News

NEW YORK WASTE, Halloween 2010

MAX's KANSAS CITY ALUMNI REUNION
- 3 NIGHTS of OLD SCHOOL ROCK'n'ROLL
by
FRANK WOOD

PETER CROWLEY was the man who booked the old MAX's KANSAS CITY on Park Avenue South and 17th Street, right off Union Square. HILLY KRYSTAL was the driving force of CBGB's. That's where it stood back in the 70's for NYC Rock'n'ROLL. HILLY let things happen. PETER made things happen. So when PETER asked me to do another reunion I jumped on it. It would be 3 nights, 2 at the DELANCEY BAR and 1 at OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD.

Night number one (9/10) started at the DELANCEY BAR with the young rockers called the BLOOD RUNNERS. Old favorites THE CRUSHER followed them with some plane fun Rock'n'Roll. The HEAVY BLUES of LOW SOCIETY was next. Singer MANDY LEMONS can belt out the songs and with STURGIS NIKIDES playing lead, they do some good, dirty, bluesy rock.

Then returning to this planet was AVANT DUEL featuring the intergalactic VON LMO with his assistant OTTO VON RUGGINS. Their music is definitely not of this world but it never was! VON LMO has been out there since the beginning and he continues to stay out there.

THE UNDEAD featuring former MISFITS' BOBBY STEELE were up next and brought everyone back to earth with your basic, straight ahead punk rock.

The PLANETS were another of the old bands that were resurrected for these shows and they haven't missed a step over the years. SUNDAY MASQUERADE were up next featuring BUNNY of CHEAP PERFUME and LOU BOVA of THE FAST, followed by THE BRATS.

The DJ between the bands on all 3 nights was the Legendary Mr. EARL (PETER's alter ego).

Saturday was also 9/11 and the show started with the NY DOLLS cover band - LIPSTICK KILLERS. These guys do their best to try to recreate the old DOLLS experience down to their lead singer's black patent leather pumps.

RUBY & THE REDNECKS were next and they were PHENOMENAL! RUBY has been battling illness that took half of one foot, some toes off the other and a couple of fingers. She is so skinny she makes BOBBY STEELE look like THE HULK! But she got up there and belted out the tunes better than most of these kids today could ever hope to!

SWEETBRYAR & THE SHIVERS/FIVE POINTS BAND/SYBIL GAGE was a compilation of 3 generations of one family and their friends playing rock in the old bluesy, hippie style.

Then came THE SICK FUCKS and they were HILARIOUS! TISH & SNOOKY were dressed as the Nuns from Hell with their 2 headed baby and with half the band in drag it was outrageous from start to finish.

MICKEY LEIGH and his band, STOP, followed them and he even gave away an autographed copy of his book "I SLEPT WITH JOEY RAMONE!" (He's JOEY's little brother.)

Being as it was 9/11, this was also the Annual JOHNNY HEF Memorial Show by THE BULLYS, who were up next. These guys brought the house down. JOHNNY HEF was the leader of THE BULLYS but he was also an NYC FIREFIGHTER and HERO who died in the TOWERS on 9/11 trying to save other people. Playing only songs written by JOHNNY, you know JOHNNY was looking down with a smile from Heaven as the boys kicked ass! JOY RYDER joined THE BULLYS for a song she wrote about JOHNNY called "JOHNNY WAS A FIREMAN". Now the packed house was really getting crazy. Then BEERTRUCK jumped on stage (and it almost collapsed under his weight) for 2 songs. Then they played another song JOHNNY didn't write, SONIC REDUCER, because JEFF MAGNUM from the DEAD BOYS (an old friend of JOHNNY's) jumped up for 2 songs! It was AMAZING!

WALTER LURE (JOHNNY THUNDERS' HEARTBREAKERS) was up next with THE WALDOS and they rollicked thru almost all of those old HEARTBREAKERS classics. He was joined by another old HEARTBREAKER, BILLY WRATH for a few songs. WALTER's bandmates, JOE RIZZO, TACTO and E Z were joined by SHIGE and THOMAXE for a couple of songs. It was as close to being back at the original MAX's as possible.

The NEW YORK JUNK had the unenviable task of following WALTER but they closed out the night without a let down. CYNTHIA (B-GIRLS), JOE and GARY were right on as always.

For the first 2 nights the MC was JIMI LALUMIA and I was only the stage manager.

We WINDED DOWN the 3 days at OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD on Sunday (9/12) and I was back as the MC (and everything else except DJ).

Starting off with CRIS ROBISON's band STUMBLEBUNNY the night just kicked butt all the way thru. The all-girl (now woman) band CANDY APPLE came out of retirement (28 years since their last show) for this and PETER said they sounded just as they did back then.

Then the OTTO's regulars came out to play. A JOE KELLY led BUDDY LOVE was followed by DIRTY & NAUGHTY (GASS/LOVE PIRATES, MIKE/GRAVEYARD SLUT, KEVIN/BMTs and KURT/BLUE SHADOW DOGS) and then it was time for FRANK WOOD & HIS NYC ALL-STARS BAND (NOTE: This is my band, so this may be a little biased, ask around and see if I'm wrong or right!).

