Punk unit Seaweed formed in Tacoma, WA, in 1989. Singer Aaron Stauffer, fresh off a stint in the little-known Spook & the Zombies, founded the band with best friend Clint Werner, who assumed guitar duties. After the recruitment of guitarist Wade Neal, bassist John Atkins, and drummer Bob Bulgrien, Seaweed began playing clubs throughout the Pacific Northwest, in 1989 releasing its debut four-song single on Atkins' Leopard Gecko label; 'Just a Smirk' followed in 1990, and in 1991 the band issued the excellent 'Deer Trap' as part of K Records' ongoing International Pop Underground singles series. With their well-honed rhythmic hardcore approach, Seaweed proved an ideal fit for Seattle's Sub Pop label, signing to the company to release 1991's 'Despised' EP, the band's first collaboration with producer Jack Endino.
With Endino again in the producer's seat, Seaweed delivered its finest record yet with 1992's full-length 'Weak', scoring a college radio hit with the leadoff track, "Recall." 'Four' followed in 1993, and in the major labels' rush to cherry-pick from Sub Pop's roster, Seaweed accepted an offer to sign with Hollywood Records, working with producer Andy Wallace on 1995's 'Spanaway'. Despite positive reviews, the album tanked and Hollywood terminated their contract -Seaweed effectively dropped from sight, with former Quicksand drummer Alan Cage replacing Bulgrien in time for 1999's 'Actions & Indications', a return to form issued on indie Merge. The band nevertheless split later that same year. After Seaweed's demise, Stauffer teamed with ex-Screaming Trees bassist Van Conner in Gardener, which splintered in 2003 -he then resurfaced in The Blue Dot. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
They looked like New Yorkers and they sounded British, but The Scruffs hailed from the South -Memphis, Tennessee to be exact- and had a full 15 minutes of fame with the release of their lone 1977 LP 'Wanna Meet the Scruffs?' Taking their musical cues from fellow power-popsters The Raspberries and Memphis legends Big Star, The Scruffs, despite their cutesy name, were a solid rock band that simply got lost amidst all the other less talented, skinny-tie posers. They did manage to turn the head of one influential critic, the dean himself, Bob Christgau, who, upon awarding Wanna Meet an A- in his monthly Consumer Guide, said "it bursts with off harmonies, left hooks, and jolts of random energy." He was right, but that wasn't enough to keep The Scruffs from disappearing from the face of the earth. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Autumn was founded by childhood friends Peter Bonne (“Sen”) and Geert Coppens (“Ense”) in 1980. The pair shared an interest in experimental music and at age 16 had accumulated from family and friends the synths and keyboards they used to release their first tape, 'Seven Days Autumn'. They put out 'I Invite' later that year. In 1981, having generated a substantial fan base and equipped with a slew of rented gear, they set up an event called "Hard Breakfast" which exhibited improvisational electronic music and graphic art. From this point on visuals became a vital element of the group, who that year also composed some original tracks for an 8mm film of classmate Jan Verheyen.
Bonne and Coppens acquired additional synths, keyboards, drum machines and electronic drums, which allowed them to release a much evolved tape called 'Experiments With Environments'. The band matured and tightened up further in 1982 when joined by Peter Koustaal.
During 1983, Geert conceived the idea of performing a soundtrack for Fritz Lang’s "Metropolis". They spent over six months writing the piece and obtaining a decent video copy of the film. In February of 1984, Autumn performed their soundtrack live at Leuven University, backed up on multiple monitors by meticulously synced up video. Despite the huge success of the performance, a commercial soundtrack was released for the movie simultaneously and the band was unable to secure copyrights or tour with the act.
Discouraged by the "Metropolis" setback, the band only recorded one more tape, 'Silicon Valley', before disbanding in 1984. From there, the band explored other electronic music styles, forming side projects Linear Movement, Twilight Ritual and A Split Second. [SOURCE: MINIMAL WAVE RECORDS]
Chicago's Screeching Weasel generally have a polarizing effect on most punk fans -either you love their amateurish, tuneful Ramones imitation and singer/guitarist Ben Weasel's smartass suburbanite, often pop culture-oriented lyrics, or you hate them. Over the course of the band's career, which lasted for more than a decade and saw several breakups and numerous personnel changes, Weasel (in spite of occasional nitpicking from critics) remained true to his staunch D.I.Y. indie ethics, as befits a former columnist for the defiantly punk 'zine "Maximumrocknroll".
Screeching Weasel were formed in 1986 by vocalist Ben Foster, who performed under the name Ben Weasel, after seeing a Ramones show. Early members included guitarist John Jughead and drummer Steve Cheese; after Weasel gave up trying to play bass, Vinnie Bovine was added on that instrument. The band recorded its self-titled debut album in 1987 for Underdog Records, of which only about 3,000 copies were pressed. Vinnie Bovine's personal problems got him kicked out of the band, and ex-Ozzfish Experience guitarist Warren "Fish" Ozzfish replaced him on bass. After playing some gigs in California, Screeching Weasel joined the fledgling Roadkill label, with Jughead and Weasel taking a hand in its operations, and released 'Boogadaboogadaboogada!' in 1989.
Cheese left the band due to his reluctance to tour and was replaced by Brian Vermin. Following the supporting tour, Warren left and was replaced by Danny Vapid (born Dan Schafer), known early on as "Sewercap"; he had performed as a vocalist with Chicago-area hardcore bands like Generation Waste and the Igor Skulls. Following several EPs and singles of varying quality, Vermin and Vapid left to form Sludgeworth, and Jughead and Weasel called it quits and attempted to form another band with members including bassist Dave Naked. Screeching Weasel got back together following a reunion show designed to help the band pay off its debts, with a lineup featuring Weasel, Jughead, Naked, Vapid (now on second guitar), and new drummer Dan Panic (born Dan Sullivan). Lookout! Records agreed to release the band's next album if it was recorded under the name Screeching Weasel, and the more Ramones-like 'My Brain Hurts' appeared in 1991.
