The Fix was an early 1980s

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pu ...

band from

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, maki ...

, and one of the first bands to be signed to

Touch and Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. To ...

History

The Fix was formed in March 1980 by Steve Miller (vocals), Craig Calvert (guitar), Mike Achtenberg (bass) and Jeff Wellman (drums). In March 1981, The Fix released a single on Touch and Go, "Vengeance" b/w "In this Town", in a small pressing of 200 copies. The first single has fetched up to $3,500 on

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...

and is considered among the rarest punk rock records in existence. They also contributed the song "No Idols" to the 1981 Touch and Go compilation EP ''Process of Elimination''. In January 1982, Touch and Go released ''Jan's Rooms'', a four-song 7" EP. The band played on several prominent bills, including shows with the

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...

, D.O.A., Flipper, Black Flag, and many other notable punk rock bands, before breaking up in early 1982.- Miller, Steve
"Band history from Miller"
Jansrooms.com Retrieved 26 March 2008.

Later projects

In early 1982, Miller and Achtenberg formed

Blight Blight refers to a specific symptom affecting plants in response to infection by a pathogenic organism. Description Blight is a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs, or floral organ ...

, which also featured

Tesco Vee Tesco Vee (born Robert Vermeulen; August 26, 1955) is an American, Michigan-based punk rock musician, and co-founder of Touch and Go Records zine. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he is a former elementary school teacher and the founding member, an ...

the Meatmen The Meatmen are an American punk band headed by Tesco Vee, originally existing from 1981 to 1988, before reforming in the mid-1990s, and again in the 2000s. They were known for their outrageous stage antics and offensive lyrics. They reformed in ...

as vocalist. During the band's four-month existence, they recorded an eponymous 7" EP, released posthumously in 1983. In 1983, Miller played guitar briefly in Strange Fruit, which also featured

Steve Shelley Steven Jay Shelley (born June 23, 1962) is an American drummer. He is best known as the longtime drummer of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, for whom he played from 1985 until their 2011 disbandment. Biography Shelley was born in Midland, ...

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of th ...

on drums. They issued one three-song 7" single with Miller, "On Top of a Hill" (1983, Babel Records). Wellman, meanwhile, moved back to Northern Michigan and became a real estate agent in Boyne City. Calvert played with other bands, most recently a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

-based blues outfit. Miller is currently a journalist based in Lansing, and was nominated for a 2001 Pulitzer Prize by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. He is the author of eight books including '' Touch and Go: The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine '79-'83'' (2010) and the bestseller '' Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock 'n' Roll in America's Loudest City'' (2013).

Reissues

In 1990, German label Lost and Found Records released a double LP called ''Cold Days'', compiling all six songs from the two singles, the compilation track, four outtakes and 12 live songs. In 2006, Touch and Go reissued all of this material on CD in 2006 as '' At the Speed of Twisted Thought...'', augmented by additional outtakes and a live cover of the Germs' "Media Blitz".

Band members

* Steve Miller -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

* Craig Calvert -

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 string ...

* Mike Achtenburg -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

* Jeff Wellman - drums

Discography

Singles and EPs

* "Vengeance" 7" single (1981,

) * ''Jan's Rooms'' 7" EP (1982, Touch and Go Records)

Compilation albums

* ''Cold Days'' LP (1990, Lost and Found Records) * '' At the Speed of Twisted Thought...'' CD (2006,

)

References

External links

Bio at Touch and Go Records

Fan made Myspace page

Band history from Miller
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fix Touch and Go Records artists Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1982 Hardcore punk groups from Michigan