Interview conducted with guitarist Tom Cloherty
Shock Treatment: Let’s start out by going way back to the 1990’s! How did the band first meet and get together to play?
Tom: Me and Steve were in a couple of bands in high school (Faces of Death and others.) Steve played guitar and I played bass. Those bands played a few shows/parties etc. We lived in the same neighborhood. Albert and I went to an all boys Catholic school for high school (which may explain most of our personal problems) and knew each other there. I think occasionally in a basement we would attempt to get Albert to sing. Victoria and I went to college together and I was in a different band and she then formed her own band. Both of us played bass. Steve and I continued to play in basement bands together but never did anything significant. At the same time I was making goofy tapes with a friend on Tascam recorders and we got Albert to sing a song. That guy, Jeff, was a drummer and at the same time Victoria and I were living together and decided to try and start a band with Albert singing but Jeff did not want to be in a band with a couple (which I do understand). I had switched to guitar and when we did not have a drummer I asked Steve who agreed if we could get him a set for $50. We bought that off another guy we knew from college and then started practicing in his attic with the plan to write 9 songs about random celebrities. This was Tascam 90s shit that was really just for us with no plan to do anything. Steve was playing guitar in a band with his roommates on guitar who had a show and offered us a show opening a really crappy club in Somerville called Club 3. We did that and suddenly started getting other offers. That was 1993 I think. We played the first few years with the most random collection of bands but eventually ran across other bands who were in parallel universes like Fat Day and he August Spies who were both fantastic and also from completely different worlds. Fat Day were WHRB DJs and Harvard students doing DIY things in their basement and through the station while the spies we’re doing basement shows in Allston and really I don’t give a fuck punk rock. There were other great bands I’m forgetting but once we met those two bands and started playing shows with them it made the shows we played way better.
The classic debut LP Appetite Of Kings came out in 1996 on the label Elevator Music. Can you tell me how the recording process went for that record?
We recorded that record twice. The first time was with a guy named Bill T. Miller who we did the Xmas single and Drano song with. Those came out pretty well so we went with him to this studio in Revere, Euphoria, which I think had not been updated since the 80s, lots of dead rooms etc.. It wasn’t Bill’s fault but it came out really flat/some songs were just wrong and we did not play well. Given we recorded everything we ever did in incredibly short sessions.1 day recording, 1 day vocals and any extras w/ a few hours to mix. At the same time this guy we know Shred had us do a live on radio thing with WBCN, which was the big rock station that did a local sunday night thing. The guy Eric who recorded us and the studio we went to just worked better so we re-recorded it with him again in about 2 days it came out better so there you go. We were all learning to play as you can hear throughout our recordings. There are a lot of things I would do differently with that record but I think the energy is great. The guitar is thin and there are minimal if any overdubs but it’s a punk record. Energy> Quality
Not a ton but being from Boston we traveled between Maine, DC and out to Ohio a good amount. Our first actual tour was with the New Bomb Turks from Philly through the south (east coast). We were lucky enough to open for them in at the Middle east in Cambridge We had played with Gaunt, one of the great forgotten 90’s band, at this outdoor thing for WMBR the MIT radio station…where I remember Jerry Wick (RIP) swearing at the cops and hiding when it was getting shutdown…anyhow they were pals with the Turks who then asked for us to open for them at the middle east (club here) . (The booking agent actually said to us well I’ll put you on the show but your not really a punk band…what the fuck?) Anyhow the Turks watched us and thought we had a certain what the fuck factor which I know what they mean and were nice enough to ask us to tour with them. They were and are the best live band ever and great guys. I think we may have never done much if not for that tour. It was so much fun and we came out of it as a much better band. Otherwise we toured the Midwest w/ Blanks 77 who also became very good friends and we did a full US loop with the Twerps from Ohio (one of the greatest unknown bands truly insane). (We did a split with them on 702 which is now called Slovenly) We also toured Spain and Portugal with the Tedio Boys another great band some went on to the Parkinsons who had a moment in the UK….that tour was was amazing playing communist halls and random places where they would give us all the wine we wanted and take us out to dinner. I recommend this. Otherwise we did tons of trips up and down the east coast on weekends. We all had jobs, Victoria was in grad school and we really had one agenda: put out records we like and have fun. We were interested in doing more but it just didn’t happen. I think we all wanted to go to the UK and Montreal and Europe but never figured that out.