Following the tour, Naked was replaced first by Gub, then Johnny Personality, and finally Vapid, who switched back to bass after 1992's 'Wiggle' (Weasel then filled the second guitar slot). As something of a novelty, the band next recorded its own vinyl-only cover of the entire Ramones album, which is long out of print. What many consider the best Screeching Weasel album, 'Anthem for a New Tomorrow', was released in 1993. Following a decision to break up the band the next year, Vapid left early, and 1994's 'How to Make Enemies and Irritate People' was recorded with Green Day's Mike Dirnt sitting in on bass. After the breakup, Weasel, Vapid, and Panic ended up together in a new, even more Ramones-influenced punk-pop outfit called The Riverdales, which featured increased songwriting contributions from Vapid and toured with Green Day. Lookout! released a compilation of outtakes, live performances, and out of print material in 1995 entitled 'Kill the Musicians' and eventually convinced The Riverdales to revert to the better-known Screeching Weasel name, as Jughead rejoined the band.
However, legal difficulties sprang up quickly, eventually resulting in an acrimonious split. In the meantime, Screeching Weasel had recorded a self-financed album, 'Bark Like a Dog'; it was eventually picked up by Fat Wreck Chords in 1996. A supporting tour was canceled at the last minute, but the band returned in 1998 with 'Television City Dreams', and again in 1999 with 'Emo'. The rarities compilation 'Thank You Very Little' and a new studio effort, 'Teen Punks in Heat', both followed a year later.
Screeching Weasel called it quits in 2001. For the next few years, Ben Weasel worked with The Riverdales and pursued a solo career, while Jughead went on to form Even in Blackouts. To close the door on the end of an era, the greatest-hits album 'Weasel Mania' was released in October 2005 on Fat Wreck. Then, in March of 2009, Weasel re-formed the band with Vapid and three new members, Simon Lamb of The Ritalins, Justin Perkins of Yesterday's Kids, and Adam Cargin of Blueheels and The Riverdales. With 2011’s 'First World Manifesto', things seemed to be back on track, but the comeback was stopped abruptly. On March 18th of that year, while playing a show at South by Southwest, Ben Weasel assaulted two women in the crowd, claiming he was upset over ice being thrown on-stage. Weasel later issued a public apology, and seemed genuinely sorry for his actions, but in an interview with PunkNews.org, his bandmates unanimously concluded that they would not be performing live as Screeching Weasel in the foreseeable future. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
3 Teens Kill 4 was a musical group based in the East Village of New York City in the 1980s. They are most notable for featuring David Wojnarowicz, a famous artist, as a member.
In 1980, Brian Butterick, Jesse Hultberg and David Wojnarowicz worked as busboys at New York City's Danceteria on West 37th street, before the club was closed down for not having a liquor license. The Danceteria staff party was held at TR3 in Soho in December, 1980, and was 3 Teens Kill 4's first performance. The poet Max Blagg chose the name from a New York Post headline, and performed with them along with others from Danceteria.
Julie Hair joined the band for their 3rd show adding her rhythm machine making 3 Teens Kill 4 a stripped-down, 4-person ensemble.
The band's signature style of found-sounds played on hand-held tape recorders, toy instruments, spoken word and multi-vocals, in a pop music context took shape. The low-tech tape sounds achieved the same results as sampling, and tape-looping, which were just starting to enter the pop music genre.
As the band's only released album was getting started, the inclusion of Doug Bressler expanded the instrumentation to actual guitars as well as toys and Casios. Guitar, bass, keyboard, percussion, tape players, and toys were passed around on stage. Clarinet and flute were also used as was a microphone sewed into a glove, and a can of Beans. The band's performances had an anarchic intensity that relied on ambiance, and surprising sounds, more than actual music.
In 1982, Alan Mace and Bobby Bradley, the managers of the Pyramid club, financed the self-titled, independently released album, 'No Motive'. A cover of Chaka Kahn's "Tell Me Something Good" (written by Stevie Wonder), included the newscast of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. 3 Teens Kill 4's deconstructed version was typical of the harsh, reality-based attitude in their songs.
Apart from rock clubs, they performed in non-rock venues such as the Civilian Warfare Gallery, Wigstock, and White Columns. The East Village, Manhattan was in its heyday of art and music.
In 1983, Wojnarowicz left the band pursuing visual art, writing and film-making. He continued to collaborate on various projects with the members of 3 Teens Kill 4 before his death in 1992.
In 1984, Bill Gerstel joined the ranks and for the first time the band had a drummer. They continued recording and performing for the next 3 years sharing the stage with a long list of artists from this era: DNA, James Chance, Bush Tetras, Soundgarden, Wall of Voodoo, Glenn Branca, Sonic Youth, ESG, Certain General, The Del-Byzanteens, Suicide, and Madonna.
The band dispersed in 1987. All of the members continued writing, performing, producing art and recording.
3 Teens Kill 4 reunited in 2010 at the Mudd Club/Club 57/New Wave Vaudeville show at New York's Delancey Street Lounge. That night included the Bush Tetras, Tish and Snooky, The Comateens and Richard Lloyd from Television.
In 2011, a multi-media show of music, dance, film, slides and live art called "In Peace & War: 3 Teens Kill 4" had 3 nights at New York's HOWL Festival. The band was joined on stage by choreographer Ishmael Houston-Jones and Antony of Antony and the Johnsons along with numerous other artists, dancers and singers. The rarely seen film "Beautiful People" by Wojnarowicz was screened.
In 2016, Bill Gerstel, the band's very human drummer, died after a long battle with cancer.
In 2018, the re-released album 'No Motive' was included as a sound installation at the Whitney Museum's retrospective for David Wojnarowicz called "History Keeps Me Awake At Night". The exhibit continued in 2019 in Europe.
The band did their last performance on September 26, 2018 for the closing of "History Keeps Me Awake At Night" at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Co-founder Brian Butterick (aka Hattie Hathaway) died on January 30, 2019 after a 6-month battle with lung cancer. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Time for classic C86, jangly pop, from England. Time for The Enormous Room.
They released a 12″ and a flexi, both in 1986.
The 12″ by The Enormous Room had four songs. The A side had the wonderful “100 Different Words” and “Sylvia’s Children”. While the B side had “Melanie and Martin” and “You Wrote a Book”. The record was recorded in London and engineered by Chris Mansbridge. Mansbridge had experience in production working with bands like The Blow Monkeys, The Lurkers, Family Fodder or The Passmore Sisters.
