Philadelphia's Executive Slacks are an often overlooked part of industrial music's history. Formed in 1980 by keyboard player John Young and vocalist / guitarist Matt Marello, they started off making primitive experimental recordings inspired by Tuxedomoon and Cabaret Voltaire before developing an aggressive, driving, danceable electronic rock sound that preceded the commercial success of bands like Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. After percussionist Albert Ganss joined Executive Slacks for their initial live performances, their self-titled debut EP was released in 1983 by Red Music, and while it didn't make an impact in America, its humorous leadoff track, "The Bus", became a club hit in Belgium. Follow-up EP 'Our Lady' (1984) was co-produced by Killing Joke's Youth, who played bass on the song "I'm Coming". Both EPs were compiled as the full-length 'You Can't Hum When You're Dead', issued by Fundamental.
Youth produced Executive Slacks' 1985 full-length, 'Nausea', and the group experimented with hip-hop for a club remix of the album's single, "In & Out". After Ganss left, percussionist Bobby Rae joined the band in time for its 1986 LP, 'Fire & Ice', easily Executive Slacks' most accessible recording. The single "Say It Isn't So" became a goth rock hit, their cover of Gary Glitter's "Rock'n'Roll" was well-received, and one of their songs managed to appear on an episode of Miami Vice for a brief moment. The group was on the verge of signing a major-label contract, but Marello decided to leave the band, leaving Young the only remaining original member. Athan Maroulis (previously of Fahrenheit 451) became Executive Slacks' new frontman and they continued playing shows, but the lineup never released any recordings, and they broke up in 1991. Maroulis subsequently fronted several well-known industrial and gothic bands, including Tubalcain, Spahn Ranch, and Black Tape for a Blue Girl, while Marello became a notable visual artist.
Maroulis frequently produces reissues / compilations and writes liner notes for Cleopatra Records, and the label released the CD compilation 'Repressed' in 1994, eventually issuing the group's entire discography as the double-CD 'The Complete Recordings 1982-1986' in 2015. Additionally, Dark Entries reissued the band's debut EP in 2014. The imprint also released 'Seams Ruff', an LP of unreleased recordings from the group's earliest incarnation, in 2016. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Deception Bay were from Cambridge, Massachusetts and released music on Independent Project Records in the late 80’s and early 90’s. They sound like a gothic punk band, something like Burning Image (on Alternative Tentacles Records). Highly recommend their 'Fortune Days' EP. [SOURCE: DARKGRAVE.COM]
The Child Molesters initially formed in 1977, Los Angeles, United States and were active up until 1982, during which time they released half a dozen singles and EP’s including ‘Surfing With The Child Molesters’ before in 1994 leaving us with the posthumously released 'Legendary Brown Album' (Sympathy for the Record Industry). The band has been called perhaps the most infamous from any KBD release. In fact the KBD series is a totally rip off bootleg series who never got permission to release any recordings of The Child Molesters nor ever gave them (or safe to assume any of the other bands they profited from) a nickel. It's been said that they were among the most hated groups in California when they were around, so much so that they had to resort to playing unannounced shows and wearing masks to hide their identities. This is actually completely untrue. Although they were considered Politically Incorrect enough that no one who ever booked them would put the band's name on a marquee or promote them in any way (the exception being the infamous KROQ / Rialto Theatre show who played their record, interviewed the band and gave away tickets on the air). All the surviving members of this band are over 50 now, one of them (MT Lubotamy) passed away. Needless to say this band never got any respect for being a decent band in spite of all the offensive folklore. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
Bogshed were a pop group formed in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England in 1984, originally as The Amazing Roy North Penis Band. The band formed in early 1984 and comprised Phil Hartley (vocals), Mark McQuaid (guitar), Mike Bryson (bass guitar), and Tris King (drums). Bryson also produced the cover art for the band's releases. They were helped initially by The Membranes, leading to several performances in London, and the band's first release was the 'Let Them Eat Bogshed' EP on John Robb's Vinyl Drip label in 1985. By the time of this release, the band had already played around 35 concerts and, according to Hartley, written between 80 and 100 songs.
