Typical Girls: Women in Punk/Post-Punk/Underground Music (Circa 1975-1980s)

["Sara Sherr" <sarasherr AT gmail.com>]

SAT 11/17
9PM $10
Tritone
1508 South Street, Philadelphia
http://www.tritonebar.com

Post-punk Reunion Show!

CERTAIN GENERAL
http://g150.home.mindspring.com/cg/
The group, who have been called 'the missing link between Television
and Sonic Youth' while attracting comparisons with the Doors, Velvet
Underground and Birthday Party, were formed in the East Village in
1979 by singer-guitarist Parker DuLany and guitarist Phil Gammage.
Their brand of ravishing psychedelic mayhem stoked a large following
at clubs of the day like CBGBs, Hurrah, Peppermint Lounge, the Mudd
and the legendary Danceteria, where they were almost house band. CG
also supported visiting groups like R.E.M., New Order and The Cure.

Albums appeared on several labels, including some in France where they
became popular after touring Europe in the mid-80s. But bad luck,
tragedy and wrong career moves dogged their promising career into
near-obscurity before they reformed temporarily in 2003 precipitating
a new phase of activity which included a track on the second volume of
Soul Jazz's New York Noise series.

Their 2-CD retrospective, "Invisible New York" (released on Easy
Action in Sept) features over 40 tracks charting the group's career
from their earliest 1981 demos and 82's Holiday Of Love EP, through
album tracks including live and alternative versions plus live
material from the original lineup when it reunited in 2003 to play a
gig at NY's Public Theatre. There's also some toxic collaborations
with David Lynch chanteuse Julee Cruise, including a defiant post-9/11
version of 'New York New York' with Patti Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye.


BUSH TETRAS (NYC)
http://www.myspace.com/bushtetras
New York's Bush Tetras had a no wave link, via guitarist Pat Place's
association with James Chance, but the band's sound was neither
frantic nor disjointed enough to be properly categorized with those
bands. They played scrappy post-punk, with fellow Americans Pylon and
Konk and Brits Delta 5 and Au Pairs as close contemporaries. If
there's any one song the Bush Tetras are known for, it's 1980's "Too
Many Creeps" -- the band's most representative song and also the
catchiest, made by the kind of jagged rhythms, slicing guitars, and
sniping vocals that were used throughout their short lifespan. Perhaps
the song wasn't quite insistent or hypnotic enough to become a smash
single of the new wave era (released on the small 99 label, its reach
was limited), but it could be argued that Romeo Void wouldn't have
become popular without knowing about it. That band's "Never Say
Never," a genius single in its own right, seemed to take a couple cues
from the Bush Tetras; during a 2003 episode of VH1's Bands Reunited
series, Romeo Void guitarist Peter Woods matter-of-factly confessed to
being inspired by the sound of Place's guitar.

After Place, bassist Laura Kennedy, drummer Dee Pop, and singer
Cynthia Sley made their debut with an EP centered around "Too Many
Creeps," signed with the U.K.'s Stiff label, and recorded another EP,
Rituals, produced by the Clash's Topper Headon. The live cassette Wild
Things, which included a cover of John Lennon's "Cold Turkey," was
released by ROIR in 1983. By this stage, the Bush Tetras -- along with
Konk, fellow New Yorkers Talking Heads, and Manchester's A Certain
Ratio -- went outside the realm of Western music for inspiration.
 African and Caribbean influences played a significant role in their
sound. This same year involved the exits of Kennedy and Pop and an
eventual split.

Post-breakup, most of the members went on to short-lived groups. Pop,
his Tom Verlaine/John Cale-associate wife Deerfrance, and former
8-Eyed Spy member Michael Paumgardhen formed Floor Kiss; Sley and
ex-Voidoid Ivan Julian had the Lovelies; Place helped out spoken word
artist Maggie Estep. A while after these less significant projects
dissolved, ROIR compiled all of the Bush Tetras' studio recordings and
threw in some demos for Better Late Than Never. ROIR being ROIR, it
too was a cassette-only release.

The original lineup got back together in 1995. Boom in the Night,
another retrospective on the by-then-evolved ROIR, functioned as a CD
version of Better Late Than Never, with all but one track from the
earlier release included. It came out just before 1996's Beauty Lies,
an album of new material that came and went without much notice. It
had the bad fortune of predating the rocketing interest in post-punk
that took hold during the early 2000s. (Andy Kellman, All Music Guide)

Beginning in 2005, they again began performing in New York City and
(in the summer of 2006) in Europe. "Very Very Happy," out now on Roir,
is their first release in a decade: http://www.roir-usa.com

BUNNYDRUMS
http://www.myspace.com/bunnydrums2
Chances are bands you (and I) love like LCD Soundsystem, Electric Six,
Arcade Fire, The Bravery, The Killers and Interpol, have never
listened to Bunnydrums, but for all I know they may have.

The Bunnydrums began as a collaboration between three members of the
Boneheads and one member of the Autistics, both part of Philadelphia's
punk rock scene in the late 1970s. They began on January 20th, 1980
one day after my 22nd birthday. Over the next seven years the Drums
explored many different phases of music resulting in their own unique
sound. And from 1980 until 1984 when they stopped performing regularly
I saw the band many times. I may only have seen locals Schoolly D, The
Ben Vaughn Combo and Executive Slacks the same amount. During the 80's
the Drums took punk, new wave, and psychedelic rock to a new level.
Their sound was fresh and highly unique and in the context of any of
the current 80's revivalists, Bunnydrums still sound ahead of many of
them.

The band recently reissued PKD/Simulacra, a package of their first
album, and a long out of print best of. (Some Velvet Blog)

The HURRAH DJ's
http://www.myspace.com/dancedancedestruction