The lineup for this record was Jay Derbyshire on bass guitar, Robbie McCarthy on drums, Duncan Paterson on guitars and Christopher Darke on vocals and rhythm guitar. Dave Annal is credited for playing organ and clavichord.
The same band lineup recorded their other release, which happened to be a flexi with two songs “I Don’t Need You” and “Melanie And Martin”. This record also happened to be the first ever release on the Medium Cool label. From the back of the record we learn that the band hailed from Watford. [SOURCE: CLOUDBERRY CAKE PROSELYTISM]
The Screamers are the Great Lost Band of the first wave of L.A. punk rock. They were among the first bands to emerge on the West Coast scene and were wildly popular in Los Angeles for several years, able to sell out two- or three-day stands at some of the city's most prestigious rock clubs. The Screamers also cleared new paths for the sound and image of rock music, abandoning electric guitars for a keyboard-based sound that was as muscular and abrasive as any other band on the scene, and embracing video and theatrics in a manner that put them far ahead of their time. However, the band never released a record and outside of several bootlegs of demos and live performances, there has never been an official aural document of their trailblazing music.
The Screamers were fronted by Tomata du Plenty, who was born David Harrigan near Coney Island, NY, in 1948. In the '60s, du Plenty moved to San Francisco, where in 1968 he became a member of The Cockettes, a gender-bending performance art troupe that combined high-camp hippie theatrics with boundary-straining gay and straight sexual humor. After The Cockettes broke up, du Plenty relocated to Seattle, WA, which in the '70s had a thriving underground theater scene. Du Plenty soon became a member of Ze Whiz Kidz, a performance group specializing in bizarre lip-sync routines. After the group broke up, du Plenty spent some time doing comedy performance in New York City, where in 1975 he and his partners scored a few gigs at a bar called CBGB. There, du Plenty saw a handful of new bands such as the Ramones and Blondie; upon retuning to Seattle, du Plenty hooked up with drag performer Melba Toast and formed a New Wave-ish rock band called The Tupperwares. (Legend has it the drummer for The Tupperwares was one Eldon Hoake, who would later become infamous as El Duce of smut metal titans The Mentors.)
Before long, du Plenty and Toast relocated to Los Angeles, where they threw themselves into the burgeoning punk rock scene, which had yet to fully bloom in L.A. Toast changed his name to Tommy Gear and along with du Plenty, formed the Screamers with K.K. Barrett and David Brown. The band's lineup immediately set them apart; Gear played an ARP Odyssey synthesizer and Brown a Fender Rhodes, both run through distortion boxes and amped up to a wailing volume. Barrett contributed furious minimalist drum patterns, while du Plenty's wildly theatrical performance style and ranting vocals certainly lived up to the band's name. On the basis of a demo tape and a set of photos, Slash, L.A.'s first punk fanzine, lionized the group and they played their first show at a loft party in early 1977 to approximately 500 people. The Screamers soon became the hottest band on the Los Angeles punk scene, alongside The Weirdos and The Germs, and the group's ambitious and striking live shows, which employed props, unusual lighting, and video screens, also won them a great deal more attention from the mainstream press than their peers. After a number of successful gigs at L.A.'s first punk venue, The Masque, the Screamers began getting regular bookings at the Whisky and the Roxy, the two most important rock clubs in town, and the group seemed poised on the verge of major success.
The Screamers, however, had some trouble holding on to a stable lineup; while du Plenty, Gear, and Barrett stayed in the group until the end, Brown was replaced by Jeff McGreggor in late 1977 and Paul Roessler took over for McGreggor in mid-1978. More importantly, the group didn't release a record and no one seems sure about why. Some have suggested the Screamers were holding out for a big-money record deal, others have said major labels weren't sure if the group's appeal would
translate to vinyl, and many felt the band's highly visual live show demanded a medium that, in an era before VCR's could be found in every home and MTV was not even a gleam in some cable programmer's eye, simply didn't exist. (In fact, the only authorized release of Screamers material was a VHS video of a gig staged at the studio of the underground multi-media group Target Video). In addition, the band's massive popularity at home and in San Francisco gave them enough opportunities to play that they very rarely performed outside California, and beyond a pair of one-off New York dates and a short tour up and down the West Coast, the band remained, despite their influence, a strictly local phenomenon. In 1980, filmmaker Rene Daalder began working with the Screamers on a long-form video project called "Population One", but Daalder's vision did not always mesh well with that of the group and the members had already begun to tire of performing and creating new music. In 1981, with the first wave of Hollywood punk bands fading away and the suburban hardcore scene beginning to rear its head, the Screamers quietly disbanded. Tommy Gear dropped out of the music scene, K.K. Barrett became a production designer for motion pictures (his credits include "Being John Malkovich"), and Tomata du Plenty became an artist, doing faux-naïve paintings that he often sold for 25 dollars, saying he preferred selling a thousand at that price to selling one piece for 25,000 dollars. Du Plenty died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2000. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The Noseflutes were an unorthodox, late-eighties band based in Birmingham. They released three EPs and three albums, recorded four sessions for Radio 1's John Peel, and received generally favourable reviews from the contemporary music press. During their existence they became "the house band for Birmingham".
The band was formed in 1980 and both the band and the members went through several names before settling on The Noseflutes (previous names include The Blaggards, The Cream Dervishes, Extroverts in a Vacuum, The Viable Sloths, Pantaloni Brothers, and Shitstormer). The band's first releases were on Reflex Records, home to The Very Things and And Also the Trees. Reflex issued the band's first EP, 'Girth', in 1985, and the debut album 'Several Young Men Ignite Hardboard Stump' the following year. They then moved on to Ron Johnson Records, who issued the band's next two EPs, 'The Ravers' (tracks from the band's 1986 Peel session) and 'Heartache is Irresistible'. When Ron Johnson ceased to operate, the band continued with their own Rictus Recordings label, releasing the albums 'Zib Zob and his Kib Kob' and 'Mellow Throated' in 1989 and 1991 respectively, before splitting up.
The band were described by the Birmingham Mail as a "wonderfully perverse avant weird outfit". Singer Martin Longley and bassist Chris Horton formed a new band, The Clicking Stick, along with Paul McKenna, releasing the album 'Mocrophone' in 2001. Dave Pritchard and John Horton released two albums under the names Acme Spring Company and Cubans Dials in the early 1990s. Chris Long recorded under his stage name of Legs Akimbo, with Nick Duffy of The Lilac Time.
