DON KRISS - "It's Christmas" b/w "Jingle Bell Rock"

A. It's Christmas


B. Jingle Bell Rock


'IT'S KRISSSSSSSSSSSSSSMASSSSS!'

(Thanks to Collin for this post)

Acme - "Johnny Can't Play" "Bad News"

Acme were a 4 piece punk band from East Belfast consisting of Stuart Bailie, Ian Hanna, Alan Giddings and Barry Young. (Barry is the little brother of Rudi's Brian Young). The band existed from '78-82 and unfortunately never committed anything to vinyl so these demo tracks are a nice treat. "Johnny Can't Play" and "Bad News" are Clash-influenced punk songs that were mining similar sounds as other Belfast punks Protex. Two other tracks exist titled "Beer Hall" and "Jealousy" and they're just as good!

Johnny Can't Play


Bad News




Staurt Bailie is still involved with music and has a radio show on BBC focused on Ulter music (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/stuartbailie). He also runs a music center called Oh Yea Belfast (www.ohyeahbelfast.com) Check it out.

THE MINORS Waves Have Hit b/w Stupid Love Song

Collin You've done it again!

Waves Have Hit

Stupid Love Song

Miller Records, 45, 1981

There is something so objectively wrong (head) yet so aesthetically and irresistibly right (loins) about songs which forecast impending paradigm realignments that, for whatever reasons, never come to pass. Glitter, disco, punk rock and bubblegum all have their anthems that said they’d never die. Now the NEW WAVE finally has one that really spells it out too (not literally, but lyrically). Like Cortland, New York’s Wreck ‘N’ Crew or Hollywood, California’s Rodney Bingenheimer, Green Bay, Wisconsin’s The Minors obviously wanted some more more more of that NEW WAVE music. While I am uncertain if the Minors were riding on the crest of a wave, old or otherwise (Lake Michigan water temperatures would suggest not), one thing I am sure of is that a few of these guys also played with the great and doomed and now DEAD, Bret Starr, in The Tyrants the same year as this, their lone single. The police-siren guitar-sound on the A-side may lead some to conclude that the Minors were punks, but don’t go getting ideas. The Minors are straight Killed By Wave 4 LIFE, homey. Just check that chorus:

The waves have hit

No, we’re not dumb

What’s noise to others

Is music to some

‘Music to some;‘ great tunes and humble too! And who, I ask, among you can argue with that (Rev. Norb does not count)?

Nightrider - Digital Techniques EP

Wessex Records, WEX272. 1979.

A. Gruesome Girls


B1. Stay Clean


B2. Happy Day


" Nightrider, were a Punk/Powerpop combo from Bagnor/Littlehampton, describing themselves as "a digital rock band" (can any body explain what the hell they meant?). The combo began operating early in 1978 with a line-up comprising Kim Robey (gtr), Kev Robey (d), Graham Rowley (gtr), Paul Secombe (v) and Alan Webb (b). Their one and only vinyl venture, an EP produced by Roger Kennedy and entitled DIGITAL TECHNIQUES, emerged on the Wessex label in December 1979, in an edition of 500 copies. Although the (extremely limited) picture sleeve features band members looking pretty awful - two exhibit dreadful hippie moustaches - their music offers three tracks of superior quality, keeping their roots firmly in '77 Punk Rock but with a peculiar melodic talent. A recommended platter. Copies of the EP also exist bearing a large sticker that reads "All That's Fiction", the (unlikely) name adopted by the group in late 1980."
★★★★
(45 Revolutions)

DEAF AIDS - Heroes? b/w Bored Christine

Conspiracy Records, CONS 1. 1980.

A. Heroes


B. Bored Christine


Here's Deaf Aids 2nd single from 1980. Their first single - the one we reissued - is superior to this effort but there's still some nice moments to be heard. The title track is slightly new-wavey but still has some great Gamwells lyrics ("You wanna be a Jagger? You gotta learn to suck!"). The B-side is more powerpop-rock and will please fans of the first single.

The Locals - 'You Never Have Fun'

The Locals recently reunited to perform at the International Pop Overthrow. Here's a video of them playing the A-side of the Sing Sing reissued single, 'You Never Have Fun'.

