Jim Carroll at The Bottom Line (04-29-1985)

On April 29th, 1985, Jim Carroll performed at The Bottom Line! Jim Carroll wore many hats throughout his career, but he is best known for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries and for his poetry. On this night at the Bottom Line, Carroll read a series of original poems. The Bottom Line was a major performance space in the Greenwich Village from 1974 until its closing in 2004. It hosted performances from Eric Clapton, Carl Perkins, Linda Ronstadt, The Police, Prince, Pat Benatar, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Van Morrison, The Stone Poneys, Chuck Mangione, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Barry Manilow, Dire Straits, Grayson Hugh, Dolly Parton, George Jones, The Pointer Sisters, Ravi Shankar, Ramones, The Brecker Brothers, Gato Barbieri, and Miles Davis. Lou Reed and Bruce Springsteen performed at The Bottom Line on many occasions. Lou Reed recorded his live album, Take No Prisoners , in May 1978 at The Bottom Line.

D Generation at Coney Island High (04-24-1999)

On this day 20 years ago, D-Generation played at Coney Island High. This was the band’s final performance before reuniting over a decade later in 2011. In February 1999, the band released their third studio album, Through The Darkness, which was produced by Tony Visconti.

Thanks, Jack Silbert for noting that singer Jesse Malin owed the club, and unfortunately, Coney Island High closed a few months later due to financial issues.

Subsequent to the band’s first breakup in 1999, frontman Jesse Marlin and Joe Rizzo formed the band PCP Highway with guitarist Esko Poldvere. The band recorded a number of demo tracks and toured the east coast of the United States in the early aughts.

Firehose at Maxwell's (04-20-1989)

On April 20th, 1989, Firehose played at Maxwell’s! Last year, The Mckenzie Tapes shared Firehose’s late set from this date in 1989, and now we’re pleased to share the early set! Mike Watt dedicated the set to Bob Mould. Later in 1989, Firehose would release their third album, Fromohio.

Set list (courtesy of Jerry Schumacher):

1. Under The Influence Of Meat Puppets {…into},

2. It Matters, 3.

3. Operation Solitaire

4. Time With You,

5. Whisperin' While Hollerin',

6. Backroads

7. Chemical Wire,

8. For The Singer Of R.E.M

9. Riddle Of The Eighties

10. Honey, Please,

11. In My Mind

12. From One Cums One

13. Some Things

14. If'n,

15. Me & You, Remembering

Elvis Costello at Avery Fisher Hall (04-15-1984)

On April 15th, 1984, Elvis Costello played at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. This set is an acoustic solo set and features stripped down versions of some of Elvis’ best stuff, inlcuding “The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes,” “Green Shirt,” “Lip Service,” and “Allison.”

Gone + Painted Willie at Maxwell's (04-10-1986)

On April 10th, 1986, Gone and Painted Willie played at Maxwell’s! Greg Ginn originally formed Gone as a Black Flag side project in late 1985 with bassist Andrew Weiss and drummer Sim Cain. The trio released their first album, Let's Get Real, Real Gone For A Change, in 1986 on Ginn's SST Records label and embarked on a six-month tour opening for Black Flag. At the time, Ginn was still playing with Black Flag. On a typical day during the tour, Gone would perform one set at an in-store appearance, then go down to the venue where Black Flag were headlining, set up, and open the show. Ginn's only break in the evening would be when the second opening band, Painted Willie, performed.

Richard Lloyd at Maxwell's (02-29-1987)

Whoa! As it turns out, 1987 was a leap year! On the leap day of February 29th, Richard Lloyd played at Maxwell’s! Lloyd, who was originally a guitar player in the seminal New York City proto-punk band Television, began a solo career in 1978 after the first dissolution of Television. He went on to release two solo albums prior to this gig, Alchemy in 1979 and Field of Fire in 1985. In 1987, Lloyd released his third solo album, Real Time! Enjoy this very excellent sound Maxwell’s tape!

