The Nuns
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The Nuns were a punk rock/new wave band in San Francisco in the late 1970s and have periodically reformed and played to the present day. The band formed in 1975, and were the among the first punk bands in California. In January 1978, together with The Avengers they opened for the Sex Pistols at their final concert at San Francisco's Winterland.
Jennifer Miro (nee Jennifer Anderson), Richie Detrick and Jeff Olener were the original lead singers. Alejandro Escovedo was the guitarist and main co-writer in the late 1970s. Delphine Neid (also known as Delphine Volino) was their bassist during their late 1980s lineup. Delphine died of a drug overdose in 1990. For a period in the late 1990s Baron Rubenbauer, now a classical guitarist, played guitar in their line up.
Their music included many different elements; from the dark, Germanic cabaret inspired "Lazy", sung by Jennifer, to the cynically comical "Suicide Child", sung by Jeff Olener and Detrick.
The Nuns original manager was Edwin Heaven. He discovered them when they opened at The Mabuhay for The Ramones. Within half a year, he had created a worldwide buzz for the band, designed most of their now-classic posters and, basically, took them from playing at San Francisco's Mabuhay to playing such larger venues as (Bill Graham's) Winterland, LA's The Whisky, ad nauseam.
The Nuns have recorded at least 4 albums, the first posthumous eponymous one released in 1980 on Bomp/Posh Boy when Escovedo had already left the band, followed by Rumania on PVC. Posh Boy released Desperate Children featuring Delphine Volino in the late 1980s and a fourth album 4 Days In A Motel Room : Their Greatest Sins in the early 1990s. The latter album contained in part re-recordings of songs contained on the out of print Rumania album. Their current album as of 2006 is New York Vampires.
The Nuns have now re-invented themselves and are more gothic than punk, with strong themes of fetishism and domination running through their music, as well as Vampirism. They are now signed to London based Triple Silence, an offshoot of Salvation Group. Their DVD comprising live performances and fly-on-the wall footage, "New York Vampires NYV", will be released in 2007 by Salvation Films.
Jennifer Miro had a small role in the 1989 Stephen Sayadian film Dr. Caligari and has also appeared as an extra in a number of films. As of 2007, she is still involved in music and fashion.
Salvation Films reported in October 2007 that Mistress Kris from The Nuns was murdered in a NYC hotel.
[edit] External links
- The Nuns official website
- The Nuns' record label reports the murder of Mistress Kris
- Allmusic: The Nuns
- "The Nuns", Rockin Rina's Women of 1970s Punk, October 4, 2004.
- Alejandro Escovedo's website
- Posh Boy Records
- Jennifer Miro at the Internet Movie Database