Not really sounding like anyone before or since, they had much in common with some of the bands on the Ron Johnson label. They released two albums and several singles as well as recording five Peel Sessions, before splitting in 1987. Two of these sessions, from 1986, were issued on the 'Tried and Tested Public Speaker' EP in January 1987.
Bogshed appeared on NME's 'C86' compilation. The term "shambling" was coined by John Peel to describe their sound although the term later became more commonly used to describe bands such as The Pastels.Mike Bryson currently records under the name of Forkeyes. A split mini-album 'Vier Mit Vier', with tracks by electronic musician Marcus H (Soiled) and Forkeyes was released in 2012 on Elm Lodge Records. Phil Hartley died on 11 October 2006 and Tris King died on 21 December 2008. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Aroma di Amore is a Belgian rock group based around Elvis Peeters (author / singer), Fred Angst (composer / guitarist) and Lo Meulen (composer / bassist). This is also the current line-up of the group. In the eighties Aroma Di Amore was an innovative band that combined electronics with rock, but it was mainly the mix of razor-sharp, socially critical Dutch-language lyrics with unconventional song structures that gave the group a cult status at home and abroad.
They made their debut in Humo's Rock Rally 1982, in which they made it to the finals, and in the following years they released a series of records that found their way to a small but loyal audience. The band was always appreciated for his energetic and driven performances. In 1994 they stopped playing for a long time. Elvis Peeters concentrated mainly on literature, but also remained musically active with De Legende, among others. Fred Angst continued his musical quest with Kolkand later with the solo project Zool.
Ten years later there was a reunion tour with sold out performances in the club circuit. At the end of 2009 the compilation 'Onverdeeld' ("Undivided") was released on Onderstroom Records. In May 2010 the album 'Ongehoord' was released with new songs. Following the release of these records, Aroma Di Amore will give a series of performances in Het Depot in Leuven and Vooruit in Ghent.
In 2012 a new records was released, 'Samizdat', which was presented live at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. This was followed by a short tour through Belgium. In January 2016 the album 'Zin' will be released by Starman Records, again followed by a short tour of clubs in Belgium. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
It wasn't long before punk rock expanded beyond just New York City, London, and Los Angeles during the mid- to late '70s, as evidenced by the emergence of the long-running Vancouver, Canada-based outfit D.O.A. They are often credited, alongside bands like Black Flag, Germs, Angry Samoans, and Bad Brains, as co-founders of the hardcore scene -their sophomore effort, 'Hardcore '81', even references the term. Known for their outspoken, politically charged rhetoric and deference to causes like anti-racism, environmentalism, and anti-globalization, the band has been operating since 1978, with singer / guitarist Joey Shithead Keithley serving as the group's only consistent member. Despite numerous lineup changes and shifting musical landscapes, the group has held true to its blue-collar hardcore origins during its decades-long run.
Originally formed in 1978, D.O.A. have been led from the beginning by singer / guitarist Joe Keithley (aka Joey Shithead), joined by a wide variety of other bandmates through the years (including future Black Flag / Danzig / Social Distortion drummer Chuck Biscuits), although guitarist Dave Gregg was present for most of the hijinks up until 1990. The same year as their formation, D.O.A. issued a debut EP, 'Disco Sucks', before following it up with a pair of full-lengths that many longtime fans consider D.O.A.'s classic recordings, 1980's 'Something Better Change' and 1981's 'Hardcore '81' (a popular compilation of both releases plus early tracks reared its head in 1984 as 'Bloodied But Unbowed').
