Get Smart! is a three-piece

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

formed in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...

, in 1980 consisting of Marcus Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose. The band released 2 studio albums along with some singles and EPs over a 10-year career. The band re-united in 2020.

Career

The band formed while at

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

in 1980 and, along with bands like

the Embarrassment The Embarrassment was an American rock band formed in 1979 in Wichita, Kansas, that was initially active from 1979 to 1983 and has reunited several times since then. The band consisted of guitarist Bill Goffrier, lead singer and organist John N ...

, and the Mortal Micronotz, they were prominent in the

alternative music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music: *Independent music *Alternative rock *Alternative pop *Alternative R&B *Neo soul, sometimes known as alternative soul *Alternative reggaeton *Alternative hip hop *Alternative dance *Alter ...

scene in Lawrence. They released their first record in 1981, which was a

flexi disc The flexi disc (also known as a phonosheet, Sonosheet or Soundsheet, a trademark) is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable. ...

released with "Talk Talk" magazine. This was followed by a self-released 4-track EP called ''Words Move''. They had 5 songs on the four band

split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

cassette, released by

Fresh Sounds Records Fresh Sounds Records (also known as Fresh Sounds Inc) was an independent record label from Lawrence, Kansas, run by local music promoter Bill Rich. Acts that have been on the label include Get Smart!, the Embarrassment, the Mortal Micronotz, S ...

, called '' Fresh Sounds From Middle America (vol 1)'' (the four bands being Get Smart!, the Embarrassment, the Yard Apes and the Mortal Micronotz). In 1982 they relocated to

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The group were signed by

Colin Camerer Colin Farrell Camerer (born December 4, 1959) is an Americans, American behavioral economics, behavioral economist, and Robert Kirby Professor of Behavioral Finance and Economics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Background A ...

to his Fever Records label (an independent label in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

) and released their first album, '' Action Reaction'' in 1984. Their second album, ''

Swimming with Sharks ''Swimming with Sharks'' (also known as ''The Boss'' and ''Buddy Factor'') is a 1994 American satirical black comedy film written and directed by George Huang and starring Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley and Michelle Forbes. Plot Buddy Ackerman, ...

'', was released in 1986 on

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 ...

' "

Restless Records Restless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1986 by Enigma Records and primarily released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute R ...

" imprint. The band received considerable coverage in Nebraska's ''Capitol Punishment'' fanzine.

Line-Up Changes

In 1987 Bob Lara, from the band Reaction, was added as a second guitarist. Shortly afterwards, Frank Loose left the band. He was originally replaced in 1988 by Ric Menck. Menck only stayed with the band for a short time. He was replaced by Jay Sebastian (aka "Redd Klaats"). Sebastian left the band after about a year, at which they continued as an acoustic trio until they disbanded in 1990.

After Get Smart!

*Lisa Wertman continued performing with Bob Lara as "The Lisa and Bob Show" for about a year. Then she joined the band Dolly Varden as a founding member. Later she would perform with the Nora O'Connor Band, the Honeybees and Jeanie B and the Jelly Beans, and now plays in Damaged Gods, a

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

tribute. *Marcus Koch moved back to Lawrence and currently plays in the country band "Cryin' Out Loud". *Bob Lara has played in many local Chicago bands and has participated in several re-unions of his old band "Reaction". *Ric Menck went on to form

Velvet Crush Velvet Crush is an American power pop band from Providence, Rhode Island, United States, that achieved prominence in indie-rock circles in the early- and mid-1990s. The band broke up in 1996 but re-formed in 1998 and have continued to record ...

*Jay Sebastian went on to form the "Twang Bang" duo.

Reunion

On February 5, 2020, the band announced via its Facebook page that they would be reuniting, with the original line-up, for a 40th anniversary show, to take place at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS on November 7, 2020. The band's first concert was on October 31, 1980. The reunion concern was postponed because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and took place on November 6, 2021.

