The Fleshtones

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fleshtones
Origin	Queens, New York, U.S.
Genres	Rock and roll, garage rock
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Red Star Records(1978–80) I.R.S. Records (1980–85) ROIR Ichiban Records(1992–98) Yep Roc Records(2003–present)

Members	Keith Streng Peter Zaremba Bill Milhizer Ken Fox

Past members	Jan Marek Pakulski Lenny Calderon Danny Gilbert Gordon Spaeth Brian Spaeth Mitchell Ames Walter Scezney Robert Burke Warren

The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York formed in 1976.

History

1976-1979

The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 in Whitestone, New York by Keith Streng (b. September 18, 1955, New York, New York) and Jan Marek Pakulski (b. August 23, 1956, Lewiston, Maine), two roommates who discovered that a previous tenant had left behind some instruments in the basement of the house they were renting. Streng, on guitar, and Pakulski, on bass, were soon joined by neighborhood friends Peter Zaremba (b. September 16, 1954, Queens, New York) on harmonica, keyboards, and vocals, and Lenny Calderon (b. 1958, New York) on drums.

The Fleshtones debuted at CBGB on May 19, 1976. Starting in 1978, the group was often joined onstage, as well as on record, by Action Combo, brothers Gordon (alto sax and harmonica) and Brian (tenor sax) Spaeth. Gordon Spaeth (b. September 21, 1951—d. March 8, 2005) became an official band member in 1983.

In the late 1970s, The Fleshtones earned a local following and played often in Manhattan at CBGB and Max's Kansas City. 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, a performance-animation video composed 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.)

1980-1985

Tickets for the Fleshtones concerts at the Gibus club in Paris, March 1985, where the Speed Connection album was recorded

In 1980, with the Red Star Records album unreleased (later issued on cassette on ROIR, and subsequently on CD and vinyl), the Fleshtones were signed by Miles Copeland III at I.R.S. Records (R.E.M., The Go-Go's) where they would work with producers Richard Mazda and Richard Gottehrer. The band replaced Calderon with drummer Bill Milhizer (b. September 21, 1948, Troy, New York), appeared in the British Punk/New Wave concert film Urgh! A Music War, and released its first EP Up-Front. Four albums on I.R.S. followed: Roman Gods (1982), Hexbreaker!! (1983), and the live Speed Connection and Speed Connection II (1985). In 1982, they appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand TV show.

Despite having a large cult following, the band never achieved commercial success: Roman Gods debuted at No. 174 on Billboard’s album chart, the highest position that a Fleshtones album has attained.

Zaremba was the host of I.R.S. Records Presents The Cutting Edge on MTV from 1984 to 1987. 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-1990s at New York City's "Cavestomp" Garage Rock festivals.

In the mid-1980s, The Fleshtones regularly played at the Pyramid Club on Avenue A in the East Village, and were instrumental in helping to start Wigstock, the drag-queen festival that became a New York City staple.

1986-1989

In the late 1980s, 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. 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.

The Fleshtones recorded the title track to the 1987 camp-horror film I Was a Teenage Zombie that same year. They released the albums Fleshtones vs. Reality (studio) in 1987 and Soul Madrid (live) in 1989. I.R.S. Records released a best-of compilation, Living Legends, in 1989.

In late 1986, Pakulski left the Fleshtones. He was replaced by Robert Burke Warren, who left the band in 1988. Fred Smith of Television and Andy Shernoff of The Dictators were interim bass players in the studio and on tour until 1990.

1990-2002

Ken Fox (b. February 16, 1961, Toronto, Canada) joined the Fleshtones on bass in July of 1990. Fox had formed Raving Mojos in Toronto and also played with Joan Osborne and in Jason & the Scorchers. Since Fox joined, the Fleshtones lineup has remained stable.

In 1992 the Fleshtones signed with Ichiban Records, where they stayed until the label's demise, releasing the albums Powerstance (1992), Beautiful Light (1994), Laboratory of Sound (1995), and More Than Skin Deep (1998).

