The Germs were an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1976 to 1980. The band's "classic" lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom and drummer

Don Bolles Donald Fifield Bolles (July 10, 1928 – June 13, 1976) was an American investigative reporter for ''The Arizona Republic'' who was known for his coverage of organized crime in the area, especially by the Chicago Outfit. His murder in a car bom ...

. They released only one album, 1979's ''

(GI) ''GI'', stylized as ''(GI)'', is the only studio album by American punk rock band the Germs. Often considered the first full-length hardcore punk album, it was released in the United States in October 1979 on Slash Records with catalog number ...

'', produced by Joan Jett, and were featured in Penelope Spheeris' seminal documentary film '' The Decline of Western Civilization'', which chronicled the Los Angeles punk movement. The Germs disbanded following Crash's suicide in 1980. Their music was influential to many later rock acts, and Smear went on to achieve greater fame performing with Nirvana and

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

. In 2005, actor

Shane West Shannon Bruce Snaith (born June 10, 1978), better known as Shane West, is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He is known for his portrayal of Eli Sammler in the ABC family drama '' Once and Again'', Landon Carter in ''A Walk to Remember' ...

was cast to play Crash in the biographical film '' What We Do Is Secret''. He performed with Smear, Doom, and Bolles at the film's wrap party, and afterwards, the Germs reunited with West as their new frontman. This lineup of the band toured worldwide, which included performances at the 2006 and 2008 Warped Tours.

History

Formation

Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) and Smear (born Georg Ruthenberg) decided to start a band after being kicked out of

University High School University High School may refer to: Australia * University High School, Melbourne, Victoria Canada * University Hill Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia United States Arizona * University High School (Tolleson) * University High S ...

for antisocial behavior, allegedly for using "mind control" on fellow students. Their original name was "Sophistifuck and the Revlon Spam Queens", but they had to shorten the name as they could not afford that many letters on a T-shirt. The (initially hypothetical) first line-up consisted of Beahm (then known as Bobby Pyn, and later as Darby Crash) on vocals, Ruthenberg (under the name Pat Smear) on guitar, an early member named "Dinky" (Diana Grant) on bass, and Michelle Baer playing drums. This line-up never played in front of a live audience. In April 1976, the band added Lorna Doom (born Teresa Ryan) on bass, with transitional member Dottie Danger (later famous as Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Go's) on drums. Carlisle never actually played with the band, as she was sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis for an extended period. She was replaced by her friend Donna Rhia (Becky Barton), who played three gigs and performed on their first single. Carlisle remained a friend and helper of the band (she can be heard introducing the band on the ''Germicide: Live at the Whiskey'' recording, produced by

Kim Fowley Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was the American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed The Runaways in the 1970s. He has been ...

), only leaving because her new band, the Go-Go's, were becoming popular and, as she put it, "I was really disturbed by the heroin that was going on". Nickey Beat, of various noteworthy Los Angeles bands including the Weirdos, also sat in on drums for a time. The band's first live performance was at the Orpheum Theater, a 99-seat venue on the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...

in then- unincorporated area West Hollywood, California (later the location of Book Soup). Smear recalled: "We made noise. Darby stuck the mic in a jar of peanut butter. It was a dare, we had no songs or anything! Lorna wore her pants inside out, and Darby covered himself in red licorice... we made noise for five minutes until they threw us off". The Germs initially drew musical influences from

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

, David Bowie,

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 ...

, the Runaways,

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

, and

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...

. Early on, Smear was the only musically experienced member; Doom survived early performances by sliding a finger up and down the fretboard of her bass while Rhia generally kept a minimal beat on the bass drum, periodically bashing a cymbal. Early performances were usually marked by raucous crowds made up of the band's friends. As a result, their gigs became notorious for being rowdy and usually verged on a riot.

