Victim's Family
Encyclopedia
Victims Family is a punk
band formed in 1984 in Santa Rosa, California
by bassist Larry Boothroyd and guitarist and vocalist Ralph Spight. Drummer Devon VrMeer completed the trio. Their sound blended punk
, heavy metal
and jazz
, making them difficult to categorize into a single genre. Allmusic says, "since its inception, the trio has refused to be pigeonholed to any single musical style — incorporating elements of hardcore punk, jazz, funk, hard rock, and noise into its challenging sound." They were known as one of the most musically diverse bands in the San Francisco, California
underground music scene. Over the years, Victims Family went through four drummers and two breakups. Their name was taken by a piece by cartoonist B. Kliban
.
, where they later opened for Faith No More
and Suicidal Tendencies
. In the summer of 1985 the band did their first U.S. tour, which they booked themselves by mailing out a cassette demo. They played with NOFX
in Albuquerque and challenged Tales of Terror
to a drinking contest in Dallas
. Also that year, they opened for the Dead Kennedys
, Descendants
and Social Unrest at the Novato Theater, where they first caught the attention of Jello Biafra
. In 1986, they opened for the Butthole Surfers
and Camper Van Beethoven
at Mabuhay Gardens
in San Francisco. Also in 1986, they recorded their first album, Voltage and Violets, for Ruth Schwartz's Mordam Records
, and regularly played The Farm and Club Foot in San Francisco. 1986 was also the year they played a pizza parlor in Oakland with Nomeansno
, beginning a long friendship between the two bands. In 1987, they barely completed a tour of the United States and missed their dates in Canada after being banned from that country for one year. Highlights included playing with Capitol Punishment in Fresno and Scratch Acid
in Dallas. A second album, Things I Hate To Admit, was recorded in 1988 at Prairie Sun Studio in Cotati, California
. 1988 was also the beginning of their friendship with Primus
, with whom they would share the stage many times in the years to follow. 1989 saw an invitation by Konkurrent, a record label in Amsterdam
, for a European tour. Devon VrMeer had left the band to pursue a family, so Eric Strand
was recruited as drummer. The band embarked on a two month tour of Europe with Snuff
from London supporting them. Highlights included helping to break down the Berlin Wall
and getting strip searched in Norway
. After returning from Europe, Eric was replaced by roadie Tim Solyan who would continue to drum for Victim's Family throughout the height of their touring days.
Their third album, White Bread Blues, produced by Nomeansno drummer John Wright, followed in 1990 and was received on a much wider critical and commercial scale than previously released albums. It included the song "Caged Bird", which reached #6 on the Holland national radio charts. Around this time, Mr. Bungle
and Green Day
, little known acts then, often opened for Victims Family. Also in 1990 they supported TAD
and Nirvana
on the midwest leg of their cross-country tour. Numerous tours of the US and Europe cemented the group's reputation as an incendiary live act. Their fourth album, The Germ, released in 1992 and also produced by John Wright, was their debut for Alternative Tentacles
Records. The band's schedule began to take its toll, and in 1992 they took a hiatus.
Ten months later Victim's Family reformed, in the spring of 1993, to play a sold-out show at San Francisco's Kennel Club
. A fifth album, Headache Remedy, was released by Alternative Tentacles in February, 1994. Four Great Thrash Songs, which would be the last album of the classic line up was recorded live in '94 at their final show at Melkweg
in Amsterdam
, the bands home away from home. Founding members Ralph and Larry also formed the bands Saturn's Flea Collar and Hellworms, both of which toured the U.S. and Europe and recorded albums for Alternative Tentacles.
After the demise of Hellworms, Spight and Boothroyd continued under the name Victim's Family with new drummer David Gleza of My Name and they recorded the album Apocalicious in 2001. The band continued to tour relentlessly, including two trips to Texas for SXSW, and two more tours of Europe; causing the band to lose another member, Gleza, to tour fatigue. This time Spight and Boothroyd decided not to look for another drummer.
