The Leaving Trains were an American

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The Leaving Trains were founded in 1980 by Falling James Moreland, a frontperson who became known for her chaotic performances and penchant for (male-to-female) cross-dressing. Falling James had previously been a member of punk rock bands the Mongrels and the Downers before assembling the group with guitarist Manfred Hofer, bassist Tom Hofer, keyboardist Sylvia Juncosa and drummer Hillary Laddin. They played locally for three years before releasing their first album, ''Well Down Blue Highway'', in 1984.

Career

Following their '' Kill Tunes'' LP (1986) for

SST Records SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was formed in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Tuners, a small business through which he sold electronics equipm ...

, Mike Barnett and Eric Stringer replaced the Hofer brothers in the group's lineup.John Bush,

The Leaving Trains The Leaving Trains were an American indie rock band from Los Angeles, California. The Leaving Trains were founded in 1980 by Falling James Moreland, a frontperson who became known for her chaotic performances and penchant for (male-to-female) cros ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Next came ''Fuck'' (SST, 1987),''Transportational D. Vices'' (SST, 1988), and the ''Loser Illusion EP.'' In 1989 Falling James was married to

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...

for a short while. In 1991 Moreland briefly disbanded The Leaving Trains to form The Power of Sky. Along with Power of Sky's bassist, Whitey Sims, Moreland reassembled Leaving Trains with a new lineup including Bobby Belltower (who had briefly played in the previous incarnation of the band) and Lenny Montoya. This lineup produced the album ''The Lump in My Forehead'' (recorded 1992, released 1993), but later in 1992 Chaz Ramirez (also known as a producer of such bands as

Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...

and Stryper) and Dennis Carlin took over on bass and drums, respectively. Ramirez died on December 2, 1992 (of injuries sustained when an attic floor collapsed underneath him—some of his recordings with the Trains were posthumously released in 1994 on the album ''The Big Jinx''), and Moreland was subsequently kicked out of the group. She went on to form a new band under the same name with Melanie Vammen on keyboards, Jimmy Green on Bass, and Allen Clark on drums. This lineup yielded ''Smoke Follows Beauty'' in 1997. The Leaving Trains' last studio album, ''Emotional Legs,'' features a variety of musicians: Melanie Vammen (now on guitar), Dennis Carlin, Maddog Karla, Miss Koko Puff, Andrew Buscher, Allen Clark, and Jimi Green. Emotional Legs was released on Steel Cage Records in 2001. The Leaving Trains, that same year, would also do their final live performance at

The Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

in Hollywood as a backup band for Australian punk pioneer Rob Younger, performing songs Younger had done with

Radio Birdman Radio Birdman is an Australian punk rock band formed by Deniz Tek and Rob Younger in Sydney in 1974. The group influenced the work of many successful, mainstream bands, and are now considered instrumental in Australia's musical growth. Hist ...

and The New Christs. In 2005, Steel Cage Records released a live Leaving Trains album called ''Amplified Pillows.'' Moreland occasionally wrote for L.A. Weekly until 2020 and no longer performs music.

Members

;Original lineup *James Moreland - vocals *Manfred Hofer - guitar *Tom Hofer - bass * Sylvia Juncosa - keyboards *Hillary Laddin - drums ;Later members *Mike Barnett - guitar *Eric Stringer - bass *Bobby Belltower - guitar *Lenny Montoya - drums *Aaron "Mo-Ron" Donovan- on guitar * Chris Whitey Sims - vocals, bass and guitar *Chaz Ramirez - bass *Dennis Carlin - drums *Melanie Vammen - guitar *Jimmy Green - bass *

Jack Rabid ''The Big Takeover'' is a bi-annual music magazine published out of New York City since May 1980 by critic Jack Rabid. History Establishment Jack Rabid and Dave Stein began publishing ''The Big Takeover'' in May 1980 as a fanzine dedicated to N ...

- drums *Allen Clark - drums *

Sam Merrick Samuel Vaughn Merrick (born on 24 March 1914, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania - 17 April 2000, Medford, New Jersey) was a sailor and preeminent labor lawyer under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson from the United States. Personal life In 1947, Merri ...

- guitar *John Anglim - drums *Jason Kahn - drums *Miss Koko Puff - bass *Bruce Gunnell - drums "Terry Bag Graham" - Drums

Discography

Studio albums

*''Well Down Blue Highway'' ( Bemisbrain/

Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/d ...

, 1984) *'' Kill Tunes'' (

, 1986) *''Fuck'' (SST, 1987) *''Transportational D. Vices'' (SST, 1988) *''Sleeping Underwater Survivors'' (SST, 1991) *''Loser Illusion Pt. 0'' EP (SST, 1991) *''The Lump in My Forehead'' (SST, 1993) *''The Big Jinx'' (SST, 1994) *''Drowned and Dragged'' EP (SST, 1995) *''Smoke Follows Beauty'' (SST, 1997)

Compilation albums

*''Favorite Mood Swings'' compilation (SST, 1998) *''Emotional Legs'' (Steel Cage, 2001) *''Amplified Pillows'' (Steel Cage Records)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leaving Trains, The Indie rock musical groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 2001 1980 establishments in California 2001 disestablishments in California Enigma Records artists SST Records artists Steel Cage Records artists