Gunfire Dance

Bio:

Gunfire Dance was formed in the 80's by two young punks, 'Rockin' Ray Birch and Ozzie, with a passion for New York 'rock 'n' roll', The Dolls, The Heartbreakers, and The Deadboys, as well as early Damned and The Sex Pistols. After gigging with a couple of line-ups, by 1988 they were joined by Jeff Ward and Anthony Bullock. At which point the jigsaw was complete.

Around this time the UK Rock Press was seeking a homegrown Guns 'n' Roses, and Gunfire Dance began to receive national attention. Like any journalistic comparison it was mostly superficial; they had the punky attitude and the gypsy-Keef attire, but musically, no L.A. Metal inclinations. At live shows they were more likely to cover a song by The Yardbirds,The Kinks,The Damned, or Gene Vincent. (live video footage has recently re-surfaced and will soon be made available on YouTube).

By 1991 a publishing contract was signed with Island Records. However, things did not go well. The band became frustrated by the lable's vision for them, and at the lack of product. As a consequence, they released a 4-track E.P. 'Killing Time', on their own Stay Sick records. Whilst with Island, they went into the studio to record 5 tracks with former Damned members Brian James and Rat Scabies: Two of which saw the light of day on a 7" single...'Suit & Tie/Till The End Of The Day' which was released on Jeff Dahl's Ultra Under Label through Triple X. But, neither release really caught on, and Gunfire Dance had seemingly missed the probverbial boat.

So, in 1994, following their 'roots', Gunfire Dance made their first trip to New York City. It was a success, with flattering reviews, performing at CBGB's, The Continental Divide (declared by Joey Ramone to be the new CB's) and Webster Hall among others, amidst the revitalized punk 'n' roll scene created by D-Generation (and their Green Door club), and other bands like N.Y. Loose, Pillbox,The Throbs, and Ex Heartbreaker Walter Lure's band, The Waldos.It was during their second trip to the Big Apple, a year later, that the band imploded.

After the split, Jeff moved to N.Y.C. and embarked upon writing a novel (available at amazon.com), later forming a band called ElectraJet. Ray and Ozzie formed another band with Ant, coming from a more Stooges/garage/punk vein, called The Steppin' Razors, which eventually folded due to Ants increasing struggle with alcohol as much as anything else. Later on, Ray and Ozzie then spent time as the rhythm section in the Brian James Gang. Ozzie also did an ill-fated European tour with Brian; a Stiv-less (R.I.P.) Lords of The New Church.

After Steppin Razors Ant took on a job as a mental health councilor at the hospital where he himself had been a patient. To his friends it seemed like he was thankfully getting his life back together. He even stepped out of retirement for a couple of Gunfire Dance reunion shows in the spring of 05. But sadly, on July 2nd 2006, after a long battle with depression and addiction, Ant took his own life. Saddened deeply by his loss, Oz, Jeff and Ray finally made arrangements for a long overdue Gunfire Dance compilation cd to honour their a dear friend. A unique talent, may he rest in peace.

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In the final anlysis, The Gunfire's reputation as a little-known rock 'n' roll gem has grown. Their records and tapes have never stopped circulating, and their two reunion shows were both packed houses. Whenever their name crops up in print it's usually accompanied by these words, 'the band that should have been...' .. .. .. .. .... ....
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Member Since:

June 27, 2006

Members:

Ant - Vocals

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Influences:

Heartbreakers, New York Dolls, MC5, Stooges, Beatles, Stones, Elvis, James Brown and countless garage trash punk bands...

Record Label:

Evil Boy www.evilboyrecords.com