The Oxymorons / The Obvious @ Canal Street Tavern 1/12/1990

Yes, I've missed a few days due to being sick and not being able to look at a computer screen. However, to make it up I've posted the infamous flyer with a big cock on it.

The show itself was fairly typical with both The Oxy's and The Obvious playing a long set at Canal Street Tavern. The big news was the flyer which caused quite a stir everywhere it was hung. Being bright green it attracted attention and the cock seemed to draw the eye. These were plastered all over Wight State, Sinclair, Canal Street and the Oregon District along with various music and record stores.

Pat and Gail had created the flyer one day at Wright State which you can read about on his blog I remember Dayton. What happened after the mass posting was that police were called due to them being obscene or something. So, luckily Canal covered for us and said they didn't know how to contact the band then they got a hold of us and mentioned the police were involved. So we went out and removed many of the remaining offensive flyers with one of two new censored versions. One had a large flap of paper over the penis saying "Censored for the protection of your delicate eyes", The other just had the whole image section blacked in saying "Censored by your friendly local police department who are scared of the human body". Juvenile yes, but hey we were all 20 and 21 and it all seemed like a good idea at the time.

I can say that I still haven't seen a local band put up a flyer that caused as big of a curfluffle as this one did.

Sloppy Seconds / Dryrot / Darknes @ V.F.W. Hall Richmond, IN 10/27/1990

A great show that I missed in the small but amazing scene that is Richmond, Indiana. This is a small town right near Ohio that is just over an hour from Indianapolis, Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati. The scene was great for quite a while thanks to bands like Dryrot and Kid With a Stick who brought fans of every genre together to see all age shows.

This show featured the Indy legends Sloppy Seconds who played raunchy Ramonesish songs with lyrics that lived up to their name. Dryrot were local favorites who always put on a great show and promoted the hell out of their local scene. I really don't recall who Darknes were.

The V.F.W. Hall was one of at least three places they had all ages shows, plus they had a great college radio station WECI at Earlham College.

Kaptain Karl's Wizbangs / Minus One @ Canal Street Tavern 12/19/1990

This was after the end of the Tooba Blooze and before they became known as simply The Wizbangs. Yep, it was all about Kaptain Karl. The Wizbangs featured Kaptain Karl and Deni Wilson (from Tooba Blooze) plus Tim Taylor and Juan Monasterio who went on to form Brainiac. I'm assuming it was one of their first shows, but I could be wrong on this point. The other band on the bill was Minus One one of Eric Purtle's many, many bands over the years. I can't recall who else was in the band, but I know they had a sound that was similar to Ministry, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and others of their ilk.

Liquid Draino @ Canal Street Tavern 7/19/1990

I really love this flyer for Liquid Draino. It was created for one of their battle of the bands shows. I don't recall who they played against, but I really didn't matter since I was there for Draino. I think caricature really captures Sheldon, Eric, Brian and Dave plus the neato red drums.

The show was of course at Canal Street Tavern, where they are still have their yearly battle of the bands to this day. I had forgotten that Draino was using the Cheep Beer Ltd. moniker just like the Oxy's.

The Killjoys / Life and Times / Nude Canoe @ Oregon Emporium 1/27/1990

A very different show and a great line-up. First off this was sponsored by the local "commercial rock" station and was held in what has been a thrift store in the Oregon District. The proceeds went to help out the homeless as well as the donations collected. I liked all three bands and had a great time at this very packed and well received show.

Of the three bands involved I knew the least about Nude Canoe who I think were still in high school or had just graduated. I don't recall much about their music, but I know they were fairly popular with the indie college crowd and high schoolers. Life and Times featured David Ponitz (now David Poe) and Morgan Taylor along with other members who I don't recall. They had a lighter alternative feel and could draw hoards of good looking girls to their shows. David & Morgan went on to front Glee & Beak before splitting off into other bands such as OO OO WA.

The final band on the bill was The Killjoys who later changed their name to the Raging Mantras. They were always one of my favorite bands in Dayton and put on great shows everytime they played. They consisted of front man Vocalist / Bassist Rob Schaefer, Guitarist / Vocalist Nick Kizirnis (The Obvious, Cage, The Mulchmen, Ohio Silver, Eyesinweasel, The Jet Age, Nicky Kay & the Kay-Tones), Keyboardist Ed Lacy and Drummer Jim MacPherson (The Breeders, Guided by Voices, Real Lulu, The Amps). As you can tell by the list of bands the ended up with there was a lot of talent in the group.

The Oxymorons / J.I.M. @ Canal Street Tavern 5/16/1990

I don't recall a thing about this show or anything about the band J.I.M. I have to assume that at least my band (The Oxymorons) played, since we made the flyer and our name is on it. After looking up the date I found out that it happened in 1990 and for some reason we used pink paper instead of our usual obnoxious green. Not one of our best flyers, but interesting nonetheless.

The show was at Canal Street Tavern, which is the longest running place for local bands to play. With a great diverse crowd and band to go with them, this is the place to go.