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.

2003 to present

In December 2003 The Fleshtones played at a CBGB 30th Anniversary show along with The Dictators, and in August 2004 played Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival at Randalls Island in New York City with 39 other bands, including The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, The Strokes, and Bo Diddley.

In the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, in addition to self-producing in Paul Johnson's Compactor basement studio in Brooklyn, New York, The Fleshtones worked with musician-producers Dave Faulkner, Peter Buck, Steve Albini, Rick Miller, Jim Diamond, Lenny Kaye, and Ivan Julian.

In 2003, The Fleshtones signed with Yep Roc Records, which has released the albums Do You Swing? (2003), Beachhead (2005), Take A Good Look (2008), Stocking Stuffer (2008), Brooklyn Sound Solution (2011), and Wheel Of Talent (2014), as well as the EP Quatro X Quatro (2012).

Book, Tribute, Feature Documentary, and Reissues

In 2007, Continuum Books published Sweat: The Story of The Fleshtones, America's Garage Band, an authorized biography by Joe Bonomo. Camion Blanc released a French-language edition, The Fleshtones: Histoire d’un Groupe Garage Américain, in 2012.

Vindicated! A Tribute to The Fleshtones was released in 2007 on vinyl by Larsen Records (France) and on CD by Dirty Water Records (UK). The album features 23 international bands (including Hoodoo Gurus, the Nomads with Handsome Dick Manitoba, the Slickee Boys, the Woggles, Snax, the Swingin' Neckbreakers, Richard Mazda, the Subway Surfers, the Insomniacs, and others) covering songs spanning the Fleshtones' career.

A feature documentary directed by Geoffray Barbier, Pardon Us For Living, But The Graveyard Is Full, was released from Cold Cuts Productions in 2009.

In 2010, the Australian label Raven released a CD compilation of the Fleshtones' I.R.S. Records material entitled It's "Super-Rock" Time!: The IRS Years 1980-85 and a Hexbreaker! / Speed Connection CD. Raven plans future re-releases of the Fleshtones' catalog.

Members

Keith Streng—guitar & vocals
Peter Zaremba—lead vocals, harmonica & organ
Bill Milhizer—drums & vocals
Ken Fox—bass & vocals

Former members

Jan Marek Pakulski—bass, vocals (1976–1979, 1979–1986)
Lenny Calderon—drums, vocals (1976–1979)
Danny Gilbert—guitar (1976)
Gordon Spaeth—sax, harmonica, organ, vocals (1978–1988)
Brian Spaeth—sax (1978–1981)
Mitchell Ames—guitar (1979)
Walter Scezney—bass (1979)
Robert Burke Warren—bass, vocals (1986–1988)

Session/Touring

Clem Burke-drums (1979)
Fred Smith—bass, vocals (1988–1989)
Andy Shernoff—bass, vocals (1989–1990)

Horn players

Gregory D Grinnell—trumpet (1986)
Ken Fradley—trumpet (1988)
Mark McGowan—trumpet (1988–1990)
Steve Greenfield—sax (1988–1992)
Joe Loposky—trumpet (1990–1994)
Markus Arike—sax (1992–1994)

Selected discography

Albums

Roman Gods LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1982 + CD [limited] (Eur. I.R.S.) 1990
Blast Off! cassette (ROIR) 1982 + CD (ROIR) 1990 + CD (ROIR/Fr. Danceteria) 1993 + CD (Red Star) 1997 + LP (Sp. Munster) 2001 + LP (Get Hip Records) 2002
Hexbreaker! LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1983
Speed Connection: Live In Paris 85 LP (Fr. I.R.S.) 1985
Speed Connection II - The Final Chapter (Live In Paris 85) LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1985 + download (I.R.S.) 2010
Fleshtones vs. Reality LP/cassette/CD (Emergo) 1987
Soul Madrid LP (Sp. Imposible) 1989
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
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 + download (Blood Red) 2009
Do You Swing? CD/LP (YepRoc) 2003
Beachhead CD/LP (YepRoc) 2005 + LP (It. Nicotine) (2006)
Take A Good Look CD/LP (YepRoc) 2008
Stocking Stuffer CD/LP (YepRoc) 2008
Brooklyn Sound Solution CD/LP (YepRoc) 2011
Wheel Of Talent CD/LP (YepRoc) 2014

