Colorado Crew : Denvoid Part 2 Book

OUT NOW!

Colorado Crew: Denvoid Part 2
A Collection of Tales & Images from
The Colorado Punk Scene 1988-1996
Authors: Bob Rob Medina & Sonny Kay
Book Cover: Chris Shary
Forward: Jason Heller
ISBN: 978-1-7923-2129-0
Pages: 322
Full-color
Robot Enemy Books 
Order here: https://bobrobart.bigcartel.com. 
If you are in the Denver area, the book is also available at: Wax Trax, Kilgore Books, Twist & Shout, Mutiny Information Cafe, FashioNation, Tattered Cover,  Chain Reaction Records, Black and Read (Arvada) Bart's Records (Boulder), Albums on the Hill (Boulder), Trident Books (Boulder), and Red Letter Books (Boulder). 
Also available through: Amazon, Microcosm Publishing, Lunchbox Records (NC)

A follow-up to Bob Rob Medina's Denvoid and the Cowtown Punks, Colorado Crew : Denvoid Part 2 enlists Sonny Kay's talents to create a visual odyssey of images and interviews featuring bands, record labels, artists, writers, entrepreneurs, academics, photographers, promoters, Grammy nominees, culture jammers, and media influencers.

Inside you’ll find: Warlock Pinchers, Matt Bischoff (Fluid/’57 Lesbian), Tom Headbanger (Temple ov Psychick Youth/promoter), Chris Shary (artist/Pilot Car/Sizewell), Rich Jacobs (artist/Keep In Mind/Atomic Dilemma/Skate Edge fanzine and records), Sonny Kay (The VSS/Angel Hair/GSL Records), Jon Snodgrass (Armchair Martian/Drag the River) Atiba Jefferson (photographer), Scooter James (Pinhead Circus), Jason Heller (Crestfallen/The Blue Ontario/author), Mark Brooks (Warlock Pinchers/Foreskin 500/writer/director), Eric Richter (Christie Front Drive/Lilawatt/Turn*Key), Mike Jourgenson (Abdomen/DU Records/Spinal Jaundice fanzine), Chrissy Piper (Photographer), Julie Peasley (artist/Cavity/entrepreneur), Pete Lyman (Junkdrawer/JUHL/Grammy Award winner), Tim Nakari & Hans Buenning (Small Dog Frenzy), Matt Jacobson (Psychotic Society/Relapse Records), Kurt Ottaway (Twice Wilted), Andy Lefton (Flux of Disorder/Tau Cross/writer/director), Andy Monley (Jux Country/Acid Ranch), Dan Berger (Meanface/Hell’s Half Acre), Chanin Floyd (Twice Wilted/ Spell/’57Lesbian), Bryan Wendzel (Acid Pigs/Hell’s Half Acre/Mudstack/Disobedience fanzine), Ely Morgan (Sadplant/Novice/Manta Ray), Dave Clifford (Again!/The VSS), Jared Poley (Again!/Titanic Records), Andy Falconetti (Sissy Fuzz/Breezy Porticos), Richard Groskopf (Boss 302), Julia McClurg (The Hectics/Diagnosis fanzine), Paul Drake (promoter/photographer/roadie), Brian Hull (Atomic Dilemma), Ian O’Dougherty (Uphollow/Fauxgazi), Jack Suter (Acid Pigs), Paul & Pam Italiano (FashioNation),  Dan Kapelovitz & Dan Kaufman (Grime Priest/Psychick Sooshee), Mike Jacoby (Normal Kids/39 Lies), Johnny Seven (Crestfallen/Seven Lucky Records), Josh & Justin Lent (FIA, Clusterfux/Chain Reaction Records), Keith Curts (Junkdrawer, Llamas NoVa/Echo Beds), Dave Paco (Eleventh Hour/FOUR!/The Messyhairs/Paco Garden Records), Andrew Murphy (Smooch Records), Paul Kane (Freewill Records/Double Entendre Records), Rich Myers (Bunny Genghis), Tony Roffe (Innocent Addiction), Tony Greenberg (Grimace), Kevin Savoy (Wrong Approach, Kingpin, Denver chef), Tim Beckman (Dogbite/Spell), Ted Thacker (Baldo Rex/Veronica), Patricia Kavanaugh (Harriet The Spy/Llamas NoVa/artist), April Soll (Social Joke), Vanessa Merten Holzkncht (Vex/Infinite Onion), Bob Rob Medina (Donut Crew Records/Savalas/Junkdrawer/promoter), Belljar, Choosey Mothers, Dead Silence, Blistering Body Pus, Aberant, Linus, T Tauri, Cold Crank..and just about everyone else who contributed to Colorado’s vibrant music scene from 1988-96. 

