Scaterd Few
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| Scaterd Few | ||
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 Scaterd Few circa 1991
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| Background information | ||
| Origin |  Burbank, California, USA |
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| Genre(s) | Punk Rock | |
| Years active | 1983 – 1985 1989 – 1995 1997 – 1998 2001 – 2002 |
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| Label(s) | Accidental Sirens, Flying Tart, KMG, Jackson Rubio, SOPA, Alarma | |
Scaterd Few is a punk band originating from Burbank, California.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Sin Disease era
Scaterd Few initially existed from 1983 until 1984 with a brief stint in 1985. Led by Allan Aguirre, then known as Rämald Domkus, the band recorded an 11 song demo with Terry Scott Taylor (of Daniel Amos fame) as producer in June of 1983.[1] Some of the material from this time was later released on their disk Out of the Attic. Being unable to sell the material at the time,[2] Scaterd Few went on hiatus in 1985 and Allan left to produce music with another band, Cygnet. This band became the blueprint for Allans' later goth-themed work, Spy Glass Blue. Scaterd Few is considered to be the first American Christian Punk band.
In 1989, Allan began work on Scaterd Few material again with brother/original bassist Omar Domkus. Working with Terry Taylor and Gene Eugene, their first new material was released in 1990 on Alarma Records. Sin Disease was critically well received, though its lyrical content and rumors caused a national pull from Zondervan. The band played Christian festivals such as Cornerstone, but they didn't limit themselves to Christian venues. They toured with secular artists such as Bad Brains, and would play at explicitly non-christian events such as Earth Day fairs.[1] The band ran into further trouble in 1991 when, in an interview, Allan admitted to smoking pot. These factors led to the band being dropped from Alarma's roster.
[edit] Indie existence
Their next effort at making an album, which eventually resulted in the 1994 release of Jawboneofanass, was a direct result of the aftermath of Sin Disease. The album was recorded three times. The first time, the band again worked with Gene Eugene and Terry Taylor. This recording was made for the general market under the auspices of Vox Vinyl.[1] The second recording was done with Dave Hackbarth (of the band Undercover) and Terry Taylor for Mike Knott's Blonde Vinyl. Neither of these versions were released. The third version was produced independently with assistance from Mark Rodrieguez of Mortal / Blood fame.
The release coincided with the release of Out of the Attic on Flying Tart Records. Out of the Attic is a compilation of material from Scaterd Few's early existence - the 1983 to 1984 time frame. The release shows the roots of Scaterd Few in early 1980s punk rock. The sound is raw and rough, but clearly shows the origin of many of the Few's later sounds.
In the winter of 1995, their manager, Tim Cook (P.O.D.), secured a recording contract with Tooth and Nail Records. Artistic direction and personality differences between members caused the band to part ways in early 1996. Allan immediately started working on new material and Spy Glass Blue was officially born.
In 1998 Allan once again rebuilt Scaterd Few with an all new lineup, and Grandmother's Spaceship was released on Jackson Rubio.
Their most recent material, Omega No. 5, was released in 2002 on Allans' own label, Accidental Sirens.
[edit] Style
Though a "Christian" band, Scaterd Few's songs are filled with lyrics about topics that many Christians feel are inappropriate for Christian music. Scaterd Few never received any significant music industry awards, and received relatively little attention in mainstream media. The manner in which the band displayed their Christianity guaranteed them neither a place on Christian bookstore shelves nor automatic distribution in general-market outlets. However, the transparent reality and introspective honesty of their lyrics have earned the band a devoted fanbase.
The themes of their lyrics fall into two broad categories - Teaching about Christianity, and teaching about human behavior. Christianity themes include: Sin is a disease and mans' need for salvation ("Beggar", "While Reprobate", "Run If You Can", and "Wonder Why"), Mans' vs. God's understanding ("Beggar", "Life Bleeds Out", "Holding Stare", "Self", and "Pinnacle"), and a person's need for growth as a Christian ("Sleeper" and "Lullaby"). Human behavior themes include gang violence and racial issues ("Lights Out"), drug use ("Glass God (No Freedom In Basing)"), sexual immorality ("Future Love", "Secret - Secret", and "Resistance"), and religious sects, Witchcraft, and apostasy ("Pinnacle", "Witchcraft", "Resistance", and "Self").
The overall effect of their music is astonishing. Their sound was derived from the Los Angeles punk rock scene of the 1980s, and has been described as a "Shotgun wedding between complex musicianship and scathing punk rock".[1] Their Sin Disease era influence would be primarily Bad Brains musically.
[edit] Band members
- Many members have participated in other projects. These are listed under Trivia.
- Allan Aguirre (fka Ramald Domkus) - (1983 - Present) Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Drums
- Omar Domkus - (1983 - 1995) Bass Guitar, Background Vocals
- Lou Becaria - (1983) Guitar
- Allen Pellerin - (1983-1984) Lead Vocals
- Brian Anderson - (1983) Drums
- Andy Zachari - (1984) Guitar/Drums
- Ben Eshbach - (1984-1985) Guitar
- Jamie Mitchell - (1990-1991) Guitar
- Drew Domkus - (1989-90, 1994) Keyboards
- Paul Figueroa - (1991) Keyboards, (1992-1995) Guitar
- Samuel West - (1989 - 1995) Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals
- Russell Archer - (1997-1998) Guitar
- Steven Meigs - (1997-1998) Bass Guitar
- Steve Martens - (1998) Drums, Percussion
- Kane Kelly - (1998) Bass Guitar
- Chris Smyers - (2002) Bass Guitar
- Brad Bevill - (2002) Guitar
[edit] Discography
- Sin Disease (1990)
- Jawboneofanass (1994)
- Out of the Attic (1994)
- Grandmother's Spaceship (1998)
- Sin Disease / Jawboneofanass (1998)
- Omega No. 5 (2002)
[edit] Trivia
- In December 2004 Lead Singer Allan Aguirre, wife Cristina, and family (Xaundelle, Corin, and Saphraine) were one of the families featured on an episode of the ABC TV reality show Wife Swap.[1]
- The Aguirre kids have their own band Drama Dust
- Allan Aguirre started the band Spy Glass Blue in 1995. Web Site
- Drew Domkus now produces The Dawn and Drew Show, a popular podcast, from his home in Wisconsin.
- Russell Archer is currently involved with the attention deficit disorder group Zonder and the electronoise group, Vulcanus LXVIII.
- Samuel West formerly played in Saviour Machine and The Violet Burning. He is currently involved with the rock group Stavesacre.
- Jamie Mitchell played in the heavy metal band Vengeance Rising.
- Paul Figueroa played in the metal/punk band Amen, and is currently with a band called Bluebird. Web Site
- Brad Bevill and Chris Smyers began a punk band called Greyskull in 2002. Web Site
- Ben Eshbach has his own band, The Sugarplastic
- Kane Kelly plays in Dark Matter and the Cosmic String
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, First printing, Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 794-795. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
- ^ Sin Disease, (1990), Scaterd Few, notes from: book. Alarma Records, Santa Ana, California: CD09218. Sin Disease at MusicBrainz.
[edit] External links
- Scaterd Few Official Site
- Accidental Sirens
- Allan Aguirres' Professional Blog
- Allan Aguirres' Personal Blog - Silver Plated Boy
- Allan Aguirre @ MySpace
- Allan Aguirres' photoblog
Samples from Omega No. 5:
Video clips from Omega No. 5 studio sessions:
