Denver Punk Scene

This is our place to find each other.

Check out these pages !!!

www.trashistruth.com

http://newwave.50megs.com/home.html

ROK TOTS looking for a drummer interested contact!

April 2009

New CD released "Rocky Mountain Low: The Colorado Musical Underground Of The Late 1970s"
It's finally out folks! Visit their site for ordering info. This is the second Colorado punk compilation CD in the past year... (official press release) Rocky Mountain Low is a unique portrayal of a late-1970s American Punk/New Wave scene. It is the first time that a Punk/New Wave scene, from its inception in 1976 through to the end of 1979, has been documented in its entirety. In their presentation of Colorado's musical reaction to the initial wake of Punk Rock in the late 1970s, the compilers have set the bar unattainably high for future would-be historians. While Colorado's late-1970s underground music scene was small and existed on the margins of the larger, more well-known scenes, its documentation is important in that what is being presented is a complete and accurate portrayal of part of the cultural movement that was taking place at the time. Thorough and comprehensive research viewed through an objective lens provides a previously unseen snapshot of America's musical underground of the period. This documentation shows that the Punk movement of the late 1970s was anything but paint-by numbers - a concept that seems to have been sadly lost on younger generations. Until now, very little has been known about what transpired in Colorado's musical underground in the late 1970s. Did you know that Wax Trax, who later became world famous for their record label in the 1980s, started as a store in Denver in 1975? Their early story is told here. Or that Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys fame is a Boulder native? Contained in this compilation you will find the origins of the Dead Kennedys name as well as some of Jello's pre-Dead Kennedys recordings, available for the first time ever (including a bonus, vinyl only recording of the improvised, very crude original "California Uber Alles"). But it is much more than success stories that comprise any music scene. Though a tiny number of bands from this scene released records, the vast majority of the groups presented here are unknown and unheard until now. It is their collective story and music that is compiled here in great detail, contextualized within the broader musical and cultural underground of the time. Rocky Mountain Low presents Colorado's entire late-1970s Punk/New Wave scene within a deluxe, double LP package which includes a bonus CD of the recordings, as well as a 24-page booklet containing extensive historical liner notes, dozens of photos, and complete biographies for 19 bands, 17 of which are represented with recordings: Ravers - Front - Radio Pete - Jonny III - Immortal Nightflames - Joey Vain & Scissors - Dancing Assholes - Dirty Dogs - Corvairs - Lilly Rose & The Thorns - DefeX - Healers - Instants - Profalactics - Guys - Cells - Transistors. 32 songs/84 minutes of music. All material is previously unreleased with the exception of the Dirty Dogs track which was taken from their 45, self-released in 1978.

www.rockymountainlow.com

Out Now!

V/A: 'Local Anesthetic Records' Compilation CD from Smooch!

Local Anesthetic was the name of the record label run by Wax Trax Records co-owner Duane Davis in the early 80s. It was the only independent label in Denver of the era that released more than one title and thankfully for us, Mr Davis has pretty good taste. It was not simply a punk label, but a reflection of some of the better bands of the era & also friends (and employees) of Wax Trax. The first single released featured Allen Ginsberg reciting poetry for the vocals of the A-side. The second single was by Your Funeral, who were a a goth-garage pop-rock band. But in the early 80s, Denver was home to some hardcore bands that were on par with any other hardcore band of the era. Bum Kon and White Trash proved to play as fast & loud as any of the touring bands. Frantix paved the way for the kids of Bum Kon & White Trash before later morphing into the Fluid. Young Weasels predate the hardcore scene and for lack of better words, sound a little new-wave, but a little on the dark side (the A-side, 'Twist & Burn) and also poppy (the B-side, 'Happy Feathers'). Jeri Rossi of Your Funeral recorded perhaps my personal favorite single of the lot with her song, 'I Left My Heart But I Don't Know Where.' When I first heard it as a teenager it reminded me of a Teenage Lydia Lunch. This CD compiles all of those singles, all that were ever released by Local Anesthetic, but also includes 3 early Colorado punk singles. The Defex single is pure '77 punk and both sides should be considered classic punk songs. But the only folks that know it have to pay hundreds on eBay, until now of course. The Nails 'Cops Are Punks' is a catchy number, also from '77. First dubbed the Ravers, the band changed their name at the time of the single was originally released so this single can be found under 2 different names. The Nails went on to have a hit with '88 Lines About 44 Women' after relocating to NYC. The Rok Tots single is probably the most rockin' of the bunch and the band still exists today. These singles are part of punk rock history but this chapter is usually missing from all the books. This CD contains all songs from the singles, including Frantix songs that did not make it to their CD release ..burn, and a different mix of the Bum Kon single than that of the upcoming Bum Kon release.

Track Listing:
1. frantix 'my dad's a fucking alcoholic' 2. frantix 'car'
3. frantix 'your ill'
4. frantix 'my dad's dead'
5. your funeral 'i wanna be you'
6. your funeral 'the abyss'
7. white trash 'wake up'
8. white trash 'nazis in my neighborhood'
9. white trash 'ballad of ronnie raygun'
10. white trash 'i hate toes'
11. white trash 'daddy warbucks'
12. young weasels 'twist & burn'
13. young weasels 'happy feathers'
14. bum kon 'bum kon'
15. bum kon 'forced away'
16. bum kon 'drunken sex sucks'
17. bum kon 'the draft'
18. bum kon 'slow death'
19. gluons with allen ginsberg 'birdbrain'
20. gluons 'sue your parents'
21. frantix 'face reality'
22. frantix 'cat mouse'
23. frantix 'sharin' sharon'
24. frantix 'new questions'
25. jeri rossi 'i left my heart but i dont know where'
26. jeri rossi 'it's a mans mans mans world
27. rok tots 'suicide weekend'
28. rok tots 'situation kid'
29. defex 'psycho surfer'
30. defex 'machine gun love'
31. nails 'cops are punks'
32. nails 'big star'
33. nails 'another lesson'

We are now collecting photos & articles from back then so scan them from your archives for the next reunion!!!
Are there any videos out there?