The book also comes with a soundtrack: 
Colorado Crew : Denvoid Part 2 Compilation Album
Featuring 76 bands and 78 tracks.
Download by clicking here

Track List:

Abdomen: Gun Club Road 2:01      

Aberant: Song 1  2:36                     

Acid Pigs: Swallow My Pride 2:52  

Acid Ranch: Simon's Halo 2:13       

Again: Wait The Turn 2:26             

Angel Hair: New Rocket 3:00          

Armchair Martian: Breaking Down Again 2:32                            

Atomic Dilemma: Scars 3:05                       

Baldo Rex: I'm OK, I Can Drive 2:08          

Belljar: On Hemophilia 3:43           

Blistering Body Pus Meaning of Life (Live_91) 2:41                    

Boss 302: Whatever Happened to Fun 2:35        

Bunny Genghis: Ham Driver 3:58                          

Choosey Mothers: Magazine 2:32              

Christie Front Drive: Turn 4:06                             

Clusterfux: Letter to the Press 1:23                                  

Cold Crank: Call It What You Want 2:17               

The Creeps: Ticketed 1:41              

Crestfallen: Three Feet Down 3:45                        

Dead Silence: Faith River 1:34                               

Deadstate: Outraged 1:00                           

Distance: Consentrate 2:24                        

Eco Guerrillas: Plodding 3:09                                 

ELAN: Mudsocket 4:06                                

End of Story: The Winter 4:13                               

Expatriate: Sometimes Love Is Fucking Stupid 1:53                    

FIA (Fuck It All): Unite & Fight 1:08                                  

First Class Chokers: Never Go Back 2:17                           

The Fluid: Cold Outside 3:18                      

Flux Of Disorder: NMTB 2:17                     

Four!: Bad Situation 1:09                

Grimace: Burned 3:16                     

Grime Priest: Ian 2:21                     

The Hectics: Bathmat 2:52                          

Hell's Half Acre: Bed 'o Needles 2:15                     

Hobbledehoy: Grommits 3:00                    

Hop'd: Nifty Idea 2:27                     

Human Head Transplant: Land O' Lies 4:54                    

Innocent Addiction: Road Rash 1:35                                 

IZ: Pinball Brain Node 3:30            

Junkdrawer: Knew You (Live at the Ogden 1995) 8:01             

Jux County: Zombie Afterlife 6:24                         

Keep In Mind: Instrumental (Live at the Aztlan 1990) 3:54                           

Llamas NoVa: No Name (Live at the Fox Theater) 3:24                        

Meanface: King of Hell 2:15                                   

New Breed: System 2:05                             

Nine Twenty Nine (9:29): Black is White 2:26                 

Normal Kids: Normal Kid 2:22                               

Old Bull's Needle: Garbage Man 3:11                                

Pilot Car: Mister Manero 2:25                                

Pinhead Circus: So Why Do You Like Me Now 2:36                     

Psychick Sooshee: Hare Fishna 3:54                                  

Psychotic Society: War Machine / Bleeding Contrast 1:37                     

Reform Control: Qs 1:37                 

Rotoflo (pre Savalas): Track 04 3:12                     

The Sauce: Turtle Buzz 4:08                       

Savalas: First  3:27   

Short Fuse: Death Mobile 1:38       

Sissy Fuzz: Don't Fear (The Reverb) 3:02             

Sizewell: Any Other Name 3:01                              

Small Dog Frenzy: Bigtime Sunshine 2:36            

The Snatchers: So Far Away 3:21              

Soak: Foul Child 4:27                                   

Southpaw: Commentary On The Isagoge of Porphyry 4:01                   

Spell: Seems To Me 3:21                             

Spell: I Am A Meteor (unreleased bonus track) 4:26                     

Suede Fruit: Eyes Of A Blue Dog 1:44                     

T Tauri: Ephemeralysis 1:48                                  

Turn*Key: Two 4:03            

Twice Wilted: Twice The Life 4:28             

