Scratch Acid

Scratch Acid was an Austin, Texas noise rock group formed in 1982. When they first began, their lineup was Steve Anderson (vocals), David Wm. Sims (guitar), Brett Bradford (guitar), David Yow (bass), and Rey Washam (drums). Anderson was kicked out of the band before the band ever recorded an album, prompting Yow to move to vocals and Sims to move to bass.

Scratch Acid's first two albums were released by Texas indie record label Rabid Cat, the third and final release, Berserker EP by Touch and Go Records. A posthumous compilation CD entitled The Greatest Gift, was released by Touch and Go Records in 1991.

After developing a reputation as a crazy, noisy punk band, Scratch Acid disbanded in 1987. According to the liner notes of The Greatest Gift, the band members never received compensation from either Rabid Cat or Fundamental Records (who distributed their releases in Europe).

Brett Bradford went on to form Colorado punk band Great Caesar's Ghost. They disbanded in 1993. He also formed Sangre De Toro and played with Areola 51. Washam went on to perform with many other bands, including the Big Boys, Ministry, Helios Creed, the Didjits, Lard, and Tad. In 1987, Sims and Washam joined Steve Albini in the band Rapeman, which disbanded just before Sims reunited with Yow in 1989 to form the Jesus Lizard.

All of the original members of the band appeared at Emo's nightclub in Austin on Sept. 2, 2006, and at the Touch and Go 25th anniversary celebration in Chicago, Illinois on September 9, 2006. [1] They played their third and final show of the brief reunion at Seattle's Showbox Theater on Saturday, September 16, playing twenty songs from their twenty-eight song (recorded) oeuvre before leaving the stage.

Kurt Cobain of the popular grunge band Nirvana was a Scratch Acid fan, as seen in a photograph where Cobain wears a Scratch Acid t-shirt.[2] At Nirvana's Live and Loud concert in 1993 for MTV he sported another Scratch Acid t-shirt. In the movie About A Son Kurt explained his liking for Scratch Acid in depth.

Discography

• 1984 Scratch Acid (Rabid Cat)
• 1986 Just Keep Eating (Rabid Cat)
• 1987 Berserker (Touch and Go Records)
• 1991 The Greatest Gift compilation (Touch and Go Records)

External links

• Band's biography / discography
• Scratch Acid at MySpace
• Scratch Acid User Group at last.fm
• Scratch Acid brief interview and performance of "Lay Screaming" at Touch and Go Records 25th Anniversary
• Blog of bassist David Wm. Sims

References

• MusicMatch Guide. "[3]". Retrieved September 30, 2005.
• Band profile at Touch and Go Records website