DMZ was a first-wave American
punk rock band from
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
, strongly influenced by 1960s
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
.
Background
In early 1976, Jeff Conolly (sometimes credited as J. Connally, Mono Mann, Monoman, Pokemonoman, etc.) stole the lead vocalist position in the nascent band by out-performing their singer at one of the band's practices. Along with his vocals he brought two things the band lacked: keyboards (an electric piano) and original songs.
Just over one year later, in April 1977, the band went into the
recording studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...
with
Craig Leon
Craig Leon (born 7 January 1952) is an American-born record producer, composer and arranger currently living in England.International Who’s Who in Classical Music 2005'', Routledge, 2005. Leon was instrumental in launching the careers of many ...
(who had
produced the
Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
'
first album). Four songs from that session were released by
Bomp! on a seven-inch vinyl EP. One of the best known photographs of Bomp! founder
Greg Shaw
Greg Shaw (January 1949 – October 19, 2004) was an American writer, publisher, magazine editor, music historian and record executive.
Biography
Shaw was born in San Francisco, California. He began writing about rock and roll music as a ...
shows him holding this disc. DMZ was later signed by
Sire Records
Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records.
History Beginnings
The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer ...
and went to New York City to record their debut album, produced by
Flo & Eddie
Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman (Flo, short for Phlorescent Leech) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie).
The two were the original founding members of the Top 40 mid-to late 1960s rock and pop group The Turtles. After the Turtl ...
.
The Album was released in 1978 without much success and by the end of the year the group had splintered. Guitarists J. J. Rassler and Preston Wayne left to start the Odds, and Conolly, bassist Rick Coraccio and drummer Paul Murphy formed
Lyres Yoke lutes, commonly called lyres, are a class of string instruments, subfamily of lutes, indicated with the code 321.2 in the Hornbostel–Sachs classification.
Description
Yoke lutes are defined as instruments with one or more strings, arrange ...
.
The Lyres to set Toast on fyre Aug. 20
Nancy L. Foster, Somerville News, August 18, 2004
DMZ has re-formed periodically; a 1993 set appears on the ''Live at the Rat'' album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
(along with eight tracks from a 1976 show).
Early drummer David Robinson
David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...
(who had previously been in The Modern Lovers
The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s. The original band existed from 1970 to 1974 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist Ernie Brooks w ...
) left DMZ to join The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...
. Bassist Mike Lewis later joined the Lyres and later recorded with The A-Bones
The A-Bones was an American garage rock band from Brooklyn, New York. Their name was derived from a song by The Trashmen. The band was formed in 1984 by vocalist Billy Miller and his wife, drummer and co-vocalist Miriam Linna, in the wake of a p ...
and Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew ...
. Guitarist Peter Greenberg later joined Lyres and went on to found Barrence Whitfield and the Savages.
Members
* Jeff Conolly – vocals, keyboards
* Rick Coraccio – bass guitar
* Peter Greenberg – lead guitar
* Jack Hickey – guitar
* Mike Lewis – bass guitar
* Mike "Drums" Lewis – drums
* Paul Murphy – drums
* J. J. Rassler – guitar
* David Robinson
David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...
– drums
* Adam Schwartz – drums
* John Smith (Bernardo) – drums
* Preston Wayne – guitar
Partial discography
*''DMZ'' EP (1977, Bomp!)
#"Lift Up Your Hood"
#"Busy Man"
#"You're Gonna Miss Me" (originally recorded by the 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators was an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969, a ...
)
#"When I Get Off"
*''DMZ
A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...
'' LP (1978, Sire
Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French.
The words "sire" a ...
)
#"Mighty Idy"
#"Bad Attitude"
#"Watch for Me Girl"
#"Cinderella" (originally recorded by The Sonics
The Sonics are an American garage rock band from Tacoma, Washington, Tacoma, Washington (state), Washington that formed in 1960. Their aggressive, hard-edged sound has been a major influence on Punk rock, punk and Garage rock, garage music worl ...
)
#"Don't Jump Me Mother"
#"Destroyer"
#"Baby Boom"
#"Out of Our Tree" (originally recorded by The Wailers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
)
#"Border Line"
#"Do Not Enter"
#"From Home" (originally recorded by The Troggs
The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English garage rock band formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper " Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" and "Love Is All Around", all o ...
