Monday, June 22, 2009

The line-ups...Part 1

Ah, yes...the wonderful world of trying to figger out Butthole Surfers' revolving door of line-ups...it can make ya dizzy. They've had 2 bassists switch off tours during the same time period...they've had no bassist at all and Gibby has played bass...they've had no bass player and Paul has played bass...

Not only that, though...Teresa has come and gone (a few times)...she's been replaced, King has gone at it alone...it gets maddening...Now...fer the first time...one man will attempt the death-defying feat of deciphering the history of Butthole Surfers line-up changes.

brace yerself, this could get ugly:
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1) Early 1981 - August 1981
Gibby - vocals, Paul - guitar, Scott Stevens - bass, Scott Mathews - drums, sax
1st show:
5/17/81 Shown Davenport Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX
last known show: 8/21/81 Randall's BBQ, San Antonio, TX
Scott Stevens actually sang a couple of songs too, Scott Mathews would play sax, and Paul would switch to drums as well, but yeah...I haven't found any pix of this line-up...are there
any out there?
>no pix<
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2) Sept 1981 - Feb 1982
Gibby - vocals, sax, Paul - guitar, Andrew Mullins - bass, Scott Mathews - drums

1st known show:
9/4/81 - La Villita Patio, San Antonio, TX
last known show: 2/20/82 - Rock Island, Houston, TX
As we all know by now, Andrew quits with the intent to go out to the desert and set himself on fire. That intent never does come to fruition, but the band gets the great song "Desert" out of it, so who can complain.

Andrew Mullins: left

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3) Feb 1982
Gibby - guitar, vox, Paul - bass, vox, Scott Mathews - drums
1 known show:
2/27/82 - The Island, Houston, TX
Andrew's departure was apparently quite sudden, and without a proper bassist, and with at least one show set up, the band perform as a trio.

weird seeing Paul jamming on bass, huh?

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4) March 1982 - August 1982
Gibby - vox, sax, Paul - guitar, vox, Quinn Mathews - bass, Scott Mathews - Drums

1st known show:
3/13/82 - The Omni, Houston, TX
last show: 8/6/82 - Studio D, Dallas, TX
What many of the early fans consider the 'classic' line-up of the band; certainly one of the most fruitful times. It is during this time that the band first ventures outside Texas, moving to Los Angeles. The trip only lasted a month, but, hey, they tried.Quite unfortunate that the Mathews brothers both quit after the Studio D show after being pissed about not being paid. A major fist-fight ensues on the front lawn of Gibby's parents house late that night after the show.

Quinn Mathews with Gibby

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5) August 1982 - December 1982
Gibby & Paul
No shows

The band never officially breaks up, but takes a hiatus for this spell. It's seems they are getting the songs fer the 1st EP worked out. This may be the time period that Gibby was recording the "Brown Circus" demos that have surfaced. The version of "Concubine" on 'Humpty Dumpty LSD' is very likely a demo from the cache of "Brown Circus" material. According to sources, Gibby would plug his bass into an old toy turntable that had a 1/4" input jack to record his demos...it sounds like it...;)


>no pix<

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6) December 1982 - June 1983
Gibby - vox, sax, Paul - guitar, vox, Bill Jolly - bass, guest drummers including Brad Perkins and Kevin Leman, Gene Dalibrio [sp?], etc?
first known show: 12/31/82 - 4509 Eastside House, Dallas, TX
last known show: 5/13/83 - Club Foot, Austin, TX
Paul and Gibby are introduced to Bill Jolly by a mutual friend. Bill was a local jazz musician, but agrees to join the band full time. Brad Perkins remains full time drummer with the Plague, but helps out on most of the shows, and some of 'Brown Reason to Live'. During this time, they record 'A Brown Reason to Live' at BOSS, recruiting a number of folks to help out. There may be even more drummers than are listed here, but Brad, Kevin, and Gene (who was only used as a session drummer on "Hey") are the only ones that have come to light. Kevin Leman was a "long-haired guy" who, by nearly all accounts, did not fit in with the band at the time (according to them...hair style was obviously very important back then...). He was a pretty good drummer, though, and can be heard on the 1st EP playing on "Suicide", ...ya can go to the 'Brown Reason to Live release info at the Anal Obessesion fer more info on that, if ya want...
Kevin only played 3-4 shows with the band. his last,was on 2/4/83 at Studio 29 in Austin. There, someone throws a bottle at Gibby and misses, hitting Kevin square in the face. He obviously decides that punk rock is not fer him and quits. It was also during this time that the infamous naked footage from 'Blind Eye Sees All' is taken. Brad and Bill couldn't make a scheduled show in Houston, so Brad recorded drum tracks to play behind Gibby and Paul. Wackiness ensues...and well, you know.


