davis white’s band history
Here they are, in response to the many
queries. Blink and you would have missed some of these groups.
I’m working on archiving some mp3’s as only Lorelei
and Alice Despard are currently available on CD. Repercussion
and RDK will be available as CDR’s sometime. The musical
arc runs from hardcore/new wave through semi-metal and britpop,
finally landing somewhere in a field of indiepop and electronic
blips.
1981-1982 + Contaminated Product
A guitar/drum duo that played new wave
covers and a few originals - poorly.
Concerts of note:
Con/Pro played 3 parties, at one of the
parties we played as backed up group to David Brockie who would
later move to Richmond to form Death Piggie and then GWAR.
1981-1983 Media Disease
A loud/hard/fast thrash quartet.
Releases:
"Mixed Nuts Don't Crack" lp
Compilation on Outside Records
"bootleg double 7"
on German Label Lost and Found
Concerts of note:
Mixed Nuts LP Release Show at Niteclub 9:
30
Opened for Faith and Void at the Wilson
Center
Government Issue at Oscar’s Eye
1983 Flying Rats
HarDCore quartet. We only had 4
practices. Greg from Cereal Killers was on bass, I don't
remember the other two guys names. I remember they had to leave
town suddenly.
1984 Malefice
Thrash/speedmetal quartet. I was the 2nd
of 3 or 4 drummers that they had.
Releases:
"Overboard” ep DSI records
"Lotus Blossom lp on a German label
Concerts of note:
Opened for Husker Do
4th of July "Rock Against
Reagan" with Reagan Youth at the Lincoln Memorial
Played a few Wilson Center shows
John Cobbett, DW,
Danny Cobbett
1984-1985 Vagrants
A George Mason University 7 man college
combo. New wave songs mostly.
Releases:
Recorded one unreleased demo.
Concerts of note:
Played at one party but the bass player
didn't make it.
1984 N.A.M .
The only NOVA all Vietnamese thrash band.
Releases:
N.A.M had one small run cassette release,
I was the session drummer as there was apparently a shortage of
Vietnamese thrash drummers.
1985 Uruku
offensive rock quartet
Releases:
"exhumed lunch ep" DSI records
Concerts of note:
Picket Inn Fairfax VA
4th of July Smoke-in at the Lincoln
Memorial Grounds (Both performances were cancelled just prior
to showtime)
1985-1986 13 (Thirteen)
Speedmetal/pop/jokes band
Releases:
Several Cassette Demo Releases
Concerts of note:
Battle of the Bands at the Reston
Community Center and South Lakes High School
First Dag Nasty show ever
Also played with Dain Bramage
Popular in Harrisburg PA, found a hard
time getting DC shows.
1986-1989 Foundation
Cartoonists out on a lark quartet then
DCore trio. Actually a more serious re-named version of
Thirteen. Same line-up briefly.
Releases:
"Voyage" mini lp Fartblossom
Enterprises
"Tied up with a Monkey" lp DSI
records
Concerts of note:
With Gray Matter and Government Issue at
the Bethesda Community Center
With Black Out at DC Space
Foundation also had a hard time getting
shows, encouraging retailers to “file under
emo-core” somewhat alienated us from the no-fun-allowed
elite controlling the CD punk scene at the time.
1988-1991 Repercussion
A hardcore/emo band, then rock quartet
and 5 piece. I was the singer, not the drummer.
Releases:
"The most hardcore allowed by
law" demo cassette (the title was tongue-in-cheek)
"Black Pond Session" demo
"Trees and Flowers" cassette
"Not a Happy Man" cassette
Concerts of note:
Last Government Issue show Niteclub 9:30
Avail, Remission, lots of benefit shows
1989 Lawnchair Groupy
A short-lived demo project with Ron from
Foundation, who was beginning to flex his considerable
songwriting muscle. With a proper drummer (Derrick) and bass
player (Dave, also from Foundation but not at the same time as
Ron) this group became the mighty Branch Manager.
They played their 1st show opening for Repercussion on a
dangerous sleet-covered night at dc space.
1991-1996 Lorelei
Power shoegazer trio, although originally
begun as a 5 piece with me on mandolin.
Releases:
"bitter air ep."
"asleep ep."
"everyone must touch the stove"
cd - all on Slumberland records
Lorelei also appears on numerous comp
tracks
Concerts of note:
Opened for Slowdive, The Wedding Present,
Yo La Tango
Where are they now?
The various band members are always busy
with new projects:
1995-1996 Peter Kusek
I played drums and did some engineering
for Peter. We had quite a few practices but no live set
resulted.
Releases:
None, there are several musical gems
unreleased which are well worth hearing though.
Concerts of note:
We only played one live improv set at a
Black Cat, a "Futurist Takedown."
1995-1999 Rambling Shadows
Late 70's revivalists via garage rock
originals
Releases:
"Bumper to Bumper Hits" galaxy
hut cd
"Welcome to the Big Ring" DC
messenger cd
Concerts of note:
One at the Black Cat, several at Galaxy
Hut
Amazingly - the Shadows is the only band
where I am the youngest member, albet by only a few months. The shadows reunited in 2004.
DW, Jay Moglia, Scott Wingo, Charles
Steck
1996 Glass Bottom Boats
A solo recording project with a little
help from some of my favorite musical friends. Odd-ball vocal
numbers and electronic time fillers.
Releases:
"Grosse Puppenhaus Sessions"
cassette
Matt Dingee, Stephen Gardner, DW
1999-2002 Alice Despard Group
I try my hand as “small-time local
hack drummer for hire” in the words of bass player Sean
O’Brien.
In an ironic twist, I occasionally
fill-in as drummer for Sean’s I
See Spots combo.
Releases:
Concerts of note:
Played with John of They Might be Giants,
also Canyon and Sarah Azara
2001-2003 rdk
Mostly a free-time recording project.
Experimental electronic music, the usual pornography...
Releases:
“Mixed Signals” cd-r should
be complete in 2003
Concerts of note:
Signal 66 - December 2000
Art-O-Matic - November 2002
I’m still trying to figure out
exactly how? to play this stuff live without looking like a
fool.