Since the beginning, Keithley has been unafraid to voice his political opinions (a renowned D.O.A. slogan among their faithful is "Talk - Action = 0"), which at one point landed him in jail. D.O.A. would go on to sporadically issue albums throughout the '80s and '90s (including such highlights as 1982's 'War on 45', 1992's 'The Dawning of a New Error', and 1993's 'Loggerheads'). The group also found time to collaborate with another outspoken punk leader, formerDead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, on 1989's 'Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors'. Like Biafra before him, Keithley took the plunge and attempted to enter politics, running as a candidate in Canadian provincial and civic elections for the Green Party in 1996. Keithley also runs his own indie record company, Sudden Death Records, and issued an autobiography in late 2003 titled "I, Shithead: A Life in Punk". D.O.A. continued strong to into the 2010s, as evidenced by such releases as 2002's 'Win the Battle', 2008's 'Northern Avenger', 2010's 'Talk - Action = 0', 2015's 'Hard Rain Falling', and 2018's 'Fight Back'. As a result of Keithley's hard work, D.O.A. are often name-checked as an important influence by other hardcore / punk bands, including such notables as Green Day, The Offspring, Rancid, and Propagandhi. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Vomito Negro is a Belgian industrial band formed in 1983. The name is Spanish and Portuguese for "black vomit", a phenomenon that arises in the last stage of the disease yellow fever.After numerous successful releases like 'Shock', 'Human' and 'The New Drug', and discontent with the result of their last studio album 'Fireball', Gin Devo decided to put Vomito Negro aside for a while and to invest all his energy and creativity in his new project called Pressure Control and released the debut album 'Vamp'. After only two more concerts Guy Van Mieghem sold his studio equipment and stopped all musical activities. In 2008 Gin decided to bring back Vomito Negro. After asking BORG, who already was a member of Gin Devo's side project Pressure Control, to join the band. While they successfully toured Europe from 2008 until 2009, the duo started working on the new album.
On January 22, 2010, the band released 'Skull & Bones' through Out Of Line Records. Some of these new tracks like "Black Tie, White Shirt" and "Darkmoon" were already tested on the crowd of the WGT Festival, in Leipzig and the Bimfest in Antwerp. In February 2010, just after its release, 'Skull & Bones' entered the German Alternative Charts (DAC) on the tenth position, only to climb further up to the second position one week later. Meanwhile, the remake version of their club classic "Move Your Body",which is featured on the bonus disc of the limited edition version, entered the DAC's single charts and reaching 13th place. In January 2013, the band released the album 'Fall of an Empire'. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Not much is known about the Japanese female / male musical duo Tolerance made up of Junko Tange and Masami Yoshikawa. Creating music that touches on genres that had yet to exist (techno, electro, IDM, and glitch) and using musical / recording techniques rarely witnessed used that way, in that era, their two albums, 'Anonym' (1979) and 'Divin' (1981) provide a unique capsule into a group had its own musical compass.
Forget the archetypal list that experimental / industrial musician Nurse With Wound placed them in. Forget the shoutout he gave them by titling his next album using a phrase found in their album dedication notes: “to the quiet men from a tiny girl”. As out there as their debut 'Anonym' was, rightfully earning its place in an early crate-diggers hall of fame, 'Divin' was a completely different beast. Released by the Japanese experimental music label / zine Vanity Records home of other unique post-punk experimental bands, Digin took all those Dada experiments, not-so-quiet ambient spaces, the noise rock expeditions, and proto-plunderphonics too, all from 'Anonym', into new realms, where you could actually grab a foothold in this normally difficult to “get” kind of music.