The band on this night was MIKE LINN on drums (GRAVEYARD SLUT), MICHAEL FABIAN on bass (BLUE SHADOW DOGS), KENN ROWELL on guitar (BAGHDADDIOS), DANNY RAY on sax (MAD JUANA) and special guest lead guitarist T. J. JORDAN (WOUNDED, LOURDS). The band was over the top with T. J. and DANNY RAY trading solos back and forth that were jaw-dropping. The WOOD NYMPHS on this evening were SARINA, youWISH and SARA BETH and they were so hot, you couldn't even hear me. We only did a few songs because we then went on to be JOY RYDER's back up band. JOY (JOY RYDER & THE AVIS DAVIS BAND) was a regular at MAX's and once you put the mic in her hand, she takes over the room. She had the crowd up and dancing and the party was in full swing!

The HUDSON DUSTERS are comprised of all guys who played in different bands at MAX's back then and they were next.

WILD BILL THOMPSON (SENDERS) on guitar, JOHN COLLINS (TERRORISTS) on vocals, DANNY RAY (MAD JUANA) on sax, KEVIN SHAW (BMTs) on bass and BIG BILL TELLO (loads of bands) on drums make playing Rock'n'Roll look easy but none of the kids today could keep up with these old guys.

Then to follow them, the sax player from the original NY DOLLS albums, BUDDY BOWZER, hit the stage with his band, KING BEE & THE STINGERS. SCHEEBO (THE STILLETTOS) and KEVIN SHAW (BMTs - this old guy played in 3 bands on this night!) held it down while guitar players JOFF WILSON (BOWERY BOYS) and BIG BEN traded leads with BUDDY's sax. GASS WILD jumped up and joined them for a song and it seemed like the night was perfect.

Then it was time for the icing on the cake. A very Special "SOFA KING" WILDE JAM that started with JOFF and KURT on guitars and GASS on percussion. PHIL McAUGH (F. P. TOZ) joined them on bass, as he was celebrating his Birthday, and was joined by a bunch of different singers until the clock ran out and we had to close the bar.

It was a very fun weekend of the old Rockers getting together, trading memories and basically having a GREAT TIME! It was good to see that there are still a bunch of us left alive. We lost a lot of GREAT musicians over the years to many things, so it was nice to see there's still a lot of life left in these old Rock'n'Roll bodies!

PETER said he was exhausted but, hey, he might do it again in a year or two. I hope we don't have to wait that long.

Check out a shit load of pictures in my gallery.