Recordings

The first single, " Forming", was recorded on a Sony two-track reel-to-reel recorder in Smear's family garage, and arrived back from the pressing plant with the note, "Warning: This record causes ear cancer", printed on the sleeve by the plant staff, much to the band's displeasure. It was released in July 1977 on the What? label. The single featured a shambolic but serviceable performance on the A-side and a muddy live recording of "Sexboy" on the B-side, recorded at the Roxy for the Cheech and Chong movie, '' Up in Smoke''. The song was not used in the movie, nor was the band. They were the only band not to receive a call-back to perform live for the film's "Battle of the Bands" sequence, perhaps due to the fact that the Germs' chaotic Roxy performance had featured an unscripted, full-on food fight. The Germs, despite most expectations, developed a sound that was highly influential. Throughout their career, they had a reputation as a chaotic live band. Crash often arrived onstage nearly incoherent from drugs, singing everywhere but into the microphone and taunting the audience between songs, yet nevertheless, delivered intense theatrical and increasingly musical performances. The other band members prided themselves on similar problems, with many contemporary reviews citing collapses, incoherence and drunken vomiting onstage. Fans saw this as part of the show, and indeed, the band presented it as such, even when breaking bottles and rolling in the glass, with the music coming and going. Smear was revealed to be a remarkably talented and fluid player; much later, after Crash's death, critics finally acknowledged his lyrics as poetic art. Crash's vocals had begun to mold themselves around the style of the Screamers' vocalist

Tomata DuPlenty David Xavier Harrigan, also Tomata du Plenty (May 28, 1948 – August 21, 2000), was an American singer of the late 1970s and early 1980s Los Angeles electropunk band The Screamers. He was also the founder of Seattle's counterculture troupe Ze Whi ...

. Another strong influence on the band's final sound was

Zolar X Zolar X is an American glam rock band founded in 1973. Zolar X became known in the Los Angeles club scene for dressing and acting like space-aliens. They spoke an 'alien language' of their own invention. They are referred to as "Los Angeles' fir ...

, a theatrical glam rock band popular in the Los Angeles area c. 1972–1980. Crash and Smear were enthusiastic fans of the band from the pre-Germs days, and the fast tempos and raw guitar tone of (the historically pre-punk) Zolar X were similar to the sound achieved on later Germs recordings. The Germs recorded two singles (with alternate tracks), an album-length demo session, and one full-length LP, ''

'', each more focused and powerful than the last. Crash was, despite his erratic behavior, generally regarded as a brilliant lyricist (a contemporary critic described him as "ransacking the dictionary"), and the final line-up of Smear, Doom and Bolles had become a world-class rock ensemble by the recording of ''(GI)'', turning in a performance that spurred an ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'' reviewer to write, "This album leaves exit wounds". It is considered one of the first hardcore punkEnsminger, David A. (2011). ''Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation''. University Press of Mississippi. . p. 161. records, and has a near-mythic status among punk rock fans. The album was produced by Joan Jett of the Runaways. Some European copies of the album also credited Donny Rose on keyboards (the song "Shut Down" was recorded live in the studio and featured melodic, two-fisted piano). The Germs were featured in Spheeris's documentary film ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' along with X, Black Flag, Fear,

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...

Alice Bag Band Bags (also known as the Bags or Alice Bag Band) were an American punk rock band formed in 1977, one of the first generation of punk rock bands to emerge from Los Angeles, California. Biography The Bags were formed by Alicia Armendariz and P ...

, and Catholic Discipline. Following the release of their only studio album, ''(GI)'', on Slash Records, the Germs recorded six original songs with producer Jack Nitzsche for the soundtrack to the film, '' Cruising'', starring

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

. Doom wrote one of the songs. Only one of these songs, "Lions Share", ended up on the Columbia soundtrack album. It was featured for approximately one minute in the movie, during a video-booth murder scene in an S&M club. Other songs from this session did not appear until the 1988 bootleg ''Lion's Share'', along with four tracks from their infamous last show at the Starwood. The ''Cruising'' sessions were finally released officially on the CD ''(MIA): The Complete Anthology''.

