Justin Trouble was a New York City band that had a mildly successful stint on that city's club circuit (breaking into the legendary Max's Kansas City in the early '80s) and released one unheralded album on the independent Casino label. Songwriter and lead guitarist Justin Trouble had an affinity for '50s rockabilly, but he also merged Clash-derived aggression and power pop hooks and harmonies on a record that, had it been picked up by a major label, might've rested comfortably alongside critic's faves by The dB's and The Shoes. Certainly songs like "Missile" and "Let's Get Together" are as good as any power pop from that era. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Johnny Thunders was the first punk rock guitar hero, earning a cult following for his noisy but epic style a few years before the insouciant new music gained its name. Following in the footsteps of his idol and role model Keith Richards, Johnny Thunders (born John Anthony Genzale, Jr.) lived the ultimate rock & roll life, spending most of his days churning out tough, sloppy three-chord rock & roll and gaining nearly as strong a reputation for his decades-long struggle with addiction as for his music. Thunders made his greatest impact as a member of The New York Dolls, the proto-punk glam rockers of the early '70s. During the late '70s, he was a familiar figure on the New York punk scene, both with his band The Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. Thunders performed and recorded steadily until his death in 1991, turning out a series of records that inadvertently documented the struggles of his life and his art.
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Under the name Johnny Volume, Genzale began performing in high school with local combos Johnny & the Jaywalkers and The Reign (an unreleased Reign tune recorded in 1967 was released as a single after Thunders' death); after those bands ran their course, he joined Actress, which featured future Dolls Arthur Kane and Billy Murcia. Actress became The New York Dolls in 1971, with the addition of vocalist David Johansen, and Genzale renamed himself Johnny Thunders. After recording two acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful albums, the Dolls broke up. In 1975, Thunders and the group's drummer Jerry Nolan formed The Heartbreakers with former Television bassist Richard Hell and guitarist Walter Lure. Hell left the group shortly afterward to form The Voidoids and was replaced by Billy Rath. With Thunders leading the band, The Heartbreakers toured America and Britain, releasing one official album, 'L.A.M.F.', in 1977. The group relocated to the U.K., where their popularity was significantly greater than it was in the U.S., particularly on the burgeoning punk scene. Thunders earned a reputation for powerful but inconsistent performances -solid and rollicking one night, incoherent, sloppy, and drunken the next, sometimes veering between the two extremes in a single evening. After several months, the group returned to America, where they played a series of farewell gigs in New York.
Thunders went solo in 1978, recording 'So Alone' with various rock and punk celebrities, including the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones and Paul Cook, Steve Marriott (Small Faces, Humble Pie), Peter Perrett (Only Ones), Paul Gray (Eddie and the Hot Rods, The Damned), and Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott. After its release, Thunders and Peter Perrett played in the short-lived band Living Dead, while in 1980 Thunders teamed up with MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer in the band Gang Wars, another project that soon fizzled out. During the early '80s, Thunders re-formed The Heartbreakers for various tours and periodic "farewell" shows in New York City, with their stage work documented on a series of live albums, often of dubious legality.
For most of the '80s, the only Johnny Thunders product available consisted of haphazard compilations of live tracks and demos. In 1984, Thunders rebounded with a surprisingly strong acoustic album, 'Hurt Me', followed in 1985 by 'Que Sera, Sera', a collection of new songs that showed he could still perform convincingly. Three years later, the guitarist recorded an album of rock and R&B covers with vocalist Patti Palladin, 'Copy Cats'. And in 1991, German punk band Die Toten Hosen paid homage to Thunders by inviting him to play guitar on a cover of The Heartbreakers' "Born to Lose" on their album 'Learning English: Lesson One'.