MYSFITZ She's a Teaser b/w Aggravation

(Edge, 1981)

SHE'S A TEASER

AGGRAVATION

Thanks to Collin for this one!!

More mystery group action, this time from a brotherly bunch of Mysfitz roaring straight of Hollywood...Florida! Accurately, if unkindly, described by Collectorscum's always reliable 'BD' as 'sounding like some unholy marriage of 70s powerpop and 60s hippie rock.' Now I can't speak for 'BD''s upbringing, but it would take a truly fundamentalist set of ears to detect any thing in any way off-putting or alarming within 'Aggravation.' Back masking perhaps or maybe one too many Chick Tracts? 'She's A Teaser''s pretty good as well, if strictly extra-canonical when compared to the flip. Similar lyrical content which is strictly anti-family values. Lone single, no sleeve, no relation to Danzig.

ALSO

this blog post wouldn't be complete without the inclusion of the video for the title track..WOAH!

-jt

JOHNNIE COOLROCK - GOOD GIRLS

Casablanca/PYE 1979

GOOD GIRLS

Johhny Coolrock's one and only song was released in 1979 sandwiched into a UK issue LP soundtrack for the movie Roller Boogie.

From what I can tell the rest of the soundtrack is pretty awful ( the other side of the 45 is a really bad disco song by the group Cheeks and Cher is involved in at least one of the other tracks.) Thankfully this standout song was also released on 45...and as summer is winding down, I ask myself... where was Johnnie Coolrock two months ago? This is the perfect summertime song and I just found out about it! It's Way better than anything from the Pinball Summer soundtrack and if Mr. Coolrock would have been allowed to write the entire LP who knows what would have happened..

THE DRONES- CAN'T SEE b/w FOOLED TODAY

Bellaphon -1980

CAN'T SEE

FOOLED TODAY

This was the last single by the Drones before they called it a day.The A side Cant See is the definite winner of the two so I'm not gonna bother with the flip. The German sleeve pictured above features slightly altered artwork.blah blah blah.. What I really really want to know is if anyone has MP3's of the ROCKSLIDE 45. Pre Drones BCR type group who's only single (recorded by Phil Hampson, the engineer behind the legendary Buzzcocks debut Spiral Scratch) has so far eluded me and that other guy who posts on here sometimes. Can someone give me the goods on this one? I need to hear it!

THE GOOSES Just a Tailor b/w Is It New?

Thanks to Collin for this review, such a great single!!

(no label, 1977)

JUST A TAILOR

IS IT NEW?

Ken Barnes and Greg Shaw once joked about Cleveland becoming the next Liverpool in an old BOMP! feature; apparently the Gooses thought they were for real. Issued in 1977 minus a sleeve and without so much as a label name, the Gooses’ lone vinyl offering keeps with Cleveland’s 70s reputation as a safe harbor for trends past their sell-by date. The style in question here: scrappy, post-glitter Kinks pop. Both sides of the Gooses’ single bop along pleasingly, not unlike a less-dedicated Leopards, still obviously flying the flag for Davies-dom, yet not aping every vocal or instrumental nuance. What became of them after this 45 is anyone’s guess. Maybe they emigrated to Australia or maybe they all joined the Michael Stanley Band. Or maybe they just flew south for the winter. Gooses - who are you?

TOYS - My Mind Wanders EP

Provisional EMI Recording co. 1979

MY MIND WANDERS

GIRL ON MY WALL

TOYTIME

TWO MINUTES

The first of two vinyl offerings by the Toys, My Mind Wanders was recorded in the spring of 1979 at Lutons Quest studios with producer Dave Cook and pressed in an edition of 1,000 copies. At the time of this first single the band was a three piece comprised of Pete Abbot (guitar/bass) Mick Russell ( drums) and Gez Sagar ( vocals). in 1980 the band became a quintet recruiting Kev Buckler ( guitar) and Simon Belshaw ( sax). This lineup released a second EP Still Dancing in 1980.

