The Screamers - The Greatest Unrecorded Band In History

[@eccentroworld3401]

I've never seen Niagara Falls, or the Grand Canyon, or a Space Launch or a volcano erupting or any big pyramids in Egypt, but I'm proud to say I saw The Screamers at the Whisky many times. I even saw that "Palace Of Variety" show. They were gods. You couldn't take your eyes off Tomata. I've NEVER EVER seen a front person of a band in such command of an audience. He was truly riveting. Their sound was monstrous with an electric piano through a distortion box and an Arp Odyssey synthesizer and sounded meaner than any punk band. KK was a great drummer and looked pretty cool playing a battleship-gray painted drumset. The Screamers were truly one of the wonders of the world.

[@Lsummers990]

I saw them in early 1978 at an Elks Club near DTLA. Does anyone else remember any details of that show? I went with KK’s friend and bandmate in other bands, Rand McNally.

[@judgechan9036]

Niagara Falls in the house!

[@aboutsoundandvision]

For anyone interested, the great label Superior Viaduct put out the first official Screamers release on vinyl in 2021 called Demo Hollywood 1977 and it is a great release!

[@aboutsoundandvision]

@YoungNino2017 The Scream is an acetate that never got officially released and was in super low numbers. They did record plenty but most of it never saw a proper release

[@dalemaherwoodlock3383]

Fun fact: El Duce from the mentors played drums for the screamers for a brief period of time.

[@marinablack181]

Screamers are what i always wanted Suicide to sound like

[@Knapptime95]

You nailed it!!! See I can dig ‘weird’ music, I get what they were trying to do, and no one can deny they were unique and ahead of their time…but Suicide was bit too out of left-field, even for me haha

[@krisscanlon4051]

Yeah I like that idea...Suicide was not like this...Screamers got it down perfectly

[@downallyourstreets]

In defense of Suicide, you get them or you don’t. You love them or you hate them. You accept them for what they are or you want to change them into something completely different. Well, too bad, you can’t; it’s all committed to history and even wax, which the Screamers never got unfortunately, but that’s part of what made them so enigmatic - a band that were usually the headliner act and had no record you could buy because they refused to accept the music industry’s joke/offers/deals! They were the real deal, if you wanted to listen to the Screamers as a poor young punk, you had to get your freak on and go to a show! Now Suicide, were also kinda doing their own street wise version of Doo Wop and the rockn’roll that they grew up on in a very minimalist fashion with only one of the two Martin Rev classically trained on piano. Also, Suicide were a New York City band started at the very height of the City’s lowest point of urban decay, so songs like Dream Baby Dream were real odes to what they saw around them. Also, they were quite a bit older, age-wiser than the young punk bands around them, yet absorbing the invigorating spirit of it. Just the reactionary heckling, hostility and even violence to them like 23 minutes in Brussels, and the too many times they were garnering pure hostility from the audience/clubs and were literally getting the plug pulled while Vega would just go a capella without missing a beat proved they were made of stern stuff, committed, confident and sincere in their art. Today if they lost there laptop with pre recorded filler , the show would still go on, they weren’t gonna whine about it; in short Suicide wasn’t’ your average pop shit band for the masses. I’m a huge fan of Suicide (if you can’t tell) and a newer fan of the Screamers (by way of a little killer synth punk band called the Lost Sounds that covered Punished or be Damned) I wouldn’t want either to be different. I like the fact I can listen to Suicide or Screamers for completely different moods, and I like many of the bands each of them inspired. Plus, they were open to diversity in music and agreed to open for Elvis Costello who bores me to tears, and it was his fans that caused the ruckus in Brussels. In Scotland some homicidal Costello-loving wideo threw a hatchet at Alan Vega almost killing Suicide by homicide, sorry couldn’t resist. And who the fuck brings a hatchet to a Costello show,really? Christ!

[@pwnedeful]

A way of life gets close to sounding like the screamers

[@huh2495]

54 listen to the screamers almost everyday. The insanity keeps me sane

[@OutLawStargazer899]

30. same here!

[@twofistedmarkmonti9352]

Saw them live twice...'77 & '78...epic

[@joefulton9466]

Interesting video. Brings back good memories of the few times I saw The Screamers in SF and Portland. But you understate the second career of Tomata. His folk art becomes more admired and sought after with each passing year.

[@dnavid]

great vid. those 3 Roxy shows were incredible, as was the first Slash show. Daadler ruined them and sucked in a lot of others that curtailed the scenes progress but they chose to go along with him... They needed David Lynch. Anyway we have the record and all the vids, proof all us LA punks aren't nuts

[@2ndbleak]

Do not stop making videos my dude, this stuff is great!

[@brandonsullivan9847]

Was in an uber the other day, and were talking about music and he's telling me hes from LA and was into.the early punk scene. Anyways he mentioned that one of the screamers asked him to make an album with them, very early most likely. Idk but now I'm watching this, thanks uber dude.

[@alejandroramirez4470]

Finished John doe's book "under the big black sun" and many praised them so I've been intrigued ever since. Music from the bags is hard to find too. Bandcamp is basically helping so many diy bands today. Vinyl records would've been costly back then I'm sure.

[@GyntherMeyer]

I love the Screamers. Thanks for making this video - it's really good.

[@aestroai8012]

Thank you. They were amazing.

[@rockinvida1960]

Best live band I’ve ever seen to this day…thanks for this great vid….

[@realistfilms]

Tomata died of AIDS not cancer. We did a play together in the early 90’s. He left LA for Miami in 92’ and died soon thereafter. Wonderful kind soul.

[@billybrown00]

Great video! Why the Decline blurred video in the background though?

