The Gizmos Explained
The Gizmos |
Background: | group_or_band |
Origin: | Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. |
Genre: | Punk rock |
Years Active: | 1976-1978, 2014 |
Label: | Gulcher Records |
Current Members: | Ken Highland, Eddie Flowers, Ted Niemiec, Rich Coffee |
Past Members: | Rick Czajka, Dave Medlock, Dave Sulak, Jim DeVries, Steve Feikes, Phil Hundley, Shadow Myers, Dale Lawrence, Billy Nightshade, Tim Carroll, Crash Kinser, Robbie Wise. |
The Gizmos were an American punk band formed in Bloomington, Indiana, United States, in 1976. The original band was made up of Ken Highland, Eddie Flowers, Ted Niemiec and the members of a group called Cerberus; Rich Coffee, Dave Sulak, Rick Czajka, and Jim DeVries. The Gizmos released three 7-inch EPs on Gulcher Records in 1976, 1977, and 1978.
In late 1977 the band broke up. Then, Ted Niemiec recruited new members to form a new version of the Gizmos. This version of the band released one EP, "Never Mind The Sex Pistols Here's The Gizmos".
After Niemiec left the band, new member Dale Lawrence carried on using the band name with new members.
After the Gizmos
Ken Highland later relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, where he has been in a long string of garage-oriented bands over the years, including Club Linehan a Go-Go, the Hopelessly Obscure, Johnny & the Jumper Cables, the Kenne Highland Clan, the Goody Goody Gumdrops, and the Vatican Sex Kittens.
Eddie Flowers and Rich Coffee moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s and become active in the underground rock scene there. Flowers started Crawlspace with members of the Lazy Cowgirls in 1985. Coffee sang and played in Thee Fourgiven and the Tommyknockers, influenced by late 1960s pre-punk hard rock bands like the MC5 and the Doors as well as more recent acts like the Cramps, the Gun Club, and Billy Childish. The bands of both Coffee and Flowers were associated with the Sympathy for the Record Industry record label.
Members
Cerberus
- Rich Coffee — guitar, vocals
- Rick Czajka — guitar
- Dave Sulak — bass
- Jim DeVries — drums
Gizmos #1
- Ken Highland — lead guitar, lead vocals
- Eddie Flowers — lead vocals
- Ted Niemiec — lead vocals
- Rich Coffee — rhythm guitar, background vocals
- Dave Sulak — bass
- Rick Czajka — rhythm/lead guitar (EP1 only)
- Davey Medlock — background vocals
- Don Jaskulske — background vocals
- Jim DeVries — drums #1
- Jim Kohl — drums #2
Gizmos #2
- Ted Niemiec — lead vocals
- Dale Lawrence — rhythm guitar
- Steve Feikes — rhythm guitar
- Billy Nightshade — bass
- Phil Hundley — tambourine, background vocals, percussion
- Shadow Myers — drums
- Don Jaskulske — background vocals
Gizmos #3
This version of the Gizmos was one of the first corn punk bands in the U.S.
- Dale Lawrence — vocals, rhythm guitar
- Billy Nightshade — bass, vocals
- Tim Carroll — guitar
- Shadow Myers — drums #1
- Crash Kinser — drums #2
- Robbie Wise — drums #3
Gizmos #4
This is a re-union of the original 1976 line up.
Main members
- Ken Highland — lead guitar, lead vocals
- Eddie Flowers — lead vocals
- Ted Niemiec — lead vocals
- Rich Coffee — rhythm guitar, background vocals
- Davey Medlock — background vocals
Rhythm section #1
- Ian Brewer — guitar
- John Terrill — drums
- Max Demata — bass
Rhythm section #2
- Craig Bell — bass
- Kelsey Simpson — drums
- Sam Murphy — guitar
Rhythm section #3
- Kenny Kaiser — guitar
- MJ Quirk — bass
- Matt Burns — drums
Discography
EPs
Gizmos #1
- "Muff Divin'" EP (1976)
- "Amerika First" EP (1977)
- "World Tour" EP (1978)
Gizmos #2
- "Never Mind The Sex Pistols Here's The Gizmos" EP (1978)
Gizmos #3
Compilations
- 1975-1977: Demos & Rehearsals (2000) - Gizmos #1
- 1976: The Rockabilly Yobs Session (2001) - Gizmos #1
- The Midwest Can Be Allright (2001) - Gizmos #3
- 1978-1981:Never Mind The Gizmos Here's The Gizmos (2002) - Gizmos #2 and #3
- Rock & Roll Don't Come From New York (2004) - Gizmos #3
- 1976/1977: The Studio Recordings (2006) - Gizmos #1
External links
- 1977 Gizmos article from Big Star fanzine: http://ffanzeen.blogspot.com/2012/05/the-gizmos-quims-queens-teens-and.html
- Ken Highland interview 1978: http://www.bostongroupienews.com/BGNGizmoInterview.htm
- JOJOBLOG #24 The Bostonians- Kenne Highland and Jody Moore; http://jojofiles.blogspot.com/2010/01/bostonians-interview-24-kenne-highland.html
- Eddie Flowers interview at Perfect Sounds Forever: http://www.furious.com/perfect/gizmos.html
- Eddie Flowers website: http://www.slippytown.com