Something so simple as adding percussion -drum machines, specifically- allowed Tolerance to expand the colors in their palette, creating structures effectively guiding you along through some very interesting musical epiphanies. Ostensibly a keyboard and guitar duo, the presence of new, unique mixer filtering techniques, and not-so-obvious rhythm backing to apply just made everything much clearer to follow. Although still lo-fi, they used that fidelity as a tool to suss out something special from their grooves. They sound like DJs finding a fascinating loop, resampling it, and trying to tune its frequencies to better amplify that original thought. Way beyond their time. Sadly, after 'Divin', it seemed the duo had nowhere else left to go, promptly disappearing from the musical world. [SOURCE: FOND/SOUND]
Skeptics were a New Zealand post-punk band from 1979 to 1990. They became notorious in 1987 for an unusually graphic music video entitled "AFFCO". Skeptics' first recording appeared in 1982 on 'The Furtive Four Three Piece Pack', a 12" compilation EP which also featured The Bongos, The Dabs and The Prime Movers. They toured New Zealand on the Furtive Records "Three Piece Pack" tour. The tour was to be followed by a five track EP, 'Pyronnists Selections' which was to be released on Propeller Records, Furtive's parent label, but the master tape was stolen from the Propeller office and the EP was never released.
In 1983, Skeptics released the EP 'Chowder Over Wisconsin' on Flying Nun Records. From 1983-1984 they ran their own club, thanks to support from the City Council arts centre, in a former electrical warehouse in Palmerston North. They named the club Snailclamps after a chalk inscription they found in the warehouse, "C164 Snail Clamps". Initially the venue ran as an underage hangout but became a fully licensed venue not long after, until the band decided to pack up and relocate to Wellington.
A cassette named 'Said See Say' was released on the now defunct Industrial Tapes label in 1984.In 1985, the band released an LP, 'Ponds'. By the time of the 'Ponds' release, Robin Gauld had left the band to concentrate on his university studies. John Halvorsen, formerly of The Gordons (and later of Bailter Space), joined in his stead.
In August 1987 Skeptics made a video for the 'Skeptics III' track "AFFCO", named after the New Zealand meat processing company AFFCO. Directed by Stuart Page, the video was filmed in the Westfield Freezing Company and Kellax meat packers in Auckland and included graphic footage of lambs being slaughtered and cut up, contrasted with footage of lambs in a field. Singer David d'Ath also appeared wrapped in plastic cling film and fake blood. Due to its graphic content, the video has rarely been broadcast on New Zealand television, but has been screened at various art exhibitions in New Zealand and at Film Archive screenings and is now freely available to watch online.
While working on yet another release, 'Amalgam', in 1989 David D'Ath learned that he had leukaemia. D'Ath never got to see the finished product which, due to many unforeseen problems and delays, could not be finished in time as a farewell to this legendary performer. David D'Ath died on Tuesday, 4 September 1990. The band ceased immediately after.
'Amalgam' was finally released in November 1990. In the following years to come, unreleased Skeptics material began to surface as documents of their existence. The 10" single, 'Sensible' which featured studio tracks created back in 1985, was launched in 1991. A full album version soon followed which featured further recordings from 1985 to 1990.
In 1992, a boxed-set of Skeptics recordings was produced which contained 'Skeptics III', 'Amalgam', 'Sensible' and a live three song recording EP 'If I Will I Can' taken from the last Skeptics gig in 1990 at the Gluepot in Auckland. Also accompanying the boxset was a 12-page booklet of lyrics and artwork by, and in memory of David D'Ath. In 2014 a documentary film about Skeptics, 'Sheen of Gold', was released. It was announced there would be reissues and previously unreleased recordings released to coincide with the film. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Receiving a cassette tape from R.N.A. Organism by air-mail, Agi Yuzuru (head of Vanity Records) mistakenly thought they were from overseas and highly acclaimed the band in Rock Magazine. However, it was a clever ploy by Kaoru Sato from Kyoto. This album is amazing dub music with funky bass, noise guitar, trumpet and rhythm machine -sort of like a heavier version of Andy Partridge's 'Take Away / The Lure of Salvage'. Subsequently the group changed its name to EP-4, which became known for its guerrilla live performances as well as simultaneously releasing its debut album on both major and indie labels. Meanwhile, Sato disappeared from the music scene in the mid-80's. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