On December 11 and 12, 2004, Victim's Family reunited, with Tim Solyan back on drums, in Petaluma, California at the Phoenix Theatre, and in San Francisco at the Bottom of the Hill, to celebrate their 20th anniversary with all their different incarnations, including The Freak Accident (Spight's solo project), and Meowmeow and the Meowmeows (Boothroyd's new band). Also included at this time was a Saturn's Flea Collar 10th anniversary reunion and a Hellworms reunion. This sparked subsequent shows with both Hellworms and Victims Family. In 2006, Boothroyd began playing with the bay area band that would come to be known as Triclops! and began touring and releasing records with them. The Freak Accident released an LP on Alternative Tentacles and toured Europe with Nomeansno. Triclops! released their full length debut album Out of Africa on Alternative Tentacles
March 2008, and then their follow-up, Helpers On The Other Side, also on Alternative Tentacles, in 2010.
Tim Solyan has been seen in a few bands over the years including The Kehoe Nation (wherein he played select drum tracks on Music For Livers), Wingnut, & currently Jerry Rigg & the El Chupos.
In 2009 the band hit the stage again at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma with Nomeansno and also for Alternative Tentacles 30th Anniversary shows in San Francisco in November 2009 with Alice Donut
, Jello Biafra, and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, Spight's latest band.
In 2010, Victim's Family was invited to play in The Czech Republic with Nomeansno, Le Silo (Japan), and a group of Cuban dancers and typewriter players to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday. This turned into a whirlwind mini-tour in Europe where they played nine shows in nine days. The band has since been collaborating on new material and are considering a full European tour for 2011.
and they are now rocking the Earth again!
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...
band formed in 1984 in Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
by bassist Larry Boothroyd and guitarist and vocalist Ralph Spight. Drummer Devon VrMeer completed the trio. Their sound blended 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...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, making them difficult to categorize into a single genre. Allmusic says, "since its inception, the trio has refused to be pigeonholed to any single musical style — incorporating elements of hardcore punk, jazz, funk, hard rock, and noise into its challenging sound." They were known as one of the most musically diverse bands in the San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
underground music scene. Over the years, Victims Family went through four drummers and two breakups. Their name was taken by a piece by cartoonist B. Kliban
B. Kliban
-External links:* * *...
.
History
In 1984, Victim's Family played their first show at the Kennilworth Recreation Center in Petaluma, CaliforniaPetaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
, where they later opened for Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
and Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
. In the summer of 1985 the band did their first U.S. tour, which they booked themselves by mailing out a cassette demo. They played with NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
in Albuquerque and challenged Tales of Terror
Tales of Terror (band)
Tales of Terror was a Sacramento punk rock band which was active from 1982 until 1986. The band released a self-titled LP in 1984 on the label CD Presents. The LP is rare, and no CD version has been released. Tales of Terror played sleazy, sloppy, raucous California punk in the vein of the Stooges...
to a drinking contest in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. Also that year, they opened for the Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
, Descendants
Descendents (band)
The Descendents are an American punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California. As of 2011, they have released six studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums and three EPs. The Descendents broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different musicians...
and Social Unrest at the Novato Theater, where they first caught the attention of Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
. In 1986, they opened for the Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
and Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Beethoven is an American alternative rock group formed in Redlands, California in 1983.An eclectic band, Camper Van Beethoven mixes elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk and alternative country, as well as various types of world music. Their aggressive musical pluralism created a...
at 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....
in San Francisco. Also in 1986, they recorded their first album, Voltage and Violets, for Ruth Schwartz's Mordam Records
Mordam Records
Mordam Records was a Sacramento, California record distribution company for independent record labels. It was originally founded in San Francisco in 1983 as an independent punk distribution company by Ruth Schwartz...
, and regularly played The Farm and Club Foot in San Francisco. 1986 was also the year they played a pizza parlor in Oakland with Nomeansno
Nomeansno
NoMeansNo is a Canadian progressive punk rock music group originally from Victoria, British Columbia and now located in Vancouver.The band has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America and Europe...
, beginning a long friendship between the two bands. In 1987, they barely completed a tour of the United States and missed their dates in Canada after being banned from that country for one year. Highlights included playing with Capitol Punishment in Fresno and Scratch Acid
Scratch Acid
Scratch Acid was an Austin, Texas noise rock group formed in 1982. When they first began, their lineup was Steve Anderson , David Wm. Sims , Brett Bradford , David Yow , and Rey Washam and Win Vitosky...
in Dallas. A second album, Things I Hate To Admit, was recorded in 1988 at Prairie Sun Studio in Cotati, California
Cotati, California
Cotati is an incorporated city in Sonoma County, California, U.S.A., located about north of San Francisco in the 101 corridor between Rohnert Park and Petaluma....
