Beachhead (2005)

Take A Good Look (2008)

The Fleshtones are a U.S. rock & roll band that blends Garage Rock and R&B. They are famous for their high-energy live shows and dedicated celebration of party music. In 2006 they marked their 30th anniversary as the only band from the mid-70s New York City Punk/New Wave scene that hasn't had an inactive year. Queens is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States, and the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. ... This article is about the state. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Yep Roc Records is a Chapel Hill, North Carolina based record label. ... Image File history File links Fleshtones_beachhead. ... Image File history File links Fleshtones_beachhead. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,500 × 1,500 pixels, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,500 × 1,500 pixels, file size: 2. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... New Wave was a pop and rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the early-to-mid 1980s. ...

History

Outsiders: 1976-1979

The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 by Keith Streng (b. 1955) and Jan-Marek Pakulski (b. 1956), two Queens, New York roommates who discovered that a previous tenant had left behind some instruments in their basement. Streng, on guitar, and Pakulski, on bass, were soon joined by neighborhood friends Peter Zaremba (b. 1954) on harmonica, keyboards, and vocals, and Lenny Calderon (b. 1958) on drums. The Fleshtones quickly became famous locally for their basement dance parties fueled by Blue Whale cocktails. For other uses, see Queens (disambiguation) and Queen. ... This article is about the state. ...

The Fleshtones debuted at CBGB on May 19, 1976, and began touring in earnest in the early-80s. Starting in 1978, the group was often joined on-stage, as well as on record, by Action Combo: brothers Gordon (alto sax and harmonica) and Brian (tenor sax) Spaeth. Gordon Spaeth (1951-2005) became an official band member in 1983. CBGB (Country, Blue Grass, and Blues) was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. ...

In the late-70s The Fleshtones were derided by some fans and critics on the scene as a "twist band," and viewed as outsiders because of their then-unfashionable allegiance to the spirit of 50s and 60s rock & roll. However, the band earned a large local following and played often in Manhattan at CBGB and Max's Kansas City, gaining a reputation for their wildly-energetic live shows. Later they found a favorite venue at Club 57 on St. Mark's Place. The Fleshtones were the first band to be booked or to play at several famous venues, including Irving Plaza and Danceteria in Manhattan, Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the original 9:30 Club in Washington D.C.. For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... CBGB (Country, Blue Grass, and Blues) was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. ... Maxs Kansas City was a nightclub (upstairs) and restaurant (downstairs) between 17th and 18th Streets, on Park Avenue South in New York City. ... Club 57 a nightclub located on St. ... St. ... Irving Plaza is a 1,200-person club/ballroom at 17 Irving Place and East 15th Street in New York City that was built in 1914. ... The Danceteria was a notable nightclub located in New York City which operated from 1982 until 1986. ... Maxwells is a music club in Hoboken, New Jersey that also has a restaurant and bar. ... The 9:30 Club (officially known as Nightclub 9:30) is a nightclub in Washington, DC. It is located at the intersections of 9th Street, V Street, and Vermont Avenue in Northwest DC; it is served by the U St/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo stop on the Washington...

The Fleshtones shared a rehearsal space with The Cramps on the Bowery in 1977. The following year, The Fleshtones signed with Marty Thau's Red Star Records (a roster that included Suicide and Real Kids, among others artists), recorded their first album, and with filmmaker/artist M. Henry Jones produced Soul City, an influential performance-animation video comprised of hand-painted cutouts. The Fleshtones' first single "American Beat" was released in 1979 (re-recorded in 1984 as part of the soundtrack of the Tom Hanks' movie Bachelor Party.) The Cramps are a punk rock band originally formed in 1972. ... The Bowery is a well-known street in Manhattan that more or less marks the boundary between Chinatown and Little Italy on one side and the Lower East Side on the other—running from Chatham Square in the south to Astor Place in the north. ... Category: ... Suicide is an American rock music group intermittently active since 1971 and composed of Alan Vega (vocals) and Martin Rev (synthesizers and drum machines). ... Bachelor Party is a 1984 comedy film starring Tom Hanks, Tawny Kitaen, Adrian Zmed and Deborah Harmon. ...