Fields of the Nephilim at Cat Club (02-23-1986)

On February 23rd, 1986, Fields of the Nephlim played at the Cat Club! The goth-rock groujp formed a mere two years prior to this performance in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The band's name refers to a Biblical race of giants or angel-human hybrids, known as the Nephilim. This is the third tape in the Mckenzie Tape collection that documents a performance at the legendary Cat Club. These gigs took place shortly after this performance by Field of Nephilim - Hoboken’s The Bongos played at the club in May 1986 and Big Black performance there in August of 1987.

The Lyres at Folk City (02-19-1986)

On February 19th, 1986, The Lyres played at Folk City! In 1986, the Boston-area garage rock band released their second album, Lyres Lyres, on Ace of Hearts. Led by Jeff Conolly, the band remained active throughout the 1980s. Folk City was a legendary venue in Manhattan’s West Village, hosting many great acts during the 1980s, including Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, the Replacements, 10,000 Maniacs, and many others!

Johnny Thunders at Irving Plaza (02-15-1986)

On February 15th, 1986, Johnny Thunders played at Irving Plaza! In 1985, the former member of the New York Dolls and The Heartbreakers released Que Sera Sera, a collection of new songs with his then band The Black Cats, and "Crawfish", a duet with former Snatch vocalist Patti Palladin. According to my research, this tour was originally scheduled for late 1985, but was rescheduled to start on February 13th, 1986 in Philadelphia. I haven’t listened to the tape the whole way through yet, but Thunders is apparently joined by James Brown's horn section towards the end of the show.

Set list:

1. Blame It On Mom

2. M.I.A.

3. Little Bit Of Whore

4. Too Much Junkie Bizness

5. I Can Tell

6. Personality Crisis

7. 14th St. Beat

8. Joey Joey

9. I Only Wrote This Song For You

10. You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory

11. Cool Operator

12. Bright Lights Big City

13. Gloria

14. Help Me

15. Help Me (Conclusion)

16. Give Her A Great Big Kiss

17. In The Midnight Hour

18. Don't You Just Know It

19. Don't Mess With Cupid

20. Stepping Stone

21. Pipeline

22. Hoochie Coochie Man

Gumball at CBGB's (02-09-1991)

On February 9th, 1991, Gumball played at CBGB’s! Gumball originally formed in 1990 with Don Fleming on lead vocals and guitar, Eric Vermillion on bass, and Jay Spiegel on drums.  The fall of 1990 found Gumball in the studio, and their first release came out shortly thereafter on the Paperhouse/Sire label in England. The release was a 12 inch EP with the songs "All the Time"/"Yellow Pants"/"Gettysburg". Shortly after their formation, Gumball signed with NYC's Caroline Records. They recorded and released the album Special Kiss in 1991 and subsequently toured with Mudhoney, and Sonic Youth

Henry Rollins on KCR Radio (02-01-1987)

On February 1st, 1987, Henry Rollins appeared on KCR Radio. The former Black Flag frontman performed some of his spoken word poetry live on the air and also answered some questions.

Pussy Galore at Maxwell's (01-31-1987)

On January 31st, 1987, Pussy Galore played at Maxwell’s in support of The Leaving Trains. That’s right! One of the very first tapes posted as part of The Mckenzie Tapes collection was a rousing performance by The Leaving Trains at Maxwell’s on January 31st, 1987. Guess what? It was the very same gig! It was a memorable performance, and one of my personal favorites, as Dave also documented the night with several original photos. Now, exactly one year later, you can enjoy this January 31st, 1987 Maxwell’s gig in its entirety, as this fantastic recording of Pussy Galore’s opening set is now seeing the light of day!

Later in 1987, Pussy Galore would release their second LP, Right Now!, on Caroline Records.  In 1986, the band released an entire cover album of The Rolling Stones’ “Exile On Main Street” on limited edition cassette.