Uphollow: Evolution 4:09               

Velcro Overdose: Guilty 1:05                      

The VSS: Death Scene 1:53                         

Warlock Pinchers: Introducing Ourselves 5:57                

World Gone Mad: Over My Head 4:57                  

Wrong Approach: Eclipse 2:47       

'57 Lesbian: Keith Black's Mummy 2:23   

'57 Lesbian:Aloha Moose and Squirrel (unreleased bonus track) 3:30  

Aurora's Mutha F**king FRANTIX

Face Reality. 

Every summer since the mid-nineties I’ve returned back to Denver and like clockwork take a drive through old town Aurora for a heavy dose of nostalgia. It is a bittersweet remembrance of a time long since passed. The rearview mirror serves as a harsh reminder that my hair has indeed changed from dark brown to gray indicative of the transformed landscape outside the window. The drive is a sea of cluttered post-war single-family houses and Colfax Avenue, lined with its’ pimps, whores, gangbangers, pawn shops, hotels and a growing Mexican population cuts right down in the middle of it all. There has been an obvious shift in demographics since my youth; Aurora traded its’ suburban identity and embraced a more transient urban one. It was once a neatly packaged oasis for families seeking the American Dream, it was my parent’s hope and vision when we arrived in the mid-70’s. Like other countless communities that dot the perimeter of large cities in America, time has turned it into another wasteland of dashed hopes.

In the early 1980’s, one of the best things to emerge out the decaying old-Aurora landscape was the Frantix. Like most punk bands at the time, loud and fast rock-n-roll à la the Ramones appealed to bored and thrill-seeking teenagers craving an outlet for self-expression. It would be all too easy to sit in front of a record player and play-along to the likes of radio-friendly songs. Aspiring punk bands had a different approach, a more self-taught tactic often rejecting conventional methods like guitar lessons and music theory. It was a more tactile process to start from ground zero. It could be argued that the music was a pure expression fueled by raw energy. The experience of being in the same room with the Frantix was hardly a casual listening exercise; it was a blast in your face that quickly unwound every nerve in your body. The driving, gruff sounding guitar with a dash of reverb, accompanied by punching bass lines with cymbal heavy drumming behind spastic braking vocals demanded immediate attention. The four-piece hit the stage with a conviction most bands lack nowadays.

Unfortunately, I only witnessed the Frantix on a couple of occasions; their sound was unrelenting, menacing and dare I say gritty. Several authors have noted they were on the cusps of grunge long before Seattle co-opted the term. When they opened for Black Flag at the Rainbow Music Hall, their songs were the perfect soundtrack that inspired neatly placed rows of folding chairs to be grabbed and tossed in every direction. The audience was indeed seduced by the music. The band never intentionally scripted such uninhibited reactions; it was inherently seeded in their sound.

As people, you couldn’t meet a more likable bunch. The Frantix and their later incarnations: MadHouse, Fluid, 57 Lesbian, etc. have always stayed true to their roots and acknowledged those who helped them along the way. They stayed connected at the ground level and never developed rock star attitudes, always approachable and went out of their way to say “hello.” While they were a few years older and somewhat a generation ahead (more my brother's age), we were friends nonetheless. When the bassist Matt and guitarist Ricky formed the Fluid and were the first non-Seattle band to sign to the seminal Sub Pop label (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney), they were more than willing to submit an unreleased track for one of my Colorado Krew compilations. Their participation in my project spoke volumes of their modesty, it was a testament of giving back to the community that helped spawn their success. 