THE CHIEF- Don't Touch The Receiver b/w Icebreaker

Swamp Records 1981

DON"T TOUCH THE RECEIVER

ICEBREAKER

Chief were a studio only band formed By brothers John and Bob Hardman, owners of the Private UK pop/rock record label Swamp records. Swamp stared around 1979 specifically to handle a childrens T.V. show. However, the shows plot revolved around frogs and toads and the arrival of Kermit about a month before the program aired cancelled the entire project. In total the label released 8 singles and 2 lp's, all of which fall outside the NARROW scope of this blog. Don't Touch the Receiver is a great tune though, with the best confused phone call interlude this side of Monday Friday by the Features.

NIGHTSHIFT - Dance in the Moonlight b/w/ Don't Rush The Good Things

harvest -1981

DANCE IN THE MOONLIGHT

DON'T RUSH THE GOOD THINGS ( Long Version)

This is the last of five singles by the Edinburg band Nightshift. An earlier version of Dance in the Moonlight was culled from the 20 track Castle Sound recordings and appeared 2 years earlier on the B.B.C. D.J. Charlie Gillets Honky Tonk Demos LP. This re recorded version has some post 1980 studio "production" absent in the earlier version but thankfully it doesn't affect the song too much. The B side " Don't Rush the Good Things" Is also an alternate version of a song released a year earlier. All of the bands 45's and the Honky Tonk Demos LP are really common but it seems Harvest didn't have much faith in these guys because this particular single is pretty tough to find and didn't get a picture sleeve. Looks like Vinyl Tap recently unearthed a few copies though..

CHARTERED HURRICANE - CATHY COME HOME b/w ALL SMASHED UP

CATHY COME HOME ( you silly cow)

ALL SMASHED UP

Chartered Hurricane was a NWOBHM duo consisting of Phil and Mark Jones that gigged consistently and built up a large following in the Newport Gwent area of Wales in the early 80's. The band formed in 1981 and released this one very scarce single (originally housed in a stamped sleeve) in 1983. The A side "Cathy Come Home" is a totally great one part pop song While the B side "All Smashed Up" is more appealing to NWOBHM collector types. The band eventually grew from a duo to a five piece adding Mike Ward on bass, Terry (TNT) Thomas on drums and Robert Millar on guitar. After several failed attempts to break it big in London they split in 1984.

ROSE WHIPPERR & MARC STOWE - Heathen Girls

Stark Naked Records, SNR 451. 1979.

A. Dark Vs. Light

B. Heathen Girls


I just got back from a trip to my home town of Atlanta, GA and while I was there I dug up this local release from 1979. Atlanta isn't really known for being a punk/powerpop town during the late 70's so I was pretty happy to stumble on this great track. The B-side is the real gem; it's pretty catchy powerpop with a few glam touches and a fun chorus. I haven't been able to find much info on the band except that it seems they changed their name to Heathen Girls after this sole release and then went on to release an EP in a more new wave/post-punk vein in '82.

And...here's some photos of the Heathen Girls hanging out with Bon Scott of ACDC (thanks to B.C. Miller):

THE TUNES - EP

Tune’s Tunes, 1982

ELEVATOR

CROWDED HEART

TOO PROUD

SHE'S MAD

Thanks to Collin for this post!

As most punks went down to the basement or into the pit and as new wave pop styled its hair and steeled its heart toward visions of a more inorganic, fretless future, Topeka, KS foursome, the Tunes, waved one last, desperate flag for the style of updated 60s pop the region had been noted (but not famous) for producing since the original Titan! Record ripples of the late 1970s. Despite the band’s location, the Tunes’ approach was much slicker than any of the Titan! groups or even the Regular Guys, recalling the glossy style of J.D. Buhl or Buddy Love, albeit with much classier songwriting and much less annoying vocals. That said, it’s hard not to hear echoes of the Regular Guys on the more Mersey-derived tracks on the record‘s flipside. All too predictably, the Tunes’ self-released EP proved to be the group’s lone release, rendering fine service - along with the EP by Artists! - as both a document of a talented band and the last-gasp of the prairie pop style.

PANIC - Requiem For Martin Heidegger

Just uploaded this video for 'Requiem For Martin Heidegger' from the dutch punk band Panic. PANIC was formed in 1977 as a follow up to the short lived band “Big Peter and the Terrible Garage”. Members were: Peter Penthouse (lead vocals), Mike DeCourt (guitar, vocals), Pete Passion (bass, vocals) and Rheinhart Roffel (drums).