. 1988 was also the beginning of their friendship with Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
, with whom they would share the stage many times in the years to follow. 1989 saw an invitation by Konkurrent, a record label in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, for a European tour. Devon VrMeer had left the band to pursue a family, so Eric Strand
Eric Strand
Eric Strand is a Swedish fencer. He competed in the individual and team foil events at the 1988 Summer Olympics.-References:...
was recruited as drummer. The band embarked on a two month tour of Europe with Snuff
Snuff (band)
Snuff are a British punk rock band formed in Hendon in 1986. Their name reportedly came about after a long discussion about names ended up with one of them claiming "That's Enough", which was then shortened to Snuff...
from London supporting them. Highlights included helping to break down the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
and getting strip searched in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. After returning from Europe, Eric was replaced by roadie Tim Solyan who would continue to drum for Victim's Family throughout the height of their touring days.
Their third album, White Bread Blues, produced by Nomeansno drummer John Wright, followed in 1990 and was received on a much wider critical and commercial scale than previously released albums. It included the song "Caged Bird", which reached #6 on the Holland national radio charts. Around this time, Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle was an experimental band from Northern California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school and was named after a children's educational film. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to Warner Bros. Records and...
and Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, little known acts then, often opened for Victims Family. Also in 1990 they supported TAD
Tad (band)
Tad was an American grunge band from Seattle, Washington led by Tad Doyle. Among the first of the many bands which came out of Seattle in the grunge era, Tad was notable for the fact that its music had a noticeable 1970s metal influence, rather than the punk which influenced most other grunge bands...
and Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
on the midwest leg of their cross-country tour. Numerous tours of the US and Europe cemented the group's reputation as an incendiary live act. Their fourth album, The Germ, released in 1992 and also produced by John Wright, was their debut for Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
Records. The band's schedule began to take its toll, and in 1992 they took a hiatus.
Kennel club
A kennel club is an organization for canine affairs that concerns itself with the breeding, showing and promotion of more than one breed of dog...
. A fifth album, Headache Remedy, was released by Alternative Tentacles in February, 1994. Four Great Thrash Songs, which would be the last album of the classic line up was recorded live in '94 at their final show at Melkweg
Melkweg
The Melkweg is a popular music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is located on the Lijnbaansgracht, near the Leidseplein, a prime nightlife center of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former warehouse and is divided into a number of spaces of varying sizes...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the bands home away from home. Founding members Ralph and Larry also formed the bands Saturn's Flea Collar and Hellworms, both of which toured the U.S. and Europe and recorded albums for Alternative Tentacles.
After the demise of Hellworms, Spight and Boothroyd continued under the name Victim's Family with new drummer David Gleza of My Name and they recorded the album Apocalicious in 2001. The band continued to tour relentlessly, including two trips to Texas for SXSW, and two more tours of Europe; causing the band to lose another member, Gleza, to tour fatigue. This time Spight and Boothroyd decided not to look for another drummer.
On December 11 and 12, 2004, Victim's Family reunited, with Tim Solyan back on drums, in Petaluma, California at the Phoenix Theatre, and in San Francisco at the Bottom of the Hill, to celebrate their 20th anniversary with all their different incarnations, including The Freak Accident (Spight's solo project), and Meowmeow and the Meowmeows (Boothroyd's new band). Also included at this time was a Saturn's Flea Collar 10th anniversary reunion and a Hellworms reunion. This sparked subsequent shows with both Hellworms and Victims Family. In 2006, Boothroyd began playing with the bay area band that would come to be known as Triclops! and began touring and releasing records with them. The Freak Accident released an LP on Alternative Tentacles and toured Europe with Nomeansno. Triclops! released their full length debut album Out of Africa on Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
March 2008, and then their follow-up, Helpers On The Other Side, also on Alternative Tentacles, in 2010.
Tim Solyan has been seen in a few bands over the years including The Kehoe Nation (wherein he played select drum tracks on Music For Livers), Wingnut, & currently Jerry Rigg & the El Chupos.
