The Fleshtones
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| The Fleshtones | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Queens, New York |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Genres | Rock and Roll Garage rock |
| Members | Peter Zaremba Keith Streng Bill Milhizer Ken Fox |
The Fleshtones are a U.S. rock & roll band that blends Garage Rock and R&B. They are famous for their high-energy live shows and dedicated celebration of party music.
In May of 2006 they marked their 30th anniversary as the only band from the mid-70s New York City Punk/New Wave scene that hasn't had an inactive year.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Outsiders (1976-1979)
The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 by Keith Streng (b. 1955) and Jan-Marek Pakulski (b. 1956), Queens, New York roommates who discovered that a previous tenant had left behind some instruments in their basement. Streng, on guitar, and Pakulski, on bass, were soon joined by neighborhood friends Peter Zaremba (b. 1954) on harmonica, keyboards, and vocals, and Lenny Calderon (b. 1958) on drums. The Fleshtones quickly became famous locally for their basement dance parties fueled by Blue Whale cocktails.
The Fleshtones debuted at CBGB's on May 19, 1976, and began touring in earnest in the early-80s. Starting in 1978, the group was often joined on-stage and in the studio by sax and harmonica player Gordon Spaeth (1951-2005), who became an official band member in 1983.
In the late-70s The Fleshtones were derided by some fans and critics on the scene as a "twist band," and viewed as outsiders because of their then-unfashionable allegiance to the spirit of 50s and 60s rock & roll. (In a 1977 New York Rocker interview the Fleshtones give credit to the Mind Garage as an influence.) However, the band earned a large local following and played often in Manhattan at CBGB's and Max's Kansas City, gaining a reputation for their wildly-energetic live shows. Later they found a favorite venue at Club 57 on St. Mark's Place. The Fleshtones were the first band to be booked or to play at several famous venues, including Irving Plaza and Danceteria in Manhattan, Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the original 9:30 Club in Washington D.C..
The Fleshtones shared a rehearsal space with The Cramps on the Bowery in 1977. The following year, The Fleshtones signed with Marty Thau's Red Star Records (a roster that included Suicide and Real Kids, among others artists), recorded their first album, and with filmmaker/artist M. Henry Jones produced Soul City, an influential performance-animation video comprised of hand-painted cutouts. The Fleshtones' first single "American Beat" was released in 1979 (re-recorded in 1984 as part of the soundtrack of the Tom Hanks' movie Bachelor Party.)
The Fleshtones' Eastern Seaboard popularity jumped with a highly-publicized Battle of the Bands win at New York University in February of 1979. They subsequently played at the Marathon ‘80 New-No-Now Wave Rock Festival in Minneapolis, MN, in September of that same year.
[edit] The I.R.S. Years (1980-1985)
In 1980, with the Red Star Records album unreleased (later issued on cassette on ROIR, now available on CD and vinyl), The Fleshtones were snapped up by Miles Copeland at I.R.S. Records (R.E.M., The Go-Gos) where they would work with producers Richard Mazda and Richard Gottehrer. The band replaced Calderon with drummer Bill Milhizer (b. 1948), appeared in the British Punk/New Wave concert film Urgh! A Music War, and released its first EP Up-Front. Three discs on I.R.S. followed: Roman Gods (1982), Hexbreaker! (1983), and Speed Connection (1985). In 1982 they appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand TV show.
The band never became a commercial success: Roman Gods debuted at #174 on Billboard magazine’s album chart, the highest position that a Fleshtones album would attain.
From 1984 to 1987, Zaremba was the host of The Cutting Edge on MTV. The I.R.S. Records-produced show featured up and coming underground artists. The program was short-lived (airing in a late night time slot didn't help accumulate a wide audience) but the format later revived as 120 Minutes. Zaremba's MC talents surfaced again in the late-90s at New York City's "Cavestomp" Garage Rock festivals.
In the mid-80s, The Fleshtones regularly played at the Pyramid Club on Avenue A in the East Village, where Streng booked shows at the weekly "Mod Teepee," and The Fleshtones were instrumental in helping to start Wigstock, the drag-queen festival that became a New York City staple. In 1987 The Fleshtones made an appearance on the final episode of Andy Warhol's Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes, an MTV program, during which they backed up famed English stage actor Ian McKellen as he recited William Shakespeare's Twentieth Sonnet.
[edit] Era of the Indies: 1986 To Date
In 1986, Pakulski left The Fleshtones. Robert (Burke) Warren, Fred Smith (Television), and Andy Shernoff (The Dictators) shared bass duties until 1990, when Ken Fox (b. 1961) joined. Fox, who had formed Raving Mojos in Toronto and played in Jason and The Scorchers, has been with The Fleshtones ever since.
In the late 80s The Fleshtones were without major-label support, though they continued to tour America and Europe steadily, including shows opening for Chuck Berry and James Brown. They released Fleshtones vs. Reality, a studio album, in 1987, and Soul Madrid, a live album recorded in Spain, in 1989. That same year, I.R.S. Records released a best-of compilation, Living Legends. In 1992 The Fleshtones signed with Ichiban Records, where they stayed until the label's demise, releasing Powerstance (1992), Beautiful Light (1994), Laboratory of Sound (1995), and More Than Skin Deep (1998).
In the 90s and 00s The Fleshtones have worked with producers ranging from Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus), Peter Buck (R.E.M.), and Steve Albini, to Rick Miller (Southern Culture on the Skids) and Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs). The band has also self-produced in Paul Johnson's Compactor basement studio in Brooklyn, New York.
In 2003 The Fleshtones signed with Yep Roc Records, an indie label.