Sex Pistols at KSAN Radio (1-13-1978)

On January 13th, 1978, the Sex Pistols appeared on KSAN Radio! In 1978, the Sex Pistols hopped across the pond for what would be their first and only U.S. tour. The very next night, the group performed their last show of their original run at the Winterland in San Francisco. This much-hyped, sold-out swansong was simulcast over KSAN-FM radio. The evening kicked off with sets by two of San Francisco's finest of the era, the Avengers and the Nuns (which included Alejandro Escovedo).

Redd Kross at Maxwell's (12-31-1988)

On December 31st, 1988, Red Kross played at Maxwell’s! The Los Angeles group rang in 1989 in style by playing an extended set that featured some fun covers!

Hüsker Dü at Maxwell's (12-31-1984)

On December 31st, 1984, Hüsker Dü played at Maxwell’s! The band had reason to celebrate on the New Year’s Eve, as they wrapped up quite the successful year. In July of that year, the trio from Minneapolis released what many consider to be their magnum opus, the epic Zen Arcade. The record is considered a concept album that tells the story of a young boy who runs away from an unfulfilling home life, only to find the world outside is even worse. The tape includes about 85% of the band’s set - it cuts off midway through their cover of the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High.” Hoboken legends Gut Bank opened the show, but sadly their set is not included on the tape.

Set list

1. First Set

2. Somewhere

3. Target

4. What Do I Want?

5. From The Gut

6. Wheels

7. Everything Falls Apart

8. What's Going On?

9. Chartered Trips

10. Data Control/Reoccurring Dreams/Helter Skelter/Jam

11. Second Set

12. Never Talking To You Again

13. Hate Paper Doll

14. Green Eyes

15. Divide And Conquer

16. Pink Turns To Blue

17. Eight Miles High

Patti Smith at CBGB's (12-29-1979)

On December 29th, 1979, Patti Smith played at CBGB’s! The legendary punk poet celebrated her 33rd birthday a day early with a raucous performance. In 1979, Smith released the Todd Rundgren produced “Wave” with the Patti Smith Group. The record is a standout in her discography and contains classics such as “Frederic,” “Dancing Barefoot,” and “"So You Want to Be (A Rock 'n' Roll Star).” Happy Birthday, Patti Smith!

Bad Brains at The Ritz (12-27-1986)

On December 26th, 1986, Bad Brains played at The Ritz! The band wrapped up a pretty successful year with this performance, as in 1986, they signed with SST Records and released their third studio album, I Against I. This record expanded on the band's hardcore punk and reggae sound by introducing a heavy metal/funk hybrid elements. Despite the group’s success, vocalist H.R. and his brother Earl quit Bad Brains in 1987.

John Cale at Maxwell's (12-23-1988)

On December 23rd, 1988, John Cale played at Maxwell’s! This show marks the beginning of a comeback for the former Velvet Underground member, as after releasing his 11th studio album, Artificial Intelligence, in 1985, Cale took a break from recording and performing. Shortly after this performance,  Cale released the Brian Eno-produced album, Words for the Dying,  in 1989.

This tape contains about 50 minutes of his set. Unfortunately, the tape recorder died mid-set. It's 50 high quality sounding minutes, though. Enjoy! 

Otis Ball at Maxwell's (12-22-1990)

On December 22nd, 1990, Otis Ball played at Maxwell’s! Originally based in the midwest, Otis relocated to Hoboken in 1988 after signing with Bar None Records. According to his biography on the Bar None website, the label originally discovered him through They Might Be Giants.

The Giants had received a tape from him and sent it to our offices immediately, with a note asking, "what do you make of this?" We didn't know what to make of it but we were intrigued, so we asked for more. He sent us a video tape of an all-woman band that he was playing bass with at the time. We signed him soon afterward.

Otis played a 20 minute set opening for The Spin Doctors and Carnival Life. Dave Mckenzie took a few original photos of Otis performing, which I believe are from this performance.

Sound of Skin at Maxwell's (12-20-1990)

On December 20th, 1990, Sound of Skin played at Maxwell’s! Tell me about this band, I couldn’t find anything about them on the internet.