Lou Miami
Encyclopedia
Lou Miami was an American
punk
musician
based in Boston
, Massachusetts
. His group, The Kozmetix, was popular on the local scene and released two EPs
. He combined a rough punk sound with a glam
-influenced choice of clothing.
at the time, the Kozmetix regularly played at The Rathskeller
, the Channel, Jonathan Swifts, Cantones, and Spit as well as New York
venues such as the Peppermint Lounge, and the old Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island
. Lou Miami and the Kozmetix also regularly played the Inn-Square Men's Bar in Inman Square
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
In The Kozmetix, Miami was the lead singer, Jack Rootoo played lead guitar
, H.P. (aka Helen Privett) bass guitar
, Dolores Paradise organ
, and Laural Blanchard drum
s.
During the band's touring years of 1979–1981 the Kozmetix line-up was Miami on vocals, Rootoo guitar, Bill Norcott on bass and Melody Chisholm on drums. Norcott and Chisholm were previously members of Phobia. This line-up had a regular Monday night gig at Cantones for two years, as well as appearing at numerous clubs in the Boston area. The group was managed by Joan Martin.
Their first single
"Fascist Lover" b/w "To Sir with Love" was sold in a white plastic cosmetics bag that mimicked a Lord & Taylor
shopping bag. "Fascist Lover" contained the lyrics
, "A fascist lover that made my mother, and then my mother made me." Their album
Lou Miami & The Kozmetix was produced
by Ann Prim and Karen Kirby, both from the Boston based band November Group
.
On their second album, Rituals, the band consisted of Miami, lead singer; Rootoo, lead guitar; H.P., bass guitar; Laurel Blanchard, drums; and Toby Ingalls, rhythm guitars. Additional musicians used were Chris Spedding
and Kristi Rose.
of "One Hundred Years from Today" was done in a retro
style, imitating the voice and music of singers from the 1920s.
in August 1995. Jack Rootoo (Richard J. Galvin) died of esophageal cancer
in Massachusetts on June 13, 2008, at the age of 51.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
based in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. His group, The Kozmetix, was popular on the local scene and released two EPs
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...
. He combined a rough punk sound with a glam
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
-influenced choice of clothing.
Career
As was typical for many punk bandsMusical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
at the time, the Kozmetix regularly played at The Rathskeller
The Rathskeller
The Rathskeller was a Kenmore Square live music venue in Boston, Massachusetts that was open from 1974 to 1997. As implied by its name "Ratskeller" , the Rathskeller was a dimly-lit establishment...
, the Channel, Jonathan Swifts, Cantones, and Spit as well as New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
venues such as the Peppermint Lounge, and the old Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. Lou Miami and the Kozmetix also regularly played the Inn-Square Men's Bar in Inman Square
Inman Square
Inman Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It lies north of Central Square, at the junction of Cambridge, Hampshire, and Inman Streets near the Cambridge–Somerville border.-Location:...
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
In The Kozmetix, Miami was the lead singer, Jack Rootoo played lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, H.P. (aka Helen Privett) bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Dolores Paradise organ
Electric organ
In biology, the electric organ is an organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field. The electric organ is derived from modified nerve or muscle tissue...
, and Laural Blanchard drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s.
During the band's touring years of 1979–1981 the Kozmetix line-up was Miami on vocals, Rootoo guitar, Bill Norcott on bass and Melody Chisholm on drums. Norcott and Chisholm were previously members of Phobia. This line-up had a regular Monday night gig at Cantones for two years, as well as appearing at numerous clubs in the Boston area. The group was managed by Joan Martin.
Their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Fascist Lover" b/w "To Sir with Love" was sold in a white plastic cosmetics bag that mimicked a Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
shopping bag. "Fascist Lover" contained the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, "A fascist lover that made my mother, and then my mother made me." Their album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Lou Miami & The Kozmetix was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Ann Prim and Karen Kirby, both from the Boston based band November Group
November Group (band)
November Group was also the name of a 1918 German political organization.November Group is an American new wave, rock, and pop band from Boston, founded in the early 1980s by Kearney Kirby and Ann Prim.-November Group :Track listing:...
.
On their second album, Rituals, the band consisted of Miami, lead singer; Rootoo, lead guitar; H.P., bass guitar; Laurel Blanchard, drums; and Toby Ingalls, rhythm guitars. Additional musicians used were Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist, best known for his session work. Allmusic states - "Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as...
and Kristi Rose.
Videos
Miami's cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "One Hundred Years from Today" was done in a retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
style, imitating the voice and music of singers from the 1920s.
Deaths
Miami died of heart failure in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in August 1995. Jack Rootoo (Richard J. Galvin) died of esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
in Massachusetts on June 13, 2008, at the age of 51.
Singles
- "Facsist Lover" and "To Sir With Love"
- "Monster Mash"
- "Dance with Death"
- "Fight Fire with Fire"