THE KATS Writing in the Herald Examiner, Ken Tucker summed up what the Kats are all about when he said, "The Kats are the rock and roll equivalent of a prime Loony Tunes cartoon, one of those trash delights in which a character is flattened by an anvil one second but immediately revives to make mischief... The cartoon star is lead singer-songwriter Freddy Moore, a runty fireball who looks like Frank Gorshin after being hit on the head - by an anvil, undoubtedly." Link to the official Kats / Freddy Moore website.
OINGO BOINGO "Light years ahead of narrowly focused groups... could be a groundbreaking force for rock in the 1980's." So wrote the L.A. Times' Terry Atkinson about high energy rockers Oingo Boingo. With their novel use of theatrics and knack for inventing bizarre instruments, they have developed a large, fanatic following on the West Coast, where they continually play to packed houses at the likes of the Boardinghouse, Whisky, and Roxy. Says spokesman Dan Elfman: "There's one thing that we all share, we're all mutants, but we just don't care."
CHARM SCHOOL Hollywood's foremost power poppers, Charm School is based around songwriters Graham Daddy and Louie Maxfield. Among many other credits, guitarist Maxfield recently joined Joan Jett in the recording of the soundtrack for The Runaways movie.
RUBBER CITY REBELS Writing in the L.A. Weekly, Nina Fiore summed up the Rubber City Rebels when she said, "...the Rubber City Rebels are sneering, arrogant, and slightly stupid -- and the funniest act I've seen for quite a while." Transplants from where else but Akron, Ohio, they have been galvanizing the L.A. scene for the last eighteen months. Among other projects, the quartet will soon be recording a song written for them by the Knack's Doug Fieger. Produced by Jack Lee.
LOW NUMBERS Rory Metcalf, writing in Ohio's Daily Guardian, compared the raw quality of Twist Again with Low Numbers (Rhino RNLP004) with the Who's My Generation. The selection from the LP heard here is from their UA demos, and is heavily influenced by the Kinks and Elvis Costello. Produced by Harold Bronson.
DENNY WARD After seeing Needles and Pins, ex-Quick (now Falcons) Steve Hufstetler suggested recording a solo single with Denny Ward (and Page Porrazzo, whose Vox organ sound he also liked). Members of the Quick, Dickies, and the Pop pitched in to create this modern-day Spector-influenced sound. Produced by Hufstetler and Allan Rinde; and leased from Company Records.
THE TWISTERS The Twisters are perhaps the first American Mod band of 1979. With a fanatic following in the South Bay area where their regular stints at the Sweetwater have been compared to the Beatles at the Cavern - The Twisters sprinkle their sets of originals with enthusiastic versions of 1960's hits. Engineered by Phil Brown. Produced by Harold Bronson and Paul Wexler.
SURF PUNKS Combining the punk stance with surf music, the Surf Punks are the first known surfing band that actually surfs. Living their entire lives by the ocean, the Surf Punks music protests the ruining of their once natural paradise by greedy, polluting city dwellers whose only interest in the beach is for their own economic gain. "My Wave" was produced by band member Dennis Dragon and is from their album Surf Punks on Day-Glo Records.
THE RAVERS "Have I the Right" is the Ravers follow up to their underground classic "Punk Rock Christmas," and is among one of four cuts from their Rhino Records 12" EP (Rhino RNEP 504). Originally conceived as a California version of the Move, after a long reassessment of the music industry, they are readying plans to make their reappearance. This cut features the debut of Lee Jackson's "bubble guitar," and was produced by Harold Bronson.
THE DROOGS "Ahead of My Time" was the third Droogs single, released in 1974, and if ever a band were ahead of its time, this was the one. Pre-dating the current movement by five years in spirit, attitude, and ideas, Rich Albin and Roger Clay epitomized the late 70's American New Wave Band.
SPOCK Three years after her introduction to the L.A. on stage scene as the original bass player of the all-girl band, Backstage Pass, Spock is striking out on her own. Backed by Muertobeat, "On My Radio" is her second self-penned Rhino release; being a follow up to "Legend" from Saturday Night Pogo.
THE FURYS The late-1976 punk boom spearheaded by the Sex Pistols was the catalyst that incited the formation of the Furys, Orange County's most beloved New Wave-rock band. Flaunting influences along the lines of Dylan, Springsteen and the mid-period Who, The Furys are one of the favorites currently playing the L.A. club circuit.