The Nuns
Encyclopedia
The Nuns were a punk rock
/new wave
band in San Francisco in the late 1970s. The band has periodically reformed and played to the present day. The band formed in 1975, and were the among the first punk bands in California. In January 1978, together with The Avengers
they opened for the Sex Pistols
at their final concert at San Francisco's Winterland. The Nuns have reformed and are now signed to London based Triple Silence, an offshoot of Salvation Group
.
(guitar), Jeff Olener (vocals), Richie Detrick (vocals), Jeff Raphael (drums), and Leslie Q (bass). Leslie Q was replaced by Mike Varney
in early 1978. Escovedo and Olener were the main songwriters of the more aggressive punk material, and Miro contributed the more pop material featuring her blase vocals.
The Nuns original manager was Edwin Heaven, a San Francisco advertising executive who had previously worked with The Tubes
. He discovered them when they opened at The Mabuhay Gardens
for The Ramones.
In 1979, Varney was replaced on bass by Pat Ryan. Escovedo departed by early 1980. Delphine Neid (also known as Delphine Volino) was their bassist when the band performed in the late 1980s. Neid died of a drug overdose in 1990, days after recording the Desperate Children album. Ritchie Detrick died of cancer in 1995. Baron Rubenbauer played guitar for The Nuns in the late 1990s.
released The Nuns first record, a self-titled punk rock EP, The Nuns. It was produced by Joey D'Kaye, who was synthesist and producer for a fellow San Francisco punk band, Crime
, and Howie Klein
of 415 Records.
The Nuns recorded and released several albums, including another self-titled record, The Nuns, recorded for Posh Boy Records in May 1980 but released later that year on Bomp (BLP 4010) and as a cassette on Posh Boy PBC 105, after Escovedo had left the band. This was followed by Rumania, released on PVC Records in 1986. Posh Boy then released Desperate Children, produced by Brett Gurewitz in the late 1980s, featuring Delphine Volino. A fifth album, 4 Days In A Motel Room : Their Greatest Sins, was released in the early 1990s, partly consisting of re-recordings of songs from the out-of-print Rumania album. Their most recent new release was New York Vampires, in 2006. "Rumania" is now scheduled for late 2011 as a digital download release through Posh Boy.
, photos and a music video shot in London for New York Vampires.
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...
/new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band in San Francisco in the late 1970s. The band has periodically reformed and played to the present day. The band formed in 1975, and were the among the first punk bands in California. In January 1978, together with The Avengers
The Avengers (band)
The Avengers are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in San Francisco, California. Penelope Houston, who has also been a folk musician, is their singer.-Original history:...
they opened for the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
at their final concert at San Francisco's Winterland. The Nuns have reformed and are now signed to London based Triple Silence, an offshoot of Salvation Group
Salvation Group
Salvation Group is a UK based media company, specialising in exploitation film and alternative music. The company's original name and current trading name is Redemption Films.-History:...
.
Personnel
The original band included Jennifer Miro (nee Anderson) (vocals and piano), Alejandro EscovedoAlejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo is an American singer-songwriter.-Biography:The son of Mexican immigrants to Texas, Escovedo is from a family that boasts several professional musicians, including brothers Coke Escovedo and Pete Escovedo, and Sheila E...
(guitar), Jeff Olener (vocals), Richie Detrick (vocals), Jeff Raphael (drums), and Leslie Q (bass). Leslie Q was replaced by Mike Varney
Mike Varney
Mike Varney is an American musician, record producer, music publisher and impresario. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records and Blues Bureau International. He also has a 50% stake in Magna Carta Records, a New York-based label...
in early 1978. Escovedo and Olener were the main songwriters of the more aggressive punk material, and Miro contributed the more pop material featuring her blase vocals.
The Nuns original manager was Edwin Heaven, a San Francisco advertising executive who had previously worked with The Tubes
The Tubes
The Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band, whose 1975 debut album included the hit single, "White Punks on Dope". During its first fifteen years or so, the band's live performances combined quasi-pornography with wild satires of media, consumerism, and politics...
. He discovered them when they opened at The Mabuhay Gardens
Mabuhay Gardens
The Mabuhay Gardens was a San Francisco nightclub located at , on the Broadway strip of North Beach, an area best known for its strip clubs....
for The Ramones.
In 1979, Varney was replaced on bass by Pat Ryan. Escovedo departed by early 1980. Delphine Neid (also known as Delphine Volino) was their bassist when the band performed in the late 1980s. Neid died of a drug overdose in 1990, days after recording the Desperate Children album. Ritchie Detrick died of cancer in 1995. Baron Rubenbauer played guitar for The Nuns in the late 1990s.