The Rousers- Susans Day

torso records 1980

SUSANS DAY

TOUCHED

This is the last of four singles by the Dutch punk/new wave group the Rousers. Both tunes on this single are great examples of the bands self penned New Beat sound which mixed alot of songwriting moves from British pop of the 1960's with a more new wave sensibility and style. The A side of the single doesn't appear on the second LP and the flip Touched (the title track of the second full length) is arguably the best song on the otherwise spotty LP. The band would split up Shortly after the release of Touched due to poor sales. Guitar player Wieb Zigtema and bassist Rob Marienus would go on to form The Thought while Singer Cock De Jong and his brother Theo formed the Shavers.

VIPERS - I Got You b/w No Such Thing

Mulligan Records, LUNS 718. 1978.

A. I Got You


B. No Such Thing


Full bio available at IrishRock.org

MODEL MANIA No Pride Slow Suicide b/w Epic Cowboy

Boob records -1979

A. NO PRIDE SLOW SUICIDE

AA. EPIC COWBOY

Formed by three brothers Jim, Andy and Rob Saunders in 1975, Model Mania were one of the first punk bands to form in the Birmingham area. Shortly after forming the brothers recruited Martin 'Boco' Beech on bass and in 1977 recorded their first Demo ( NO PRIDE SHIT and GLASS). Model Mania played alot of the now famous punk clubs like the Roxy and the Vortex but set up a residency at local punker destination Barbarella's and took on the clubs main D.J. Wayne Myers as their manager.

The single was recorded in 1979 on the bands own Boob label in an edition of 1,000 copies. Supposedly the labels weren't printed when the vinyl arrived and the group hand stamped 250 copies of the single before the other 750 could have the actual labels pasted on.

KARU L.A. GIRL b/w GONNA SAY YES

overseas YE-26-V 1983

L.A. GIRL

GONNA SAY YES

Karu was a three piece band formed in 1983 out of the messy breakup of the Bay City Rollers by Duncan Faure (former vocalist of the South African band Rabbitt as well as the front man for the 1978 incarnation of the Rollers.) Drummer Richie Hall and original Roller Stuart Wood. The group released one single, L.A. Girl b/w Gonna Say Yes and and LP Karu Cuts, both on the Teichiku Overseas label and available only in Japan. Another South African only 45 Where is the music b/w I remember was issued the same year on the Principal label. Both tracks on this single are well crafted guitar driven powerpop tunes and a total must for any BCR fan. The band broke up in 1984 and their records are extremely hard to track down nowadays. If anyone out there has the other single or the LP I'd really love to hear them.

FOUR EYES Penny Pong bw Disengaged

thanks to Collin for this

Killer-Fish, 1980

PENNY PONG

DISENGAGED

A San Diego based power pop band, led by vocalist, bassist and songwriter Mark Decerbo. Active since 1976, the group, originally a sextet named Copenhagen, pursued a self-described ‘country, boogie, rock and pop’ sound before privately issuing their own single featuring two original band compositions in 1979 (‘Tonight’ b/w ‘Don’t Sail Too Close To The Wind’), which, I am - understandably - quite desperate to hear. In the year previous, the group also acted as the backing band for blues guitarist Tomcat Courtney, as well as noted cult weirdo, Gary Wilson, on a short West Coast promotional tour for the Endicott, NY native’s claustro-funk-epic, ’You Think You Really Know Me.’ A name-switch to the more new-wave-friendly Four Eyes followed in 1980, as well as a paring down of membership, first to a quartet and then a trio. The group made an appearance on NBC’s The Gong Show, performing Little Richard’s ‘Tutti Frutti’ and, after further line-up shifts, relocated to post-Knack Hollywood. The same year, Four Eyes recorded their only single, issued on manager Mark Shapiro’s Killer-Fish imprint, featuring a clever new wave A-side, similar in style to the db’s, and a gorgeous, guitar-driven power pop B-side, rightly comped on the Shake Some Action CD series. The group attracted some major label attention in the wake of their single, but, despite recording an album’s worth of demos (some with Earle Mankey), Four Eyes never issued any further records in the group’s original lifetime and broke up in 1988 (two later songs, ‘Dangerous’ and ‘Life After High School’ do turn up on two local radio station compilations and indicate a more synth-heavy direction). These unreleased recordings finally saw the light of day in the 2009 anthology issued by Blind Spot Records as ‘Four Eyes Anthology: 1977 - 1988 Part One.’

