Fred Cole

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Fred Cole is the singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the band Dead Moon.

In 1964, Fred began his recording career in Las Vegas with his band, The Lords, releasing a single called "Ain't Got No Self-Respect." His next single, from 1965, was a promo-only called "Poverty Shack" b/w "Rover," with a band named Deep Soul Cole.

In 1966 his band The Weeds gained notice in garage rock circles, and their only single, "It's Your Time" b/w "Little Girl," has become a collectors' favorite. It is a snarling, raw example of '60s punk, and the a-side appeared on one of the Nuggets anthologies. The band was promised an opening slot on a Yardbirds bill at the Fillmore in San Francisco, but on their arrival found that the venue hadn't heard of them. Angry at management and fearing the military draft, the band decided to head up to Canada, but ran out of gas in Portland, Oregon. There, they started playing at a club called the Folk Singer, where Toody Conner worked. Fred and Toody soon fell in love and were married in 1967, though The Weeds' manager insisted they keep the marriage secret.

Another manager would force The Weeds to change their name to The Lollipop Shoppe to fit the current bubblegum trend, although their 1968 LP on UNI Records (a now-defunct subsidiary of MCA), titled Just Colour, is more a mix of garage rock and the psychedelia of bands such as Love. The album and its single "You Must Be a Witch" didn't chart, but remain underground favorites. The band also released another single, "Someone I Knew" b/w "Through My Window," played many shows in San Francisco with stars such as Janis Joplin and The Doors, and had two tracks on the soundtrack LP to the film Angels from Hell.

The Lollipop Shoppe broke up in 1969, but reappeared as The Weeds with another single in 1971. Frustrated with the music business and still of draft age, Fred moved to the Yukon with Toody and their children and homesteaded for a year. Upon their return, Fred tried unsuccessfully to secure another record deal in Los Angeles. He settled in Portland and opened a musical equipment store called Captain Whizeagle's. Taking his musical career into his own hands, he formed the hard rock band Zipper and released an LP in 1975 on his and Toody's label, Whizeagle.

Fred's next band, King Bee, saw him playing guitar for the first time in addition to singing. A last-minute invitation to open for The Ramones introduced them to the punk sounds of the time. They released the "Hot Pistol" single on Whizeagle in 1978, but soon broke up. In an attempt to find a stable lineup, Fred taught Toody to play bass and they formed The Rats. Their self-titled debut was released in 1980 on Whizeagle. Intermittent Signals followed in 1981, and 1983 saw the release of the third LP, In a Desperate Red. After losing three drummers, and tired of the macho direction the punk scene had taken, Fred disbanded The Rats and began an old-time country band called Western Front. They only released two singles, "Orygun" b/w "Clementine" and "Stampede" b/w "Looking Back At Me" in 1985, but they created a tremendous live presence and got a lot of local punkers interested in country-rock and rockabilly.

Toody, who had occasionally performed with Western Front and recorded a single with them, rejoined Fred for another country-influenced project, The Range Rats, in 1986. Drummer Andrew Loomis auditioned for this band, but it didn't work out, so Fred and Toody carried on with a drum machine. In 1987, while returning from Reno (their favorite vacation spot), Fred and Toody decided they wanted to play rock 'n' roll again. They called Andrew Loomis, who fit right in this time, and Dead Moon was born.

Dead Moon are perhaps the most successful blend of dark '60s garage with brooding, noisy punk rock. Their early records, In the Graveyard, Unknown Passage, and Defiance, appeared on the band's own Tombstone Records, named for the music store Fred and Toody operated in Clackamas, Oregon. Fred mastered these records on a mono lathe from the 1950s that had been used for The Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie." These releases helped them gain cult followings around the United States and in Europe, especially in Germany, home of their European record label Music Maniac.

Dead Moon are still at it, and they tour frequently. Fred and Toody now own the Tombstone General Store in Clackamas, and are building a shopping center nearby. They regularly release records, their latest being Dead Ahead. In 2004 U.S. documentary filmmaking couple (Jason Summers and Kate Fix) produced Unknown Passage: The Dead Moon Story which played at independent theaters throughout the United States, New Zealand, and the Melbourne International Film Fest, and the DVD might be available with the Dead Moon box set due on Sub Pop Records in 2006.