We played in Lansing Michigan once at a show w/ an all female band called the Fags who were great then we played maybe 10 minutes and the show was shut down because a neighbor was throwing dynamite at the punks at the show. There was also a red laser this lunatic kept pointing at different people. I think this was foreshadowing of militias. We were super lucky to play with a ton of bands. We were fans of the Toy Dolls, The Business (who we became good friends with), Chelsea, Peter and the Test Tube Babies etc... There were also some really great shows in Carteret NJ with bands like the Mean Mistreaters, Bone Meal basically house parties that were insane but really fun. The first time we played there one of the kids in the Mean Mistreaters parents were away so he had us play in his backyard. His grandmother who was pretty deaf kept coming out to see what was happening and he kept shuffling here off. It was summer and there were neighbors in the over ground pools that kept looking over the fence then Bone Meal started chanting “Fuck the Neighbors!” It was great. Lots of North Jersey shows with the Blanks, Wretched Ones, Headwound, the Bristles at the Court Tavern or the Pipeline. Those bands are really under rated. I put the Wretched Ones up against any other punk band. Top tier.
Thank you. I think why that came out well is we connected with Jim Seigal who ran a studio called the Outpost. He was a really great engineer and could get the sound we wanted. We were connected to them by Surefire distribution who used to sell our records. We were fans of a bunch of their bands particularly the Armitage Shanks plus a lot of the punk re-releases they did. Victoria met the guy when she was in London visiting her family and they sorted it out.
And it was not long after that, that you guys kind of dropped off the map at least for a lowly fan way out in Phoenix, Arizona! Did you guys go your separate ways soon after that?
We did play out there I think Arizona or New Mexico I can’t really remember no trees, hot desert ?. What I remember is that the Twerps booked it through one of the guys in FYP who split town before we arrived and were playing in some coffee shop that was never told about the show. I know this shit happens but oof that sucked. Maybe you were the one guy there?? Anyhow, we broke up in May 2000. It was not really acrimonious but things weren’t working as well in terms of fun. Some of us wanted to take a break, some didn’t. It was a conversation and suddenly it was over. No real reason to go through all that now. Anyone that has been in a band for 7 years knows how things can go sideways. One thing that there was always an implicit agreement on was that Showcase Showdown was the 4 of us. We were not interested in replacing members. Personally, I’m a bit of a purest that way. It can really ruin a band. There are so many examples. It’s not like there is money in this shit so I’m always wondering for bands that do that “Is it really worth it?” Get a job and start another band.
You guys released a lot of your music in the 90’s on 7” and split EP’s. Have you guys ever thought of doing a “singles and rarities” compilation? In other words, can you PLEASE make a singles and rarities compilation?
I love the Pissing Out The Poison thing the New Bomb Turks did. I have thought of this but does anyone out there want to pay for it?? Let us know, we have Venmo.
I love the Pissing Out The Poison thing the New Bomb Turks did. I have thought of this but does anyone out there want to pay for it?? Let us know, we have Venmo.
If I’m not mistaken, you guys have reunited from time to time before, right? Tell me about how this newest reunion for The Dropkick Murphy’s “Spirit of ‘96” show coming up in March came about?
No we never played another show, this will be the first one aside from our practices leading up to this. Ken called us and he nailed the timing. I think we first crossed paths with the DKM in 95 or 6 back very early when Jeff Erna was their drummer. I remember Ken calling us to get on a show which I think was Showcase Showdown, Fat Day, the Goons from DC the Pissed Officers (find that record that turns into a rocket ship) and DKM. I think Ken and Mike are my age but Rick and Jeff were older and from older punk bands (the Outlets ect). Needless to say they had their shit together. It was a pretty cool collision of bands all punk but with completely different interpretations and attitudes. Back to the question…. Steve, Victoria and I have been in touch over the years and a mutual friend came out to Boston this summer and first me and Albert spent time together then w/ Victoria as well. There have also been some funerals of family and friends that put us in the same room. A couple of other personal things were hanging out with the New Bomb Turks this summer and having a really great time and conversation with Jim Weber that made me think way more positively about Showcase Showdown. We are also good friends with The Pist and they had just reformed and have been awesome but then sadly Bill died which sucked but what would have sucked more is if they did not get back together. Anyhow, Ken asked and we reached out to each other gave a tentative yes and then me and Vic flew to Colorado to see if Steve could still play and he could so it was a go.
Is this reunion the beginning of something more for The Showcase Showdown? Could there possibly be new music coming out from the band?
No idea we are just having fun doing this.
No idea we are just having fun doing this.
I want to personally thank you for taking the time out and doing this, it really does mean the world to me. Where can people go online to follow the band, listen to your music, etc.?
No problem. Thanks for asking
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