JAB
Encyclopedia
JAB was an Australian punk rock
that band formed in Adelaide
in 1976. The band's original lineup consisted of Bohdan X
(Bodhan Kubiakowski) on guitar and vocals, Ash Wednesday
playing bass guitar, synthesizer and tape
s, and Johnny Crash (Janis Friedenfelds) on drums and vocals. The band took its name from the first initials of the founding members. In 1977, Bob Stopa was recruited as a second guitarist, and Pierre Voltaire (Peter Sutcliffe) joined on bass, allowing Wednesday to concentrate on keyboards. JAB defied strict categorization and split audiences with their abrasive sound. The catchcry label for JAB among Adelaide's early music press was "synthetic shock rock
"; one contemporary critic described them as "experimental, confrontational synthpunk
". JAB have since been recognized as perhaps the first Australian band to marry electronica
with a punk aesthetic and hard-edged guitar sound.
The band relocated to Melbourne
in August 1977, joining the city's burgeoning punk scene and frequently playing live alongside local bands such as The Boys Next Door and X-Ray-Z. Bohdan later recalled, "They were very exciting times, we were changing the face of the music scene and we all knew it. .... All the bands on the scene just kind of found each other. Usually it was through playing together at places like the Tiger Lounge in Richmond
, Bombay Rock in Brunswick
and of course Bananas down in St Kilda
." JAB signed to Suicide Records in January 1978, and two of their songs, "Blonde and Bombed" and "Let's Go", were included on the Lethal Weapons compilation. The band played their final show in August 1978 at the Crystal Ballroom
(then known as the Seaview Ballroom), which was also the first gig ever played at the now iconic venue.
Bohdan X joined members of The Chosen Few to form Bohdan and the Instigators. He later issued several solo records, including the four-track, 12-inch EP
, Fear of Flying, on Rumour Records in December 1983 and the mini-album, Kingsnake on Rampant Records in 1988. He also hosts a long running show on the community radio station 3RRR
-FM.
Wednesday, Crash and Voltaire joined Sean Kelly
(ex-Teenage Radio Stars) to form the first line-up of Models
. Wednesday stayed with Models for a year, after which he played with The Metronomes, Modern Jazz and Crashland. He also issued a solo single in 1980, "Love by Numbers"/"Boring Instrumental", and became a touring member with the German band Einstürzende Neubauten
.
Punk rock in Australia
Australian musicians played and recorded some of the earliest Punk Rock. Perhaps the most notable example were The Saints, who released their first single in 1976. Bands playing sub-genres or offshoots of punk music, such as local hardcore acts, still have a strong cult following throughout...
that band formed in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in 1976. The band's original lineup consisted of Bohdan X
Bohdan X
Bohdan X is the stage name of British-born former punk rock singer Bohdan Kubiakowski in the Australian bands JAB and Bohdan and the Instigators, both features of the emerging punk rock scene in Melbourne, Australia in the late 1970s...
(Bodhan Kubiakowski) on guitar and vocals, Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday (musician)
Ash Wednesday is an Australian musician, who played in JAB, the Models and Einstürzende Neubauten.-Biography:Wednesday formed an Australian punk rock band in Adelaide in January 1976...
playing bass guitar, synthesizer and tape
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
s, and Johnny Crash (Janis Friedenfelds) on drums and vocals. The band took its name from the first initials of the founding members. In 1977, Bob Stopa was recruited as a second guitarist, and Pierre Voltaire (Peter Sutcliffe) joined on bass, allowing Wednesday to concentrate on keyboards. JAB defied strict categorization and split audiences with their abrasive sound. The catchcry label for JAB among Adelaide's early music press was "synthetic shock rock
Shock rock
Shock rock is an umbrella term for artists who combine rock music with elements of theatrical shock value in live performances.-History:Screamin' Jay Hawkins was arguably the first shock rocker...
"; one contemporary critic described them as "experimental, confrontational synthpunk
Synthpunk
Synthpunk is a music genre combining elements of electronic music and punk rock. The term was coined by Damian Ramsey in 1999 as an attempt to retroactively identify a small sub-genre of punk music from 1977 to 1984 that involved musicians playing synthesizers in place of electric...
". JAB have since been recognized as perhaps the first Australian band to marry electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
with a punk aesthetic and hard-edged guitar sound.
The band relocated to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in August 1977, joining the city's burgeoning punk scene and frequently playing live alongside local bands such as The Boys Next Door and X-Ray-Z. Bohdan later recalled, "They were very exciting times, we were changing the face of the music scene and we all knew it. .... All the bands on the scene just kind of found each other. Usually it was through playing together at places like the Tiger Lounge in Richmond
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
, Bombay Rock in Brunswick
Brunswick, Victoria
Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
and of course Bananas down in St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
." JAB signed to Suicide Records in January 1978, and two of their songs, "Blonde and Bombed" and "Let's Go", were included on the Lethal Weapons compilation. The band played their final show in August 1978 at the Crystal Ballroom
Crystal Ballroom (Melbourne)
The Crystal Ballroom was a prominent alternative rock venue within the Seaview Hotel located in Fitzroy Street St.Kilda . It was run by a succession of Melbourne Rock promoters from 1978 to 1987 starting with Dolores San Miguel The Crystal Ballroom (AKA The Ballroom / Seaview Ballroom) was a...
(then known as the Seaview Ballroom), which was also the first gig ever played at the now iconic venue.
Bohdan X joined members of The Chosen Few to form Bohdan and the Instigators. He later issued several solo records, including the four-track, 12-inch EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Fear of Flying, on Rumour Records in December 1983 and the mini-album, Kingsnake on Rampant Records in 1988. He also hosts a long running show on the community radio station 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
-FM.
Wednesday, Crash and Voltaire joined Sean Kelly
Sean Kelly (Australian musician)
Sean Patrick Kelly Born 9 November 1958, is an Australian singer, guitarist and song writer best known as a founding member of the bands Models, Absent Friends and The Dukes.-Biography:...
(ex-Teenage Radio Stars) to form the first line-up of Models
Models (band)
Models were an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often incorrectly referred to as The Models. They re-formed in 2000, 2006 and 2008 to perform reunion concerts. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", their only No. 1 hit,...
. Wednesday stayed with Models for a year, after which he played with The Metronomes, Modern Jazz and Crashland. He also issued a solo single in 1980, "Love by Numbers"/"Boring Instrumental", and became a touring member with the German band Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
.