BARRY GREEN - "Papa Do" b/w "Boomerang"

BARRY GREEN - "Papa Do" b/w "Boomerang" ... Decca 1972.

A. Papa Do (Green, Rubin)



B. Boomerang (Green, Rubin)



Just ripped this for a friend and figured I'd throw it on the blog too. Barry Green is more commonly known as Barry Blue and there's tons of info out there on him so no need for me to rehash. Enjoy!

SNEEKY FEELIN'S Private Mail b/w Only the Rain (can wash away the tears)

warped records. W102

PRIVATE MAIL

ONLY THE RAIN ( CAN WASH AWAY THE TEARS)

The pub rock group Sounder who released one 45 in 1977 made the shift to a decidedly new wave name and sound and in 1979 became Sneeky Feelin's. (the name was taken from the Elvis Costello song Sneaky Feelings ). The group consisted of:

Ozzie Ozzell - vocals

Donnie Burke - Guitar/vocals

Terry Hamid - Guitar

Dell Vickers - Bass/ Vocals

John Hawley - Drums

Alfonso Montuori - Horns

The A and B sides were recorded at two different sessions in two different studios with the production credits going to Graeme Douglas of Eddie and the Hot Rods. The group fizzled out soon after the release of the 45 with Donnie Burke and Dell Vickers going on to form the Gas.

MAKOFF 1978 bw le prof a Makoff

1978- Polydor Records

1978

LE PROF A MAKOFF

This is the second of two singles by the Belgian teen Andy Makowski. A different-rawer version of the The flip Le Prof A Makoff also appears on Makowskis' self released first single. The A side is painful but"Le Prof A Makoff" totally makes up for it.

THE NIGHT BRIGADE Gotta Place in my Heart b/w Make Believe

Thanks to Collin for this review!

Honey Records, 1981

GOTTA PLACE IN MY HEART

MAKE BELIEVE

Brooklyn indie-rock, 1981; probably the last time such a term did not inspire waves of instant revulsion or conjure fields of endless reverb, hype and jean shorts. This was the Night Brigade’s lone single and features two fine, moody pop-guitar ruminations on unattainable connection and/or unreciprocated affection as well as other obvious stock subjects. A year later, hardcore would take over and run guys like this out of town on a Doc Marten boot-tip, right into the undulating arms of R.E.M. Reminds this writer of the Go, two years on and majoring in library science. The record label features a crude drawing of a bear enjoying a taste of honey.

‘Talk about…unity!
Talk about…conformity!
You don't wanna support the scene!
Why don't you get the fuck away from me!’

RORY MOON AND THE SILVER STARS Little wondering why b/w see her now

EMI 1c 006-25 786

1977

LITTLE WONDERING WHY

SEE HER NOW

I believe this is the only single by this Dutch Band.Both sides are well written Beatles influenced powerpop, with the A side being the standout track. There are two Dutch pressings of this record, the second one was released in 1981 and features a completely different mix and sleeve. The graphic sleeve pictured above is from the German pressing. I haven't been able to dig up much information on this group but the record can generally be found for pretty cheap and is definitely worth picking up!

BLOODSUCKER Jouie! b/w Martyrs

Phillips 6010-476 1982

Teen French group that I know next to nothing about except that they were from Alsace and wore velcro shoes. The A side has it's moments but the flip Martyrs is the standout track. I know some Frenchman out there is reading this and has the goods on this band.. did they release anything else??

JOUE!

MARTYRS

The LOCALS/PUBLIC PROBLEMS (interview and unreleased tracks)

A few weeks ago we were contacted by members of the NYC powerpop band the Locals. Their one and only 45 from 1980 on Griffy Records has been an absolute favorite of mine ever since I first heard it a few years ago. We had actually tried unsuccessfully a year or so ago to find members of the band who would be interested in doing a re-issue. Anyways,The guys had seen the blog post I did on the 45 last year and Trey and I ended up meeting at a bar in the East Village with Bill Rohlfing, Lou Selmi, Mike Swanson and the bands good friend and founder of Griffy records Steve Sanford to talk about the bands history. The guys also brought tons of great pictures and flyers some of which I've posted below..

