The Secret Syde
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| The Secret Syde | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin |  Long Branch, New Jersey |
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| Genre(s) | Punk Psychedelic Rock Post-punk |
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| Years active | 1983–1985, 2000, 2002 | |
| Label(s) | Mutha Records Hosehead Records |
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| Website | http://www.secretsyde.com/ | |
| Former members | ||
| Jon Davies Steve DeVito Dave DeSantis Rob Angello Wayne Larsen Lou Mazza |
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'The Secret Syde was a moderately popular punk rock, psychedelic band from the 1980s. Formed in New Jersey, and West Virginia, they achieved their greatest success in West Virginia, The Netherlands, Germany, and Austria, where their music was aired on state run radio stations. They were also very popular in the southern portion of the United States, namely New Orleans. The band was known for their wild onstage antics, which including amazing light shows, celebratory gunshots, go-go dancers, nude day-glo body painting, free-form live sexual activity on stage during performances involving band members, and Steve DeVito playing the guitar with a violin bow or his tongue. Syd Barret, the reclusive founder of Pink Floyd, was known to have made a few rare public appearances at Secret Syde shows in Cambridge, England, and befriended Jon Davies.[verification needed] It was rumored that Jon Davies and Syd Barret may have recorded together in Syd Barret's Chelsea Cloisters flat. The Secret Syde's first album “Hidden Secrets” was virtually ignored by the wider general public upon its release, but has since become an underground classic and popular collector’s item based on rumors that Syd Barret had sang along on some background vocals on a remixed version of the "Hidden Secrets" album engineered in Amsterdam. The second album, “Erebus”, after having been seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation because of illegal bootlegging activities by the pressing plant producing the Secret Syde's second album, went unreleased, but some tracks surfaced from bootlegged copies and gained airtime on the BBC in the Netherlands and, oddly enough, Russian radio stations. The Secret Syde opened for several national acts and warmed up act for Joe Perry, Gordon Lightfoot, Leo Sayer, Al Stewart, Peter Allen, Neil Sedaka, as well as notorious hardcore punk rockers Black Flag in 1983. Georgio Gomelski, former manager of the Yardbirds, briefly managed the band after viewing an appearance by the Secret Syde in New York City, but found their eclectic sound and erratic behavior difficult to market to major record labels and soon lost interest in working with the Secret Syde. Due to creative differences, drug problems within the group, mostly with cocaine and heroin, and Jon Davies persistent mental and legal troubles, The Secret Syde disbanded in 1985 after Jon Davies fled the United States for Europe. Davies was sighted in Cambridge, England in the company of Syd Barret, but some observers dispute these sightings and claim they were merely rumors. When questioned by a Rolling Stone reporter about a mysterious friend who had a remarkable resemblance to Jon Davies and often appeared to accompany Syd Barret, Barret replied, presumably referring to Jon Davies, "he is a gentle young man and amusing lad who helps me purchase paint supplies". Soon there after it was reported that Davies was arrested on the East German resort island of Prora in 1985 and spent many months in the notorious Lichtenberg Prison in East Berlin. When questioned about his possible incarceration in Eastern Germany, Davies has refused all comment and has since denied any response to queries about his musical and legal activities in Europe. Another incarnation of the Secret Syde, a duo consisting of original member Jon Davies and guitarist Wayne Larsen, opened for The Dead Kennedys in 1986. Around that same time Davies fronted Laughing Soup Dish for a few performances, and the band was billed as Jon Davies & The Secret Syde. While the Secret Syde were in a state of confused disarray, Jon Davies and Wayne Larsen formed their own band, possibley to pass the time while the Secret Syde could reorganize themselves. The new band was first called the Leather Joy Boys, and included Chronic Sick lead singer Greg Macolino, and X-Men drummer "Rafe". The Leather Joy Boys, after a few very controversial performances that were deemed inappropriate based on some lewd actions by the band on stage, changed their name to the Straight Satans. The Straight Satans, along with Jon Davies on lead guitar and vocals, and Wayne Larsen on bass, also brought along former Secret Syde drummer Rob Angello for recording sessions and live performances. As with so many of the recording activities of former Secret Syde members, the Straight Satans reportedly recorded a vast catalogue of music, none of which, up until this time, has seen the light of day. When a reporter for the New Jersey music tabloid, "East Coast Rocker", inquired about the Straight Satan's enormous volume of material, Jon Davies was said to reply, "We've probably got about ten albums worth of material set down". Once again, the controversial nature of the performances of the Straight Satan's, and Jon Davies unruly and belligerent public persona prevented any recorded material from reaching a mass audience, usually over fears by record labels of lawsuits based on the obscene nature of Davies' performances and anti-social outbursts of the musicians associated with these projects. Friends of Rob Angello, the former Secret Syde drummer and short-time drummer with the Straight Satans, privately complained that Rob Angello expressed deep reservations over issues with Jon Davies behavior and drug problems among unspecified band members. These troubles ultimately led to the Straight Satans falling apart. Wayne Larsen remained to pick up the pieces and brought Dave Desantis into the Laughing Soup Dish, whose music and stage persona proved to be more amenable and appealing to the public, and commercial success was greater with the Laughing Soup Dish than either the Secret Syde or the Straight Satans. The Laughing Soup Dish recorded two albums with Bomp records, with Dave Desantis on bass, and the band lasted until about 1990. Around this time, ex-Secret Syde bass player and Straight Satans member Dave Desantis joined up with Greg Macolino, formerly of Chronic Sick, and put together a new band called the X-Men, a pop/punk band who had some success touring the United States. Former Secret Syde Drummer Rob Angelo also had minor success with his band the Blases, even getting a video of the Blases on MTV for a short while, although none of these bands after the Secret Syde ever equaled musically or charismatically the legendary and mythic proportions realized by the Secret Syde. During the 1990s, Jon Davies dropped out of site. It was rumored that he returned to England to seek out his musical hero and mentor Syd Barret. Other sightings had him back in Germany with his former girlfriend in the city of Konstanz, near the Swiss border. In 2000 the band reformed, with original members plus Wayne Larsen, to record a third album. It was recorded in Red Bank, New Jersey and was also unreleased. Recorded tracks included 'Madelaine', 'She is', 'Shadow','Dream Girl', and 'Freak Parade.' The band disbanded again after little more than a week. Tales of a strange New Years Eve performance at the Boilerville Gin Bar in West Virginia surfaced around 2001, which had the lead singer, Jon Davies, drenched in a pasta buffet by an intoxicated, enraged, Boilerville Gin Bar audience who were more interested in listening to country music standards than the odd psychedelic pop music of the Secret Syde. The Secret Syde did perform in 2002, during which the band performed as a trio consisting of Steve DeVito, Dave DeSantis, and Rob Angello, while Jon Davies was incarcerated on a parole violation. To date, this was their last show. Rumors now persist that Jon Davies is about to take to the road with his new band "Quenton Quayle and the Hatfield Family Singers", composed of fellow inmate musicians Davies met during his last incarceration, to promote their new album. Unfortunately, an impending prison sentence for Mr. Davies on kidnapping and gun charges may curtail this long anticipated upcoming tour, and for now has doomed any hopes of the Secret Syde regrouping. Now that the former members of the Secret Syde have approached middle age, it doesn't seem likely a Secret Syde reunion is possible anytime soon, but the music lives on for future generations to enjoy.'
[edit] Online
In 2004, their official website was launched. The site began as a small fanpage, but has since grown into a large website which features a photo gallery, past tour dates, solo tour dates, and mp3 downloads. The band was among the first of the Mutha Records bands to have an official website.
