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Screamers, a Missing Link of Los Angeles Punk, Is Missing No More
An archival release marks the technical debut of a band that helped build a scene, 44 years later.
K.K. Barrett and Tommy Gear of Screamers. The Los Angeles punk band is putting out its first-ever release, “Screamers Demo Hollywood 1977.”Credit.Photographs by Elizabeth Weinberg for The New York Times
By Nate Rogers
April 14, 2021, 10:00 a.m. ET
K.K. Barrett hadn’t spoken to Tommy Gear in two decades when he reached out about releasing a secret stash of their old music. There were no hard feelings the two had simply grown apart over the years but it was tricky business, regardless. Their band, Screamers, was something of a phantom in the history of Los Angeles punk rock.
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These influential but under-documented L.A. punks finally get a proper release, and the five demos here reveal an adventurous band pushing the boundaries of punk orthodoxy.
Outside of crude bootlegs of sub-demo quality and grainy videos, the Screamers have existed mainly in wistful anecdotes conveyed by California punk royalty like Jello Biafra, Exene Cervenka, and Pat Smear, who claim the bandâs outsized influence and lament their lack of proper documentation. Despite never recording an official album or single, Superior Viaduct has unearthed the closest approximation of such with
Screamers Demo Hollywood 1977, a collection of five demo tracks recorded at the bandâs outset.
Hi folks!
Since I have now completed my two countdown radio shows for the Top 50 albums of 2020 see the big takeover “radio” button above to hear one song from each! here is my complete list of the 180 best albums, 100 best archive/retrospective/reissue releases, and 100 best stand-alone singles and EPs of this previous year my best bets on another great year for music, old and new.
And in one of the worst years of our lifetimes, here’s a small tip of my well-worn ballcap in profound gratitude to the artists below, for giving us this music to listen to while stuck at home. Perhaps half the below had already been recorded and was in process before COVID-19 shut us all down, which also curtailed many a scheduled recording session to go with all the cancelled tours.