The Coachmen
Encyclopedia
The Coachmen were a lower-Manhattan
"progressive garage-rock
" band that performed from early 1978 to their final gig at White Columns
in August, 1980. The line-up included guitarists Thurston Moore
and J. D. King, bassist Bob Pullin, and Danny Walworth on drums, replaced by Dave Keay (ex-Harry Toledo). Briefly, Mary Lemley was vocalist. The Coachmen was Moore's first band, his first times performing in N.Y.C.
clubs and in an artistic milieu.
They played at CBGB
, Max's Kansas City
(once), Tier 3
(once), A's,curated by Arleen Schloss
, (often), The Botany Talk House, and other spots including The 80's and S.N.A.F.U., as well as loft parties thrown by Jenny Holzer
.
Their penultimate performance was at Giorgio Gomelsky
's N.Y.C. loft. It was there that Thurston Moore met Kim Gordon
.
Some sympatico bands The Coachmen were billed with were: The Green Scene, Paul McMahon's A Band, Phoebe Legere
's Monad, Harry Toledo, as well as the Fluks, a band that included guitarist Lee Ranaldo
who would wind up in Sonic Youth
with Moore.
A demo tape of material from those days was released in all three formats on New Alliance
in 1988 and titled, Failure to Thrive.
Shortly after The Coachmen's breakup Moore went on to form Sonic Youth
along with his girlfriend, bassist Kim Gordon
.
J. D. King began an award winning illustration career, and restarted the band with new members in 1997, putting out two recordings, so far, on Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label: Ten Compositions: New Frontiers in Free Rock in 2000 and American Mercury in 2006, the latter being reviewed favorably online in Next Big Thing and Blog to Comm, and in print in Wire #276, February, 2007. American Mercury also got a fair amount of alternative radio airplay, including on WFMU
.
The band is now known as J. D. King & The Coachmen, renamed to differentiate it from other bands, old and current, with the same name. The band name was King's idea, an ironic homage to a typical 1960s garage-rock band name.
Dave Keay is the drummer for the avant-rock band The Day Care Centre. Their double LP, A Jumpin' Jackpot of Melody, was released in 2007.
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
"progressive garage-rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
" band that performed from early 1978 to their final gig at White Columns
White Columns
White Columns is New York City’s oldest alternative non-profit space and one of its most prestigious. White Columns is known as a show case for up and coming artists....
in August, 1980. The line-up included guitarists Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
and J. D. King, bassist Bob Pullin, and Danny Walworth on drums, replaced by Dave Keay (ex-Harry Toledo). Briefly, Mary Lemley was vocalist. The Coachmen was Moore's first band, his first times performing in N.Y.C.
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...
clubs and in an artistic milieu.
They played at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
, Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...
(once), Tier 3
Tier 3
Tier 3 was a no wave art nightclub that was located in downtown TriBeCa Manhattan at the juncture of West Broadway and White Street. In the late 1970s it became a major fixture in the city's underground music and counterculture scene; along with the Mudd Club...
(once), A's,curated by Arleen Schloss
Arleen Schloss
Arleen Schloss is a noted "North American performance art pioneer, video/film artist, sound poet, director and curator" who is an influential figure in the Downtown New York art, video, performance art and music scenes...
, (often), The Botany Talk House, and other spots including The 80's and S.N.A.F.U., as well as loft parties thrown by Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer is an American conceptual artist. Holzer lives and works in Hoosick Falls, New York.-Education:...
.
Their penultimate performance was at Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Gomelsky is a filmmaker, impresario, music manager, songwriter and record producer. He owned the Crawdaddy Club where The Rolling Stones were house band, and he was involved with their early management. He hired The Yardbirds as a replacement and managed them. He was also their...
's N.Y.C. loft. It was there that Thurston Moore met Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
.
Some sympatico bands The Coachmen were billed with were: The Green Scene, Paul McMahon's A Band, Phoebe Legere
Phoebe Legere
Phoebe Hemenway Legere is a Multi-Format Artist: she is a composer, soprano, pianist and accordionist; a painter, a poet, and a film maker.Legere has recorded for Mercury Records in England and Epic, Island, Funtone, ESP Disk and Einstein records in the United States. Legere has released ten CDs...
's Monad, Harry Toledo, as well as the Fluks, a band that included guitarist Lee Ranaldo
Lee Ranaldo
Lee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
who would wind up in Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
with Moore.
A demo tape of material from those days was released in all three formats on New Alliance
New Alliance Records
New Alliance Records was the record label founded by The Minutemen's D. Boon and Mike Watt and longtime friend and associate Martin Tamburovich after the example of Black Flag's SST Records...
in 1988 and titled, Failure to Thrive.
Shortly after The Coachmen's breakup Moore went on to form Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
along with his girlfriend, bassist Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
.
J. D. King began an award winning illustration career, and restarted the band with new members in 1997, putting out two recordings, so far, on Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label: Ten Compositions: New Frontiers in Free Rock in 2000 and American Mercury in 2006, the latter being reviewed favorably online in Next Big Thing and Blog to Comm, and in print in Wire #276, February, 2007. American Mercury also got a fair amount of alternative radio airplay, including on WFMU
WFMU
WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM, presenting a freeform radio format...
.
The band is now known as J. D. King & The Coachmen, renamed to differentiate it from other bands, old and current, with the same name. The band name was King's idea, an ironic homage to a typical 1960s garage-rock band name.
Dave Keay is the drummer for the avant-rock band The Day Care Centre. Their double LP, A Jumpin' Jackpot of Melody, was released in 2007.