In 2009 the band hit the stage again at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma with Nomeansno and also for Alternative Tentacles 30th Anniversary shows in San Francisco in November 2009 with Alice Donut
Alice Donut
Alice Donut is a punk rock band from New York City. Formed in 1986, disbanded in 1996, and re-formed in 2001. Between 1989 and 1996 the band toured vigorously in the US, Europe and Japan and played over 1000 live performances...
, Jello Biafra, and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, Spight's latest band.
In 2010, Victim's Family was invited to play in The Czech Republic with Nomeansno, Le Silo (Japan), and a group of Cuban dancers and typewriter players to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday. This turned into a whirlwind mini-tour in Europe where they played nine shows in nine days. The band has since been collaborating on new material and are considering a full European tour for 2011.
Line-up
- Ralph Spight—Guitar, Vocals
- Larry Boothroyd-Bass
- Tim Solyan-Drums(89-94, 04-Present)
- Past Members on Drums-Devon VrMeer(84-88), Eric Strand(88-89), & Dave Gleza(01-02)
and they are now rocking the Earth again!
Albums
- 1986 Voltage and Violets LP Mordam RecordsMordam RecordsMordam Records was a Sacramento, California record distribution company for independent record labels. It was originally founded in San Francisco in 1983 as an independent punk distribution company by Ruth Schwartz...
- 1988 Things I Hate to Admit LP Mordam RecordsMordam RecordsMordam Records was a Sacramento, California record distribution company for independent record labels. It was originally founded in San Francisco in 1983 as an independent punk distribution company by Ruth Schwartz...
- 1990 White Bread Blues LP Mordam RecordsMordam RecordsMordam Records was a Sacramento, California record distribution company for independent record labels. It was originally founded in San Francisco in 1983 as an independent punk distribution company by Ruth Schwartz...
(Reissued 2010 on Saint Rose Records) - 1992 The GermThe Germ (album)The Germ is the fourth album by California punk band Victim's Family, and the last to feature the original line-up. It's also the first to be released on the Alternative Tentacles label after the departure from Mordam Records...
LP Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent... - 1994 Headache Remedy LP Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
- 1995 Four Great Thrash Songs LP Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
- 2001 Apocalicious LP Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
Singles and compilations
- 1986 "Lock of Interest" on Viva Umkhonto! Compilation Mordam RecordsMordam RecordsMordam Records was a Sacramento, California record distribution company for independent record labels. It was originally founded in San Francisco in 1983 as an independent punk distribution company by Ruth Schwartz...
/Konkurrel Records - 1988 Son of a Church Card/Quivering Lip 7" Mordam RecordsMordam RecordsMordam Records was a Sacramento, California record distribution company for independent record labels. It was originally founded in San Francisco in 1983 as an independent punk distribution company by Ruth Schwartz...
- 1990 "Burly Jalisco" on Sasquach compilation 7" Kirbdog
- 1990 "Sinatra Mantra" on The Big One Flipside Records
- 1991 "My Evil Twin" on split 7" with Coffin BreakCoffin Break-History:Coffin Break was formed in Seattle in the late 1980s, during the time that grunge was beginning to catch on; however, the group eschewed the nascent alternative sound, taking their influences from punk rock. The group released its first two full-length albums and a compilation on C/Z Records...
Rave Records - 1991 "Ill in the Head" on Virus 100Virus 100Virus 100 is a compilation album released by Alternative Tentacles.- Overview :In 1992, Jello Biafra-founded record label, Alternative Tentacles, released its 100th album. Wanting to do something special for such a momentous occasion, they decided to release a cover album of fifteen Dead Kennedys'...
Comp. LP Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent... - 1993 Maybe if I... 7" Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
- 1996 "Project Fake~ A tribute to the Minutemen" Easy Money Records
- 2001 "Dr. Schlesinger" split 7" with FleshiesFleshiesFleshies are a band from Oakland, California signed to Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles. They are known for their outlandish stage presence, their left-wing politics and their non-stop world touring schedule...
on Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent... - 2002 "Fridge" on comp. Apocalypse Always Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
- 2002 "Victims Family w/ The Jayroon Lovers" Bonjour, Gutentag, Hallo. Strike Records