singles

American Beat b/w Critical List 7" (Red Star) 1979
The World Has Changed b/w All Around The World 7" (I.R.S.) 1981
Roman Gods [Dance Remix] b/w Ride Your Pony + Chinese Kitchen 12" (I.R.S.) 1982
American Beat '84 b/w Hall Of Fame 7" (I.R.S.) 1984
Armed And Dangerous b/w Let It Rip + Electric Mouse 7" (UK Big Beat) 1991
Beautiful Light ["Big Mix"] + Treat Me Like A Man + Mushroom Cloud CD (Naked Language) 1994
Take A Walk With The Fleshtones b/w One Of Us 7" (Naked Language) 1994
Gentleman's Twist b/w Red Sunset + Gentleman's Twist (featuring Alan Vega) 7" (Eur. Epitaph) 1998
Jetset Fleshtones b/w Les Temps Dira 7" (YepRoc) 2007
Bite Of My Soul b/w Remember The Ramones 7" (YepRoc) 2011
I Can't Hide b/w B-Side 7" (YepRoc) 2011
For A Smile (featuring Mary Huff) b/w Everywhere Is Nowhere (featuring Mary Huff) 7" (YepRoc) 2013
Available b/w Let's Live 7" (YepRoc) 2013

EPs

Up-Front (I.R.S.) 1980
American Beat ‘84 (Fr. I.R.S.) 1984
Los Fleshtones: Quatro x Quatro (Yep Roc) 2012

Compilations

The Fleshtones: Living Legends Series CD (I.R.S.) 1989
Angry Years 1984-1986 CD (Sp. Imposible) 1994 + CD (Amsterdamned) 1997
It's "Super-Rock" Time!: The IRS Years 1980-85 CD (Aus. Raven) 2010
Hexbreaker! / Speed Connection CD (Aus. Raven) 2010
Roman Gods / Up-Front / Speed Connection II CD (Aus. Raven) 2011

Compilation (various artists)

Marty Thau Presents 2 X 5 (Red Star Records) 1980 + 2005
Start Swimming (Stiff Records) 1981
Bachelor Party (OST I.R.S.) 1984 + (Superfecta Records) 2003
I Was a Teenage Zombie (OST Columbia Records) 1987
Time Bomb: Fleshtones Present The Big Bang Theory (Skyclad Records) 1988
New York Rockers: Manhattan’s Original Rock Underground (ROIR) 1989
Shangri-La: A Tribute to The Kinks (Imaginary Records) 1989
Turban Renewal: A Tribute to Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs (Norton Records) 1994
Dictators Forever Forever Dictators: A Tribute to The Dictators, Vol. 1 (Roto Records) 1996
Super Bad @ 65: A Tribute to James Brown (Zero Hour) 1998
Guitar Ace: Tribute to Link Wray (Musick Recordings) 2003
Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era, 1976-1995 (Rhino) 2005
Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents: The Coolest Songs In The World Vol. 3 (Wicked Cool Records) 2007
So Indie It Hurts: Roir Rocks Volume Two (ROIR) 2010
Mondo Zombie Boogaloo (YepRoc) 2013

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
The Fleshtones—Live At The Hurrah Club DVD (Cherry Red) 2008
Pardon Us For Living, But The Graveyard Is Full (Cold Cut Productions) 2009

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).

External links

References

v t e The Fleshtones

Peter Zaremba Fred Smith

Studio albums	Roman Gods Hexbreaker! Fleshtones vs. Reality

EPs	Up-Front

Live albums	Speed Connection II – The Final Chapter (Live In Paris 85)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.