See you around,

FRANK WOOD

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NEW YORK WASTE, Halloween 2010 MAX's KANSAS CITY ALUMNI REUNION - 3 NIGHTS of OLD SCHOOL ROCK'n'ROLL by FRANK WOOD PETER CROWLEY was the man who booked the old MAX's KANSAS CITY on Park Avenue South and 17th Street, right off Union Square. HILLY KRYSTAL was the driving force of CBGB's. That's where it stood back in the 70's for NYC Rock'n'ROLL. HILLY let things happen. PETER made things happen. So when PETER asked me to do another reunion I jumped on it. It would be 3 nights, 2 at the DELANCEY BAR and 1 at OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD. Night number one (9/10) started at the DELANCEY BAR with the young rockers called the BLOOD RUNNERS. Old favorites THE CRUSHER followed them with some plane fun Rock'n'Roll. The HEAVY BLUES of LOW SOCIETY was next. Singer MANDY LEMONS can belt out the songs and with STURGIS NIKIDES playing lead, they do some good, dirty, bluesy rock. Then returning to this planet was AVANT DUEL featuring the intergalactic VON LMO with his assistant OTTO VON RUGGINS. Their music is definitely not of this world but it never was! VON LMO has been out there since the beginning and he continues to stay out there. THE UNDEAD featuring former MISFITS' BOBBY STEELE were up next and brought everyone back to earth with your basic, straight ahead punk rock. The PLANETS were another of the old bands that were resurrected for these shows and they haven't missed a step over the years. SUNDAY MASQUERADE were up next featuring BUNNY of CHEAP PERFUME and LOU BOVA of THE FAST, followed by THE BRATS. The DJ between the bands on all 3 nights was the Legendary Mr. EARL (PETER's alter ego). Saturday was also 9/11 and the show started with the NY DOLLS cover band - LIPSTICK KILLERS. These guys do their best to try to recreate the old DOLLS experience down to their lead singer's black patent leather pumps. RUBY & THE REDNECKS were next and they were PHENOMENAL! RUBY has been battling illness that took half of one foot, some toes off the other and a couple of fingers. She is so skinny she makes BOBBY STEELE look like THE HULK! But she got up there and belted out the tunes better than most of these kids today could ever hope to! SWEETBRYAR & THE SHIVERS/FIVE POINTS BAND/SYBIL GAGE was a compilation of 3 generations of one family and their friends playing rock in the old bluesy, hippie style. Then came THE SICK FUCKS and they were HILARIOUS! TISH & SNOOKY were dressed as the Nuns from Hell with their 2 headed baby and with half the band in drag it was outrageous from start to finish. MICKEY LEIGH and his band, STOP, followed them and he even gave away an autographed copy of his book "I SLEPT WITH JOEY RAMONE!" (He's JOEY's little brother.) Being as it was 9/11, this was also the Annual JOHNNY HEF Memorial Show by THE BULLYS, who were up next. These guys brought the house down. JOHNNY HEF was the leader of THE BULLYS but he was also an NYC FIREFIGHTER and HERO who died in the TOWERS on 9/11 trying to save other people. Playing only songs written by JOHNNY, you know JOHNNY was looking down with a smile from Heaven as the boys kicked ass! JOY RYDER joined THE BULLYS for a song she wrote about JOHNNY called "JOHNNY WAS A FIREMAN". Now the packed house was really getting crazy. Then BEERTRUCK jumped on stage (and it almost collapsed under his weight) for 2 songs. Then they played another song JOHNNY didn't write, SONIC REDUCER, because JEFF MAGNUM from the DEAD BOYS (an old friend of JOHNNY's) jumped up for 2 songs! It was AMAZING! WALTER LURE (JOHNNY THUNDERS' HEARTBREAKERS) was up next with THE WALDOS and they rollicked thru almost all of those old HEARTBREAKERS classics. He was joined by another old HEARTBREAKER, BILLY WRATH for a few songs. WALTER's bandmates, JOE RIZZO, TACTO and E Z were joined by SHIGE and THOMAXE for a couple of songs. It was as close to being back at the original MAX's as possible. The NEW YORK JUNK had the unenviable task of following WALTER but they closed out the night without a let down. CYNTHIA (B-GIRLS), JOE and GARY were right on as always. For the first 2 nights the MC was JIMI LALUMIA and I was only the stage manager. We WINDED DOWN the 3 days at OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD on Sunday (9/12) and I was back as the MC (and everything else except DJ). Starting off with CRIS ROBISON's band STUMBLEBUNNY the night just kicked butt all the way thru. The all-girl (now woman) band CANDY APPLE came out of retirement (28 years since their last show) for this and PETER said they sounded just as they did back then. Then the OTTO's regulars came out to play. A JOE KELLY led BUDDY LOVE was followed by DIRTY & NAUGHTY (GASS/LOVE PIRATES, MIKE/GRAVEYARD SLUT, KEVIN/BMTs and KURT/BLUE SHADOW DOGS) and then it was time for FRANK WOOD & HIS NYC ALL-STARS BAND (NOTE: This is my band, so this may be a little biased, ask around and see if I'm wrong or right!). The band on this night was MIKE LINN on drums (GRAVEYARD SLUT), MICHAEL FABIAN on bass (BLUE SHADOW DOGS), KENN ROWELL on guitar (BAGHDADDIOS), DANNY RAY on sax (MAD JUANA) and special guest lead guitarist T. J. JORDAN (WOUNDED, LOURDS). The band was over the top with T. J. and DANNY RAY trading solos back and forth that were jaw-dropping. The WOOD NYMPHS on this evening were SARINA, youWISH and SARA BETH and they were so hot, you couldn't even hear me. We only did a few songs because we then went on to be JOY RYDER's back up band. JOY (JOY RYDER & THE AVIS DAVIS BAND) was a regular at MAX's and once you put the mic in her hand, she takes over the room. She had the crowd up and dancing and the party was in full swing! The HUDSON DUSTERS are comprised of all guys who played in different bands at MAX's back then and they were next. WILD BILL THOMPSON (SENDERS) on guitar, JOHN COLLINS (TERRORISTS) on vocals, DANNY RAY (MAD JUANA) on sax, KEVIN SHAW (BMTs) on bass and BIG BILL TELLO (loads of bands) on drums make playing Rock'n'Roll look easy but none of the kids today could keep up with these old guys. Then to follow them, the sax player from the original NY DOLLS albums, BUDDY BOWZER, hit the stage with his band, KING BEE & THE STINGERS. SCHEEBO (THE STILLETTOS) and KEVIN SHAW (BMTs - this old guy played in 3 bands on this night!) held it down while guitar players JOFF WILSON (BOWERY BOYS) and BIG BEN traded leads with BUDDY's sax. GASS WILD jumped up and joined them for a song and it seemed like the night was perfect. Then it was time for the icing on the cake. A very Special "SOFA KING" WILDE JAM that started with JOFF and KURT on guitars and GASS on percussion. PHIL McAUGH (F. P. TOZ) joined them on bass, as he was celebrating his Birthday, and was joined by a bunch of different singers until the clock ran out and we had to close the bar. It was a very fun weekend of the old Rockers getting together, trading memories and basically having a GREAT TIME! It was good to see that there are still a bunch of us left alive. We lost a lot of GREAT musicians over the years to many things, so it was nice to see there's still a lot of life left in these old Rock'n'Roll bodies! PETER said he was exhausted but, hey, he might do it again in a year or two. I hope we don't have to wait that long. Check out a shit load of pictures in my gallery. See you around, FRANK WOOD