Recordings
In 1979, 415 Records415 Records
415 Records was a San Francisco record label created in 1978. The label focused its efforts on local punk rock and new wave music acts of the late 1970s through the late 1980s, including The Offs, The Nuns, Romeo Void, and Wire Train...
released The Nuns first record, a self-titled punk rock EP, The Nuns. It was produced by Joey D'Kaye, who was synthesist and producer for a fellow San Francisco punk band, Crime
Crime (band)
Crime was an early American punk band from San Francisco. The band was formed in 1976 by Johnny Strike , Frankie Fix , Ron "The Ripper" Greco , and Ricky Tractor...
, and Howie Klein
Howie Klein
Howie Klein is an American DJ, music producer, record label founder, record label executive, and political blogger, who was president of Reprise Records from 1989 to 2001....
of 415 Records.
The Nuns recorded and released several albums, including another self-titled record, The Nuns, recorded for Posh Boy Records in May 1980 but released later that year on Bomp (BLP 4010) and as a cassette on Posh Boy PBC 105, after Escovedo had left the band. This was followed by Rumania, released on PVC Records in 1986. Posh Boy then released Desperate Children, produced by Brett Gurewitz in the late 1980s, featuring Delphine Volino. A fifth album, 4 Days In A Motel Room : Their Greatest Sins, was released in the early 1990s, partly consisting of re-recordings of songs from the out-of-print Rumania album. Their most recent new release was New York Vampires, in 2006. "Rumania" is now scheduled for late 2011 as a digital download release through Posh Boy.
Singles / EPs
| Title | Year | Cat # | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Decadent Jew 2. Savage 3. Suicide Child |
1979 | SUB01 | 415 Records 415 Records 415 Records was a San Francisco record label created in 1978. The label focused its efforts on local punk rock and new wave music acts of the late 1970s through the late 1980s, including The Offs, The Nuns, Romeo Void, and Wire Train... |
| 1. The Beat 2. Media Control |
1979 | SS-7901 | Rosco Records (as Los Nuns) |
| 1. World War III 2. Cock In My Pocket |
1980 | 4166 | Rosco Records |
| 1. Wild 2. Suicide Child |
1981 | FUN 002 | Butt Records (UK release under license from Posh Boy, also releases in Finland and Spain) |
| 1. In The Shadows 2. Invisible People |
1990 | PBS 23 | Posh Boy Records Posh Boy Records Posh Boy Records was a Hollywood, California based record label owned by Robbie Fields, a high school substitute teacher and former copyboy at the L A Times who took an interest in the emerging punk rock scene in Orange County, California during the late 1970s... |
| 1. Sex Dream 2. Anita |
1998 | JM 7743 | Alien Sex Goddess Records |
| 1. Anita (split with Die Form) |
1999 | MT-460 | Musical Tragedies |
| 1. Hustler Blue 2. Rambo Thing 3. Dominatrix Tonight |
1999 | MT-480 | Musical Tragedies |
Albums
| Title | Release date | Cat # | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Nuns | 1980 | BLP 4010/PBC 105 (LP rights reverted to Posh Boy in 1981) | Bomp! Records Bomp! Records Bomp! Records is an Los Angeles-based indie label formed in 1974 by fanzine publisher and music historian Greg Shaw.-History:The label has featured punk, pop, powerpop, garage rock, new wave, old school rock, neo-psychedelia among other genres, and its roster has included artists such as The Modern... |
| Rumania (rights reclaimed by band members following bankruptcy of PVC) | 1986 | PVC 8951 | PVC Records |
| Desperate Children | 1990 | PBCD 88158-2 | Posh Boy Records Posh Boy Records Posh Boy Records was a Hollywood, California based record label owned by Robbie Fields, a high school substitute teacher and former copyboy at the L A Times who took an interest in the emerging punk rock scene in Orange County, California during the late 1970s... |
| 4 Days In A Motel Room - Their Greatest Sins | 1994 | 8159-2 | Posh Boy Records Posh Boy Records Posh Boy Records was a Hollywood, California based record label owned by Robbie Fields, a high school substitute teacher and former copyboy at the L A Times who took an interest in the emerging punk rock scene in Orange County, California during the late 1970s... |
| Naked Save For The Boots | 2001 | MT-442 | Empty Records |
| New York Vampires | 2003 | TRIPCD002 | Triple Silence Records |
Video
The Nuns DVD, New York Vampires. was released on November 18, 2008. The DVD features the two TV show pilots as well as live concert footage, backstage interviews, a short film noirFilm noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
, photos and a music video shot in London for New York Vampires.
External links
- The Nuns official website
- The Nuns' record label reports the murder of Mistress Kris
- [ Allmusic: The Nuns]
- "The Nuns", Rockin Rina's Women of 1970s Punk, October 4, 2004.