Bill, before we get into the Locals... I know you were in a band called Public Problems from 1976 to 78, can you give us the history of that group??

Bill:I met them through a village voice ad. I auditioned for Fred, Chris and Brad [who was the original drummer] .The guys didn't have a name at the time. I think Fred came up with it. or maybe Chris said the Problems and Fred said Public Problems. we were always arguing about whether or not it was PUBLIC PROBLEM or PROBLEMS.

Can you tell me a little about The guys in the band? I know you mentioned

Mark Bell's (Ramones) twin brother was in the group..

Bill:Yeah, Freds twin brother is Marc Bell - from Dust, Richard Hell and the Voidoids and then the Ramones. we got into a lot of clubs for free because everyone thought Fred was Marc.

You guys had a few drummers right??

Bill:Yeah, Brad was our first drummer... one night i remember that Brad wanted Fred and I to start a ruckus down one end of the bar so that he could get into the cash register down at the other end. Somehow or other that didn't happen, but... maybe it was the same night... we all ended up at the Police Station because Brad was having fun sticking tires on our walk down to CB's. He was a total dick and ready to get into any trouble he could. He decided that he was going to the west coast to become a Hells Angel. So we were out a drummer and did auditions and got Tommy.

Tommy was a professional musician, he use to tour with the Supremes, and i think he toured

with the Guess Who as well. He was great, steady,showed up on time, played the gig, hung out and split... he overdosed the night we were supposed to open Maxs for Chris Spedding. Our singer Chris just came to the sound check and said that Tommy's wife had called and he died in the bathroom of their apt.The Max's live recording is the last gig we did with Tommy before he died.

Anyway - Brad hears there is an opening in the band, he had become a Hells Angel and was moving back to the East coast to re group. As you can imagine I wasn't too happy to hear this. He picked up some hitchhikers coming back to NYC and apparently tried to rob them. They killed him and threw him in the woods somewhere in the Midwest...

So - next drummer - Richie Delecki - some little hyper kid that had the day job of a butcher working with his dad out of Greenpoint. he did fine but i don't think he ever really grooved with the band. he plays on the WPIR tapes.

then we had good old Jerry Hicks. During the auditions for Jerry I think we had a two second discussion on the fact that he was black, heavy, short and could not see [coke bottle glasses].. He stood out with us everywhere we went and that was just fine. He still plays and last i heard lives in the house for the blind on 23rd street. He played with the band until the end - but we have no recordings of him.

Were you guys friends with any of the early bands in the scene?

Bill:We hung with alot of bands and musicians in the scene at the time, Walter Lurie, Johnny Thunders, Ivan Julian , the Ramones. Fred and Chris grew up in Brooklyn - so it felt like they were already connected - there was a contingency of musicians at this time from Brooklyn in the NYC scene. Also, our manager at the time was Tommy Dean - his father owned Max's - that helped. we used to drive in Chris's van from one club to the another hitting all the clubs - Thurs, Fri, Sat - any night after practise. we would chip in on a big bottle of 151 rum and Coke and invite our friends out to the van to party, we would park right in front of the clubs - everyone always knew there was a party in the van - maybe it was the smoke billowing out whenever someone opened the door??? We met Lester Bangs that way. He came up with us once in a while to do Jumping Jack Flash at the end of our sets.

RAD! OK... so moving on to the Locals.. First off, how did you guys all meet?

Bill: well - i was going out with a girl who had a room mate that was dating Mike. Lou called for a drummer ad that we placed.. he knew Mike from the Cherry Hill music scene and had met me before the phone call

Mike: We actually had a drummer before Lou whose name Peter. we played our first CBGB gig we him. i think playing live freaked him out so he quit the band.

Bill:from the Yellowjackets? I remember that too but I forgot he played a gig at all!

Lou: I answered an ad in the Village Voice that turned out to be Mike who I'd been playing with for years and Bill.They were auditioning drummers,I tried out and they called me back for a second audition and I got the gig. i remember that drummer you had before me he used only a snare and bass and a cymbal! i think i saw you guys at Kenny's castaways, I don't think you guys played at CBGB...