Long ago before the scene splintered, I was raised with the attitude that we, as a collective scene, were in it together and appreciated the diversity of bands. It was people like Duane Davis of Wax Trax who helped encourage and establish this ethic. He ran the in-house label, Local Anesthetic and released several recordings, including both Frantix eps. The label served as a snapshot of the early 80’s scene in Denver. It later influenced my approach to booking bands and releasing records in the latter part of the 80’s into the early 90’s. Denver was a unique and sometimes turbulent setting for music. In recent year, Denver's underground history has slowly come to light though retrospective releases, re-issues, and posthumous documentation. I will always be thankful for the people I met along the way growing up in the Denver scene, they helped shape my principles and work ethic. Although I’m halfway around the world and Denver is somewhere over there, I never lost sight of my origins or the mindset of bringing people together.  

In loving memory of Ricky Kulwicki. 1961-2011

Frantix: vocals: Marc Deaton, guitarist: Rick Kulwicki, bassist: Matt Bischoff and drummer: Davey Stewart

For further reading and a more detailed history of the Frantix check out the following websites:

Trashistruth: fliers, record covers, etc.

Colorado Punk/New Wave: An excellent interview with Ricky and Davey form Nov. 2003.

Jill Razor’s Denver Punk Scene Facebook page.

Alternative Tentacles will be releasing My Dad's A Fuckin' Alcoholic LP/CD later this month and will include both eps, plus live and demo tracks. I'm sure you can stop by Wax Trax for your copy.  

Early Frantix flier from 1981. Image borrowed from: trashistruth.com 

Dancing Asshole is one of the best band names ever. Image borrowed from: trashistruth.com 

Bum Kon-Drunken Sex Sucks ep (Local Anesthetic Records 1983) insert.  Paying tribute to Frantix. Image borrowed from: trashistruth.com 

I always wondered if the 'NO KLONES ALLOWED...ASSHOLES' caption at the bottom of the flier was directed at the band, Kamikazi Klones. The Kamikazi Klones were the textbook definition of New Wave and it was sort of a surprise that they never became more mainstream. They had the skinny-tie MTV look down, who would have guessed 25 years later most of them would settle into the Colorado mountain hippy lifestyle. To see their region gig click here. Image source: Personal collection

I picked this flier up at Wax Trax. This show happened a week after opening for Black Flag at the Rainbow Music Hall. What a line-up, some of Denver's finest playing contemporary Polka favorites. Sadly, my dad didn't let me go. Image source: Personal collection

The band's second infamous ep: My Dad's A Fucking Alcoholic ep (Local Anesthetic Records 1983). (note: the Bum Kon beer). I remember picking this up at Wax Trax shortly after it was released. A couple of months later it was met by the sun. I still have the insert and cover tucked away in a box. In the late 80's, I eventually came across another copy at a record store near Sloan Lake off of Sheridan Blvd. A record collector who went by the name of Guy Smiley in Los Angeles made an offer I couldn't refuse (I was poor). Image source: Killed By Death Records

Lyric sheet from My Dad's a Fucking Alcoholic ep. Image source: Killed By Death Records

Personally, I prefer the band's first ep (I like to call it the Face Reality ep).  Image source: Killed By Death Records

S/T ep insert. Image source: Killed By Death Records

Davey. Photo credit: unknown. 

Amusing interview with Frantix. The entire interview is one huge joke.  Source: Lick It Up fanzine Issue #1

Frantix at the Packing House. Oil on paper 18" x 24" based off of a photograph by (unknown). Artist: Bob Rob (Medina)

Recorded by Wax Trax co-owner Duane Davis on April 10, 1983. See and feel the power.