In late 2010 many of the original members of The Noseflutes were performing as The Crimplene Explosion. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
The Auctioneers
were a mid to late 80's UK guitar band from Southend.
They were included on the 3CD deluxe reissue of the 'C86' album in 2014.
In action from 1985 to 1988, members were Martin Clarke (vocals & guitars), Chris Clarke (bass),
Darrall Knight (guitars), Martin Temperton (drums), and Matthew Woodman (keyboards).
Initially formed around the melodic songwriting of vocalist Martin Clarke, they rapidly developed a more collaborative alternative rock sound. [SOURCE: FACEBOOK]
The Claim were a British band from Cliffe, Kent, England.
They formed around 1980, as part of the independent Medway scene around the nearby towns of Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham and influenced by classic acts such as The Kinks, The Jam, The Clash and The Smiths. Stylistically, they shared much in common with fellow Kent band The Dentists and early Creation Records acts such as The Jasmine Minks.
Between 1985 and 1992, The Claim released two albums and various singles and EPs, first on their own record label, and then via Kevin Pearce's Esurient Communications imprint, Bob Stanley's Caff label and the German-based label A Turntable Friend. Their first outing, 'Armstrong’s Revenge & Eleven Other Short Stories' (1985) was followed by the 12" EP 'This Pencil Was Obviously Sharpened By a Left-Handed Indian Knife Thrower' (again on Trick Bag Records). By the time of 1988's 'Boomy Tella' LP, the quality of their politically fused, bittersweet songs had matured considerably, and it is now regarded as their high-water mark.
Meanwhile, their single 'Wait And See' was recorded at ex-Jam drummer Rick Buckler's studio with ex-Jam producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven.
The Claim also teamed up with the poet and ex-Dentists drummer Vic Templar (an alias for Ian Smith) for various evenings which combined a play, featuring members of The Claim, with a musical performance by the band. Templar also collaborated with The Claim for the song "Mike The Bike", issued as the B-side to perhaps The Claim's most impressive outing, "Birth Of A Teenager", issued as a limited edition single housed in a sleeve designed by the Medway scene's most multi-faceted talent, Billy Childish. For another gig, Welsh band The Manic Street Preachers played their debut London show supporting The Claim. The Claim played their final show in January 1993.
None of The Claim's music appeared on CD at the time. In September 2009 the band themselves compiled a retrospective, 'Black Path', which was released on Rev-Ola Records. The band played a reunion gig in Rochester, Kent on 19 September 2009 to coincide with the project's release. On Thursday 25 March 2010, they played at a second reunion show with fellow Medway band The Dentists at Dingwalls in Camden Town, London. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Go! Service was an Indie Pop band formed formed in Surrey (United Kingdom). Members were Jo Bartlett (vocals, guitar) -later in Blue Train, Christine X, It's Jo And Danny, Kodiak Island, Plaza and The Yellow Moon Band-, Danny Hagan (bass) -also in Blue Train, It's Jo And Danny and The Yellow Moon Band-, Mike Auton (drums), and Rudi (guitar, vocals) -also part of Blue Train and The Yellow Moon Band. They only released the 12" EP 'It Makes Me Realise' in the label Dreamworld in 1985.
Lawrence and the Comfortable Society was formed by Leigh Gracie on vocals and guitars, Nick Hardy on guitar, Jeff Powell on bass, Sara Dimmer on keyboards and Chris Wyatt on drums. All songs written by Gracie. The band members have ties with Norfolk as they attended Wymondham College, a state boarding school, that is a specialist Technology College (Mathematics, Science, ICT & DT) and also a Modern Foreign Languages college.
They only released that one 7″, with “Sleeper” on the A side and “Heartache” on the B side, which is such a great soulful indiepop tune. It has heartfelt lyrics, a great chiming guitar and a beautiful keyboard atmosphere. The A side, “Sleeper”, is really nice as well, with it’s jazzy edge. [SOURCE: CLOUDBERRY CAKE PROSELYTISM]
The Avonsformed from ex members of The Farmer's Boys -Chris Basford aka Barry McGuilty (lead vocals) and Mark Kingston (bass)- together with Hal Jordan (guitar) and Ed Street (drums) in around August 1985. They released an album and a 12″ EP.
The 'Four Songs' 12″ was released by Létharge Records (Arge 11) in 1986. The four songs on it were “Seeing Things” and “You Don’t Know Do You” on the A side while the B side had “Trapped” and “What I Want”. They were recorded at Raven Recording Studios, a studio run by Howard Turner, who produced the record, in Horstead, Norwich. The album 'Music from Three Rivers Reach', also released in 1986 by Létharge (Leth LP 1), had 7 songs total. A mini-album. The A side had “Facial”, “Everythings Going Right” and “Beautiful World, Beautiful People”. The B side had “Is Billy There”, “The Big Maybe”, “Lies Behind the Smile” and “In My Time”. [SOURCE: CLOUDBERRY CAKE PROSELYTISM]
Formed in the mid-1980s by two brothers, Martin and Paul Kelly, East Village were an indie pop band from Princes Risborough, England.
Their music drew heavily on the influence of 1960s guitar bands such as The Byrds, The Beatles, and Buffalo Springfield and like those groups East Village also featured three songwriters / lead vocalists. Though the bands output troubled only the lower reaches of the UK indie charts they have gone on to earn cult status since their break up in the early 1990s.
After a year or so as a garage band named Episode Four, the Kelly brothers were joined by Johnny Wood (guitar/vocals) in 1984 and Spencer Smith (drums) in 1985. During 1986 they recorded the 'Strike Up Matches' EP released as a 500 only pressing on the Lenin and McCarthy imprint that year. The EP has gone on the become one of the most sought after releases of the C86 era.
By 1987, the band had renamed themselves East Village and relocated to London where they recorded two EPs for Jeff Barrett's Sub Aqua label, before it folded in 1989. They toured extensively including a support tour with The House Of Love in autumn 1988 and two tours with McCarthy.
The collapse of Sub Aqua left the band without a deal, and they recorded their debut album using money donated by Bob Stanley, a friend of the band and an admirer of their work.
