DEMENTIA PRECOX, MOM, BAD ELVIS IMPERSONATORS, Dementia Precox is Everywhere, (unofficial, cassette, 1980-88)

What can I say about DEMENTIA PRECOX? Well... nothing really -- or nothing I didn't say in the previous post about the DEMENTIA PRECOX Myspace site. The only thing I can really add is that I happened to run into Royse Robbins briefly a little while back and that she's back in Dayton now and doing okay. My personal opinion is that she should do some more music in some way, at some point... but I don't really know what's on her agenda these days.

What can I say about today's download? Again, not too much: 118 megabytes, about 90 minutes of music. It's a compilation that a friend of Matt DeWald made for him when he was in high school. The unofficial title, Dementia Precox is Everywhere!, comes from the faded, handwritten legend scrawled on the label for side A. The side B label places these tracks as spanning the years 1980-1988. My assumption is that they were all recorded from original vinyl releases by the band, with perhaps one track (number 10, the live version of "Love Is Headless") being recorded directly to some sort of cassette device. Who knows? I cleaned them up as best I could -- ran the noise reducer to eliminate tape hiss and normalized them all to similar levels. What else do you want? No doubt you'll hear the occasional tape flub and such, and overall this is nowhere near CD (or even original vinyl) quality. Still it should be good enough for you to make a disc from (or load onto your fucking iPod!) and blast the neighborhood with some lo-fi, New Wave, antique-Dayton goodness. Whatever will the neighbors say!?

Part of me wishes, of course, that I had the original sources to deliver to you, along with some cover scans and such. Then again, as I mentioned in the previous DEMENTIA post, it looks like Gyn or someone is still marketing at least some of the old DEMENTIA PRECOX recordings over on ebay (check the other post for how to find them). And it wouldn't surprise me to learn that some kind of better quality DEMENTIA re-issue is in the works (though that's purely my speculation). So for this blog, it's probably good that the only thing I have to offer is a semi-decent, lo-fidelity cassette compilation that's twenty years old.

I never really knew any of the people in this band. I mean yeah, I know Eric Purtle more or less... Nick Kizirnis too, but I never did any hanging out with Gyn or Royse or anyone else that you might call a "core member" or something like that. In my brief conversation with Royse, she didn't seem to have any problem with me posting this stuff, but as usual, if she changes her mind or if someone else who owns the copyright to these recordings wants me to remove them, I'll do so -- no problem. Still, since this is only "listenable" quality at best and since anyone who controls the original recordings must also have access to better versions, I figure a posting like this shouldn't be a problem. As with everything on this blog, if you like this stuff, I figure it could only stimulate you to plunk down a few bucks for a more official version if it comes along.

Anyway, here we go: eighteen tracks by Dayton's most legendary new wave combo. Listen and allow yourself to be transported back to the '80s! Back to a time of analog sampling and TR-909s! Put on your black clothes and rock out! And as I've said before, DEMENTIA has been experiencing a bit of a renaissance lately. Keep an eye out for reunions, reissues, and other stuff. With Halloween coming up in a couple of months, I'd lay even odds that some form of this band will be appearing around the Miami Valley and maybe parts beyond some time soon (I'll probably also be throwing one of these on my annual Halloween mix CD -- who can resist?).

However, today's fun doesn't end with the DEMENTIA stuff. As it happens, Matt's compilation also includes two cuts by Dayton's mythical art-rock combo MOM and one more by the totally obscure BAD ELVIS IMPERSONATORS. I know little about both bands except that Dennis Schlichter had a lot to do with MOM and that (I think) Jeff Brelsford was in both bands (I could be wrong about that -- though I'm sure he was in at least one of them -- check the comments on my previous MOM post for more information).

My current band THE VECTORS happened to play a house party a few weeks ago with this sort of band/music project featuring Dennis and his friend Roger. Unfortunately, for me the evening turned out to be sort of an OXYMORONS/LIQUID DRAINO reunion, and so I missed most of Dennis' set while I was talking to Dave, Nick, Grog, and Gnu out on the porch. Still, I did listen to 'em through the window (for whatever that's worth), and they sounded really good. I have no idea if they'll be doing more shows at any point. I've talked to Dennis a few times over the past few weeks, and he hasn't mentioned it. But if they do, they're worth seeing.

Again, if you look at the MOM post (which I posted on Thanksgiving Day, 2007), you'll find pretty much everything I know about them. As for BAD ELVIS IMPERSONATORS, all I can say is that I remember hearing their name when I was in high school and thinking it was one of the greatest band names ever. I'm pretty sure I also have a review of one of their shows in some zine I have around here somewhere. But I don't want to bother digging it out right now.

I was at Dennis' birthday party a few weeks ago. As I said, he still plays some music, but it seems he's mostly an artist now. To be honest, he's kind of an odd character and a bit of an iconoclast (though in the best possible sense), so I don't know if he'll be showcasing any art at one of those Stalinistly organized Circus/Sideshow things any time soon. But if he does, you should go see it. Gail has a number of his pieces in her house, and they're all worth seeing. The man is a rare talent.