You mentioned to me that you were going to Pratt at the time..what was the scene like at the school then?

Bill: Everybody seemed to be doing something creative, it was just a looser time....social interaction was looser - you have to remember this is pre aids - pre herpes - post civil rights and just a little after the Vietnam war ended.

On my first day at Pratt, a neighbor noticed my roommate and i were on the balcony without t-shirts on and he invited us over for drinks sometime - he was dressed up as Doris Day... he always was dressed as Doris Day! I remember guys walking through the cafeteria in makeup and with bras on the outside of their clothing, and Nick Zedd was walking Donna Death around in a bondage harness. Elliot Javits had lime green hair, drug life seemed more accessible - pot and acid was sold openly in Washington Square, but you could get better stuff anywhere else. the city seemed more fringe - because it was an empty industrial city.

So,When you first started playing were you writing your own songs?

Bill:Mike came to the party with a few he had written -he was doing solo shows i think but doing his own stuff before we formed - "Tonight", "Take Her Tonight", were the earlier ones. I came in with "Symptoms of a Married Man" and maybe one other. we wrote "You Never Have Fun" together and then most of the other stuff like "Alibi Club". Mike wrote "Don't Look Back" and brought it in - i wrote "First Impressions" and brought it in. it always seemed like a collaborative effort of the band but Mike and I did most of the writing together or separately.

Lou: Mike and Bill did most of the writing. I helped write you never have fun.

Who were you listening to at the time?

Bill:We had ALOT of influences,the Rascals the Kinks and Donovan.. BEATLES of course. Emitt Rhodes, Lennon and the solo Mccartney stuff. the BYRDS [Mike loved the 12 string] , the Who, Creedence and lots of other smaller pop bands - Zombies, Paul Revere , T-Rex, Bowie, Monkees, etc.

Lou:I really liked XTC at the time.My influences drummer wise were mostly jazz drummers.

Did you guys play out alot?

Bill: We played once or twice a month when we got goin' after the record.

What were your favorite venues to play?

Bill: CB's was always fun, the Ritz was great [Webster Hall], Max's, Trax and even Kennys castaways was fun - the ukranian place - what was that called - oh Irving Plaza!.. there were a ton of smaller clubs, like Copperfields, Bottoms, - they were our filler between the bigger gigs that seemed to happen monthly and fortunately got more regular as we got more "popular"

Mike: my favorite place was Trudy Hellers, she treated us with respect and Trax, they had the best sound system.

Lou: I think my favorite places to play were The Ritz,CBGB and Trax.I remember at Trax we finished or set and we were siting in the dressing room and in walked band members from Bachman Turner Overdive,they came back to say they loved the set!

Were there any other bands on the scene at the time that you felt a special camaraderie with? I know you were saying that the Speedies were more like your competition than your buddies.. was that the case with alot of the pop bands in NYC at the time?

Bill:we liked a band in NJ that was getting signed named Quincy,opened for them a few times as well ... they were good eggs and mike and Lou knew them from the Jersey scene...I really don't think most musicians in the city mingled - we could always go see shows for free to hear everybody else but we didn't talk much. I sang back up for the Romilars. after the Locals broke up Lou and I played with the Moberlys so i guess we got to know some of the musicians, but probably only the ones that we liked.

The whole No Wave thing was going pretty strong here in the early 1980's, Were you guys into that to that sort of stuff ??

Bill:we were a band that was not cool enough to be arty or part of the no wave thing that was happening [Lounge Lizards, James Chance, Teenage Jesus, etc] - we went to see everybody but we thought it was wierd. we were one for all about pop and what we were doing - no time to really think about the other stuff.

Mike: I felt that we were ignored by other bands but like Bill said we ignored them as well..

Lou: I think we were very different from what was going on back then. I don't think we really tried to be part of that mix...

SO.. Do you guys want to talk about Steve Sanford and his role in the band?

Bill: Steve was my best friend from pratt and he was also a steady roadie and poster hanger. i got him a job at the door store and they realized he was super talented artist so one year i guess he made enough money and asked me if he could pay for the record - he thought the band was great and going places. he also did the artwork for the cover and our pop image was reinforced by that whole pennant thing that he had included as part of the record cover printing. we would glue stick those things all over!!