The record was label-less for some time until Jeff Barrett (who was setting up the fledgling Heavenly Recordings) picked up on it and paid for its completion. A series of Heavenly label based gigs with The Manic Street Preachers, Saint Etienne and Flowered Up ensued, followed by a new single, 'Circles', in 1991. The band played a sold-out show at the New Cross Venue in South London but ended the set by splitting up on stage.
The album, 'Drop Out' (1993), was mixed and released posthumously on Heavenly. A collection of all the band's early singles (along with unreleased demos), 'Hot Rod Hotel', was released on the Australian label Summershine in 1994, giving the band a radio hit with "Silver Train".
In 2006, Tokyo label Excellent released the first comprehensive collection of the band's recordings and the track "Vibrato" appeared on the Sanctuary 'CD86' compilation. Prices of original East Village releases continued to rise and in 2013 Heavenly Recordings repressed 'Drop Out' on vinyl. The re-issue received a rare 10/10 review in Uncut magazine who described the album as "Pop perfection...'Drop Out' is a true lost classic of its era". [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Treebound Story is an English band that never released albums, but they did have four E.P's. Each one of them excellent and today they are extremely difficult to get and are considered cult material. Their best known song is "Swimming In The Heart Of Jane" which was played all over Europe in 1988. Their style is similar to groups like Orange Juice, Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, The Smiths or Echo & the Bunnymen. A full LP, 'Butler's Cafe', was recorded but never released. Their member Richard Hawley, was guitarist in Pulp and was a member of The Longpigs in the '90s. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
Figures of considerable repute within the Los Angeles post-punk community of the 1980s, Savage Republic grafted tribal percussion, industrial drones, and raga-like guitar lines together to craft an idiosyncratically moody sound with flashes of both desolation and eloquent grandeur. Capable of both harsh dissonance and shimmering textures, Savage Republic's guiding force was guitarist Bruce Licher, a founder and constant presence in their shuffling lineups. Alternating between cyclic instrumentals and quasi-industrial assaults with gruff, chanted vocals, their records were unavoidably inconsistent, but most contain some enduring highlights.
Savage Republic were founded by former UCLA students Licher and drummer Mark Erskine in the early '80s. Adding new members Jackson Del Rey, Jeff Long, and Robert Loveless, the group members originally called themselves Africa Corps, changing the name to Savage Republic just before releasing their first record in 1982. Exotic percussion would always play a big role in Savage Republic -even in the early days they were using oil cans, metal pipes, and 55-gallon drums. Their early singles, and their debut LP 'Tragic Figures' (1982), show the group at its least accessible, though there are hints of the more mysterious and melodic elements to come.
After some personnel changes (some members went off to form 17 Pygmies), Savage Republic regrouped with a more guitar-oriented sound. On 'Ceremonial' (1985), the band shifted its focus to mostly instrumental material, usually piloted by oddly tuned guitars (the group sometimes used guitars with six identically tuned strings). They'd never wholly abandon those droning, angst-driven chants, though. Combined with the fact that their instrumental material wouldn't break much new ground over the course of the decade, that can make their studio albums uneven listening. In any case, Savage Republic were best experienced live, where they would burn trash cans of pampas leaves, play on Los Angeles' Skid Row, and use all sorts of unexpected objects for percussion in their quest to make each concert a unique event.
Savage Republic's albums, which were individually hand-letterpressed and numbered by Licher himself, received as much attention for their packaging as their music. Licher would perform the same services for other bands on his Independent Project label, even getting a Grammy nomination for his work on the first Camper Van Beethoven LP. Savage Republic were not destined to become nearly as big as Camper (not that this was ever their intent), and disbanded around 1990. A small reunion tour brought the band back in the fall of 2002, but the band only played a few random dates. After relocating to Arizona, Licher continued to run the Independent Project label, and design sleeves (his most famous work in that department has been for an R.E.M. Christmas fan club single). Musically, he resurfaced with the trio Scenic, which played entirely instrumental material that blends the exotic flavor of Savage Republic with influences from Ennio Morricone and Southwest border music.
The group re-formed in the 2000s, although Licher was involved only with an initial reunion tour and Erskine was not involved at all; this lineup comprised a trio of mid-'80s members -Greg Grunke, Thom Fuhrmann, and Ethan Port- along with new recruits Alan Waddington, Val Haller, and Kerry Dowling. This lineup recorded the full-length '1938', which appeared in 2007 on the Neurot label. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Stitched-Back Foot Airman started in the early eighties as a side project to the Southampton UK based band Games To Avoid led by guitarist and singer Simon Vincent. Stitched was initially an "occasional" band Simon formed with his younger brother Robin Vincent and Mike Farmer and film maker/visual artist Crimp Beringer.
The name was taken from a headline in the Southern Evening Echo relating to a small plane pilot who had crashed and had his foot re-attached to his leg, the full headline was "Stitched-back Foot Airman on the mend".
The band operated without boundaries, constantly swapping instruments and experimenting with many different sounds. Their first ever gig at The Kingsland Hall in Southampton (circa '83) has become a legendary boundary busting event. As time passed Games to Avoid and Greeting No.4 both dwindled and Stitched became the main focus.
In '83 or '84 the band migrated to London and several records were released on their own label Very Mouth including the sublime mini album 'Seven Egg Timing Greats' and the 7" 'Wouldn't You Like to Know'. They then signed to the Manchester based label In Tape and released 12" 'Shake Up' and the 12" 'Costa Del Sol'.
Stitched-back Foot Airman played many gigs, mainly in London in the mid-eighties and were regulars at early Club Dog and Whirly-yGig events also sharing bills with the likes of Mekons and Psychic TV, and supporting luminaries like The Smiths just before they hit the bigtime. They also played at a WOMAD festival in Carlyon Bay, Cornwall in 1988.
Life's needs meant that jobs were found and around this time Simon moved to the Welsh borders where he has lived ever since. Mike Farmer worked for EMI publishing for a couple of years in their West End studios before setting up home in Sussex and earning a crust writing library music. Robin has pursued an active career as an academic. All are still making music and both Mike and Robin played on Simon's album 'Out of Here' released in 2004.
The band have never split and still occasionally get together to record.
Singer Paul Groovy was part of the early Creation Records scene, helping Alan McGee hand-fold and wrap 7″ singles and chronicling that early scene in his Groovy Black Shades fanzine (hence his Paul ‘Groovy’ moniker, given to him by McGee himself). Paul also sang with the Creation house band backing him at legendary venues like The Living Room and Ambulance Station.
