2nd Rehearsal - met Marc Campbell who wrote simple yet compelling reggae songs. In subsequent rehearsals I brought my guitar friend Artie who the other people liked better. This formed the nucleus of what was to become the Ravers.

Had a native American drummer who has cerebral palsy but could still play up a storm! Marc got smitten by the punk rock explosion of '75 and integrated rock into our fledgling group of reggae songs. Marc then got us a gig at a party for a debut. Artie had his Moserite and I had a red Farfisa combo-compact and beige Wurlitzer EP.

We had a series of gigs where Artie, Jon and I started writing songs as well as co writing with Marc doing lyrics.

Live April 1977 Denver (opening for The Nerves)

Early 1976 - the native American left the band to be replaced by Al (d. 1997), who could also do backing vocals. Started getting some notoriety in Boulder, CO and played local clubs, one of the only all original bands to do so.

Played a poetry festival including Allen Ginsberg and performance artists at Boulder's famous Tulagi's nightclub and continued to play around Boulder during 1976 and '77 at improbably named clubs such as Funky Butts and Sinbad's.

1977 - Ramones, Ray Manzarek's Nite City and Runaways come to Denver. Being Colorado's only "punk" band, The Ravers opened up for Nite City and two Ramones shows at another oddly named club, Ebbets Field in the heart of downtown Denver. That was the name of the baseball stadium the Brooklyn Dodgers played in prior to their moving to Los Angeles. The Ramones were loud and fast. At the time I never heard anything like them before. I added Melodica to my repertoire. I also co-wrote a song with Marc that would later become the basis for the Nails' "Transcontinental Ska".

Hear a clip of the Ravers "Cops are Punks" (RealAudio required)

May 1977 - went into a Boulder 4-track studio, Mountain Ears Studio, to record a nine-song demo, three songs of which later came out on the "Cops are Punks" EP on the Screwball record label.

June 1977 - played big performance in Denver sponsored by Wax Trax record store with The Nerves from Los Angeles, a "seminal" band which contained Peter Case, later of the Plimsouls and an accomplished solo artist and Paul Collins' who formed a band called Paul Collins' Beat (actually the Beat but he had to distinguish himself from the English Beat).

Live summer 1977 in New York at Max's Kansas CityWe also played our final Boulder show before moving to New York City (where I'm from anyway) at a school auditorium (Free School -ed.) with another local band called Driver. All through this popular period one of the Ravers' roadies was Eric Boucher who later formed the Dead Kennedys and became Jello Biafra...

Summer 1977 - Played CBGB audition night to get into their rotation which we did but not easily. We also played Max's Kansas City and blended in with other NY bands. Unfortunately there was a glam-type band called Raver playing around so we changed our name to The Nails (supposedly suggested by our then manager, now an attorney in the metro SanFran area.)


The Nails, known as The Ravers back then, were the pioneers of Rocky Mountain punk. We walked it like we talked it. And we still do. The other Colorado punk bands were a bunch of pussies who ended up opening health food stores and internet businesses. The Nails kicked ass back then and we kick ass today. The Nails was the only significant rock band to ever come out of Colorado. Name another one and I'll suck your cock/cunt.