Michael Quercio (born March 13, 1963) is an American musician. He is the founder, bassist and lead singer of
The Three O'Clock
The Three O'Clock is an American alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the ...
,
[ and coined the term Paisley Underground as the name of a musical subgenre.
]
Paisley Underground
Quercio is best known as the founding member, lead vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Three O'Clock
The Three O'Clock is an American alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the ...
, among the most successful artists of the neo-psychedelic
Neo-psychedelia is a diverse genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the sounds of 1960s psychedelia, either updating or copying the approaches from that era. Originating in the 1970s, it has occasionally seen mainstream pop su ...
movement of 1980s rock music that became known as the Paisley Underground. Quercio coined the name Paisley Underground for his musical subgenre in late 1982, during an interview with the ''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 ...
'' alternative newspaper. As the event was later reported:
Quercio was close friends with Lina Sedillo who was the bass player with local punk band Peer Group, who had played on the same bill as The Salvation Army on occasion. One evening Sedillo taped Peer Group rehearsing and one of the numbers contained an improvised spoken middle section. Sedillo was wearing a red paisley dress she had bought from a thrift store and his eyes fell on the bass player and out came the line "Words from the paisley underground." Sedillo noticed the phrase while playing the tape back the next day and immediately phoned up Quercio and repeated it to him. They ran a casual 60s music listening group together and thought it a cool name for them to use. When Quercio a few weeks later spontaneously dropped the phrase into an interview when asked to describe The Bangles
The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including "Manic Monday" (1986), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), " Hazy Shade ...
, Rain Parade
The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012.
History Rain Parade in the 1980s (1981–86)
Originally called the Sidewalks, the b ...
and The Three O'Clock sharing the same bill, the interviewer highlighted it in the article as a handy label for this group of bands. And so Quercio had unwittingly came up with the name of this new movement, the Paisley Underground.
The phrase later came to be "hated by the bands it described," though Steve Wynn
Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...
acknowledged that it was both harmless and helpful to have a "banner" over the movement. At the height of The Three O'Clock's popularity, Quercio stated that he aspired foremost to be a pop band, not to represent a movement.
Musical career
Salvation Army and The Three O'Clock (1981–1988)
The Three O'Clock originally formed under the name The Salvation Army in 1981. The original lineup, which included Quercio on lead vocals and bass, released a single ("Mind Gardens" b/w "Happen Happened") on The Minutemen's New Alliance label in November, 1981. At this juncture, Quercio (then billed as "Ricky Start") was the band's sole songwriter. Quercio's first significant band, The Salvation Army played mildly psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...
-influenced tunes with a decidedly punk-like energy, bridging the punk scene of the 1980s and the melodic 1960s revivalist sounds that defined the U.S. mod-revivalist movement.
By the end of the year, Quercio reverted to his real name, and a new lineup of The Salvation Army signed with LA independent label Frontier Records
Frontier Records is an independent record label, started in 1980 in Sun Valley, Los Angeles by Lisa Fancher, a former employee of Bomp! Records and writer of the liner notes for the first album by The Runaways.
History
Frontier Records first ...
and released a self-titled debut LP in May 1982. By the summer of 1982, legal problems with the actual Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
forced the band to change their name. Frontier would later reissue the Salvation Army's debut LP, renaming the album ''Befour Three O'Clock''.
The band's new name, "The Three O'Clock," came from the time of day they rehearsed. Still signed to Frontier, the band issued the ''Baroque Hoedown'' EP, their debut release as The Three O'Clock, in late 1982. The EP was followed by a full-length LP in 1983 entitled '' Sixteen Tambourines''. Both Frontier releases were produced by Earle Mankey
Earle Mankey (sometimes misspelled "Earl" in credits) (born March 8, 1947, in Washington, United States) is an American musician, record producer and audio engineer. He was a founding member and guitarist for the band Halfnelson, later called Sp ...
. The Three O'Clock had developed into a power-pop ensemble with 1960s garage band
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 ...
influences. Quercio and Louis Gutierrez co-wrote almost all the band's material. They received airplay in Southern California, notably on influential LA station KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock").
The stat ...
, and the song "Jet Fighter" from ''Sixteen Tambourines'' became a national college radio hit.
The Three O'Clock signed to I.R.S. Records for their next album, 1985's '' Arrive Without Travelling''. Producer Mike Hedges recorded the album in Germany. The band had a minor hit with "Her Head's Revolving", whose video received regular airplay on MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. "Half the Way There" was also released as a 12-inch single, and featured a Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
style drumbeat and rich harmonies.
The band released the album ''Ever After
''Ever After'' (known in promotional material as ''Ever After: A Cinderella Story'') is a 1998 American romantic period drama film inspired by the Charles Perrault fairy tale, "Cinderella". It is directed by Andy Tennant and stars Drew Barrymor ...
'', produced by Ian Broudie
Ian Zachary Broudie (born 4 August 1958) is an English musician and singer-songwriter from Liverpool. After emerging from the post-punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to produce albums (somet ...
, in 1986. Quercio once again was the band's chief songwriter, and his single "Suzie's on the Ball Now" gained minor airplay on stations like KROQ-FM in Los Angeles.
In 1988, a new line-up of The Three O'Clock, featuring Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner (born June 2, 1968) is an American songwriter, musician, and guitarist who was a member of the bands Jellyfish (band), Jellyfish, the Three O'Clock, and the Grays (band), the Grays. Since 1996, he has released six solo albums, start ...
on guitar, entered the studio to record the Ian Ritchie-produced ''Vermillion
Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It is v ...