Paul and guitarist Steve also have their own radio shows, drummer Jane was in The Green Hornets and Tone E wrote the book "Twenty Missed Beats".
The band use Beatles harmonies and key changes, and with their stand-up girl drummer, they have often been compared to The Velvet Underground. They add 70s Punk sensibility to a 60s Paisley Underground vibe. [SOURCE: SPINOUT PRODUCTIONS]
Roaring out of Brisbane, Australia in 1977 with the punk-era classic "(I'm) Stranded," The Saints, despite going through numerous incarnations, were a part of rock & roll for more than 20 years, thanks mainly to their indefatigable leader (and founder), Chris Bailey. Although they didn't play anything that passes for punk rock after about 1978, and despite extended dormant periods, The Saints never officially broke up, and Bailey always seemed to have another version of the band and another record ready to release. Saints' fans generally fall into two distinct camps: the punk-era fans (up to about 1980) and the mature pop fans, which for American audiences begins with the release of 'All Fools Day' in 1987. After co-founder Ed Kuepper left in 1979 and the band became Bailey's show, the twists and turns he took them through (horns, folk/blues arrangements, as well his numerous solo excursions) produced some good music, but it was mostly scattershot and lacked focus, though Bailey did record two fine records with the late-'80s incarnation of the band.
Punk-era Saints were exactly what you'd expect: buzzsaw guitars, Bailey's pissed-off, nasal vocals, and locomotive rhythms supplied by bassist Kym Bradshaw and drummer Ivor Hay. After the LP '(I'm) Stranded' became a modest hit in England, the follow-up record, 'Eternally Yours', showed some changes (more varied tempos, acoustic guitars) that would set the stage for their third record, 'Prehistoric Sounds', which combined horn arrangements into a punk-ish sort of R&B. It was at this point that The Saints were beginning to change enough to not resemble the band they were just a scant two years earlier. Kuepper left to form the arty Laughing Clowns and eventually made a number of records as a solo act. Bailey, however, got to keep the name the Saints and soldiered on, taking time here and there to record his own solo records.
To most Americans, The Saints were a dead issue, if they were still an issue at all. '(I'm) Stranded' caught on with punk aficionados, but hardly anyone else; 'Eternally Yours' came and went without a trace; and 'Prehistoric Sounds' was never domestically released (neither were any of the post-KuepperSaints records of the early '80s). So, by the time 'All Fools Day' was released in 1987, there were many who thought The Saints were a brand-new band, and they were right. Gone were the rapid-fire guitar sound and bellowing vocals, replaced by sophisticated pop arrangements and more technically accomplished singing. The music was strong, intelligent pop that was better than much of the late-'80s "new wave." The next LP, 'Prodigal Son', wasn't as good, but did nothing to hurt the reputation of the "new" Saints. Oddly enough, Kuepper got together with Celibate Rifles guitarists Kent Steedman and Dave Morris and performed under the name The Aints. Gigging in Sydney, they generally played a set of '(I'm) Stranded'-era material and even recorded a couple of lo-fi live discs, all done for laughs.
It took almost a decade, however, for the next Saints (meaning Bailey plus others) album, 1997's 'Howling', to come out. The record portrayed a louder, edgier band than what had been seen on 'Prodigal Son', and was followed soon after by 'Everybody Knows the Monkey'. In 2002, 'Spit the Blues Out' was released, and three years later, with The Church's guitarist Marty Willson-Piper on board, The Saints issued the rocking 'Nothing Is Straight in My House', followed by 'Imperious Delerium' (without Willson-Piper) in 2006. The original members of the group were reunited in 2007 for some shows, presumably to boost sales of a box set titled 'The Greatest Cowboy Movie Never Made'; otherwise, The Saints remained relatively quiet for the remainder of the decade. In 2012, Bailey teamed up with Barrington Francis and Peter Wilkinson to record a new Saints album, 'King of the Sun'. When the album was issued in the U.K. and the U.S. in 2014, it was accompanied by a bonus disc, 'King of the Midnight Sun', featuring the same set of songs but re-recorded in a rougher and rowdier fashion. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Jangly North London-based indie-popsters A Riot Of Colour initially pulled off a major coup: they rapidly secured a John Peel BBC radio session off the back of their first, self-released two-track flexi disc.
Unfortunately, though, things then went downhill all the way. The group briefly signed to Dan Treacy’s hip indie label, Dreamworld, during the summer of 1986, but their self-titled debut EP was delayed until spring ’87 (thus missing out on the C86-related buzz) and a mooted second 12” EP, for Brighton-based Playroom Discs, then remained unreleased due to a series of distribution-related difficulties.
Of the band’s 80s gear, the spiky, post-punk-ish "Newtown" and the nagging, bittersweet "Sign O’ The Cross" are still the obvious stand-outs. [SOURCE: RECORD COLLECTOR]
The year, 1977; a small group of individuals had been waiting for a change in music to happen. The Sex Pistols broke out and a few bands quickly picked up on the energy and angst that the Pistols had exibited in their music. This was the birth of the Punk Rock scene in Portland, Oregon.
Mark Sten, John Shirley and others began putting shows on around town. Corboy saw Shirley perform with the band Terror Wrist. Corboy approached John to listen to some songs he had written. The two set a time to play. Mark Sten was on drums, and Dave Propp, bass. Corboy said he wanted to call the new group Sado-Nation. It was winter of 1978.
Sado-Nation had a total of three singers, four bass players, and three drummers. The band was most stable between the years 1980 - 1984. This was the period with vocalist Mish Bondage, Propp and Steve Casmano on bass, Chuck Arjavac on drums, and Corboy on guitar.
In 1982 Mish Bondage joined Sado-Nation. She was recruited from the all female band, The Braphsmears. Previous to this time Corboy had been the main writing force in the band. Mish was able to contribute lyrics to the musical compositions that Corboy wrote. Mish Bondage is still a powerful singer and performer. Her stage presence was commanding. She was famous for her prowling movements as she spat out lyrics.
In 1984, Corboy started to play guitar for the Psychobilly band, The Jackals. Sado-Nation was up and running, but members of the band wanted to expand. Sado-Nation broke up under the pressure.