Dissolution and suicide of Crash

The end of the band came when Crash, who had become increasingly impatient with drummer Bolles' antics, fired him and replaced him with his friend Rob Henley. Shortly after the Germs split, Crash and Smear formed the short-lived Darby Crash Band. Circle Jerks drummer

Lucky Lehrer Lucky Lehrer is a drummer from Los Angeles, California associated with several influential LA punk rock bands. He was originally trained in jazz then played in a number of LA punk rock bands, particularly the Circle Jerks, Redd Kross, Bad Religi ...

joined the band on the eve of their first (sold-out) live performance, when during soundcheck, Darby kicked out the drummer they had rehearsed with. The band, described by Smear as "like the Germs, but with worse players", played only a few gigs to lukewarm reaction before splitting up. Shortly after that, Crash contacted Smear about a Germs "reunion" show, claiming it was necessary to "put punk into perspective" for the punks on the scene. However, Smear has said Crash told him privately he wanted to earn money for heroin with which to commit suicide. Since Crash had described this scenario many times in the past, Smear did not take him seriously. On December 3, 1980, an over-sold Starwood hosted a final live show of the reunited Germs, including Bolles. At one point, Crash told the amazed kids in the audience, "We did this show so you new people could see what it was like when we were around. You're not going to see it again". Rhino Handmade officially released this live set, previously unavailable in its entirety, as ''Live at the Starwood Dec. 3, 1980'' on June 14, 2010. Along with the CD, the release includes an 8½" × 11" replica of the original poster for the show, a reproduction of the handwritten set list and a four-page fanzine with photos and liner notes by Jonathan Gold. Crash committed suicide on December 7, 1980, at age 22. Unreported at the time, Crash had overdosed on

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

in a

suicide pact A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to die by suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. General considerations Suicide pacts are an important concept in the study of suicide, and h ...

with close friend Casey "Cola" Hopkins, who ended up surviving. She later insisted that he did not intend for her to live, nor did he change his mind at the last minute and intend for himself to live. According to ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', apocryphal lore has Crash attempting to write "Here lies Darby Crash" on the wall as he lay dying, but not finishing. In reality, he wrote a short note to David "Bosco" Davenport that stated, "My life, my leather, my love goes to Bosco". Outside the world of the Germs' fans, news of Crash's death was largely overshadowed by the murder of John Lennon the next day. A local news station mistakenly reported that Crash had died from taking too many sleeping pills.

Aftermath

After the Germs ended, Bolles played with several other L.A. bands, including

Nervous Gender Nervous Gender is an American punk rock electronic band formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by Gerardo Velazquez, Edward Stapleton, Phranc and Michael Ochoa. Their use of heavily distorted keyboards and synthesizers made them, along with The ...

45 Grave 45 Grave is an American rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985, but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. History The band was founded during the punk rock movement by Paul B. Cutler in ...

, Celebrity Skin, and Ariel Pink. In fall 2009, Bolles joined the cast of punks, mods and rockers web series ''Oblivion''. In 1993, Slash released ''(MIA): The Complete Anthology'', with liner notes by Pleasant Gehman. Smear went on to play with Nirvana during their last year and, after the death of Kurt Cobain, with

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. Watt co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ...

, and then Foo Fighters. In 1996, a tribute album titled ''

A Small Circle of Friends ''A Small Circle of Friends'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Rob Cohen (in his directing debut) and starring Brad Davis, Karen Allen and Jameson Parker. It was distributed by United Artists. Premise The film follows the life of th ...

'' was released, that featured tracks by Watt,

Free Kitten Free Kitten is an American alternative rock band formed by Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and Pussy Galore's Julia Cafritz. Originally performing as Kitten, they changed their name after receiving threats of legal action by a heavy metal singer perfor ...

Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...

, Meat Puppets,

that dog. ''That'' is an English language word used for several grammatical purposes. These include use as an adjective, conjunction, pronoun, adverb, and intensifier; it has distance from the speaker, as opposed to words like ''this''. The word did not ori ...

, L7, the Posies,

NOFX NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...