[@TheJfluffy]

Punk but with only synth and drums? Sign me up!

[@diegoaguirre8949]

Hacía falta este video

[@Anti_Bonez]

Glad someone can bring light to such a great band 👍

[@neilbender3050]

Great job. Didn't know anything pre LA

[@LoT850]

My band covered Vertigo, we transposed the synth to guitar which was not hard. ALOT OF FUN LIVE

[@artbyact]

Wow awesome presentation of The Screamers! Two thumbs up!! Whatever happened to Tommy Gear? Did he continue making music?

[@zakkuRB]

I love this channel

[@playbackphantasy]

Sick!!! Fucking love the screamers!!

[@ethanleclair300]

Surprised you haven’t got the boot for the lyrics of Xs backing track. Love the video dude

[@bryanscarboddi1210]

When I heard🗣The Screamers for the first time🤖🎹🤖It changed my life🥀🦇🥀

[@xeroid69]

Nicely done.

[@JBH123]

At 9:00, I'm assuming you meant "their importance to underground music cannot be OVERstated."

[@lilgibby2653]

Is your pfp from Murcatter? The artstlye looks super familiar

[@bigbonez9160]

Great research it’s very hard to find info in the fuckers

[@stevenimeson902]

Tommy gear is so cool!

[@paraksarungbam1029]

Wow

[@TheDenman47]

I remember Tomato from Ze Whiz Kidz

[@gilramirez1373]

👍

[@Dylan_Collie]

These guys were the true inventors of industrial, not Throbbing Gristle.

[@dnavid]

Tomata 'played' a guitar at least once but used it as a percussion instrument. No strumming.

[@ASSAULTROCKRECKEADZ]

Unrecorded *Plays recordings*

[@pauulkubasek1815]

Lol, using the units (another rad synth punk band) as background music

[@deanmcinerney2324]

Love the Units, and I love that son iNight, but why is it being used as a the backing track for a video about The Screamers?? And Tomata died of AIDS. Just say it... But as for Renee Daalder, yeah he destroyed the Screamers. What a charlatan!!!!

[@berfurdbumjerman9028]

I lived in tge famous Rock House in Buena Park California. WE used to live on so west corner 8 1/2 Acres behind liquor store on corner till our gay buttler BOB BLEW UP THE HOUSE! LOL?

[@berfurdbumjerman9028]

I've been a legend 4 times an yet I've only tech. Died twice. Lol 1977 this guy decided to go hit the hard-core street punk scene. AN leave his friends to be more than they could be with him! Lol I met them that night thy had gigs in anahiem an Buena Park at the doll house I was 14yrs old I am Jerry d Nilsson Jr. The Ghost. Himself AKA Jarod The real Pretender! I am Utah'slastbadboy! No#1 problem child in the Nation ! Personally I prefer Twisted Mushrooms Army of Mushrooms albums remake of the song it is more me I was a 70s an 80s he'll raiser not a 90s foofighter? And we didn't wear being! DO you like Primus's 1990 No1 Album an no1 hit song jerry was a race car driver 1980 till 1986. I'm not happy they got me drunk an wrapped my lover around a telephone pole! Everyone knows I don't drink an hate beer fathermore I WASJUST A POTHEAD BACK THEN . I AM THE SON OF DEATH! JERRY JR. DR.JERRY D.NILSSON MD. PAPA DOC GAVE ME THE NICKNAME THE GHOST IN 1972 I USED TO FUCK WITH HIM HE WAS TERRIFIED OF ME! PAPA DOC THE LAST REAL WICH DOCTOR! HIGH MASTER HIGH PRIEST OF VOODOO HIMSELF AND HIS MILITARY ARMY OF TON, TONS? ZOMBIES REAL FUCKING ZOMBIES! PICT THAT SHIT TRIBAL SCARRINV TATTOO'S BONES IN HINS NOSE AN EARS PEIRCING HEAD TO TOE. SHIT HEARDOO AND TEETH FILLED TO RAZOR POINTS JUS LIKE A PARAHNA'S! XID ZHAT SHIT HIMSELF? THAT TOOK SOME SPINE WHO DO U GET TO BE A WHICH DOCTORS DOCTOR? MY DAD I SNUCK INTO HIS ROOM JUMPED OUT LIKE I WAS REAS, TO SHOOT HOLLERWD DO YOU SEE THEM GHOSTS? ITS JUMP DEAD COMMING. SHOW ME SOME VOODOO! HE FEIEKEX OUT CUMMING JUMPUNG UP OUT IF HISHOSP BED IN HIS HOSP GOWN? SAD! BUT LET OUT TJUS BLOOD CURDLING SECEAMING AGONIZING YELL AS HE LADED ON HIS FEET IN FRONT OF ME JUST LIKE A WHITCH DOCTOR WOUKD DO! LOOKED DUMFOUNEMDEDLY DOWN AT ME 7YRS OLD IM LOOKING UP AT HIM IN AMAZEMENT AN YET I WAS RATHER? OBVIOUSLY IN MY DELOUSIONAL DISSAPOINTED STATE I HAD PERSEPTIONS THAT WERE NOT VEING MET! FINNAKY HE COULDNT TAKE IT ANYMORE A YELKED AT ME! YOU CRAZY WHITE BOY, ID DIE DIE IN PEACE! BUT YOU ARE GOING TO JUST COME AND DRAG MS TO HELL JUST FOR FUN ! LOL J SAID OK!

[@berfurdbumjerman9028]

Magnolia and ball rd orange xounty

[@EugeneLorey]

Basically Tommy Gear was too much of a cool hipster to want to do an album, because "that's what everybody does". Lame.

[@TonyGo-w1e]

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