I'd also like to throw in a little something here about Jeff Brelsford. I spoke with him briefly on Dennis' porch at the birthday party, and he seems like a good egg. Strangely, that was the first time in my recollection that I've ever met him (although I may have had one or more drunken conversations with him at the Building Lounge or The Front Street Warehouse long ago). I forgot to ask him exactly what he's doing these days... music? art? I don't really know. He seems to have done both at various points. But again, if you get a chance to see anything he's associated with, you should take it.

Oh yeah, the BAD news: the one song by BAD ELVIS IMPERSONATORS cuts off at the end. I guess the tape ran out. Still, it's over four minutes long in this form, so I figure you've got most of the song here. I just faded out the part where it cuts off so that it sounds more seamless. Bad idea? You tell me.

Track List:

1. Tonight
2. Newar's Eve
3. Maladie D'Espirit
4. Mines
5. T.V. Jesus
6. Here It Comes Again
7. Street Is Empty
8. It Doesn't Matter To...
9. Love Is Headless (live)
10. XXX
11. Disease>
12. Just for a Little While
13. Everything Is Fine
14. Never Settle Down
15. Shake
16. Night Spot
17. Fade Away
18. Nothing Lasts Forever
19. MOM - Baby Doll
20. MOM - A Man
21. Bad Elvis Impersonators - Work Sucks

Download It! (118 MB).

Okay, that's it for now. Download the stuff and enjoy. Believe me, you'll like it. As for me, well it's raining, but I've got my son Oakley here today. Strangely enough, Dennis actually gave me a gigantic umbrella a few weeks ago. I think Oakley and I will go down to the pond and feed the ducks and use that umbrella for cover. Anybody wanna come along? Give me a call...

take care

---Jones()

Off-Site: DEMENTIA PRECOX at Myspace, Ebay

Still depressed and angry -- blah, blah, blah...

I'm still off the grid for a few days, but even post-breakup depression must yield at least briefly to this incredible find: Dayton's legendary industrial, gothic, new wave, dance-pop, electronica, performance art rock group DEMENTIA PRECOX has a Myspace page.

Go there now and you'll find...

• Four downloadable MP3s (must have a Myspace account to get 'em)
• Current DEMENTIA PRECOX news and happenings, including show dates (in the blog section)
• photo montage video highlighting various points in the band's career (under the blog)
• Complete list of current and former band members

Those of you who are jumping up and down in your seats right now (or who did so when they first found this page if this isn't the first time you've heard of it) probably don't need to be told that Gyn Cameron's DEMENTIA PRECOX took on epic popularity in the Miami Valley and parts unknown during their almost ten-year-run through the 1980s and into the '90s. Nor need you be told that they have taken on enduring cult status in the years since. And you probably also know that Gyn recently reconstituted the band and has been playing a few shows around the tri-state area, so you should know better than to miss them when they're in Dayton (like I did when they did the Halloween show because I'm a witless tool).

Gotta go now and be depressed more, but before I do, here are some random DEMENTIA facts that have popped into my brain:

• Around 1987 or 1988, Dan Rather's old news magazine show 48 Hours, which ordinarily concentrated on stories of straight journalistic interest, did a fluff episode on Paul McCartney's career. During one of the interview segments, there's a roadie sitting in the background with a clearly visible DEMENTIA PRECOX t-shirt on. He doesn't move for the entire segment, which lasted a couple of minutes. I don't remember his name, but I remember Kris Pleis telling me it was either a former member of this band or some other luminary of Dayton music at the time.
• My dad actually went to a DEMENTIA PRECOX show at Wright State University in 1989. He had come because he was interested in computer generated music, and I had mentioned how DEMENTIA had developed a whole music and live show integrating computers and all sorts of electronics. He stood in the back with sort of a quizzical look on his face, but he stayed the whole time. For that show DEMENTIA PRECOX was Gyn Cameron, Royse Robbins, and Nick Kizirnis.
• I dimly recall that in 1986 DEMENTIA guitar player Max Nye (1980-1985) was assaulted by a group of nasty Dayton rednecks outside a convenience store while walking home late one night from a show at the Building Lounge. He lived but his injuries were quite extensive. I remember at least one benefit show to raise funds for his medical bills.
• Apparently, you can buy at least one CD with DEMENTIA PRECOX material on it and t-shirts commemorating the band's current renaissance period through ebay. Just go there and do a search on "Dementia Precox." As I understand it, the CD and t-shirt are on there fairly consistently and other merchandise comes and goes, so die hard fans should keep an eye out.
• A couple of days ago, Matt DeWald gave me a compilation tape of DEMENTIA PRECOX material that a friend recorded for him about twenty years ago. It's fairly lousy quality, but it's audible, and since it appears someone is still selling the DEMENTIA recordings on ebay, it's probably best to only post a low quality cassette of that material here (which I'll be doing after I rip it).

And now I'm moping again.

take care

---Jones()