)
*''Relics'' LP (1981, Voxx/Bomp!)
**Includes the complete ''DMZ EP'', as well as five previously unreleased four-track demos recorded April 1977:
#"Can't Stand the Pain" (originally recorded by The Pretty Things
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
)
#"Do Not Enter"
#"Shirt Loop"
#"Guilty Child"
#"Barracuda" (originally recorded by The Standells
The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and Ramones. They are best known ...
)
*''"Live at Barnaby's - 1978"'' LP (1986, Crypt Records
Crypt Records is an independent record label founded by American-born Tim Warren in 1983. The label has been headquartered variously in Hamburg, Germany and in several locations in the United States. Crypt is perhaps best known for issuing the ten- ...
)
**Recorded live at Barnaby's, Methuen, Massachusetts on June 2, 1978:
#"Watch For Me Girl"
#"Come On Now"
#"Raw Power"
#"Don't Jump Me Mother"
#"Frenzy"
#"From Home"
#"When I Get Off"
#"Destroyer"
#"In Motion"
#"Nobody But Me"
#"Cinderella"
#"Out Of Our Tree"
#"Mighty Idy"
#"It's All Right"
#"He's Waiting"
#"You Left The Water Running"
#"You're Gonna Miss Me"
*''"When I Get Off"—The Classic Originals'' CD (1993, Voxx/Bomp!)
**Includes same five demos as on ''Relics'', plus live radio recordings (July 1976, WTBS, Cambridge, Massachusetts):
#"Busy Man"
#"You're Gonna Miss Me"
#"When I Get Off"
#"Lift Up Your Hood"
#"Comin' After Me" (originally recorded by The Flamin' Groovies
Flamin' Groovies is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965, originally co-led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. After the Groovies released three albums, on Epic ('' Supersnazz'') and Kama Sutra (''Flamingo'' and '' Teenage Head' ...
)
#"Bloody Englishmen"
#"First Time"
#"Oedipus Show"
#"Rosalyn" (originally recorded by The Pretty Things)
#"Mighty Idy"
#"From Home"
#"Are You Gonna Be There" (originally recorded by The Chocolate Watch Band
The Chocolate Watchband is an American garage rock band that formed in 1965 in Los Altos, California. The band went through several lineup changes during its existence. Combining psychedelic and garage rock components, their sound was marked by Da ...
)
#"Pretty Girl"
*''Live at the Rat'' CD (2001, Bomp!)
**Recorded in 1976 + 1993
#"Intro by Oedipus"
#"First Time (Is the Best Time)"
#"Boy from Nowhere"
#"Ball Me Out"
#"Lift Up Your Hood"
#"Go to School"
#"Watch for Me Girl"
#"Boy from Nowhere"
#"Raw Power" (originally recorded by Iggy and the Stooges
The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...
)
#"Cinderella"
#"He's Waitin'"
#"Don't Jump Me Mother"
#"Frenzy" (originally recorded by The Fugs
The Fugs are an American rock band formed in New York City in late 1964, by the poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver (musician), Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of The Holy ...
)
#"When I Get Off"
#"Out of Our Tree"
#"Mighty Idy"
#"You're Gonna Miss Me"
#"Don't Start Cryin' Now" (originally recorded by Slim Harpo
Slim Harpo (born James Isaac Moore; January 11, 1924 – January 31, 1970) was an American blues musician, a leading exponent of the swamp blues style, and "one of the most commercially successful blues artists of his day". He played guitar and w ...
; also recorded by Them
Them or THEM, a third-person plural accusative personal pronoun, may refer to:
Books
* ''Them'' (novel), 3rd volume (1969) in American Joyce Carol Oates' ''Wonderland Quartet''
* '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'', 2003 non-fiction by Welsh ...
)
#"Ball Me Out"
#"Boy from Nowhere"
References
Sources
Grunnen Rocks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dmz (Band)
Punk rock groups from Massachusetts
Garage punk groups
Musical groups from Boston
Musical groups established in 1976
1976 establishments in Massachusetts