, Flea, Gumball and others, along with a version of "Circle One" performed by Smear with Hole under the name "the Holez".

''What We Do Is Secret'', reformations and Doom's death (2005–present)

A film about the Germs, '' What We Do Is Secret'', was in production for several years, and premiered June 23, 2007 at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The film was theatrically released on August 8, 2008 and starred Shane West in the role of Darby Crash. Smear, Doom, and Bolles reactivated the Germs with West as singer. They played on the 2006 Warped Tour and toured clubs in the US later that summer, and again in 2007. They once again played on the 2008 edition of the Warped Tour, on the Vans Old School Stage. Some members of the punk rock community such as

Fat Mike Michael John Burkett (born January 16, 1967), known professionally as Fat Mike, is an American musician and producer. He is the bassist and lead vocalist for the punk rock band NOFX and the bassist for the punk rock supergroup cover band Me F ...

and Jello Biafra were critical of the band's decision to perform with West. In a July 2009 article, Bolles spoke about the band's plans to re-record old material for a planned box set titled ''Lest We Forget: The Sounds of the Germs''. The band rearranged songs from the ''Germicide'' live album and the ''Cruising'' sessions; they planned to record several Darby Crash Band songs as well. Live recordings, both old and new, would have made up the rest of the box set, which Bolles hoped to release in 2010. The newly recorded songs were to be released on

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Art, ...

frontman

Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...

's new, unnamed record label. Two songs, "Out of Time" and "Beyond Hurt – Beyond Help", were originally written by Crash and Smear prior to Crash's death, but were never recorded. The songs were to be recorded with West providing vocals. West left the Germs in 2009. In December 2013,

Charlotte Caffey Charlotte Irene Caffey (born October 21, 1953) is an American guitarist, best known for her work in the rock band the Go-Go's in the 1980s, including writing "We Got the Beat". Career Caffey began her musical career playing bass guitar in the ...

of the Go-Go's played bass for a one-off gig, a memorial for Bill "Pat Fear" Bartell, when Doom could not be located. On January 16, 2019, Doom died of breast cancer.

Members

Classic lineup * Darby Crash (a.k.a. Jan Paul Beahm) – lead vocals (1976–1980; died 1980) * Lorna Doom (a.k.a. Teresa Ryan) – bass guitar (1976–1980, 2005–2009; died 2019) * Pat Smear (a.k.a. Georg Ruthenberg) – guitar, vocals (1976–1980, 2005–2009, 2013) *

– drums (1978–1980, 2005–2009, 2013) Other former members * Michelle Baer – drums (1976) * Dinky (a.k.a. Diana Grant) – bass guitar (1976) * Dottie Danger (a.k.a. Belinda Carlisle) – drums (1977) * Donna Rhia (a.k.a. Becky Barton) – drums (1977) * David Winogrond – drums (1977) * Luisa Terrence - drums (1977) * Cliff Hanger – drums (1977–1978) * D. J. Bonebrake – drums (1978) * Nicky Beat (a.k.a. Nickey Alexander) – drums (1978) * Rob Henley – drums (1980) * John Lorey - drums (1980) *