>no pix<

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7) June 1983 - July 1983
Gibby - vox, sax, Paul - guitar, vox, Bill Jolly bass, King Coffey- drums
1st show:
6/24/83 - Soap Creek Saloon, Austin, TX
last known show: 7/8/83 - Raw Power & Light Co., San Antonio, TX
It was only fer about 3 shows that King was drumming by himself prior to Teresa joining the band. Unfortunately, the one picture to surface of the 6/24/83 show (thanks to Dixon Coulbourn, rip), is only of Paul...

>no pix<

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8) July 1983 - June 1984
Gibby - vox, sax, Paul - guitar, vox, Bill Jolly bass, King - drums, Teresa Taylor - drums
1st show: 7/10/83 - Nightlife @ Club Foot, Austin, TX
last known show: 5/19/84 - Voltaire's Basement, Austin, TX
The band really starts to solidify during Bill's tenure., adding King and then Teresa. They finally feel emboldened enough to head back out onto the road, after the failed CA trip, and make trips up the West Coast and to NYC. This is the line-up that appears on the 'Live PCPPEP'.

Butthole Surfers w\ Bill & Teresa
thanks to Dixon Coulbourn(c)

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9) July 1984
Gibby - vox, guitar, sax, Paul - guitar, vox, bass, King - drums, Teresa - drums, David McCreath - bass
1 show only:
7/1/84 - 'Woodshock Festival' Hurlbut Ranch, Dripping Springs, TX
The Butthole Surfers must have been a late addition to Woodshock '84 because none of the flyers fer the festival mention they were even there. It wasn't until an excerpt of Steve Fitch's recording showed up on the 'Caso Raro' bootleg that the performance was confirmed by King. Fer unknown reasons, Bill leaves the band in June of 1984. It's unclear whether the band had already set up this gig, but they do play it, regardless, albeit in a rather rag-tag way. Gibby plays guitar for the first two songs ("Concubine" & "Shah"), he then passes the guitar to Paul, and Dave McCready comes up to play bass, freeing Gibby to play sax on "BBQ Pope". Gibby takes the guitar back, and Paul the bass fer "Whirling Hall of Knives". THEN Bill comes back fer a bass solo. But wait...he already had quit?...a point you can hear Paul elude to if ya listen closely on the full recording of the performance.


>no pix<

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10) July 1984 - Jan 1985
Gibby - vox, sax, guitar, Paul - guitar, vox, Terence Smart - bass, King - drums, Teresa - drums

first known show: 8/4*/84 - Uncle Wiggly's, Austin, TX
last known show: 1/15*/85 - Metroplex, Atlanta, GA
*date unconfirmed
The line-up that would get 'signed' to Touch & Go records, and would venture out on the first tour of the U.S. Terence is the bassist as the Butthole Surfers gets their first NATIONAL exposure. The band truly comes into it's own with Terence, whose '76 Chevy Nova was gutted to provide room fer the band on the first tour. Terence decides to leave the band after they decide to settle down in Athens fer a while, which I guess he was not into doing. They don't really settle down fer long, but this is what Terence conveyed. Anywho, broke, sick with an awful stomach virus, and alone, he decides to pack up and head back to TX alone.