The Fleshtones' Eastern Seaboard popularity jumped with a highly-publicized Battle of the Bands win at New York University in February of 1979. They subsequently played at the Marathon ‘80 New-No-Now Wave Rock Festival in Minneapolis, MN, in September of that same year.

The I.R.S. Years: 1980-1985

In 1980, with the Red Star Records album unreleased (later issued on cassette on ROIR, now available on CD and vinyl), the Fleshtones were snapped up by Miles Copeland at I.R.S. Records (R.E.M., The Go-Gos) where they would work with producers Richard Mazda and Richard Gottehrer. The band replaced Calderon with drummer Bill Milhizer (b. 1948), appeared in the British Punk/New Wave concert film Urgh! A Music War, and released its first EP Up-Front. Four discs on I.R.S. followed: Roman Gods (1982), Hexbreaker! (1983), and the live Speed Connection and Speed Connection II (1985). In 1982 they appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand TV show. An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline for Music. ... Miles Axe Copeland III (May 2, 1944—) is an American entertainment executive, best known for founding I.R.S. Records. ... I.R.S. Records was a record label, started in the US in 1979 by Miles Copeland III along with Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Richard Gottehrer is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive. ... Urgh! A Music War is a British film released in 1981 featuring performances of punk and New Wave music, filmed in 1980. ... Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand American Bandstand was a long-running dance music television show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989. ...

The band never became a commercial success: Roman Gods debuted at #174 on Billboard’s album chart, the highest position that a Fleshtones album would attain. It has been suggested that Billboard be merged into this article or section. ...

From 1984 to 1987, Zaremba was the host of The Cutting Edge on MTV. The I.R.S. Records-produced show featured up and coming underground artists. The program was short-lived (airing in a late night time slot didn't help accumulate a wide audience) but the format later revived as 120 Minutes. Zaremba's MC talents surfaced again in the late-90s at New York City's "Cavestomp" Garage Rock festivals. In the mid-80s, The Fleshtones regularly played at the Pyramid Club on Avenue A in the East Village, where Streng booked shows at the weekly "Mod Teepee," and The Fleshtones were instrumental in helping to start Wigstock, the drag-queen festival that became a New York City staple. This article is about the original U.S. music television channel. ... The Pyramid Club is a nightclub that has been located in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City since 1979, which helped define the East Village scene of the 1980s. ... Wigstock is an annual outdoor drag festival that began in the 1980s in New Yorks East Village. ...

Era of the Indies: 1986 to date

In 1987 The Fleshtones made an appearance on the final episode of Andy Warhol's Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes, an MTV program, during which they backed up famed English stage actor Ian McKellen as he recited William Shakespeare's Twentieth Sonnet. The band also recorded the title track to the 1987 camp-horror film I Was a Teenage Zombie the same year. Andrew Warhola (August 6, 1928 — February 22, 1987), better known as Andy Warhol, was an American artist who was a central figure in the movement known as Pop art. ... Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CBE (born May 25, 1939) is an English stage and screen actor, the recipient of a Tony Award and two Oscar nominations. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... I Was a Teenage Zombie is a 1987 film with a tagline A Killer Party You Wont Forget. I Was a Teenage Zombie at the Internet Movie Database Categories: | ...

In the late 80s The Fleshtones were without major-label support, though they continued to tour America and Europe steadily, including shows opening for Chuck Berry and James Brown. They released Fleshtones vs. Reality (studio) in 1987 and Soul Madrid (live) in 1989. That same year, I.R.S. Records released a best-of compilation, Living Legends. In 1986, Pakulski left The Fleshtones. Robert (Burke) Warren, Fred Smith (Television), and Andy Shernoff (The Dictators) shared bass duties until 1990, when Ken Fox (b. 1961) joined. Fox, who had formed Raving Mojos in Toronto and played in Jason and The Scorchers, has been with The Fleshtones ever since. The Dictators are a proto-punk band from New York City. ...