The Fleshtones were one of the last bands to play at Windows on the World atop the World Trade Center; they played a show there five weeks before the 9/11 attacks, and in 2002 played at a Night of Remembrance and Hope festival at CBGB's. In December of 2003 The Fleshtones played at a CBGB's 30th Anniversary show along with The Dictators, and in August of 2004 played Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival at Randalls Island in New York City with 39 other bands, including Iggy Pop, The Strokes, and Bo Diddley.
[edit] SUPER ROCK
The Fleshtones describe the music they play as SUPER ROCK.
- Peter Zaremba: "Super Rock is all of the great elements that make rock & roll the great and vital thing that excites people rolled into one, without saying, this is disco or this is garage rock. Putting it together and rolling it up into one big greasy ball: that’s Super Rock."
- Bill Milhizer: "Super Rock is taking the best, most exciting elements of rock & roll, and exaggerating and amplifying them beyond proportion, with no apology whatsoever."
[edit] Members
- Keith Streng—guitar & vocals
- Peter Zaremba—lead vocals, harmonica & organ
- Bill Milhizer—drums & vocals (1980-present)
- Ken Fox—bass & vocals (1990-present)
[edit] Former members
- Jan-Marek Pakulski—bass, vocals (1976-1986)
- Lenny Calderon—drums, vocals (1976-1979)
- Danny Gilbert—guitar (1976)
- Gordon Spaeth—sax, harmonica, organ, vocals (1978-1988)
- Mitchell Ames—guitar (1979)
- Walter Scezney—bass (1979)
- Robert [Burke] Warren—bass, vocals (1986-1988)
- Fred Smith (1988-89) and Andy Shernoff (1989-1990) played bass on a for-hire basis
[edit] Side projects
Fleshtones side projects have included Peter Zaremba's Love Delegation, and Streng's bands Full Time Men (which featured Peter Buck) and The Master Plan (with Andy Shernoff).
[edit] Selected discography
American Beat b/w Critical List 7" (Red Star) 1979
Up-Front EP (I.R.S.) 1980
Roman Gods LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1982 + CD [limited] (Eur. I.R.S.) 1990
Roman Gods [Dance Remix] b/w Ride Your Pony + Chinese Kitchen 12" (I.R.S.) 1982
Blast Off! [recorded in 1978] cassette (ROIR) 1982 + CD (ROIR) 1990 + CD (ROIR/Fr. Danceteria) 1993 + CD (Red Star) 1997 + LP (Sp. Munster) 2001 + LP (Get Hip) 2002
Hexbreaker! LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1983
American Beat ‘84 + Hall of Fame b/w Mean Ole’ Lonesome Train + Super Hexbreaker 12” EP (Fr. I.R.S.) 1984
Speed Connection LP (Fr. I.R.S.) 1985 (live)
Speed Connection II: The Final Chapter LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1985 (live)
Fleshtones vs. Reality LP/cassette/CD (Emergo) 1987
The Fleshtones: Living Legends Series CD (I.R.S.) 1989 [compilation]
Soul Madrid LP (Sp. Imposible) 1989 (live)
Powerstance! CD/LP/cassette (Aus. Trafalgar) 1991 + CD/LP/cassette (UK Big Beat ) 1991 + CD (Naked Language/Ichiban) 1992 + download (Ichiban) 2006
Forever Fleshtones LP (Gr. Hitch Hyke) 1993
Beautiful Light CD (Naked Language/Ichiban) 1994 + download (Ichiban) 2006
Angry Years 1984-1986 CD (Sp. Imposible) 1994 + CD (Amsterdamned) 1997 [compilation]
Laboratory of Sound CD (Ichiban International) 1995 + LP (Gr. Hitch Hyke) 1996 + download (Ichiban) 2006
Fleshtones Favorites CD (Flesh) 1997
Hitsburg USA! LP (Telstar) 1997 + CD (Sp. Imposible) 1997
More Than Skin Deep CD (Ichiban International) 1998 + LP (Telstar) 1998 + CD/LP (Eur. Epitaph) 1999 + download (Ichiban) 2006
Hitsburg Revisited CD (Telstar) 1999 + CD/LP (Eur. Epitaph) 1999
Solid Gold Sound CD/LP (Blood Red) 2001 + CD (Fr. Fantastika) 2001
Do You Swing? CD/LP (Yep Roc) 2003
Beachhead CD/LP (Yep Roc) 2005
Selected compilation appearances:
Marty Thau Presents 2X5 (1980; 2005)
Bachelor Party soundtrack (1984; 2003)
Time Bomb: Fleshtones Present The Big Bang Theory (1988)
New York Rockers: Manhattan’s Original Rock Underground (1989)
Shangri-La: A Tribute to The Kinks (1989)
Turban Renewal: A Tribute to Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs (1994)
Dictators Forever Forever Dictators: A Tribute to The Dictators, Vol. 1 (1996)
Super Bad @ 65: A Tribute to James Brown (1998)
Guitar Ace: Tribute to Link Wray (2003)
Children Of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1995 (2005).
Video / DVD
“Right Side Of A Good Thing,” The Beast of I.R.S. Video Vol. 1 VHS (I.R.S. Home Video) 1984
“F-f-fascination,” Back In The Day: Live At Hurrah’s New York City DVD (WEA) 2006
The Fleshtones: Brooklyn à Paris! Live at La Maroquinerie DVD (Big Enough) 2006
[edit] Book
In 2007, Continuum will publish Sweat: The Story of The Fleshtones, America's Garage Band, by Joe Bonomo.
[edit] Official Website
[edit] External links
- The Fleshtones on MySpace
- Fleshography (complete international discography)
- The Fleshtones Archive (articles, reviews, interviews, and commentary from 1977 to the present)
- Yep Roc Records (The Fleshtones' label)