Like his brother Graeme, who leads The Cakekitchen, New Zealand singer / instrumentalist Peter Jefferies' earliest musical performances were in Nocturnal Projections, followed in the mid-'80s by This Kind of Punishment (the dark but at times quite stunning cult band which achieved much greater notice after they were active). Following This Kind Of Punishment's final dissolution, Jefferies actively pursued a solo career while also assisting and collaborating with a wide number of his fellow Kiwi musicians, serving as something close to an in-house producer for the legendary Xpressway label. As a musician, Jefferies has at times drawn comparisons to other artists; his piano skill and non-musical but affecting, deep vocals often call to mind John Cale. However, Jefferies is very hard to pin down; it's far more easy to see how his abilities at using four-track machines to create at-times intentionally rough, often very intimate recordings helped forecast the eventual lo-fi boom, while avoiding the typically sloppy feel that the term is generally associated with. In the early '90s, Jefferies' overseas profile started to grow rapidly after Chicago's Ajax label began issuing both a number of his then-current releases and singles, as well as licensing old This Kind Of Punishment albums for release. Further musical ventures were the result, most notably with Mecca Normal singer Jean Smith, who collaborated with Jefferies in Two Foot Flame. Jefferies himself signed to Trance Syndicate sublabel Emperor Jones, resulting in two more solo albums before the parent label went bankrupt in 1999. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The Dickies were the clown princes of punk, not to mention surprisingly longstanding veterans of the L.A. scene. In fact, by the new millennium, they'd become the oldest surviving punk band still recording new material. In contrast to the snotty, intentionally offensive humor of many comedically inclined punk bands, The Dickies were winningly goofy, inspired mostly by trashy movies and other pop culture camp. Their covers were just as ridiculous as their originals, transforming arena rock anthems and bubblegum pop chestnuts alike into the loud, speed-blur punk-pop -basically the Ramones crossed with L.A. hardcore- that was their musical stock in trade. As the band got older, their music slowed down little by little, but their sound and their sense of humor stayed largely the same, and they were an avowed influence on new-school punkers like Green Day and The Offspring.
Inspired by the first wave of punk coming out of New York and London, The Dickies were formed in 1977 in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. Their initial lineup consisted of cartoon-voiced lead singer Leonard Graves Phillips, guitarist Stan Lee (both of whom would remain constant throughout the band's myriad personnel shifts), keyboardist / saxophonist / guitarist Chuck Wagon (b. Bob Davis), bassist Billy Club (b. Bill Remar), and drummer Karlos Kaballero (b. Carlos Caballero). Already local scenesters, the majority of the band had some connection with The Quick, either as friends or roadies, and started out mostly as a cover band and an amusing diversion for its members. They started playing around the burgeoning L.A. punk scene within a few weeks of forming, and quickly earned a following with their zany live show, which featured outlandish costumes, puppets, and a midget roadie.
On the strength of their demo tape, The Dickies became the first L.A. punk band to score a major-label deal in 1978, when they signed with A&M. That year they issued their debut single, which featured their warp-speed cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and the originals "Hideous" and "You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)"; the latter reigned as their signature song for many years afterward. In early 1979, the group's debut album, The Incredible Shrinking Dickies, was released to significant sales in the U.K., where their cover of the "Banana Splits" cartoon theme song became a Top Five hit. By the end of the year, The Dickies were able to put together a follow-up, Dawn of the Dickies, which featured the fan favorites "Attack of the Mole Men" and "Manny, Moe and Jack", plus a jokey, rocked-up cover of the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin".
In 1980, The Dickies released a single version of "Gigantor", the theme from a Japanese cartoon series. By the end of the year, the increasingly volatile Chuck Wagon had left the band; sadly, he shot and killed himself in June 1981. Stunned, the rest of The Dickies went on hiatus, during which much of the original lineup drifted out of the group. Late that year, Phillips and Lee returned with a new version of The Dickies, which included guitarist Steve Hufstetter (ex-Quick), bassist Lorenzo "Laurie" Buhne, and drummer Jerry Angel; Hufstetter was soon replaced by Scott Sindon. This lineup recorded half of the material on the 1983 mini-LP 'Stukas Over Disneyland', the other half of which dated from 1980 sessions with the late Chuck Wagon replacing Kaballero on drums and Sindon on second guitar.
