proto-punk
Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music played mostly by garage bands from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement. The phrase is a retrospective label; the musicians involved were generally not originally associated w ...
band formed in 1970 by
Wheeler Winston Dixon
Wheeler Winston Dixon (born March 12, 1950) is an American filmmaker and scholar. He is an expert on film history, theory and criticism.Bill Goodykoontz, December 23, 2012, USA TodayDefining Tarantino Accessed Aug. 25, 2013, Quote = "...long, invo ...
(lead vocals, slide guitar) and Michael Downey (rhythm guitar, backing vocals).Thomas Savage "The Figures of Light," ''Savage Magazine'', December 4, 2009.Ed Post-Mortem “Figures of Light – Smash Hits,” garagepunk.com, August 28, 2008.
History
Origins (1970-72)
At the time of the band’s formation, Dixon, 20, and Downey, 23, were roommates, and the band, which at the time included Phil Cohen (lead guitar) and Dennis Druzbik (bass), rehearsed in their apartment in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in and the seat of government of Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Jill Hubley “Figures of Light,” Shit-Fi.com, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2013. Guitarist William
Spaceman Patterson
William "Spaceman" Patterson is a guitarist and producer, who has collaborated with Miles Davis, James Brown and Frank Ocean.
History
Spaceman Patterson was one of the musicians in Miles Davis' touring line-up in the 1980s. In 1992, Patter ...
jammed with the band during their early practice sessions, though he never performed or recorded with the group. They were influenced by the
Velvet Underground
Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
,
The Stooges
The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...
Santa Fe New Mexican
''The Santa Fe New Mexican'' or simply ''The New Mexican'' is a daily newspaper published in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dubbed "the West's oldest newspaper," its first issue was printed on November 28, 1849.
Background
The downtown offices for ' ...
'', May 10, 2013.Soul Sanctuary Figures Of Light – Legendary American Proto-Punks (Interview) Retrieved November 1, 2014, "...Velvet Underground/Stooges era... Ramones ... The Sex Pistols, The Cramps, The Troggs..." In 1972, Figures of Light cut their debut 7” single, “It’s Lame,” with a limited pressing of 100. The single has since been called “raw, loud, and nothing like the prevailing music of the time.” The band was unable to get a record deal, which led to its dissolution later that year.
At their debut live performance, at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
in 1970, band members smashed 15 television sets and “a bunch of mirrors” with axes and sledgehammers. They also drove a motorcycle down the main aisle of the concert hall and destroyed a record player. Dixon has called it a protest against the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
and the way it was being presented on television. The band performed regularly from 1970 until their breakup in 1972.
Reunion (2006-15)
In 2006,
Norton Records
Norton Records, is an independent record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller in 1986. The label concentrates on rock, rockabilly, primitive music, punk, garage rock and early rhythm and blues.Miriam Linna
Miriam Linna (born October 16, 1955 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a Canadian-American drummer who has run the Brooklyn-based independent record label Norton Records since 1986, originally with her husband, the late producer and singer-songwriter B ...
discovered and re-released the “It’s Lame” single, prompting Figures of Light to reunite. At the time, Dixon and Downey hadn’t spoken in around 25 years.Steve Terrell “Figures of Light Shine Again,” The Stephen W. Terrell Web Blog, June 15, 2012. The band’s newly recorded material was combined with early in-studio and live tracks for their first full-length release, ''Smash Hits'' (2008). They followed that up with ''Drop Dead'', recorded in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
in 2011. Dixon and Downey were joined on the album by Linna (of
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. ...
Mick Collins
Mick Collins (born December 18, 1965) is a musician from Detroit, Michigan.
Biography
Collins first got exposure to early rock and roll music through his family's record collection. Also, living in Detroit, he was surrounded by Motown record ...
(of
The Gories
The Gories are an American garage rock trio that formed in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in 1986. They were among the first 1980s garage rock bands to incorporate overt blues influences. The band features Mick Collins (of The Dirtbombs), Dan ...
and
The Dirtbombs
The Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul, while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup. The Dirtbombs were formed by Mick C ...
) and Marcus “The Carcass” Natale (of The A-Bones). Collins produced the album, which has a raw, reverb-saturated, stripped down sound. “It’s Lame” was later included on the 2009 compilation ''I Still Hate CD's: Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection Vol. 2''.“Norton’s Second Set of Out Of This World Wax Rarities Out Now!” The Daily Rind, June 4, 2009. Dixon explained his approach:
The band broke up amicably in March, 2015; with Dixon stating that "we've done everything we want to do with FOL; now it's time to move on." A permanent archive of FOL videos is on YouTube; their music is still available on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify and other content providers. Despite the band's formal breakup, they continue to release new recordings, and are now a studio band.
Discography
Albums
* ''Smash Hits'' (
Norton Records
Norton Records, is an independent record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller in 1986. The label concentrates on rock, rockabilly, primitive music, punk, garage rock and early rhythm and blues.