Mish and Corboy talked about reuniting Sado-Nation as interest began to stir in their music. Corboy was approached to headline a Legends of Portland Punk show in January of 2001. As more interest perked about Sado-Nation, Mish and Corboy began to work on releasing both new and older material. [SOURCE: REBEL NOISE]
Sacred Cowboys formed in early 1982 in Melbourne with Terry Doolan on guitar (ex-Fizztops), Janis Friedenfelds (aka Johnny Crash) on drums, Mark Ferrie on guitar (both ex-Models), Ian Forrest on keyboards (ex-True Wheels), Garry Gray on lead vocals (ex-The Reals, The Negatives) and Andrew Picouleau on bass guitar (ex-Metronomes, Popgun Men, X-Ray-Z). Gray and Ferrie based the name from watching "The Groovy Guru", an episode of the US TV comedy series, "Get Smart". In it, the Groovy Guru and his rock band, The Sacred Cows, use psychedelic music to control the minds of young people. Initially the group were a covers band playing Creedence Clearwater Revival, Alex Chilton, The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, Suicide and Bob Dylan. They built a reputation as "one of the most confrontational live outfits" in the local scene.
Within six months, Sacred Cowboys had signed with Mushroom Records' White Label and recorded a single, 'Nothing Grows in Texas', which appeared in November 1982. After a performance on TV pop show, Countdown, the host Molly Meldrum described them as "the worst group I've seen in five years", a title the band knew meant they were on the right side of the wrong side of the tracks. Gray responded with "[Meldrum] had a very good medium at his disposal but he never really used it to benefit the broad spectrum of music that was available in the country". According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, Meldrum's assessment had "instantly cemented their nefarious reputation as the local scene's enfants terribles. The band's music mixed post-punk moodiness and country raunch over a mutant swamp-blues backbeat". In July 1983 they released a second single, a cover of Chilton's "Bangkok". In the next month they supported US hardcore punk band, Dead Kennedys, at their Melbourne gig.
In December Sacred Cowboys followed with a six-track self-titled extended play on the White Label, which was produced by Tony Cohen (Models, The Birthday Party). At that time Chris Whelan replaced Forrest on keyboards. Early in the next year, a self-titled album on French label, New Rose Records, was issued. Meanwhile, Nick Rischbieth (ex-Related Mechanics) replaced Picouleau on bass guitar and at the same time the band decided to work without keyboards. In 1985 a live, demo compilation, 'We Love You . . . Of Course We Do', named after a cover of The Rolling Stones single, "We Love You", appeared on Man Made Records. However, by that time the group went off the road and Gray entered a drug rehabilitation centre to treat his heroin addiction.
Late in 1984 Ferrie and Friedenfelds formed The Slaughtermen, as a post-punk, alternative, southern gospel group. Late in 1987 Sacred Cowboys reformed with a line-up of Doolan, Ferrie, Gray and Rischbieth joined by Stephan Fidock on drums (ex-The Reels). Ash Wednesday briefly joined on keyboards (ex-JAB, Metronomes, Einsturzende Neubauten) but left after recording the album, 'Trouble from Providence'. They signed to Sydney-based label, Citadel Records, which released the album in August 1988. It was produced by Ferrie, Doolan, Cohen, and Martin Armiger (Paul Kelly & the Dots, Stephen Cummings). McFarlane described it as "one of the best independent releases of the year". It was also issued by Germany's Normal Records, both in the standard nine-track vinyl LP format and as a CD with six bonus tracks. The band issued two singles from the album, the title track in July and "Hell Sucks" in December. The latter was more popular and became the group's signature tune. Forrest rejoined on keyboards, late in 1990, but the group disbanded again at the end of the following year.
From early 1994 Sacred Cowboys reformed with a line-up of Doolan, Ferrie, Fidock and Gray, joined by Spencer P Jones, then Penny Ikinger on guitar (ex-Wet Taxis, Louis Tillett's Aspersion Caste). They released a compilation CD, seven-track EP, 'Black City', early that year on the Siren label. In 1997 the Australian edition of Rolling Stone listed it as one of the Top 100 albums of the 20th century. Another album, 'Things to Come', was released in July 1996. It was recorded at Atlantis and Espy Studios for Greasy Pole Records and distributed by Shock Records. By that time Spencer P. Jones had joined on guitar (ex-Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls). At various times Sydney-based alternative rock, blues rock band, Beasts of Bourbon, has included Doolan, Ferrie, Friedenfelds or Jones of Sacred Cowboys. By 1997 Sacred Cowboys had gone off the road again, Gray moved to France and was living in Montpellier.
In 2005 "Hell Sucks" was selected for Clinton Walker's compilation of Australian punk and post-punk music, 'Inner City Sounds'. Sacred Cowboys reformed in August 2006 with the line-up of Fidock, Gray, Ikinger, Jones, Rischbieth and Wednesday and in 2008 with Mark Ferrie. They played a series of shows in Melbourne, and the remaining line-up recorded the finishing touches to the album, 'Cold Harvest', which was released on Bang! Records in January 2007. In February 2008 they issued a compilation album, '1982–85: Nailed to the Cross'. The group toured in support of the release until August that year. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Although Greg Ginn's record label SST was, early on, associated with the angry, overamped guitar rant of SoCal hardcore (some of which came courtesy of Ginn's own band Black Flag), SST was also recording bands that pushed the limits of hardcore. Bands like the Minutemen, Universal Congress Of, and especially Saccharine Trust gleefully tossed in chunks of '70s progressive rock, avant-garde jazz, and funky kicks and pops into a stew already percolating with heavy(ish) metal riffing, shouted vocals, and extreme volume. Not all of the boundary-pushing that Saccharine Trust did was good (in fact, some of it is downright awful), but when they kept their tendency toward grandiose self-indulgence in check, they were a pretty formidable proposition, especially live, and recorded at least one indispensable record, 1986's 'We Became Snakes'.