Mike: without Steve this record would never have come to fruition. this man was a saint to us! At times i felt he believed in us more than we did in ourselves.

Lou: Steve helped us realize the dream of releasing a record. He was a true friend and believer in the Locals.I thank Steve for that!I remember we went to a college radio station in Philly where we got some airplay and we did Take Me To The Freezer in studio and I did my drum part vocally anybody remember that??

How it was distributed and did it get any airplay?

Bill: All the bars we frequented had juke boxes - and we frequented A LOT OF BARS!! we got our record out there that way - had it on the wall at Bleeker Bobs. i had a few good friends from school who helped me get evrything done or were there to roadie - like Ed Smith and those two other guys doug and cliff.

Mike: those days there was a consortium of college radio stations, WFUV, and The NYU station.. we were played on those.

what was the session like?

Mike: we were nervous as hell this was our first trip to a recording studio. the man behind the controls did the first Ramones demos so obviously we were intimidated.

how long did it take?

Bill:I forget how long... - a couple of takes for each?? we were well heeled.

On the back of the record sleeve there's a phone number to the Locals fan club. What would happen when people would call the number?

Bill:if you called the number you would have gotten me or Lou.... it was previously the number for a Spanish abortion clinic down there, so we would get many calls from Spanish women that didn't speak English. it got to a point where i had to learn the Spanish and recorded a response on my answering machine.

Was there any major ( or indie) label interest in the Locals after the record came out?

Bill: We were always trying to get record companies to look at us. i remember Micheal Rosenblatt coming down from WB [he signed Madonna] and he liked the band but didn't think anyone needed another Beatles.

Mike: Elizibeth Small (Billy Joel's first wife) was very interested in us as was Don Kirshner. i think as Bill said earlier that nobody wanted another Beatles band rings true. although the music industry enjoyed our music they couldn't find a pigion hole to put us in that they felt could make them money.

What was the last year or so of the band like? I know you ( Bill ) said that your sound started to change a little, was everyone in the band wanting to take different directions musically?

Bill: not really, our styles were growing, Lou was coming to the table with his own funkier stuff, i was getting into the casio stick sound - repetative tech pop sound - and we always had our ears out for any newer styles or sounds we liked - like the song "First Impressions" was a stab at the Socca / Ska thing - like Madness and the Specials.

It's pretty obvious that you were great friends at the time and are still good friends to this day, how do you guys feel about playing again?

Bill: We did do a rehersal last spring and dusted off the cobwebs. we're looking forward to getting the Locals together again and are happy you've shown the interest to re release the 45.

thanks!

Public Problems were:

Fred Bell - Guitar

Chris Acosta - Vocals

Bill Rohlfing - Bass

Tommy Longbody - Drums

STEAL THE SHOW

HIT BY A CHICK

NEW YORK NIGHTS

CITY LOVE

POOR BOY

PARTY MESSAGE

Hit By A Chick,Steal the Show and New York Nights recorded in 1977 on WPIR, Pratts radio station

City Love, Poor Boy and Party Message recorded in the summer of 1977 at Max's Kansas City

Tommy Longbody plays drums on the Max's recordings, Richie Delecki plays drums on the WPRI recordings.

The Locals were:

Mike Swanson - guitar/ vocals

Bill Rohlfing - bass/vocals

Bob Jay - Guitar

Lou Selmi - Drums

"Happy" Dave Hoatson replaced Bob Jay after the release of the 45 - Guitar

IT'S YOU

SINCERELY YOURS GOODBYE

STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW

SHE'S A LIAR

NOBODY LOVES YOU ANYMORE

DON'T LOOK BACK

WILDWOOD BEACH

It's You, Sincerely Yours Goodbye, Stop in the Name of the Law recorded 1980 an Max's Kansas City

She's a Liar, Nobody Loves You Anymore, Don't Look Back and Wildwood beach recorded 1982 at Backstreet Studios in the Bronx

Bob Jay plays guitar on the live at Max's recordings and on the Griffy 45, "Happy" Dave Hoatson plays guitar on all other recordings.

...Look out for an official re-issue of their INCREDIBLE single from 1980 You never have fun b/w Yes Or No on Sing Sing records later this year!