Perusing the ever-expanding wonders of Musical Family Tree, I came across this amazing recording of the Zero Boys live at Ricky’s Canteena in 1983. Rat Rondell intros the band. I was there and boy was it a show. The band must have been right on the verge of recording Vicious Circle, I think. The sound on stage is nearly exactly the same as that on the influential record, also available for listening at MFT, it seems, in a live performance recorded in 2005.
I have a quickly populated playlist at MFT that includes a lot of records or recordings by people I am friends with. I have happy memories of listening to most of this material years ago and this site always amazes me with the depth of it’s archive. I mean, how incredible is it to idly jump on the internet and in three clicks of a mouse discover a recording of an all-ages hardcore punk-rock show recorded in 1983 and attended by about thirty people, one of which was me?
Say, that reminds me: Jon, where are you in your Vulgar Boatmen exploration?
I haven’t been back. Slightly busy lately, or as busy as I let myself get. Mike, You’ve overwhelmed me with music. I was pleased to find the Moto X cuts. That was Frankie Camaro and who else? I always felt that they were locally underappreciated. Where did the MFT cuts come from? They’re really very good. 1983 Ricky’s canteena gig. That was when I got all bitter and disillusioned about punk rock and stopped going to shows. As was my usual, I projected my inner life onto the world. I was very depressed and my drinking was getting really scary, so I decided that everybody sucked and music was for assholes. Oh well, live and learn.
Moto-X was Frankie, Greg Philips (later of Pitbulls on Crack, El Nino, and I believe Speed Luxury, among others), Ross Danielson (later of too many to mention) and Bill someone or other who, rumor indicated, had a horse habit, possibly obtained after the band relocated to Austin.
I have tons of old Frankie stuff on tape including that pretty-much-great ‘lost album.’ Greg told me that “Big Wheel” was a tribute to the all-night diner on Walnut, now long closed.
I’m sure Steve must have scolded you about that – Ricky’s is almost certainly where I met Steve and countless other older folks. The energy of the playing that could happen there was really amazing, because kids are SUCH an appreciative audience.
I too was one of the 30 odd souls at that show. That was the early days of RC when the stage was on the East wall.
I don’t remember Rob Wescott who is credited for recording the show. I noticed his name on many MFT postings. What other gems could he be holding out on???
See flyers here!