In 1992 The Fleshtones signed with Ichiban Records, where they stayed until the label's demise, releasing Powerstance (1992), Beautiful Light (1994), Laboratory of Sound (1995), and More Than Skin Deep (1998). In the 90s and 00s, in addition to self-producing in Paul Johnson's Compactor basement studio in Brooklyn, New York, The Fleshtones worked with producers Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus), Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Steve Albini, Rick Miller (Southern Culture on the Skids), Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs), and Ivan Julian (The Voidoids). Ichiban Records is a hip hop record label founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1985. ... Dave Faulkner is an Australian rock musician . ... Hoodoo Gurus are a rock band from Sydney, Australia, although three of the original members Dave Faulkner, Rod Radalj and James Baker were originally from Perth. ... Peter Lawrence Buck (born 6 December 1956 in Berkeley, California) is the guitarist and co-founder, along with Bill Berry, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe of the alternative rock band R.E.M. // After spending time in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Buck family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. ... R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass guitar), and Michael Stipe (vocals). ... Steve Albini (born July 22, 1962, Pasadena, California) is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. ... Rick Miller Rick Miller (born July 23, 1960 in Burns Lake, British Columbia) is a politician in Alberta, Canada He represents the riding of Edmonton-Rutherford in the the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. ... Southern Culture on the Skids, also known to fans as SCOTS, is an American music group composed of Rick Miller (vocals, guitar), Dave Hartman (percussion), and Mary Huff (vocals, bass guitar). ... Jim Diamond is a veteran music producer, studio engineer, and bass player based in Detroit, Michigan. ... The Dirtbombs are a rock and roll band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup. ... Ivan Julian, born June 26, 1955, is a guitarist and bassist who has performed with the Isley Brothers, Matthew Sweet, and Shriekback. ... The Voidoids, also known as Richard Hell and the Voidoids, were a New York City punk rock band of the late 1970s, fronted by Richard Hell, a former member of Television. ...

The Fleshtones were one of the last bands to play at Windows on the World atop the World Trade Center; they played a show there five weeks before the 9/11 attacks, and in 2002 played at a Night of Remembrance and Hope festival at CBGB. In December of 2003 The Fleshtones played at a CBGB 30th Anniversary show along with The Dictators, and in August of 2004 played Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival at Randalls Island in New York City with 39 other bands, including The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, The Strokes, and Bo Diddley. Windows on the World. ... For other uses, see World Trade Center (disambiguation). ... The date that commonly refers to the attacks on United States citizens on September 11, 2001 (see the September 11, 2001 Attacks). ... CBGB (Country, Blue Grass, and Blues) was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. ... CBGB (Country, Blue Grass, and Blues) was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. ... The Dictators are a proto-punk band from New York City. ... Steven van Zandt (born November 22, 1950 in Boston, Massachusetts) is one of the founding members of Bruce Springsteens E-Street Band and plays guitar and mandolin. ... The New York Dolls were a glam rock band in the 1970s that prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era. ... James Newell Osterberg, Jr. ... For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ... Bo Diddley (born December 30, 1928) aka The Originator, is an influential American rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ...

In 2003 The Fleshtones signed with Yep Roc Records, which has released Do You Swing? (2003) and Beachhead (2005); Take A Good Look is scheduled for release in January of 2008. Yep Roc Records is an American record label based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. ...

SUPER ROCK

The Fleshtones describe the music they play as SUPER ROCK.

• Peter Zaremba: "Super Rock is all of the great elements that make rock & roll the great and vital thing that excites people rolled into one, without saying, this is disco or this is garage rock. Putting it together and rolling it up into one big greasy ball: that’s Super Rock."
• Bill Milhizer: "Super Rock is taking the best, most exciting elements of rock & roll, and exaggerating and amplifying them beyond proportion, with no apology whatsoever."

Book

In 2007, Continuum Books published Sweat: The Story of The Fleshtones, America's Garage Band, by Joe Bonomo.

