looked) superficially like David Byrne & co. (and there was some cross-pollination), but Come On had plenty to say that was all their own. "Kitchen Floor" comes from their one single, though gtr/songwriter George Elliott has reissued 16 excellent Come On tracks from 1976-80 on his Heliocentric label. Lotsa cool Come On articles and artifacts are archived online at heliocd.com.

CRAP DETECTORS -I Want to Survive the Nuclear War [pt.1] 1:40 (Permanent Press) Lincoln, NE '82: From Lincoln, Nebraska's surprisingly active scene: the Crap Detectors D.I.Y. bona fides are beyond question: Jim Jacobi self-released "Victims of the Media" as an entirely home-made one-man show in 1977/78, and had made three other records (the band gradually enlarging) by the time "I Want to Survive the Nuclear War" came out in 1982 -with the warning "This record is almost commercial." Jim's got a new Crap Detectors/Jim Jacobi/Joe Jakimbi website, a new band, and his thirteenth record is a Crap Detectors retrospective called "Crap Circles..."

CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE -Cakes in the Home 1:29 (GoGo 004) Phila '79: Crash Course in Science weren't the first folks to use household appliances as "musical instruments" (and truthbetold they used them rather sparingly) but they were certainly the most successful. Our favorite tune from their "Kitchen Motors" EP is "Cakes in the Home" (mostly because we love the way folks from Philly say "home"). Visit Dale Feliciello's Flashwave-crazed crashcourseinscience.com and watch for a comprehensive CD reissue.

ROBIN CRUTCHFIELD'S DARK DAY -Forced Landing 2:10 // Exterminating Angel LP (Infidelity/Lust/Unlust JMB-229) NYC '80
-Extermination #2 1:11 // Trapped 12"" (Infidelity/Lust/Unlust JMB-238) '81:
Robin Crutchfield was a founder of NYC no wave pioneers DNA but he left after 9 months labor with them to give birth to his own project, R.L. Crutchfield's Dark Day. Here's "Forced Landing" from the Exterminating Angel LP. Dark Day: Collected 1979-1982 (on Daft CDs) includes their 45, their 12" (where "Extermination #2" comes from) and selections from both LPs. This and more recent privately released material is available through Robin's web-site, as is an online memoir of the No Wave era. Guitarist Phil Kline went on the the Del-Byzantines and Deep 6...

CULTURCIDE -Disco 4:58 [Australian mix]// Year One LP (OZ Dogfood Dogmat #4) Houston '81: The ever-mysterious Culturcide started the same way as a lot of other D.I.Y.-era bands: by having their minds blown by Throbbing Gristle. Houston's Perry Webb and Jim Crane (who knew how to put out records) did the first single with later Culturcide regular Dan Workman, then Really Red's C.I.A. label released their classic? Year One LP (a completely re-mastered reissue is still in-the-works...). They moved to New Orleans where they started working on the (completely different) material that became their hit "Tacky Souvenirs" LP. And somehow most of "Year One" came out in Australia on a split LP with Hiroshima Chair (Tom Ellard's band pre-Severed Heads). The recording seemed a mite cleaner/punchier, so that's where this version comes from...

CYCLONES -You're So Cool 2:51 (Little Ricky 8001) NYC '81: Donna Esposito's career followed a nearly opposite track, as her Cyclones hit with "'Cool" but Donna then spun off into seriously powerpoppy territory with Frank Bednash's Riff Doctors (Teenline #101) and Cowboy & Spingirl. It's all come full circle with Toothpaste 2000 (Donna and Frank's current band) who have a new version of "Cool" on their Instant Action CD on Parasol).

DEBRIS' legendary DIY/psych/proto-punk LP is handsomely reissued on Anopheles.

DRUM BUNNY (Portland '81): Drum Bunny appeared only on Greg Sage's Trap Sampler comp, but they grew out of legendary? Portland DIY-punks the Kinetics and Anesthesia. Singer Eva Lake's artwork is at www.Collagetown.com.

HUGH BEAUMONT EXPERIENCE -Purple Things (Rok Muzik) Dallas '83: Then there's the Hugh Beaumont Experience, perhaps the rarest and most sought-after Texas punk band. "Purple Things" appeared on the obscure Steelrok Presents cassette, but you'd hardly know it was HBX anyway. Drummer King Coffey [later in the Buttholes] explained: "The band (except for the guitar player), stayed up the night before doing MDA at my house, listening to Pebbles compilations. We were convinced that if we ran David's one lone effects pedal throughout the entire song, we'd achieve some kind of psychedelic bliss. David was pissed that the stoned singer and drummer were telling him how to play, but there was little he could do to shut us up." There's a fine '93 LP of more typical HBX stuff that E.V. released just after vox Bradly Stiles' death in '93.

LES SELDOMS -Native American // ARIZONA DISEASE split EP (Subterranean 16) Phoenix '82: Something else I remember hearing plenty of on the radio was the Junior Chemists --pre-teen "Pop-Tart punk" that stole the spotlight from the wonderful Les Seldoms who were on the other side of the Arizona Disease split EP. "Native American" is about as close to English '79 D.I.Y. as any stateside band got. From Phoenix, 1982, and still available through Subterranean.

NURSES -I Can Explain // from :30 Over DC comp LP (Limp 1001) '78: Another underappreciated D.C. band were the Nurses (the collaboration of Howard Wuelfing & Marc Halpern). They released a dozen tracks on vinyl and a couple edition-of-100 cassettes before Halpern's drug problems did him in '81. Don't miss their CD "Destroy Your Friends" on H2D (Homework #202).

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