Punk Flyers 1980-1990: Black Flag/Milk(RVA)

As some who follow this thread have noticed, the majority of the flyers I post are from Virginia-mainly Norfolk and Richmond. That is where I was during the early 80s, until moving to Philadelphia in 1986. We used to take many road trips to see great bands like MDC, Agnostic Front, Cause for Alarm and Social Distortion in DC, NYC and even Baltimore. But a majority of the bands we loved came to Norfolk, and mostly Richmond, where there was a killer Hardcore and Punk scene which in my estimation rivaled any other city’s scene.

Maybe it was the transient nature of these college towns (ODU, VCU, Va Tech were there)- many of the people I met at shows, or who had introduced me to a great new band were from out-of-town, so this may account for it. personally, I don’t care why the punk scene in Virginia was so amazing, I am just glad that I was here to be a part of it, whether going to a show, promoting a show, or actually getting to perform on a great bill. Being in close proximity to DC, and the Norfolk connection with our friends from NYC made this area a hotbed of touring bands, and great local talent.

Speaking of great local Talent, the two flyers below showcase that very theme-Local talent. Starting with this flyer for an early Black Flag show at The Casablanca in Richmond around 1982. I remember a bunch of us piled into my truck and headed to Richmond from Norfolk, as we did on a regular basis. This was the first time (of 3) that I got to witness Black Flag live, with this being the best show of them all. The place was packed tight, and if memory serves me, this show was what today’s live club shows are not-inexpensive and packed with more fun and energy than should be humanly allowed. The openers were Saccharine Trust from California. They were on SST Records as well and toured with Black Flag a lot. Local heroes Red Cross (later to become White Cross) played most of the good shows in RVA, and they always played like they were the headliners. It helped that they were loved immensely by their local fans, who were a loyal bunch to be sure.

Norfolk had their own local heroes on this bill, and they were Frontline;their big claim to fame was to have 2 songs included on the The master tapes Volume II compilation on Affirmation Records alongside bands such as No Labels and Zero Boys. At the time, that was huge in Norfolk, since none of the other Norfolk Punk bands had that kind of notoriety. Many good HC bands would follow in Frontline’s shadow, but they were still the originals in Norfolk, VA. I am not sure who designed the flyer, most likely someone on the Plan 9 Records staff, who promoted the show.

Below is a flyer for a very short-lived band that was actually an early GWAR side project named MILK. I remember this show from 1985 because everyone there was tripping. EVERYBODY!- which added to the mystique of the show I think. Members were, as far as I remember, Dave Brockie, Chris Bopst, Jim Thomson, Ron Curry and Matt Linkous. There could have been more people, but I just don’t remember. This post is about the flyer more than anything else, and it is a beauty! I appreciated the flyers that were all hand designed artwork more than anything else. This flyer was designed by Milk member Ron Curry

Avant garde would be the term I would use to describe the sound-it was more of an art band than a punk band, which makes sense given the fact that most of them were art students at VCU before, or during this performance. The finale had every one of the musicians walk off the stage after what seemed like a 40 minute improvisational jam. The guys just looked up and realized that there were people in the audience-people who were staring with a glazed eye, slack-jawed kind of WTF is this expression. Dave Brockie didn’t get the cue. He remained on stage for about another 10 minutes until someone went up and walked him off. This is how I remember the debut of MILK at New Horizons in Richmond.

My memories of this show consists of an upside down, hazy, awkward and surreal 40 minutes that may or may not have happened at all (I’m told that it actually did), so please, if someone remembers this show clearly, post below and give us your take. I am hoping to get at least 5 posts, and probably 5 completely different descriptions. And that is the beauty of a show like this. Only a handful of people got to experience Milk (I am not totally sure that they performed more than once or twice after this, if at all), and this particular show was not like other shows…it was just weird. Entertaining, but weird.

Punk Flyers 1980-2000: Token Entry/Dead kennedys

This week we have a flyer from a show I promoted under Hardway Productions at Revival in Philadelphia, where I booked all-age hardcore shows for a couple of years from 1990-1992. Revival is remembered fondly as an after-hours nightclub that flourished in the 1980s, into early 1990s. I would produce these all-age shows  usually on Sunday afternoons.  Token Entry were a pretty good band from NYC, and whenever I booked them, there would be a huge crowd. They were really nice guys too. On the bill was Dirge, a monster band from New Jersey, the singer Jack-O had a voice like a shot gun, and they were heavy as Hell. The opener was Philadelphia’s Throne of Corruption, a Hardcore band that could never play a show without some kind of fight breaking out. I don’t remember booking many shows at Revival that didn’t involve a stabbing, a bottle across the head, or a big fight in the pit. This doesn’t include times when the manager flipped out and chased kids out with a bat, or maybe the cops raiding the show and beating on kids. Brotherly Love my ass. Good times.  Below is a flyer to one of the best shows that I remember seeing in Richmond, Virginia (and I have seen many great Hardcore shows in Richmond). The Dead Kennedys in their prime, July 1982. Casablanca (Later Rockitz, now the Empire) had some of the best shows then, and this was one of the greats. The DKs burned the stage down…and Richmond’s White Cross and Norfolk’s Frontline got everybody warmed up with killer sets. The Void from D.C.  brought it as well-I mean, look at this bill! I might be an old man now, but I got to see these bands in their prime! And for that, I am grateful. This poster was designed by Susan Foster Zimmerman.