After recording with Die Toten Hosen, Thunders settled in New Orleans, where he planned to cut an album with local jazz and R&B musicians. However, only a few days later, Thunders was found dead in his room at the St. Peter House on April 23, 1991. Thunders' passing was shrouded in rumor and uncertainty; while it was widely believed he overdosed on drugs, friends insisted the guitarist was weaning himself off heroin with methadone, while others believed he was the victim of sadistic burglars who ransacked his room after feeding him LSD, and still others reported Thunders was struggling with an untreated case of leukemia. Though Thunders' passing was strange and chaotic, it was curiously appropriate -no other rock & roller ever lived as hard and traveled as individual a path as Johnny Thunders. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Australian skate-punk/hardcore band, active since 1986, The Hellmenn came blasting out of Sydney's northern beaches skate punk scene like a rocket from the tombs of hell. The band's fierce sound mixed Black Flag with Black Sabbath by the way of an environmental manifesto. The band's original image was of a drug-crazed surf punks looking for good times and loud rock'n'roll, which said more about a desire to create mayhem as opposed to creating great art. On the otherhand, singer Ben Brown was also well known for his grotesque, demented artwork which was an extension of the bands frantic approach to music making.
The Hellmenn signed to the label Waterfront Records and issued the hardcore mini-albums 'Herbal Lunacy' (December 1987) and 'Bastard Sons of 10 000 000 Maniacs' (November 1988). The second was populated by such unhinged characters as "The Tripping Priest" and "Sluggo". Yet, among the chaos, there was some semblance of order. The title 'Herbal Lunacy' for example reflected the band's interest in herbal medicine (guitarist David Hopkins is a qualified naturopath). The band contributed a cover of "Search and Destroy" to Au-go-go's Stooges tribute album 'Hard to Beat' (1988).
In 1989, Victor Levi (ex-Ratcat) replaced guitarist Tony Goode, and the band supported American Hardcore god-father Henry Rollins on his Australian tour. The Hellmenn issued one single during 1989, Blubber Soul ('Daydreaming/The Trip'), after which Levi left the band. A year later, The Hellmenn issued the album 'Mourning of the Earth' and the single 'Anyone/Possums' (May 1990). The album featured a mellower set of songs, and the title was a pun highlighting the seriousness of the worldwide environmental issue. The Hellmenn contributed a cover of "The Deuce" to the Kiss tribute album 'Hard to Believe' on the Waterfront label (1990). The band's last release for the year was the single 'Homegrown' (December), which had been lifted from 'Mourning of the Earth'. Around the same time, Bill Gibson (ex-The Eastern Dark) joined on guitar.
The EP 'Electric Crazy Land' (October 1991) boasted a broad range of sounds, from Hendrix-like psychedelia to Sonic Youth-styled noise. The description 'sonic surf sounds' was an appropriate one. The band, however, had fallen into a rut and broke up at the end of the year. A few weeks later, Brown, Hopkins, and drummer Steve Heald revived The Hellmenn with new member Ken Archibold on bass. That line-up appeared on the bill of the inaugural Big Day Out (January 1992).
The band then signed to Phonogram's development label Id, which released the CD EP 'Meltdown' (September 1992). The EP mixed three studio tracks with three bonus live cuts. The CD EP 'Absolute Filth' (June 1993) was another strong studio release (described by the band as 'thermo-nuclear-sonic-burnout'). Although The Hellmenn had progressed over the years, they continued to be dogged by references to their skate/surf/thrash beginnings. After eight years of noise making, The Hellmenn called it a day in April 1994.
Ground Zero was a 1980s hardcore / thrash band from Minneapolis, formed by Taras "Terry" Ostroushko (vocals, guitar), James "Jamie" Ronnei (bass) and Dave Evenhouse (drums). They only released two albums, 'Ground Zero'
(1984) and 'Pink', both on Reflex Records, an early 1980s U.S. punk /hardcore label based out of St. Paul, MN that released records by Hüsker Dü, Articles Of Faith, and Minutemen, amongst others. This label was founded by Terry Katzman and Hüsker Dü to promote bands in the Minneapolis scene, after Twin Tone Records rejected Hüsker Dü's first single in 1979.