Tribute

Vindicated! A Tribute to The Fleshtones was released in the fall of 2007 on vinyl by Larsen Records (France) and on CD by Dirty Water Records (U.K.). The album features 22 international bands (including Hoodoo Gurus, the Nomads & Handsome Dick Manitoba, the Slickee Boys, the Woggles, the Swingin' Neckbreakers, and others) covering songs spanning the Fleshtones' career. Hoodoo Gurus are a rock band from Sydney, Australia, although three of the original members Dave Faulkner, Rod Radalj and James Baker were originally from Perth. ... Richard Handsome Dick Manitoba (born Richard Blum in The Bronx, New York, January 29, 1954) is an American musician, most known for his 30-year stint as lead singer of the proto-punk New York City band, The Dictators. ... The Slickee Boys were a Washington, D.C. area punk-psychedelic-garage rock band whose most-remembered lineup consisted of guitarist Marshall Keith, guitarist Kim Kane, singer Mark Noone, and drummer Dan Palenski. ...

Members

• Keith Streng—guitar & vocals
• Peter Zaremba—lead vocals, harmonica & organ
• Bill Milhizer—drums & vocals (1980-present)
• Ken Fox—bass & vocals (1990-present)

Former members

• Jan-Marek Pakulski—bass, vocals (1976-1986)
• Lenny Calderon—drums, vocals (1976-1979)
• Danny Gilbert—guitar (1976)
• Gordon Spaeth—sax, harmonica, organ, vocals (1978-1988)
• Brian Spaeth—sax (1978-1981)
• Mitchell Ames—guitar (1979)
• Walter Scezney—bass (1979)
• Robert [Burke] Warren—bass, vocals (1986-1988)
• Fred Smith—bass (1988-1989; for-hire basis)
• Andy Shernoff—bass (1989-1990; for-hire basis)

Horn players

• Steve Greenfield—sax (1988-1992)
• Ken Fradley—trumpet (1988)
• Mark McGowan—trumpet (1988-1990)
• Joe Loposky—trumpet (1990-1994)
• Markus Arike—sax (1992-1994)

Selected discography

Albums, EPs, and singles

• American Beat b/w Critical List 7" (Red Star) 1979
• Up-Front EP (I.R.S.) 1980
• Roman Gods LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1982 + CD [limited] (Eur. I.R.S.) 1990
• Roman Gods [Dance Remix] b/w Ride Your Pony + Chinese Kitchen 12" (I.R.S.) 1982
• Blast Off! [recorded in 1978] cassette (ROIR) 1982 + CD (ROIR) 1990 + CD (ROIR/Fr. Danceteria) 1993 + CD (Red Star) 1997 + LP (Sp. Munster) 2001 + LP (Get Hip Records) 2002
• Hexbreaker! LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1983
• American Beat ‘84 + Hall of Fame b/w Mean Ole’ Lonesome Train + Super Hexbreaker 12” EP (Fr. I.R.S.) 1984
• Speed Connection LP (Fr. I.R.S.) 1985
• Speed Connection II: The Final Chapter LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1985
• Fleshtones vs. Reality LP/cassette/CD (Emergo) 1987
• The Fleshtones: Living Legends Series CD (I.R.S.) 1989
• Soul Madrid LP (Sp. Imposible) 1989
• Powerstance! CD/LP/cassette (Aus. Trafalgar) 1991 + CD/LP/cassette (UK Big Beat ) 1991 + CD (Naked Language/Ichiban) 1992 + download (Ichiban) 2006
• Forever Fleshtones LP (Gr. Hitch Hyke) 1993
• Beautiful Light CD (Naked Language/Ichiban) 1994 + download (Ichiban) 2006
• Angry Years 1984-1986 CD (Sp. Imposible) 1994 + CD (Amsterdamned) 1997
• Laboratory of Sound CD (Ichiban International) 1995 + LP (Gr. Hitch Hyke) 1996 + download (Ichiban) 2006
• Fleshtones Favorites CD (Flesh) 1997
• Hitsburg USA! LP (Telstar) 1997 + CD (Sp. Imposible) 1997
• More Than Skin Deep CD (Ichiban International) 1998 + LP (Telstar) 1998 + CD/LP (Eur. Epitaph) 1999 + download (Ichiban) 2006
• Hitsburg Revisited CD (Telstar) 1999 + CD/LP (Eur. Epitaph) 1999
• Solid Gold Sound CD/LP (Blood Red) 2001 + CD (Fr. Fantastika) 2001
• Do You Swing? CD/LP (Yep Roc) 2003
• Beachhead CD/LP (Yep Roc) 2005 + LP (It. Nicotine Records) (2006)
• Take A Good Look CD/LP (Yep Roc) 2008

