Among the first bands, the Star Spangles were the first ones that I was familiar with. They’re a local Dolls/Thunders-style rock band, more trashy, I’d say, in that way, than what I’d consider to be a quintessential ‘garage’ band. They were okay…I saw them open up for the Soft Boys a couple of years ago. But I can’t say they stood out. The Swingin’ Neckbreakers followed soon after. They stood out a bit more amongst the early acts, most of whom I’d simply never heard of before. Based on the glowing words flowing forth from the MCs, you’d think the achievements of these bands towered over those of, say, the Who. No dice, pal. It was mostly forgettable, and for a long time. Actually, even better than the SW’s was a band from Boston that had won a national battle-of-the-bands competition for a slot on this bill. They were called Muck & the Mires & they didn’t win it outright, there was another band…but they were darned good, easily the best band over the first three hours. If you dig garage rock, then you’ve probably seen a link to the site with the lineup…they blew away anyone else on the bottom of the bill to my ears.

Muck & the Mires:
http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/sspp...26themires.jpg


The first band I’d looked forward to much at all was one I’ve never seen before, in spite of a few near-misses: the Fleshtones. Some might remember them for having had a minor hit in the early days of MTV. I’ve got an EP of theirs from around 1981 or so & have always enjoyed it. Hard to believe they’ve been around for 25 years, and they don’t play all that often. But they’re good.

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/sspp...fleshtones.jpg


Prior to their going on, Kim Fowley pointed out what was probably the biggest surprise of the day: Dave Faulkner of the Hoodoo Gurus. And after the Fleshtones—plagued by lousy sound—were done with a couple of songs, Faulkner came out for a rousing version of one of my favorite Hoodoo Gurus songs, Like-Wow Wipeout. Nearly three hours into the show, I was finally starting to get warmed up. (No, this is not a Nazi salute on Zaremba's part)

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/sspp...vefaulkner.jpg