Old D.C. Bands !!!

Does anybody have fond memories of D.C. bands from the late seventies, early eighties such as Razz, The Slikee Boys, Minor Threat, The Urban Verbs, Bad Brains, Tex Rubinowitz and the Bad Boys, Johnny Bombay and the Reactions, Martha Hull solo, Nightman, the late Danny Gatton, Billy Hancock and Evan Johns and the H-Bombs? There are many others not mentioned. Do any of you people who were living in D.C. in that time period have favorites? It seemed to be a great scene in clubs like The Psychedelli, The Bayou, D.C. Space and the old 9:30 Club, among others. Unfortunately, none of those bands became popular. Most of the old clubs are gone, except for the 9:30 Club, which moved further up town. Back in those days, there were a few records released on small independent labels, for the most part, and a couple of bands who got major label deals who never caught fire nationally. It's weird because those bands were each unique in pleasantly original ways and seemed to belong in the punk era; however, none of the bands I cite could really be thought of as punk except the Bad Brains and Minor Threat. There was also Fugazi later on. It's too bad that particular era in D.C. is not even seen as a blip in the history of Rock N' Roll. Garage bands with one local single in the mid-sixties seem like major bands such as Led Zeppelin compared to the D.C. scene.



Post Edited (08-15-04 03:48)

DANCE OF DAYS

Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital

By Mark Andersen and Mark Jenkins

Soft Skull Press: 421 pp, $20.00


(that scene--captured nicely in dischord's box set--was so much healthier and rockin' vs LA's; man, it is alwys underrrated.

i am not recommending the above book--i simply know it exists)

Thanks for the info. I'll get a copy of the book.

"Dance of Days" is a cool book. You'll definitely dig it.

I also really like Cynthia Connolly's "Banned in D.C.," which is a great collection of photographs capturing that scene. Worth checking out.



Post Edited (08-16-04 15:20)

Know nothing about rockabilly here in DC, but since I moved back a few months ago (I was here 1997-99) I've been wondering what became of some of the bands I used to see here: Lava (DC), Clare Quilty, a lot of the Velvet Lounge bands, etc.

here's an interesting catalog of d.c. bands, though i don't know if it helps to answer your questions:
[www.30underdc.com]

Were The Alternatives from D.C.? My band opened for them in Boise Idaho in about '88. They were a wild improvish instrumental combo, just a great band. I never did hear much about them after that.

The Alter-natives were from Richmond VA. They made a couple of records (one of which "Buzz" made it to CD on SST).

Here is what one of them is doing semi-recently at least:

[www.leftoffthedial.com]

I still like the insect surfers. They played Melburned Florida a thousand times on twenty five cent beer nights for fifteen years. A legendary band from D.C.

I remember The Insect Surfers. I haven't heard anything about them in many years.

they are in l.a.

You left out D.C.'s own Black Market Baby!! The drunkest, rowdiest bunch of redneck punks this side of the Mason-Dixon line...Good music..Bad attitudes!! They are listed in the "Dance of days" and "Banned in DC" books.
Their shows were always a great time..

old DC bands never die. trouble funk, Novoselic, Fugazi, and John fahey. Pass the potbrownies please.

good topic... I saw the Slickee Boys when visiting DC in early '82 and they put on a good show.

being a punk/hardcore guy, I obviously loved the old Dischord bands, especially Scream, Void, the Faith and, of course, Minor Threat. Got into Black Market Baby a little later and they were completely underrated... "Downard Christain Soldiers" is a classic song... never got to see them live but I was lucky enough to see Minor Threat three times...

and, of course, the Bad Brains were incredible... too bad their beliefs are so sketchy, in particular about gay people...

yeah, Fugazi even. I like power pop so...Tommy Keene too.

Eggs? One of those guys is from my area in Massachusetts... Rob.. he played drums in Said and Done, a hardcore band for whom I released a 7" around 1991..

getting back to the Bad Brains, they were from DC... the first time I saw them was in Boston in the spring of '82. They were very late... showed up at 1:30 to play a club that had to close at 2. But I'm glad I stuck around. They came in, set up... no sound check, just plugged in and played 15-20 minutes... all hardcore... one of the greatest sets I've ever seen to this day. The place fucking EXPLODED!!!!