Get Hip Records is an independent Pittsburgh based music label and distributor formed by Gregg Kostelich in 1986. ...

Compilation appearances

• Marty Thau Presents 2 X 5 (Red Star Records) 1980; reissued 2005
• Start Swimming (Stiff Records) 1981
• Bachelor Party soundtrack (1984; Superfecta Records) reissue 2003
• I Was a Teenage Zombie (OST Columbia Records) 1987
• Time Bomb: Fleshtones Present The Big Bang Theory (Skyclad Records) 1988
• New York Rockers: Manhattan’s Original Rock Underground (ROIR) 1989
• Shangri-La: A Tribute to The Kinks (Imaginary Records) 1989
• Turban Renewal: A Tribute to Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs (Norton Records) 1994
• Dictators Forever Forever Dictators: A Tribute to The Dictators, Vol. 1 (Roto Records) 1996
• Super Bad @ 65: A Tribute to James Brown (Zero Hour) 1998
• Guitar Ace: Tribute to Link Wray (Musick Recordings) 2003
• Children Of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1995 (Rhino) 2005
• Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents: The Coolest Songs In The World Vol. 3 (Wicked Cool Records) 2007

Stiff Records logo Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976 by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman (aka Jake Riviera), and active until 1985. ... I Was a Teenage Zombie is a 1987 film with a tagline A Killer Party You Wont Forget. I Was a Teenage Zombie at the Internet Movie Database Categories: | ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline for Music. ... Imaginary Records was an independent record label based in Heywood, Lancashire, England, which specialised mainly in indie rock and post-punk. ... Norton Records, an independent New York City record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller in 1986, maintains a focus on retro rock, rockabilly, punk, garage rock, lounge music and R&B. Linna and Miller have successfully reissued many obscurities and classics from the 1950s and 1960s, and... A popular Discovery Channel program documenting minute by minute events such as the sinking of Estonia, capture of Saddam Hussein, sarin gas attack in Tokyo, Chernobyl accident, bombing in Bali 2002, etc. ... Rhino Entertainment is a specialty record label originally known for releasing retrospectives of famous comedy performers, including Stan Freberg, Tom Lehrer, and Spike Jones. ...

Video / DVD

• Right Side Of A Good Thing, The Beast of I.R.S. Video Vol. 1 VHS (I.R.S. Home Video) 1984
• F-f-fascination, Back In The Day: Live At Hurrah’s New York City DVD (WEA) 2006
• The Fleshtones: Brooklyn à Paris! Live at La Maroquinerie DVD (Big Enough) 2006

Side projects

Fleshtones side projects have included Peter Zaremba's Love Delegation, and Streng's bands Full Time Men (which featured Peter Buck) and The Master Plan (with Andy Shernoff). Peter Lawrence Buck (born 6 December 1956 in Berkeley, California) is the guitarist and co-founder, along with Bill Berry, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe of the alternative rock band R.E.M. // After spending time in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Buck family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. ...

External links

• The Fleshtones on MySpace
• Sweat: The Story of The Fleshtones, America's Garage Band on MySpace
• Fleshography (complete international discography)
• The Fleshtones Archive (articles, reviews, interviews, and commentary from 1977 to the present)
• Yep Roc Records (The Fleshtones' label)
• Nicotine Records

References

• The Fleshtones at AllMusic
• The Fleshtones at Discogs