Horror movie-fueled Sacramento, California pop-punks the Groovie Ghoulies originally comprised singer/bassist Kepi, his guitarist wife Roach, and drummer Wendy. After debuting in 1989 with the album 'Appetite for Adrenochrome', the group spent the early '90s largely out of the spotlight, issuing only the occasional single (including 1990's "Lost Generation" and 1992's "Christmas on Mars") before finally releasing its sophomore album, 'Born in the Basement', in 1994. By now a hugely popular attraction on the Sacramento club circuit, in 1996 the Ghoulies signed to Lookout Records to release 'World Contact Day'; Wendy left the lineup soon after, however, and was replaced by ex-Screeching Weasel drummer Dan Panic. In the wake of 1997's 'Re-Animation Festival', Panic exited as well and was eventually replaced by drummer Jaz Brown.
The Ghoulies' fifth LP, 'Fun in the Dark', followed in 1999, and a year later the group resurfaced with 'Travels with My Amp'. The band left Lookout soon after, but showed up on Stardumb for the 'Freaks on Parade' EP in 2002. Featuring new drummer Scampi, 'Go! Stories' was the first full-length released on the label, appearing later in the summer and followed by a European tour. The group followed up in late 2003 with a record made up mostly of re-recorded versions of old singles and Lookout album tracks called 'Monster Club'. After leaving Stardumb and starting their own imprint, Green Door Records, the Ghoulies released an amped-up EP of Chuck Berry covers, 'Berry'd Alive', in August 2005, and then delivered their ninth album, '99 Lives', in 2007. Sadly, the band split up just days before the record's release, citing difficulties carrying on as a band after the dissolution of Kepi and Roach's marriage.
After the band's demise, Kepi continued recording and touring at breakneck speed. Whether playing folk songs or music for kids, or revisiting old Ghoulies albums (as on 2015's redo of 'Fun in the Dark', where he's backed by Dutch punks The Accelerators), Kepi has kept the fun-loving, goofy punk rock charm of the band alive. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Armed with jagged guitars and pounding drums, London, England's Five Thirty tried to puncture a hole in the dance-oriented U.K. music scene of the late '80s and early '90s. Formed by bassist Tara Milton and guitarist/vocalist Paul Bassett, Five Thirty recorded their first single, "Catcher in the Rye," in 1985. Originally performing in Oxford and Reading, Five Thirty moved to London and met drummer Phil Hopper. In 1990, the group was signed to East West. The band's Jam-like sound and incendiary gigs excited the critics. However, the masses were unmoved by the band's back-to-basics rock & roll. Although the track "Abstain" managed to squeeze into the Top 75, the follow-up "Air Conditioned Nightmare" was completely ignored outside of the British press. In 1991, Five Thirty released their debut album, 'Bed'. But the timing was wrong. If 'Bed' had appeared years later -when '60s-styled English guitar rock without the club mixes was in favor- it would've had a better chance of selling. Disillusioned by their lack of success, Five Thirty unleashed the frustration in their songs, yelling, "This song ain't exactly what we'd call money but we don't care," in "Hate Male." Five Thirty split up in 1992. Hopper became an actor; Milton started The Nubiles; and Bassett recorded with Orange Deluxe. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Australia's feedtime (the name was deliberately spelled with a lower-case f) earned a rabid cult following for their primal and bruisingly powerful, bass-heavy sound, a walloping fusion of punk rock, blues, and hard rock. feedtime was formed in 1979 by a pair of friends from Sydney, Australia, Rick and Allen (just as they dismissed the capital "f", they didn't bother with last names); Rick played guitar (he was especially adept at bottleneck slide riffs) and his tastes ran to Rose Tattoo and the Aussie punk band X (not to be confused with the Los Angeles band of the same name), while Allen enjoyed acoustic blues and took up the bass. They recruited a drummer named Dave, but he grew tired of the way the group's music polarized audiences, and left the band in 1981. After Allen's sister handled the percussion chores for a while, they discovered one of their fans, Tom, was a musician with a talent for drumming, and he became feedtime's permanent drummer. In 1985, the trio financed and released their self-titled debut album; a pair of songs from the sessions appeared on a compilation from the Australian indie label Aberrant Records, and