Weren't the Brains a Baltimore conglom? They are a candidate for worst show I ever saw. Back about '89, I think H.R. had been MIA for several years before that. Doors open 4 hours after the showtime on the tix. They set up, blow off soundcheck and play without the mics plugged in for 25 minutes then leave. Two guitars were heard playing the same three notes during the set - though not at the same time. They played in the dark - couldn't get the lights to work, so they turned on the house lights. They walk off, a riot erupts. Bloody, shirt torn, lesbian pulls a knife on me. Got home, threw away their LPs.

wow! A real riot GRRLS nite out. About two years ago my wife and i were in a local dive (nothing but the best for Kathleen) having a beer, minding our own. Nature called kathleen away and then outta nowhere comes this porkwad of girl up to my table and sez "this is me and girlfriends table", "oh yeah?" sez I then shhplock! A right cross to the puss, calls me a faggot and walks off. Now, its well known thoughout the S Fla boxing community that I cut easy, so Kathleen comes back and said "what happened!" Honesty being the key to a sucessful marriage...I told her the truth... i ran into the door in the john. Happy Valentines Day everyone!

They were alot like the Spin Doctors but much better - exactly like my toilet waste. Versus, on the other hand (though they are an NYC outfit they will be reuniting in DC) I have considered flying back to DC for. One of my 3 all-time favorite live bands and the only band to give me an out-of-body experience (and yes I saw the G. Dead). '82 would have been the year to see the Brains, for sure. When they still had working mikes and attention spans. And kudos to all at Teenbeat and Dischord etc. It has always been a challenge to keep a scene going there.

OK, not so old and not so punk, but if you are in the area, be sure to catch some of the icons of the D.C. area's early-90's indie-rock golden age next week at Teenbeat Records' 20th Anniversary shows at the Black Cat. Unrest and Eggs headline on the 24th (both bands reuniting for this concert), and Tuscadero & Versus topping the bill on the 25th.

Also, informed sources tell me Eggs will be doing a show somewhere in Brooklyn, NY next Wednesday as well... I'd drive up there myself to see them if I weren't slavin' for the man...

Details can be found at Teenbeatrecords.com.



Post Edited (02-14-05 17:35)

A little off topic but my friends and I used to see a neo-hippie jam band called New Potato Caboose at the Bayou all the time in '88-'89. I loved them, they were alot like the Spin Doctors but much better.

They were a big deal in DC and the Mid-Atlantic for awhile and made one record for Rykodisc then faded away. They were just a few years ahead of their time, they would have fit in nicely with early / mid '90's jam bad fad.

since link wray died, i was thinking about the rockabilly scene in d.c., primarily switch blade.

Just a heads up, Guy Picciotto of Fugazi and Jem Cohen will be giving an introduction to a screening of Instrument at the Paris Theater in NYC on Thursday, September 5. It's located right next to the Plaza Hotel, right off of Fifth Avenue...as Cohen said when thanking the programmer, "we're rarely associated with Fifth Avenue." FYI, it's an extended intro that starts at 10:15 p.m. so with the two-hour running time, it will go well past midnight, maybe close to 1 a.m.

I saw tonight's (Sunday) screening which was sold out, albeit with a handful of seats that remained unoccupied, and it was pretty great, especially since I never got a chance to see Fugazi. Made me regret that fact even more! I was very fortunate to have spoken with Ian MacKaye in 2007 when I was just a student, and without being the least bit unkind, he made it clear he's not inclined to revisit past glories, so I don't get my hopes up that they'll someday reunite. (Wonderful human being, I'm still surprised Ian talked to me and only me for 20 minutes when he really didn't have to.)

At the end, a whole lot of people immediately lined up to talk to Guy even though this wasn't a meet and greet, and almost every one of them looked like a college student, which means they discovered this band when they were no longer an active unit. Pretty awesome.

[www.paristheaternyc.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2024 08:19PM by belfast.

Wow! Reading this thread brought back a lot of memories. Growing up in northern Virginia, I just missed the so-called golden age (80-84) but I managed to catch some of the bands listed in the late `80s and `90s. The curse of the DC area was that if one wanted to make it, one had to move somewhere else and lot of people didn't want to do that so really good artists just never got noticed. On the plus side, they keep performing (most of the times in different bands) so the option to see them is still available. I think the local scene is still vibrant but I'm way out of it now so I only catch the new ones if they open up for someone.

Regarding Ian Mackaye, he's out and about and it's not uncommon to see him at various shows (especially ones that have his brother or sister's bands on the bill). Like Belfast, I never saw Fugazi and I had plenty of opportunities. One of my big regrets, show-going.