A lengthy hiatus from recording ensued, as Phillips and Lee struggled to keep a steady lineup together just for touring purposes. A new group featuring second guitarist Glen Laughlin, ex-Weirdos drummer Nickey Beat, and founding bassist Billy Club was on the road by the end of 1983. Beat was replaced by Rex Roberts in early 1984, and when Laughlin broke his hand in a car accident later that year, Steve Fryette signed on; around the same time, Jerry Angel and Laurie Buhne returned as the rhythm section. By 1985, Laughlin had recovered and returned as the bassist, teaming with new drummer Cliff Martinez. In 1986, ROIR issued the live compilation 'We Aren't the World', which featured concert recordings from throughout The Dickies' existence, as well as their original demo tape.
In 1988, The Dickies regrouped for a return to the studio, specifically to record the title theme for the low-budget sci-fi / horror comedy "Killer Klowns from Outer Space". By this time, their lineup included Phillips, Lee, second guitarist Enoch Hain, and a Buhne-Martinez rhythm section. The "Killer Klowns" project turned into a five-song EP -issued by Restless- that also included a cover of "Eep Opp Ork (Uh, Uh)", a rockabilly tune once featured in an episode of The Jetsons. The EP brought The Dickies back to underground prominence, and 1989 brought their first full-length album of new material in six years, 'Second Coming'. In the meantime, A&M issued a retrospective of their earlier work called 'Great Dictations: The Definitive Dickies Collection'. A second live album, 'Locked 'n' Loaded', followed in 1990 on Taang.
Another lengthy hiatus followed, however, during which time rumors about the band's drug problems began to circulate. The Dickies didn't resurface again until 1993, when they issued the three-song EP 'Road Kill'. Not long after, bands like Green Day and The Offspring brought punk-pop to the top of the charts, shining a spotlight on The Dickies as an influence. Renewed interest in the band led to a new album, 'Idjit Savant', which appeared on Triple X in 1995. It featured contributions from the previous Dickies lineup, as well as Glen Laughlin, bassist Charlie Alexander, and Smashing Pumpkins cohort Jonathan Melvoin on drums. Phillips and Lee subsequently assembled a more permanent lineup featuring second guitarist Little Dave Teague, bassist Rick Dasher, and drummer Travis Johnson. Always known for their tongue-in-cheek covers, the band put together its first all-covers album, 'Dogs from the Hare That Bit Us', for Triple X in 1998. They subsequently signed with Fat Mike's Fat Wreck Chords indie punk label, debuting with the single "My Pop the Cop". The full-length 'All This and Puppet Stew' followed in 2001. 'Punk Singles Collection' appeared in June of 2002 on the U.K.-based Spectrum. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Purveyors of revved-up, tastelessly funny trash-punk, the Didjits were an atypically straightforward part of the Touch & Go stable, as well as an utterly manic live band. Their sound was mostly speed-blur garage-band punk with a dash of AC/DC-esque hard rock, but their true inspirations were rock & roll wildmen like Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, not to mention the guitar heroics of Chuck Berry. Most Didjits albums were virtual catalogs of rock & roll sleaze and vice -sex, booze, drugs, violence, death, Satan, and the like- all rolled into a smart-alecky, Midwestern white-trash act. Whether he was being jokey, offensive, or just plain bizarre, lead singer / guitarist Rick Sims' sense of humor could only be described as indelicate, leading to charges of sexism and racism from journalists with little patience for tongue-in-cheek political incorrectness. In truth, they sent up white-trash culture much more than they embraced it, but did so with such gleeful immaturity and abandon that they often made things pretty convincing.