– lead vocals (2005–2009, 2013) *

– bass guitar (2013) ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/03/1977 till:01/01/2014 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1978 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1979 Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Lines1 value:black legend:Studio_album id:Lines2 value:gray(0.75) legend:Other_release id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars LineData = at:06/01/1977 color:Lines2 layer:back at:05/01/1978 color:Lines2 layer:back at:10/15/1979 color:Lines1 layer:back at:08/01/1981 color:Lines2 layer:back at:09/13/1981 color:Lines2 layer:back at:09/24/1993 color:Lines2 layer:back BarData = bar:Crash text:"Darby Crash" bar:West text:"Shane West" bar:Smear text:"Pat Smear" bar:Dinky text:"Dinky" bar:Doom text:"Lorna Doom" bar:Caffey text:"Charlotte Caffey" bar:Baer text:"Michelle Baer" bar:Danger text:"Dottie Danger" bar:Rhia text:"Donna Rhia" bar:Winogrond text:"David Winogrond" bar:Hanger text:"Cliff Hanger" bar:Bonebrake text:"Don Bonebrake" bar:Beat text:"Nickey Beat" bar:Bolles text:"Don Bolles" bar:Henley text:"Rob Henley" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Crash from:start till:12/07/1980 color:Vocals bar:West from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Vocals bar:West from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Vocals bar:Smear from:start till:12/07/1980 color:Guitar bar:Smear from:start till:12/07/1980 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Smear from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Guitar bar:Smear from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Smear from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Guitar bar:Smear from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Dinky from:start till:04/05/1977 color:Bass bar:Baer from:start till:04/01/1977 color:Drums bar:Doom from:05/20/1977 till:12/07/1980 color:Bass bar:Doom from:05/20/1977 till:12/07/1980 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Doom from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Bass bar:Doom from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Caffey from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Bass bar:Danger from:05/30/1977 till:04/22/1977 color:Drums bar:Rhia from:04/22/1977 till:07/05/1977 color:Drums bar:Winogrond from:07/07/1977 till:09/01/1977 color:Drums bar:Hanger from:09/15/1977 till:01/10/1978 color:Drums bar:Bonebrake from:01/21/1978 till:02/04/1978 color:Drums bar:Beat from:02/06/1978 till:03/10/1978 color:Drums bar:Bolles from:03/30/1978 till:02/18/1980 color:Drums bar:Bolles from:02/23/1980 till:12/07/1980 color:Drums bar:Bolles from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Drums bar:Bolles from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Drums bar:Bolles from:03/30/1978 till:02/18/1980 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Bolles from:02/23/1980 till:12/07/1980 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Bolles from:09/30/2005 till:12/12/2009 color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Bolles from:12/01/2013 till:end color:Bvocals width:3 bar:Henley from:02/20/1980 till:02/22/1980 color:Drums

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1979, Slash Records)

Singles and EPs

* " Forming"/"Sexboy (live)" 7" (1977, What? Records) * '' Lexicon Devil'' 7" EP (1978, Slash Records) * '' What We Do Is Secret'' 12" EP (1981, Slash Records) * ''(DCC)'' 7" EP (1992, Rockville/Gasatanka Records)

Live albums

* '' Germicide'' (a.k.a. ''Live at the Whisky, First Show Ever'') (1981, Mohawk/ Bomp! Records/ ROIR) * ''Rock 'N' Rule'' (1986, XEX Records) * “Live at the Starwood 12/3/80” (double LP), (2019 Rhino Entertainment Company, Run Out Groove) ROGV-080

Compilation albums

* ''(MIA): The Complete Anthology'' (1993, Slash/ Rhino Records) * ''Media Blitz'' (1993, Cleopatra Records)

Compilation album appearances

* ''Tooth and Nail'' (1979,

Upsetter Records Upsetter Records was a Jamaican record label set up by Lee "Scratch" Perry in 1968. Perry also opened the Upsetter Record Shop where he sold the records he produced. Lee "Scratch" Perry worked for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One record label and ...

) * '' Yes L.A.'' 12" EP (1979, Dangerhouse Records) * ''Life Is Beautiful So Why Not Eat Health Foods'' (1981, New Underground Records) * ''We're Desperate: The L.A. Scene (1976-79)'' (1993, Rhino) - "Forming", "Lexicon Devil"

Soundtrack appearances

* '' Cruising'' (1980, Lorimar Records) * '' The Decline of Western Civilization'' (1980, Slash Records)

References

External links

* Lipton, Shana Ting (August 23, 2005)
"Rekindling the punk flame"
(page 1/2). '' Los Angeles Times''. * Adams, Tim (August 24, 2008)
"The death and afterlife of an LA punk"
'' The Observer''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Germs (Band) 1976 establishments in California 2009 disestablishments in California Punk rock groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1976 Musical groups disestablished in 1980 Musical groups reestablished in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2009 Musical quartets