 

 

If anyone remembers being at either of these shows, leave a comment with any memories of the show, or the bands, or even info about who designed the flyers.

Punk Flyers 1980-2000: Adrenalin OD/D.O.A./Rat Cage Records

This week, I am posting a flyer from 1982 for an Adrenalin OD show featuring some of Richmond’s best punk bands in the opening slots. Also, a flyer for a Punk show that I promoted in New Orleans under Lucky 13 Productions featuring DOA and the great Japanese punk band Ultra Bidet, and finally, a handbill for Rat Cage records from 1982.

The above flyer was for a record release show (1982) for the mighty White Cross, one of Richmond, Virginia’s premier Punk bands. On the bill for this show are some of the most important Richmond bands of the time, such as the Beex, Graven Image, The Prevaricators, Honor Role, and the debut of Lethal Injection, an early incarnation of the great cross-over band Absence of Malice. My band Judicial Fear was also on the bill, representing Norfolk, Va. The special guest on the bill was New Jersey’s Hardcore Punk juggernaut  Adrenalin O.D. I remember a young girl with a big, fluffy blond mohawk received a compound leg fracture while slamming in the pit. The femur was jutting out, and I watched some people get a little dizzy after witnessing the carnage. Not her though, she took it like a boss. That’s Punk Rock my friendos. To this very day, Richmond, Va. has put out some of the best, and most original music in the country, and just because many of you don’t know it, doesn’t mean that it isn’t true. This flyer was designed by Pen Rollins, at the time, guitarist for Honor Role.

This was a flyer for a D.O.A. show that I promoted (Lucky 13 Entertainment) at Monaco Bob’s Touchdown Lounge in New Orleans around 1997. The excellent Japanese punk band Ultra Bide’ were on the bill, as were local Punk legends Backwash. I would like to say that this was a great show, but even though the bands were all amazing, only 9 people paid to get in, with the rest just loitering outside. The hard lessons of music promotion slapped the Hell out of me on this day. I designed this flyer, with the graphic of the exploding bra model being pilfered from a West Coast Punk poster book I had. Again, all cut and paste. Monaco Bob’s was a short-lived little dive club near the Mississippi river that has got to be one of the most decadent places I have ever been to. Some of the things that I have witnessed there have left a permanent scar on my corneas. I would tell some more stories, but I would have to kill you all afterwards. So let’s just say that some of the nights I spent there were legendary. (Can you say Mammary Mondays Amateur Stripper Night?)

One of my prized pieces of ephemera  is this small handbill from LES Manhattan’s Rat Cage Records. I went there in 1982 to buy the new comp Flex Your Head on Discord records, as well as Bad Religion’s Newest, How Can Hell Be Any Worse? I remember seeing the original Beastie Boys (a hardcore band at its inception on Rat Cage Records) hanging out there-they were all of 15 or 16 years old at the time. While I have lost over 90% of all the flyers I had once owned, this is one of a handful that I was able to hang onto. It is yellowed, and stained, with creases and push-pin holes, but it brings back some great memories for me.   Next post, I will have some more early 80s flyers for Black Flag , MDC, and some newer stuff as well. Stay tuned, and please follow the blog, share it, and post comments if you have any questions or remarks. If you were at any of these shows, chime in and share a story.

Punk Flyers: 1980-1990: Minor Threat/Death Skank 2000/Bad Brains

My first band was a Hardcore Punk band called Judicial Fear, and we hailed from the Norfolk, Va area from 1980-1983. We were lucky enough to play on the same stage with bands like Minor Threat, DOA, and Adrenalin OD, among other great Hardcore and punk bands. Below are a few of the old flyers from shows we played, as well as shows I either went to, or promoted myself. These flyers were designed well before Photoshop or Publisher, relying on old-school cut and paste techniques from the DIY playbook.

 

The above flyer is for the 1983 DOA/Minor Threat Show at Benny’s in Richmond,Virginia, also on the bill was the seminal Richmond Hardcore Band White Cross-this was one of the most important shows I have ever been involved with to this day! This flyer was designed by Richmond, Va. Artist and graphic designer Doug Dobey

This flyer was for one of the most historic shows in the area. There was the Mob from NYC of course, but also one of the earliest incarnations of Agnostic Front, and Corrosion of Conformity, before they had any records out. Add The Abused and Richmond’s Death Piggy (pre-Gwar) and Honor Role, and you have a show for the history books.

This was when the Bad Brains had reformed with HR singing. Around 1990, or 1991. This was my band Throttle’s first big show, and we got to open with Leeway from NYC as well. An amazing experience to be sure. My band Judicial Fear never got the chance to put out any records, and all we had for years was a basement recording of our set. Unfortunately, that tape was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, when I lived in New Orleans. So, these flyers are all that is left to chronicle our existence. Otherwise, it would be as if we never existed.

This will be a regular post of mine, and each week I will put up 2 or 3 old flyers/posters from 1980-2000, so stay tuned for that, as well as corresponding photos for some of the shows.