1st U.S. tour line-up with Terence, 1984

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11) Feb 1985-June 1985
Gibby - vox, sax, guitar, Paul - guitar, vox, Trevor Malcolm (Dugay) - bass, Sousaphone, King - drums, Teresa - drums

first known show: Traxx, Detroit, MI 2/22/85
last known show: Stache's Columbus, OH 6/22/85
After losing Terence, the band is hooked up with another poor soul to abuse by T&G Prez, Corey Rusk. The band heads up to Detroit to meet him and play a couple of warm up shows at Traxx, which oddly enough get released as 'Blind Eye Sees All'. Trevor was actually a good player, and the sousaphone he stole from his local high school really contributed to the Butthole's reputation as a band from which you never knew just what to expect. After a 5-6 month stint, though, he bails, just days before a scheduled tour.

Trevor in an unpublished photo by Macioce(c)

(endless thanks to him fer permission!)

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12) July 1985-August\September 1985
Gibby - vox, sax, Paul - guitar, vox, Juan Molina - bass, King- Drums, Teresa - Drums
mach 1

first known show: Metro, Chicago, IL 7/xx/85
last show: Metroplex, Atlanta, GA 8/3/85
mach 2
first known show: The Loft, Birmingham, AL 9/16/85
last show: Cameo Theatre, Austin, TX 9/21/85
Left in a lurch just before a scheduled tour, they recruit their weed dealer, Juan, to step in and help out on bass. Juan turns out to be a really good player. Not sure why he doesn't join the band full time, but he does return to play some shows in the southeast in September of 1985, when Kramer can't pull off the pre-Europe tour of the US. Hence, through August and September of 1985, the band technically has two bassists, Juan and Kramer.

A rare photo with Juan...he seems to be saying..."errr...why am I here?"

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13) August 1985 - November 1985
Gibby - vox, sax, Paul - guitar, vox, Kramer bass, King - drums, Teresa - drums

mach 1

first show: Danceteria, NYC 8/24/85
last known show: Undergorund Railroad, Morgantown, WV 9/6/85
mach 2:
first show: Circle A Ranch, Dallas, TX 9/27/85
last show: 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN 11/24/85
Kramer sets up and tours with the band on their first European excursion. He's got a studio to run, and it never is really clear if his tenure wasn't just helping the band out, whilst also getting to hang out in Europe in the fall. Either way, he plays with the band about as long as some of the other bassists who actually INTENDED to stay, so kudos to him! The problem arises when, not only Kramer leaves, but Teresa decides to bail as well. It's unclear whether her intent was to merely take a hiatus or quit altogether, but it seems like the latter, as they get a replacement fer her...

A rare photo with Kramer [mach 2] in the UK

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14) December 1985-April 1986
Gibby - vox, guitar, sax, Paul - guitar, vox, Jeffrey Pinkus - bass, King - Drums, Cabbage - drums
first show: 1/10/86 - Metroplex, Atlanta, GA
last known show: 3/31/86 - I-Beam, San Francisco, CA

The departure of Kramer was a lot easier fer the band to deal with than was the departure of Teresa. They don't play any show between November and January, which was the longest break since the Mathews boys quit. They are still hanging out in the Athens area, and recruit two Atlanta natives in Jeff Pinkus (suggested by eventual Daddy Longhead guitarist, Jimbo Young) and Kytha Gernatt, also known as Cabbage. The band was staying at Cabbage's loft and had gotten to know lots of local artists and bands in the ATL scene. Cabbage was in a band called Easturn Stars [sic] with, among others, Kathleen Lynch. Story has it, they were trying to recruit Kathleen to join the band as 2nd drummer, but wires got crossed and Cabbage thought she was being asked to join. Rather than lose their place to stay, they ran with it, and Cabbage joined as full time 2nd drummer. Kathleen, would make her debut dancing during this time, at the infamous "sex show" at Danceteria, but she wouldn't join the band officially until 1987.
Anywho, after a tour of the West Coast, the band was making its way back east, preparing fer their 2nd tour of Europe and gigging their way back to NYC fer departure to the UK. Problems began to arise when Cabbage's lack of hygiene and refusal to wash her clothes caused a big stink with the band (>snort-snort...i got a million of 'em<). They dropped her off at a bus station in Knoxville, TN and made their way to NY, and Europe, as a 4 piece.

Picture with Cabbage & Jeff included in 'God's Favorite Dog' Promos

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here's part one fer ya...part two coming shortly!

















































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