Bad Radio was a four-piece, American

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer stat ...

band that formed in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

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 ...

in 1986. The band is most notable for having featured future Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder as its lead singer from 1988–1990. The band was a popular live band in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

, but never released a record on a

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

History

Bad Radio was formed in 1986 by vocalist Keith Wood, guitarist Dave George, bassist Dave Silva, and drummer Joey Ponchetti. The music of the original incarnation of the band was influenced by Duran Duran.

Colapinto, John John Colapinto (born in 1958) is a Canadian journalist, author and novelist and a staff writer at ''The New Yorker''. In 2000, he wrote the ''New York Times'' bestseller '' As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl'', which exposed ...

"Pearl Jam's Mystery Man"
''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''. November 28, 1996. Between 1988 and 1990, future Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder was the vocalist. After Vedder joined Bad Radio, the band moved on to a more

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

sound influenced by the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

. During his time with the band he premiered the song " Better Man", which would later be recorded with Pearl Jam. In 1989, the band released a 4-song

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

tape which has been dubbed the ''Tower Records Demo''Tower Records Demo original j-card
due to it being sold locally in San Diego

Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Recor ...

stores for about a year. Later that year the band released another demo tape titled ''What the Funk''. The demo tape was funded after winning a battle of the bands contest held by San Diego radio station

91X XETRA-FM (91.1 MHz), branded as 91X, and sometimes identified as XTRA-FM, is an English-language radio station licensed to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It airs an alternative rock radio format. The studios and offices are on Cornerstone Cour ...

. The demo tape included recordings of songs titled, "I'm Alive", "Homeless", "What the Funk", and "Believe You Me". Vedder's last show with the band was February 11, 1990. After Vedder left, original band vocalist Keith Wood replaced him, and the band relocated to Hollywood, where the band was joined by a new drummer, Dawn Richardson. Richardson would later join the 4 Non Blondes.

Band members

* Dave George –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

(1986–1990) * Joey Ponchetti – drums (1986–1990) * Dave Silva – bass (1986–1990) * Keith Wood – vocals (1986–1988, 1990) * Petey Bates - Keyboards (1986-1988) * Eddie Vedder – vocals (1988–1990) * Dawn Richardson – drums (1990)

Discography

* ''Tower Records Demo'' (1989) * ''What the Funk Demo'' (1989)

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bad Radio Alternative rock groups from California Musical groups disestablished in 1990 Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups from San Diego Musical quartets 1986 establishments in California

History

Band members

Discography

See also

Notes and references