Formed by former EMG guitarist Rick Carney and Pocket FishRmen bassist Ron Williams in 1991, Jesus Christ Superfly has never wavered from pile-driving punk rock with no hint of pretense in their 16-year existence. Guitarist Brian McGoo and drummer Russ Curry fleshed out the band’s initial lineup. Their 1992 debut 7-inch, Big Shit, was the inaugural release for Rise Records, an Austin-based label founded by poster artist Frank Kozik and Sound Exchange manager Craig Koon. The band’s self-titled 1993 LP boasted a winning rendition of the Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer” sung by Williams. When McGoo and Curry left before the subsequent tour, JCSF added drummer Cade Callahan and decided to continue as a trio. Steve Sanden had replaced Callahan by the time the band released Texas Toast in 1996. The 14-song album featured the ultra-derisive “Sob Story” along with a cover of the Angry Samoans’ “Lights Out.” Eight years passed before Superfly released its third album, I Don’t Wanna Be Crazy. With Paul Soliz at the drum stool, the band assumed a more garage-rock-oriented tone on Carney’s “Action Girl” and choice covers like Roy Head’s “Treat Her Right” and the Ramones’ “She’s the One.” By 2005, Carney was passing the punk torch forward to a new generation as manager of the Austin branch of the Paul Green School of Rock. – Greg Beets
Seems like just yesterday, JC Superfly held their very own 20th anniversary reunion gigs. Well actually it was back in July.
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Second of the night was the Chumps. The Chumps are best experienced first hand. That is all there is to it. The Austin Chronical describes them as such...
Emerging from the same cheap-beer-puddled nook of Austin's mid-Nineties underground rock scene that birthed the Motards, Reclusives, and the Cryin' Out Louds, the Chumps specialized in raging garage-punk anthems that celebrated the wanton flouting of convention and responsibility. Formed in 1995, the quartet's theme song, "I'm a Chump," brandished an aural middle finger in the faces of moms, dads, bosses, and deities with the memorable refrain, "I'm a fuckin' Chump!/I'm all fucked up!/I wanna be demoted!" Key to elevating such sentiments beyond garden-variety rebellion was vocalist Sean McGowan, whose contorted singing style bore resemblance to both David Johansen and Darby Crash. Bassist Frankie Nowhere played up the Dee Dee Ramone angle by occasionally chirping in on the choruses, while chainsaw guitarist Duane Holtz and surf-styled drummer Aaron Fox linked the band to rock's earliest contrarian energy. The Chumps' sole LP, 1999's R.I.P. Good Times (Mortville), pulled no punches with bile-stained missives like "Fuck You, I'm Rich" and "Punch Mama." The band dissolved just as the album was released. In 2006, Mortville/Super Secret issued a Chumps compilation featuring all of Good Times along with the band's early single releases featuring drummers Mike Legget (Cryin' Out Louds) and Sean Powell (Fuckemos). – Greg Beets
The Chumps are one of those bands who seem to have reunited quite often lately and they never disappoint.
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If you still don't have the desire to off yourself at this point and you have 30 minutes to waste, here is a low budget documentary on the mighty Chumps.
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Finally, the headliner hit the stage. My favorite local band of all time, the Dead End Cruisers. they seem to be on their 3rd or 4th reunion show as well, but live or on vinyl the Cruisers blow everyone else away in Austin. Plus if you need remodeling work done, the front man, Neil Curran does bad ass work and was featured on TLC a few years ago. Like I told my wife when he bid our house last year, how can you go wrong with an Enlgish punk rocker covered in tatoos who was on cable television on a Flip this House episode. Anyway the Austin Chronicle says this about the DEC...
Led by London expatriate and novelist Neil Curran on vocals and guitar, Dead End Cruisers reintroduced the sound of 1977 to the local punk scene. Rounded out by bassist Dave VonHoodlum, lead guitarist Graham Mills, and drummer Brent Schumacher, the quartet debuted in 1998 with Deep Six Holiday, 11 cuts of Clash-like punk highlighted by a visceral Demolition 23 cover. It was the first release for seminal Huntington Beach, Calif., label TKO Records, which has since released work from Austin groups like Lower Class Brats, Krum Bums, and Complete Control. The Patron Saints of Wheless Lane followed shortly after on Unity Squad. Living up to their name, Dead End Cruisers toured frequently until disbanding in 2003. The following year, Curran, Mills, and Schumacher formed the Score with Stretford’s Barry Anderson, favoring mod-era Who, an early influence on Dead End Cruisers. In 2006, TKO re-released Friday Nights, a long-out-of-print vinyl EP that featured a cover of “Can’t Explain.” That same year, Dead End Cruisers, like every seminal Austin punk band before them, reunited for a one-off performance at Emo’s in November. – Austin Powell
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And one more just because the Cruisers rule this shit hole town. Now and Forever.
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Maybe this is the last go round for all of us shitty music fans, but each time a reunion show hits, I will be there sucking Lone Star tallboys, hoping my black leather studded jack still fits.