The Didjits were formed in Mattoon, Illinois in 1983 by brothers Rick (guitar / vocals) and Brad Sims (drums). The two had grown up listening to first-generation British punk, as well as high-volume guitar bands like Sonic Youth and Big Black, and had each been in several local groups (including a new wave pop outfit) before teaming up. Adding bassist Doug Evans, the trio began playing around the local club scene under the alias Rick Didjit. Their frontman quickly distinguished himself with a crazed stage demeanor and a wardrobe of snappy suits. Their debut recording, 'Fizzjob', was issued in 1987 on the band's own Bam Bam imprint, but it was the as-yet unreleased follow-up, 'Hey Judester', that caught the attention of Touch & Go Records. Boasting tougher, beefed-up production, 'Hey Judester' was picked up for release in early 1988, and launched many of the cornerstones of the band's repertoire: "Max Wedge", "Dad", "Skull Baby", "Plate in My Head", "Stumpo Knee Grinder" and others.
Now with a slowly growing cult audience, the Didjits returned in 1989 with the one-off single 'Lovesicle' then completed their next album, 'Hornet Pinata', in 1990. Its key track, "Killboy Powerhead", a moderate success on college radio, was later covered by Didjits enthusiasts The Offspring. A not-so-official live album, 'Backstage Passout', captured a gig in London from the supporting tour. 1991's 'Full Nelson Reilly' kept the band's creative prime going, but the following year Brad Sims went through something of a life crisis; he got divorced, remarried a short time later, and left the band to take a day job. The Didjits quickly replaced him with Rey Washam, who'd previously played with Rapeman, Scratch Acid, and the Big Boys, among others. Washam played on the 1992 five-song EP 'Little Miss Carriage!', but for the group's next tour, he was replaced by Todd Cole, who was soon made a permanent member. Cole made his recorded debut on 1993's full-length 'Que Sirhan Sirhan', which also proved to be the band's swan song. In 1994 the Didjits broke up. Sims joined spiritual kin The Supersuckers for several months, then played briefly with Fred Schneider before starting a well-received new band, The Gaza Strippers. Washam went on to play with Ministry and Lard, among others. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Once labelled as "California's The Clash", The Dils were part of the very first wave of the L.A. punk scene. They formed in Carlsbad in San Diego County before moving first to San Francisco -where bassist Tony Kinman was briefly in The Avengers- then to L.A. In 1977 What? Records released their debut 7" 'I Hate The Rich / You're Not Blank'. After a two year gap, Chip and Tony Kinman, who were the axis of the trio, returned with a three-sided EP, 'Made In Canada', which was a far more melodic affair, offering hints at their future as country-punk band Rank & File. They split up in 1980. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
Operating Theatre is an Irish music theater company founded by composer Roger Doyle and performer Olwen Fouéré. Operating Theatre has been active in two phases: the first from 1981 to 1988, and the second from 1998 to the present. During their first phase the company operated as both a theater company, integrating music as an equal partner in the theatrical environment, and as a band releasing records. Roles were flexible within the company in that Fouéré also sang and Doyle also acted. In phase two there has been no band, and the texts (if any) have been "found," devised and/or drawn together from various strands, instead of being commissioned from writers as in phase one. Performances have taken place in both conventional and non-theatrical environments (e.g. an abandoned warehouse, a glass room in a hotel), and music has become more integrated.
The first appearance by Operating Theatre (the band) was in the summer of 1981 with the release on CBS Records (Ireland) of "Austrian". A single, 'Blue Light And Alpha Waves / Ramp Walk' followed a year later. The LP 'Miss Mauger' was released in 1983 on the Kabuki label in London. [SOURCE: FORCED EXPOSURE]
Normal Brain was a project of Yukio Fujimoto, using electronic gadgets like analog-synth, rhythm machine, and Speak & Spell. His music was intelligent and witty, traversing the fine line between modern art and pop. Fujimoto's minimalist approach also had a child-like playfulness and elegance, conceptually paralleling the music of early-Kraftwerk or Eno. Currently, Fujimoto is active as sound artist, producing sound objects and installations. [SOURCE: ATLANTIS AUDIO ARCHIVE]