Formed in the early '80s by Joaquin (aka Jack) Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza, Saccharine Trust metamorphosed from a dissonant, noisy, anti-rock quartet into a more sophisticated, but still jagged and noisy rock-jazz band. Frequently, the band's "songs" were semi- or wholly improvised using a basic riff or simple drum pattern for guidance, rapidy expanding into uncharted territory. Not the most important band to emerge from Los Angeles in the early '80s, Saccharine Trust is interesting for incorporating varied textural elements into a genre that was defined by volume and simplicity. This band took risks that many of their SoCal brethren would never have dreamed of taking. This, however, does not make Saccharine Trust better than their peers, simply different, and a little more intriguing. By the early '90s, Brewer started his own band called, big surprise, The Jack Brewer Band. Joe Baiza formed the fine, funky, and exciting Universal Congress Of. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
With their unique blend of raucous punk rock laced with reggae and dub, The Ruts were one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Britain's late-'70s scene. Their career was cut cruelly short by the death of their singer in 1980, but still the group released six crucial singles and a seminal album in their short lifetime, while the surviving members soldiered on as Ruts D.C. They were also a powerful force within Britain's Rock Against Racism movement, ensuring a political legacy at least as vital as their music. On classic tunes like "Babylon's Burning" and "In a Rut," the band delivered rough-and-ready punk rock as strong as any of their peers in the first wave of U.K. punk, but "Jah War" showed they were similarly expert with reggae rhythms and dubwise production, and "Staring at the Rude Boys" showed they could blend punk sounds and West Indian themes, honoring each side equally.
Formed by four West London schoolmates in early 1978, the quartet of vocalist Malcolm Owen, guitarist Paul Fox, bassist John Jennings, and drummer Dave Ruffy initially gigged around their neighborhood with a fairly unremarkable post-punk/early Oi!-ish set. However, the rise of the neo-Nazi National Front and its deliberate recruitment of young people saw the bandmembers take on an increasingly political stance of their own, adding their own voice to the growing grassroots opposition to the fascist threat.
It was from this grassroots response that Rock Against Racism sprang, informing and raising political awareness via musical events. The Ruts plunged into the organization very early on in their career, playing benefit shows and festivals, and it was at one such event that the group was introduced to the South London reggae band Misty in Roots. It was through Misty's own People Unite label that The Ruts' debut single, the driving 'In a Rut/H-Eyes', was released in late 1978.
The single barely hinted at what was to come, and when the group performed a radio session for Radio 1 DJ John Peel a few months later, the song didn't even appear in their set. Even so, Virgin Records was one of several labels that recognized The Ruts' potential and signed the band in the spring of 1979.
They were immediately rewarded when the group's next single, 'Babylon's Burning/Society', seared its way into the U.K. Top Ten. Inspired by the political and societal upheavals taking place across the country, the song perfectly caught the mood of rage simmering just below Britain's surface. Following a national tour supporting The Damned and the release of their Top 30 follow-up single, the rabble-rousing 'Something That I Said', The Ruts' debut album, 'The Crack', arrived in October 1979. With its seminal blend of punk, roots reggae, dub, and hard-rock-meets-hardcore sound, the album slammed its way to number 16 and into the national musical lexicon.
Pulled from the album as their next single was the seminal 'Jah War'. Written in response to the riots that had ripped across London's Southall neighborhood the previous April, resulting in one death and numerous injuries, the song was a masterpiece of deep dub, a righteous riff, and an anthemic chorus. Filled with fury and despair, it encapsulated a bitter moment in Britain's history, much as The Specials' "Ghost Town" would do with equal brilliance the next summer.
Amazingly, the single didn't chart; the song touched too raw a nerve and was thus informally banned from Britain's airwaves, but this disappointment didn't slow down the band. A headlining tour was followed by the quartet joining Jamaican ska legend Laurel Aitken for his first new U.K. single in years, "Rudi Got Married." The Ruts themselves reentered the Top 25 in April 1980 with "Staring at the Rude Boys," their own expedition into 2 Tone territory, albeit on a lyrical, not musical, journey.
The Ruts were preparing to begin work on their second album, an American tour was also in the works, while their latest British outing was sold out long in advance. Life should have been good, but Owen's own was in tatters. His marriage had fallen apart and his longtime heroin habit now raged out of control. The Ruts were forced to cancel a number of U.K. tour dates, and in desperation opted for a tough-love approach. They fired the singer, shortly after completing work on their proposed next single, "West One."
This wake-up call seemed to work -Owen cleaned up and met with his bandmates to discuss a reconciliation. The meeting was a success, but Owen's own resolve was weaker. On the weekend of July 11, 1980, Owen returned home, got high, and suffered a fatal overdose. The remaining trio would continue on without him as Ruts D.C. (from the Italian "Da Capo," meaning "from the beginning"), but in a decidedly different musical vein. However, The Ruts' legacy lived on. A month after Owen's death, "West One" broke into the U.K. chart. Virgin began collecting up outtakes and non-album cuts for the 'Grin and Bear It' album, which also appeared later in the year. Ruts D.C. released a pair of albums, 1981's 'Animal Now' and 1982's 'Rhythm Collision', the latter produced by noted dub artist Mad Professor. Ruts D.C. folded in 1983.
In 1987, Strange Fruit gathered up the group's three Radio 1 sessions for 'The Peel Sessions Album', as another reminder of the band's impact; it was reissued on CD in 1990. The following year brought 'BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert' (Windsong), a much preferable live set to 'The Ruts Live' (Dojo) and 'Live and Loud!' (Link), which both appeared in 1987. In 1995, Caroline released the compilation album 'Something That I Said'. An essentials collection, tribute album, and more live recordings followed into the 2000s, as well as a collection of unreleased early demos, 2000's 'In a Can'.
On July 16, 2007, the band re-formed for a benefit concert in honor of Paul Fox, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Henry Rollins filled in on lead vocals, and The Damned, Tom Robinson, and Misty in Roots were among the opening acts. This inspired the band to return to the studio, with John Jennings and David Ruffy joined by guitarist Leigh Heggarty. They would record material over the next five years at Mad Professor's studio; 'Rhythm Collision, Vol. 2' arrived in 2013. A concert album, 'Live on Stage', appeared in 2014, while a new studio album, 'Music Must Destroy', arrived in 2016, with Henry Rollins performing guest vocals on the title track and Jake Burns of Stiff Little Fingers and Kirk Brandon of Theatre of Hate and Spear of Destiny appearing on "Kill the Pain." The same year saw another Ruts compilation, 'Babylon's Burning', which repackaged the 'Live and Loud!' and 'In a Can' albums as a two-LP set. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