label head Bruce Griffiths liked them enough to sign feedtime to a recording deal. Aberrant released feedtime's second album, 'Shovel', in Australia, while Rough Trade struck a deal to issue the record in the United States. A third album appeared later the same year; 'Cooper-S' was a collection of cover tunes filtered through feedtime's musical world view, including songs by The Rolling Stones, The Stooges, the Ramones, and The Beach Boys. Butch Vig joined the production team for the group's fourth album, mixing the tracks for 1989's 'Suction', and the result was feedtime's most accessible release, but long-simmering tensions within the group came to a head, and shortly before the band was to launch their first American tour, feedtime broke up. They band reunited for some live dates in 1994, and two years later they recorded a one-off reunion album, 'Billy', with new drummer John sitting in for the absent Tom (the celebrated noise rock label Amphetamine Reptile released the album in America). In 2012, Sub Pop Records, whose flagship act Mudhoney were long avowed feedtime fans, released 'The Aberrant Years', a box set which collected the group's first four albums, and in support, feedtime staged a short reunion tour of the United States. Rick, Al, and Tom would reunite in the recording studio a few years later, and 2017 saw the release of their first studio album in 21 years, 'Gas', which saw them doing business with another stellar indie label, In the Red Records. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
In spite of their limited lifespan and discography,The Faith were a seminal influence on the early emocore movement in Washington, D.C. For starters, nearly all of their membership moved on to either Embrace or Rites of Spring, by most accounts the first true emo bands. But even during their existence, the Faith's music hinted at what was to come, softening the standard-issue hardcore approach somewhat with better-developed melodies and a more inward-looking perspective. To be sure, it was high-energy, high-velocity punk, but its subtle deviations from the norm opened up new vistas for the D.C. scene.
The Faith was formed in the summer of 1981, and was initially a quartet featuring vocalist Alec MacKaye (ex-Untouchables and brother of Minor Threat's Ian), guitarist Michael Hampton (formerly of Henry Rollins' first band, State of Alert), bassist Chris Bald, and drummer Ivor Hanson. Filling part of the void left by Minor Threat's hiatus, The Faith quickly became one of the most popular bands in D.C., and naturally signed with Ian MacKaye's Dischord imprint. Their first release was a split LP with thrash-punkers Void, released in 1982 and featuring 12 songs from each band. Second guitarist Eddie Janney -also late of the Untouchables, as well as Ian MacKaye's short-lived Skewbald/Grand Union- joined afterward, and made his recorded debut on the 1983 EP 'Subject to Change'. A more developed and mature set of songs, 'Subject to Change' also proved to be the Faith's swan song, as the group disbanded by the summer of 1983. Janney formed the groundbreaking emo band Rites of Spring with Guy Picciotto, while Hampton, Bald, and Hanson all joined Ian MacKaye in another early emo band, Embrace. When Embrace broke up in early 1986, Chris Bald rejoined Alec MacKaye in Ignition; meanwhile, Janney played with One Last Wish and Happy Go Licky following Rites of Spring's breakup. Hampton and Hanson reunited in Manifesto in 1991, while Alec MacKaye sang with The Warmers during the mid-'90s. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Some bands seemingly come out of nowhere with a debut release only to turn out to have a long established history, which turned out to be the case with New Jersey's Deardarkhead. Consisting of guitarist Kevin Harrington, drummer Robert Weiss, and bassist/singer Michael Amper, the group formed in 1988 (taking their name from an Irish poem by Sir Samuel Ferguson), and have been happily recording and playing ever since. Their sound is openly and proudly Anglophilic, combining both elements of the blissout/shoegaze scene and a slightly older vein of post-punk guitar experimentalism, making at its best a rich combination between the two influences, shamelessly romantic and elegant. Running their own label, Fertile Crescent, the members first released two demo tapes, 'Greetings from the Infernal Village' (1988) and 'Spiral Down and Vibrate' (1991), followed by two separate CD EPs, 'Melt Away Too Soon' (1992) and 'Ultraviolet' (1993). The group then took a lengthy recording break before creating its full album 'Unlock the Valves of Feeling', which appeared in 1998. They continued to play into the 2000s, continuing as an instrumental trio following the departure of Amper in 2009, with new bassist Kevin McCauley joining in 2010. In 2011, Captured Tracks compiled the group's three EPs from the early '90s as 'Oceanside: 1991-1993', the second installment of the label's Shoegaze Archives series. Deardarkhead's first release in nearly two decades, the instrumental EP 'Strange Weather', appeared on Saint Marie Records in 2016. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Fronted by vocalist Ian Astbury and featuring guitarist Billy Duffy, The Cult evolved from a Gothic post-punk outfit in 1984, transforming themselves into England's leading hard rock revivalist act. Their image combined the pseudo-mysticism and Native American cultural obsessions of The Doors with the guitar orchestrations of Led Zeppelin, and the three-chord crunch of AC/DC, with blended traces of post-punk goth rock. Their 1984 debut 'Dreamtime' performed well, but follow-up 'Love' amplified their hard rock direction and chart success with breakout single "She Sells Sanctuary." 1987's Rick Rubin-produced 'Electric', was their hardest record yet and went Top 40 stateside thanks to the smash singles "Lil' Devil," "Love Removal Machine, and "Wildflower." 1989's, 'Sonic Temple' became their most successful album, peaking at ten in America behind single "Edie (Ciao Baby)." The spoils of success began tearing at the members, and they disbanded in 1995. Astbury and Duffy resurrected The Cult for 2001's 'Beyond Good and Evil'. Subsequent efforts included 'Born Into This' (2007), 'Choice of Weapon' (2012), and 'Under the Midnight Sun' (2022).
The origins of The Cult lie in The Southern Death Cult, a goth rock outfit formed by vocalist Ian Astbury (born May 14, 1962) in 1981. Astbury was the son of a merchant navy man, which meant he moved frequently during his youth; at one point in his childhood, his family lived in Canada, where the young Astbury became fascinated with Native Americans, who would become a recurring theme in his songwriting. Astbury eventually settled in Bradford, Yorkshire, where he met a group comprising David Burrows (guitar), Barry Jepson (bass), and Haq Quereshi (drums). Ian joined the group as its lead vocalist (performing with the last name of "Lindsay," which was his mother's maiden name) and had the group renamed The Southern Death Cult. By only their fifth concert, the band was attracting audiences of 2,000. In December 1982, The Southern Death Cult released their first single -the double A-side "Moya"/"Fatman"- and the following month, they supported Bauhaus on tour. Though the group's future was looking bright, Astbury pulled the plug on the band because he was frustrated with the positive articles he was receiving in the press. The remaining three members joined Getting the Fear, which eventually became Into a Circle; in the late '80s, Quereshi became a member of Fun^Da^Mental. All of The Southern Death Cult recordings were eventually released in 1986.
Following the breakup, Astbury shortened the name of the group to Death Cult and recruited guitarist Billy Duffy -who had previously played with Morrissey in the pre-Smiths band The Nosebleeds, as well as Theatre of Hate- and drummer Ray Mondo and bassist Jamie Stewart, who had previously played with Ritual. Death Cult released an eponymous EP in the summer of 1983; on the EP, Astbury reverted back to his given name. Later in the year, Mondo was replaced by Nigel Preston, who had previously played with Duffy in Theatre of Hate; coincidentally, Mondo became the drummer for Preston's previous group, Sex Gang Children.
In early 1984, the bandmembers decided to excise "Death" from the title, fearing that the word gave them the misleading appearance of being a goth band. Where both Southern Death Cult and Death Cult had been overtly influenced by post-punk, The Cult were a heavy hard rock band with slight psychedelic flourishes. 'Dreamtime', the group's first album, was released in the fall of 1984, accompanied by the single "Spiritwalker." 'Dreamtime' reached number 21 on the U.K. charts. In the spring of 1985, Preston left the group. For the group's summer single, "She Sells Sanctuary," the band was joined by Big Country's drummer, Mark Brzezicki. "She Sells Sanctuary" became a major U.K. hit, peaking at number 15. During the recording of the group's second album, drummer Les Warner joined the group. 'Love', released in the fall of 1985, continued the hard rock direction of its teaser single and became a number four hit in Britain.
