Mirrors (a.k.a. the Mirrors) was an American rock band from

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, United States, forming in 1971 and originally active playing live gigs between 1972 - 1975. Their sound has been described as " psychedelic garage" and " proto-punk". In his review of a 2009 LP of their 1970's material for ''

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'' former ''

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'' editor Mark Murrmann described them as "not as bent as the Electric Eels...nor as throttling as

Rocket from the Tombs Rocket from the Tombs (or RFTT) is an American rock band originally active from mid-1974 to mid-1975 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The band was reconstituted several times with various line-ups starting in 2003. Heralded as an important p ...

." The band's founder, Jaime Klimek, who sang and played guitar, said they "were ferociously loud." The other members were Jim Crook, guitar; Mike Weldon (who started ''

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'' magazine in 1980), drums; and a succession of bassists -- first Craig Bell (later of Rocket from the Tombs), followed briefly by Paul Marotta, who soon switched to keyboards (and also played with the Electric Eels), then

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(who later played guitar in

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...

), then Bell again, and finally Jones again. In some of their recordings Jones played drums. They played original songs and covers originally by

the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise ...

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

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 ...

and Brian Eno among others. After they broke up Klimek, Jones, Marotta, other former members of the Electric Eels and

Anton Fier Anton Fier (June 20, 1956 – September 14, 2022) was an American drummer, producer, composer, and bandleader. Family Fier, known as Tony, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ruthe Marie Fier and Anton J. Fier Jr., a former Marine and electrician. ...

formed

the Styrenes The Styrenes are an American proto-punk rock band, formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1975, by former members of other local underground scene bands, electric eels and Mirrors.Jäger, Rolf"Styrenes—A Brief History", ''Rent a Dog''. Retrieved on Dec ...

. In 2013 and 2014 Klimek, Crook, Bell and other musicians played some reunion shows in Cleveland. Their only release when the band existed was a 7" single on Heathen Records: "Shirley" b/w "She Smiled Wild." Between 1986-88, the original lineup, produced by Marotta, recorded the album ''Another Nail in the Coffin'', which only saw limited release in 1989 before the Dutch record label went bankrupt. In 1997 Scat Records released ''Those Were Different Times: Cleveland 1972-1976'', a CD with songs by Mirrors, the electric eels and the Styrenes. In 2001 Mirrors put out ''Hands in My Pockets'', a 19-song CD of material they had recorded in the 1970s. Mostly made up of studio tracks, it also included some home recordings and live material. In 2004

ROIR ROIR (pronounced "roar"), or Reachout International Records, is a New York City-based independent record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper. Background ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label ex ...

released ''Another Nail in the Coffin'', a reissue of the 1989 album plus a second CD with demos, live tracks and alternate takes. In 2009 Violent Times Records issued ''Something That Would Never Do'', a limited edition LP of previously released songs recorded 1974-75.

Discography

* "Shirley" b/w "She Smiled Wild", 7" single (1975) Heathen Records * ''Another Nail in the Coffin'', LP (1989) Resonance (Neth.) * ''Those Were Different Times: Cleveland 1972-1976'', compilation CD (1997 archival) Scat * ''Hands in My Pockets'', CD (2001, archival 1970's) Overground Records (UK) *''Another Nail in the Coffin'', 2x CD (2004, archival) ROIR * ''Something That Would Never Do'', LP (2009, archival 1970's) Violent Times * "Slow Down" 1974 Mirrors track on Craig Bell's archival LP, "aka Darwin Layne" ever/never Records (2016)

References

{{Reflist Musical groups from Cleveland Punk rock groups from Ohio Protopunk groups Musical groups established in 1973