Assassin (band)
Encyclopedia
Assassin is a band that was formed in San Diego during the summer of 1983 by guitarists Thom Beebe and Vinnie Cavarra. They are not to be confused with the German thrash metal
band of the same name. They sought out noted drummer Leroy Vega and, in recruiting him, also lucked into a vocalist, his friend Pete Papps. After a brief stint with Neil Foote, the band settled into its classic early lineup with the addition of Chicago native John Osmon on bass.
Thom brought in a handful of songs from his previous band, Child, and Vinnie had a few songs as well. Assassin took these songs, broke them down, and molded each one to suit the band's direction. With a solid core of material, they began writing Assassin originals that ran from sleazy power blues to hard rockers.
Taking these songs to the clubs and concert halls of San Diego gave the band a chance to "road test" the material. The Assassin live show was well regarded and earned the band opening slots for national acts like Alcatraz, Girlschool
, Coney Hatch
, Wendy O. Williams
, King Cobra
, Poison
, Precious Metal, L.A. Guns
, Raven
, Blue Murder
, Grim Reaper, Anthrax
, Rough Cutt
, and Slayer
. With such recognition, Assassin knew it was time to get into the studio.
The Assassin
album was recorded in early 1984. From these sessions, the band released a 7" single of the concert favorites, Treason and All Your Love. By the summer of 1985, the band was working towards getting a record deal. It was during this time that Leroy Vega departed for the group Stress and was replaced by new drummer, Dave Bundy.
Assassin played at many San Diego clubs: Straita Head Sound, The California Theater, Carnation Hall, Circle Sounds, Rogo's, The Spirit, My Rich Uncle's, The Bacchanal, The Fox Theater, and even did a show for fans in Tijuana
. As Assassin continued to refine their sound, the band was honored in the pages of local metal zine Loud N Clear as Best Local Band and Best Local Song (Treason).
By the end of 1985, Assassin had received several label offers, but was holding out for just the right deal. While working towards that goal, Pete Papps left in January 1986 to form Red Alert, and the band brought in L.A. vocalist Marc Anthony. Assassin continued on a short while longer before problems with their new singer forced the band to implode. The band played one final show almost two years later at Club Mirage on February 6, 1988. This was truly the end of Assassin and, with the reign of metal on the charts approaching its nadir, the end of an era.
On April 17, 2010, the original lineup of Assassin reunited in San Diego for a reunion show along with other San Diego bands from the 80's.
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band of the same name. They sought out noted drummer Leroy Vega and, in recruiting him, also lucked into a vocalist, his friend Pete Papps. After a brief stint with Neil Foote, the band settled into its classic early lineup with the addition of Chicago native John Osmon on bass.
Thom brought in a handful of songs from his previous band, Child, and Vinnie had a few songs as well. Assassin took these songs, broke them down, and molded each one to suit the band's direction. With a solid core of material, they began writing Assassin originals that ran from sleazy power blues to hard rockers.
Taking these songs to the clubs and concert halls of San Diego gave the band a chance to "road test" the material. The Assassin live show was well regarded and earned the band opening slots for national acts like Alcatraz, Girlschool
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 30 years...
, Coney Hatch
Coney Hatch
Coney Hatch is a Canadian hard rock band who released 3 albums in the 1980s. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the band consisted of vocalist and guitarist Carl Dixon who would also go on to play with April Wine and a Burton Cummings-less Guess Who for several years, as well as touring solo and releasing...
, Wendy O. Williams
Wendy O. Williams
Wendy Orlean Williams , better known as Wendy O. Williams, was the lead singer for the American punk band the Plasmatics, as well as a solo artist...
, King Cobra
King Cobra
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
, Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
, Precious Metal, L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
, Raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
, Blue Murder
Blue Murder
Blue Murder were an English heavy metal band, founded by ex-Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes.-Background:Blue Murder was formed by John Sykes in 1988...
, Grim Reaper, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Rough Cutt
Rough Cutt
Rough Cutt was an American heavy metal band from San Diego, California in the 1980s. They were based in Los Angeles after signing a recording contract with Warner Brothers...
, and Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
. With such recognition, Assassin knew it was time to get into the studio.
The Assassin
Assassin (1984 album)
The Assassin album was recorded in early 1984 and from these sessions, the band released a 7" single of the concert favorites, Treason and All Your Love. By the summer of 1985, the band was working towards getting "the big record deal" and had licensed songs to a few indie metal compilation albums...
album was recorded in early 1984. From these sessions, the band released a 7" single of the concert favorites, Treason and All Your Love. By the summer of 1985, the band was working towards getting a record deal. It was during this time that Leroy Vega departed for the group Stress and was replaced by new drummer, Dave Bundy.
Assassin played at many San Diego clubs: Straita Head Sound, The California Theater, Carnation Hall, Circle Sounds, Rogo's, The Spirit, My Rich Uncle's, The Bacchanal, The Fox Theater, and even did a show for fans in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
. As Assassin continued to refine their sound, the band was honored in the pages of local metal zine Loud N Clear as Best Local Band and Best Local Song (Treason).
By the end of 1985, Assassin had received several label offers, but was holding out for just the right deal. While working towards that goal, Pete Papps left in January 1986 to form Red Alert, and the band brought in L.A. vocalist Marc Anthony. Assassin continued on a short while longer before problems with their new singer forced the band to implode. The band played one final show almost two years later at Club Mirage on February 6, 1988. This was truly the end of Assassin and, with the reign of metal on the charts approaching its nadir, the end of an era.
On April 17, 2010, the original lineup of Assassin reunited in San Diego for a reunion show along with other San Diego bands from the 80's.
Discography
- Treason b/w All Your Love (7" single, self-released, 1984)
- AssassinAssassin (1984 album)The Assassin album was recorded in early 1984 and from these sessions, the band released a 7" single of the concert favorites, Treason and All Your Love. By the summer of 1985, the band was working towards getting "the big record deal" and had licensed songs to a few indie metal compilation albums...
(CD, Deep Shag RecordsDeep Shag RecordsDeep Shag Records is an American record company started in 2000 by Michael Reed. They are best known for the On The Road With Ellison series of releases by Harlan Ellison and for re-issuing rare 1980's modern rock, New Wave, comedy, and spoken word albums which were previously unavailable on...
, 2009)
External links
- http://www.deepshag.com/artists/assassin.htmlAssassin page at Deep Shag RecordsDeep Shag RecordsDeep Shag Records is an American record company started in 2000 by Michael Reed. They are best known for the On The Road With Ellison series of releases by Harlan Ellison and for re-issuing rare 1980's modern rock, New Wave, comedy, and spoken word albums which were previously unavailable on...
] - Straita Head Sound - website honoring the 80s rock scene in San Diego