For their third album, The Cult shuffled their lineup -Stewart moved to rhythm guitar, while former Zodiac Mindwarp bassist Kid Chaos joined the lineup- and hired Rick Rubin as producer, and the result, 'Electric', was their hardest, heaviest record to date. The first single from the album, "Love Removal Machine," became a number 18 hit in the spring of 1987, while the album itself reached number four in the U.K. upon its April release. Later that year, 'Electric' gained The Cult a fan base in America, and the album cracked the U.S. Top 40.
In 1988, the group fired Chaos and Warner, replacing the latter with Matt Sorum; the band failed to hire another bassist. The new lineup released 'Sonic Temple', which would prove to be the band's most successful effort. The hit single "Fire Woman" helped propel the album into the American Top Ten, and within no time, The Cult were seen hanging out with the likes of Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith, as well as supporting Metallica on the Damaged Justice tour. Though the group was experiencing its best sales, it was fraying behind the scenes due to infighting and substance abuse. By the time they recorded their follow-up to 'Sonic Temple', Sorum had left to join Guns N' Roses and Stewart had quit; they were replaced by drummer Mickey Curry and bassist Charlie Drayton. The resulting album, 'Ceremony', was released in the fall of 1991 to weak reviews and disappointing sales.
Following the release of 'Ceremony', the group took a break for the next three years. In 1993, the band released the U.K.-only hits compilation 'Pure Cult', which debuted at number one. By summer 1993, The Cult had a new rhythm section, featuring former Mission bassist Craig Adams, second guitarist Mike Dimkich (Channel 3), and drummer Scott Garrett. This lineup recorded 'The Cult', which was released in late 1994 to poor reviews and sales. In spring 1995, The Cult disbanded, with Ian Astbury forming the Holy Barbarians later in the year. Billy Duffy briefly played with Miles Hunt's Vent 414 before leaving to pursue a solo project. In 2000, the band's catalog was remastered and reissued, and 'Pure Cult' was released in the U.S. (despite a similar compilation, 'High Octane Cult', having appeared four years earlier). It was followed by 'Rare Cult', a six-disc box set of rarities.
A new Cult, with Matt Sorum, Martyn LeNoble, and Chris Wyse joining Astbury and Duffy, made their debut in June 1999 at the Tibetan Freedom Festival. This band produced the 2001 album 'Beyond Good and Evil' before The Cult were retired again, as Astbury joined former Doors members Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek in The Doors of the 21st Century (later renamed Riders on the Storm). In 2007, it was announced that Astbury had left the band to rejoin Duffy in a new version of The Cult, with Chris Wyse on bass and John Tempesta on drums. They signed to Roadrunner and released 'Born Into This' in 2008, which they promoted over the next few years on their highly publicized Love Live tour. They returned to the studio in 2011 after inking a deal with Cooking Vinyl Records and released their ninth studio album, 'Choice of Weapon', the following year.
In 2013, Duffy announced in an interview that The Cult were working on new material for 2015. However, personnel changes put a bit of a damper on the band's plans: after 20 years, Dimkich left to play with Bad Religion and Wyse left for Ace Frehley's band. Longtime friend James Stevenson took the second guitar chair, while Grant Fitzpatrick took over on bass to play the band's 2014 world tour. Jane's Addiction bassist Chris Channey came on board in the studio for the band's tenth studio album. With Bob Rock producing, The Cult completed 'Hidden City' in 2015. The first two singles, "Dark Energy" and "Deeply Ordered Chaos," were issued in November and December, respectively, with a third, "Hinterland," appearing in January of 2016. The album followed in February of that year.
Following two world tours, and summers spent playing sheds and festivals on both sides of the Atlantic, The Cult took a well-deserved breather extended by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2022, they quietly released the video single for "Give Me Mercy." In October they released the full-length 'Under the Midnight Sun'. Produced by Tom Dalgety (Pixies, Ghost) it appeared from hard rock indie Black Hill Records, offering eight tracks that also included a second single in "A Cut Inside." [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