Band members

* Marcus Koch – guitar, lead vocals (1980–1990, 2020) * Lisa Wertman Crowe – bass, lead vocals (1980–1990, 2020) * Frank Loose – drums, lead vocals (1980–1987, 2020) Past members
* Ric Menck – drums (1988) * Jay Sebastian (aka "Redd Klaats") – drums (1988–1989) * Bob Lara – guitar, vocals (1988–1990)

Discography

Singles and EPs

* " Numbers and Colours" / "Ankle Deep In Mud" (1981 flexi, Fresh Sounds) (with "Talk Talk" magazine, 1981-05-13) * '' Words Move'' (4 song EP, Syntax, 1981-12-08) * '' Fresh Sounds from Middle America (vol 1)'' (

/cassette, Fresh Sounds, 1981-12-12) * "Back Into The Future" / "World Without End" (1985 live, Fever/Enigma) * "Gold To Rust" (1987 45, Enigma Europe) * "Oh Yeah No" (6 song EP, Capitol Punishment, 2020-11-17)

Albums

* ''Get Smart!'' (1981, 11 song demo tape) * '' Action Reaction'' (1984, 12 song LP, Fever/Enigma) * ''

'' (1986, 10 song LP, Restless/Enigma)

Compilation appearances

* Inspiration Series No. 1 (German cassette) – included "On And On" (different version) *

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

No. 5 – included "Eat, Sleep A Go-Go" (from the "Words Move" EP) * Sub Pop No. 7 – included "Black Mirror" (different version) *

Enigma Variations Edward Elgar composed his ''Variations on an Original Theme'', Op. 36, popularly known as the ''Enigma Variations'', between October 1898 and February 1899. It is an orchestral work comprising fourteen variations on an original theme. Elgar ...

– included "Just For The Moment" (from '' Action Reaction'') * Restless Variations – included "Back Into The Future" (from ''

'') * Heat From The Wind Chill Factory — included "What It Is We Fear" (acoustic version)

Reception

* "one of the few seriously innovative bands in the Lawrence-Kansas City-Topeka area" (Blake Gumprecht; University Daily Kansan; Dec 15, 1980) * "original, simple, clean material and an energized, tight performance" (Karen Barber; KLZR 106; June 20, 1981) * "their music has a beat and a fundamentally aggressive quality that is extremely satisfying" (John Korst; Jet Lag; Feb 1983) * "This is what happened to Midwestern bar bands when they heard the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

. Lots of beat and jangle; it's raw and rocking" (Barbara Nellis;

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

; March 1985) * "the band has a truly impressive knack for three-piece writing and arranging. Their new LP, ''Swimming With Sharks'', is full of tense, carefully crafted miniatures that meld unvarnished noise with unexpected pretty vocal harmonies" (Renaldo Migaldi;

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

; 1986) * "Dense minimalist rock featuring choppy guitars, a tight rhythmic thrust, and passionate, often eerie vocals, with stream-of-consciousness lyrics" (Jeff Silberman; Rock It; Fall 1986) * "Get Smart! has emerged as one of Chicago's most respected (and nationally renowned) underground bands" (Moira McCormick; Illinois Entertainer; September 1986) * "Warm pop melodicism competes with punky bluntness and jagged noise tendencies" (Ira Robbins;

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

; 1986) * ''Swimming With Sharks'' blends "aggressive dance-punk a la

and Pylon with classique-moderne action reminiscent of X and

The Embarrassment The Embarrassment was an American rock band formed in 1979 in Wichita, Kansas, that was initially active from 1979 to 1983 and has reunited several times since then. The band consisted of guitarist Bill Goffrier, lead singer and organist John N ...

" (Joseph Neff, The Vinyl District, Oct 5, 2021)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Get Smart! American post-punk music groups Alternative rock groups from Chicago Alternative rock groups from Kansas Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1990 American new wave musical groups Fresh Sounds Records artists Restless Records artists Enigma Records artists