Adrenalin O.D.

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Adrenalin O.D. was a popular hardcore punk band from New Jersey that existed from 1981 to 1990. They are best known for playing extremely fast music accompanied by humorous lyrics.

History

Adrenalin O.D. formed in 1981 from the ashes of late '70s punk band The East Paterson Boys Choir. A.O.D.'s first recordings saw release on the widely distributed New York Thrash cassette compilation released on ROIR cassettes in 1982. The compilation also featured the first recordings of the Beastie Boys, as well as prominent NYC punk bands like Kraut and the Washington DC band Bad Brains. The comedic and speedy "Paul's Not Home" became an instant college radio hit.

A.O.D.'s first vinyl release, a six song (EP) entitled Let's Barbeque, was released on their own Buy Our Records label. Because the budget was so tight, the band could only afford 15 minutes of studio time. They recorded all six tracks in one take with no overdubs. Buy Our Records became one of New Jersey's largest indie punk labels and springboarded the careers of many bands including Flag of Democracy, Raging Slab, and Pussy Galore.

Adrenalin O.D.'s first album entitled The Wacky Hijinks of Adrenalin O.D. showcased the band's use of blazing speed-punk and sarcastic lyrics, taking aim at the suburban experience with songs like "Middle Aged Whore", "Trans Am" (the inspiration for the Dead Milkmen's "Bitchin' Camaro"), and the crowd favorite "Rock n' Roll Gas Station". The album contains an untitled and blatantly obvious backmasked track. When played backwards, it is the band members saying in unison; "God is very, very nice. Be kind to animals. Satan sucks." The band turned down offers from virtually every major metal label looking to market the band to the emerging thrash metal crowds, maintaining that even though their songs had a metallic edge they were a punk band. Some of the songs on 'HumungousFungusAmongus' are the fastest hardcore tracks ever recorded. Adrenalin O.D. toured nationally and created a loyal following via their live shows (described by some as an experience somewhere between Minor Threat and Don Rickles.) The band's quick wit and on-stage banter was at times as much of an improv stand-up comedy act as a hardcore punk band, and fans coined the term "funny-punk" to describe their performances. Tracks that exhibit the band's quirky sense of humor include a punk rock cover of Henry Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk", a surf rock version of "Hava Nagila" entitled "Surfin' Jew" aka "Surfin' Adam Meshell", and a track entitled "Masterpiece" which is a punk reworking of Jean-Joseph Mouret's 'Rondeau" from "Symphonies and Fanfares for the King's Supper" (which the band knew only as the theme from the PBS TV series Masterpiece Theatre).

By their third release Cruising With Elvis In Bigfoot's UFO, the band brought in producer Daniel Rey (who had worked with the Ramones, Misfits and Iggy Pop) to help the band's translation from hyper-speed to mid-tempo melodic punk. With songs like "Bulimic Food Fight", and "My Mom Can't Drive", Stereo Review Magazine ranked the album among the funniest records of all time, and the album was formative in the development of the punk sound of Fat Wreck Chords.

Post-breakup

After parting ways with Adrenalin O.D. in 1986, Jack Steeples took over the guitar duties for Mental Decay. Mental Decay recorded and released 3 singles (Mental Decay, Elvis Demilo, and Walking Stick) plus 2 cuts a the Headache Records compilation with Jack on guitar. Jack left Mental Decay in 1995 and "cleaned up". He would rejoin Mental Decay again for a short time in 1996 to record and play a number shows. In December 1995, Jack would take over Bass duties and rejoin his friend and Adrenalin O.D. frontman Paul Richard in the Kowalskis. Jacks first show with the Kowalskis would be opening for Iggy Pop. Fronted by Kitty Kowalski, the Kowalskis released a single and a full length CD (All Hooped up on Goofballs) on the Blackout record label with Jack and Paul. After leaving the Kowalskis in 1999, Paul and Jack would go on to form SUX. SUX was together for 10 years, never releasing any recordings.

Band members Bruce Wingate and Wayne Garcia went on to form a three-man band Bruce Wayne in tribute to both of their first names and the secret identity of comic book hero Batman. In the mid-1990s Wingate was the musical director for two tours by cult figure Harvey Sid Fisher. He has continued to write and record as the frontman for many groups, including The International Brunch Mummies, Shyster Shyster & Flywheel, New Reagans, The Earls Of Sandwich, and the TXT PSTLZ (text pistols). He also formed a joke-techno band called Total Dick which progressed and renamed itself to District Allstarz.

Drummer Dave Scott spent three years exercising his rock–metal imperative with the ill fated New Jersey "supergroup" Scrooge (later Grimelord) with members of Genocide and Niblick Henbane, before going on to Atlantic Recording artists Lucy's Trance. He later relocated to Florida, and has played in The Hybrids, November Charlie, The F-Pipes and The Rondos. Dave Scott also went on to be a stand up comic, and still performs in Florida. Foster, son of fireballing 97-year-old Bill Foster, who is currently the only remaining alumnus still alive from Upsala College, went on to become the lead guitarist in Electric Frankenstein.

Adrenalin O.D. have reunited several times, soon to be June 4 in Danbury CT, but so far most recently to benefit CBGB's, along with The Dead Boys, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, and Flipper in August 2005. In 2007, Steeples and Richard reunited as "A.O.D." with Greg Farah on drums for a show at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ. In 1999, they reunited to record the 31-second track "Your Kung Fu Is Old...and Now You Must Die!!!" for the compilation CD Short Music For Short People.

Members

The band's original line-up was as follows:

• Jim Foster - guitar
• Dave Scott (Schwartzman) - drums
• Paul Richard - guitar, vocals
• Jack Steeples - bass guitar

Later members of the band included:

• Bruce Wingate - guitar
• Wayne Garcia - bass guitar
• Keith Hartel - bass guitar

Discography

Albums

• The Wacky Hijinks of Adrenalin OD (1984) reissued in 2008 on Chunksaah Records
• HumungousFungousAmongus (1986, reissued in 2005 on Relapse Records
• Cruising With Elvis in Bigfoot's UFO (1988)
• Ishtar (1989)
• Sittin' Pretty (1995)
• Phat and Old (1996)
• Themes - rare and unreleased demo 1981-1982 (2001)
• New York Thrash- ROIR's famous NY Hardcore Compilation (1981)

Singles/EPs

• Let's Barbeque extended play (Buy Our Records, 1983) (reissued 2011 by Psychic Volt Records & Chunksaah Records)
• Caught in the Act^{[disambiguation needed ]} split 7" with Bedlam (1984)
• Nice Song in the Key of D 7" (Buy Our Records 005, 1986)
• The Band That Wouldn't Leave EP (1986)
• Theme From an Imaginary Midget Western (1988)
• Sentimental Abuse (Headache Records, 1996)

Compilation

• New Jersey's Got It? (Buy Our Records, 1985)
• Rat Music for Rat People, Vol. 3 (CD Presents, 1987)
• Short Music For Short People (Fat Wreck Chords, 1999)

External links

• Adrenalin OD interview printed in Flipside #55 (1988)