'', on Warner Bros. Records by way of Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
's Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album '' Purple Rain''. T ...
imprint. "Prince was aware of us from ''Arrive Without Travelling'' and the "Her Head's Revolving" video," according to drummer Danny Benair. "The Bangles
The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including "Manic Monday" (1986), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), " Hazy Shade ...
told us he was a fan, and when we were off IRS, he sent a label person to see us live." Prince himself contributed a song, "Neon Telephone," to ''Vermillion'' under the pseudonym Joey Coco. The album was a critical and commercial failure, and did not dent the charts. It was the last Three O'Clock album, and the group disbanded shortly after its release.
Game Theory (1989–1990)
In the mid-1980s, Quercio had also gained some production experience, working with Game Theory
Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...
as producer of their 1984 ''Distortion
In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...
'' EP. He later appeared as a guest musician on their albums ''Real Nighttime
''Real Nighttime'' is the second full-length album from Game Theory (band), Game Theory, a California power pop band founded by guitarist and singer-songwriter Scott Miller (pop musician), Scott Miller. Released in 1985, the album is cited as "a wa ...
'' (1985) and ''Lolita Nation
''Lolita Nation'' is the fourth full-length album by Game Theory, a California power pop band fronted by guitarist and singer-songwriter Scott Miller. Originally released in 1987 as a double LP, the album was reissued by Omnivore Recordings in Fe ...
'' (1987).
In 1989, Scott Miller brought Quercio into a new lineup of his band Game Theory
Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...
as a full member. This incarnation of Game Theory, which toured in 1989 and 1990, consisted of Quercio (bass, drums, backing vocals), Miller (lead vocal, guitars), Jozef Becker (drums, bass), and the group's former drummer Gil Ray
George Gilbert "Gil" Ray (September 17, 1956 – January 24, 2017) was an American rock drummer, guitarist, and vocalist, best known for his recordings in the 1980s and 1990s as a member of the bands Game Theory and The Loud Family. In late 2 ...
on guitar and keyboards.
In late 1989, the line-up of Miller, Quercio, Ray, and Jozef Becker recorded a demo in San Francisco, co-produced by Miller and Dan Vallor, with four songs that included "Inverness" and "Idiot Son" (both later to be performed by the Loud Family
The Loud Family was a San Francisco-based power pop band formed in 1991 by songwriter and guitarist Scott Miller (pop musician), Scott Miller, who previously led the 1980s band Game Theory (band), Game Theory. The Loud Family released six studi ...
) and, with Quercio taking on lead vocals, "My Free Ride."[ The London-based tabloid '']Bucketfull of Brains
''Bucketfull of Brains'' (also known as ''BoB'') was a London-based music magazine, founded in 1979 and published until 2015 . An associated record label was launched in 2010.
History
''Bucketfull of Brains'' was founded by Nigel Cross in 1979, a ...
'' wrote, "One listen to this latest demo... and you can't help but wonder if pop music can get any better than this."[
In a 1990 interview promoting the release of the compilation album ''Tinker to Evers to Chance'', Miller laughed that Game Theory stood at "a rocky pitfall-ridden crossroad," and Quercio noted, "When a major label hears someone like Scott or me sing, they say, 'That doesn't really sound like anybody,' and don't know what market to plug it into.... Sometimes originality is your worst enemy."][ Game Theory disbanded before releasing a new studio album with Quercio in the lineup. The group remained inactive until the 2017 release of '']Supercalifragile
''Supercalifragile'' is the sixth and final studio album by Game Theory, a California power pop band founded in 1982 by guitarist and singer-songwriter Scott Miller. At the time of his death in 2013, Miller had started work on the recording, whic ...
'', an album on which Quercio was initially expected to appear, but ultimately did not.
Projects in the 1990s
By 1991, Quercio had left Game Theory, opting to return to Los Angeles to form the band Permanent Green Light.[ He later went on to be a member of Jupiter Affect.][
]
Revival of The Three O'Clock (2013–)
After 25 years of turning down reunion offers, The Three O'Clock reformed after being presented with a chance to play at the 2013 Coachella Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. I ...
. Quercio and two others from the band's "classic" line-up – guitarist Louis Gutierrez and drummer Danny Benair – were joined by new recruit Adam Merrin on keyboards. The group played both weekends of the Coachella festival, and also played on '' Conan'' on April 10, 2013. They later embarked on a mini-tour, and released several archival recordings that same year.
In December 2013, The Three O'Clock played two nights with three other reunited Paisley Underground bands – The Bangles
The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including "Manic Monday" (1986), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), " Hazy Shade ...
, Dream Syndicate
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, alth ...
, and Rain Parade
The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012.
History Rain Parade in the 1980s (1981–86)
Originally called the Sidewalks, the b ...
– at The Fillmore in San Francisco (Dec. 5) and The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles (Dec. 6 benefit concert).[ , the reunited band remained active and continued to tour.][
]
Personal life
Quercio is openly gay and currently lives in San Pedro, Los Angeles
San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quercio, Michael
Living people
1963 births
Singers from California
Songwriters from California
People from the San Fernando Valley
The Three O'Clock members
Rainy Day (band) members
American rock singers
American gay musicians
LGBT singers from the United States
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male singers
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people
American male songwriters