[quote][i]Originally posted by SomebodySomewhere[/i]
<br>The Modern Look hailed from Hartford, CT. I don't know anything about them, but the picture sleeve of their 7" single "Romance Minus One" (Revolving, 1981) convinced me to buy it. That and the hilarious title of the B-side, "Milk from a Contented Cow." The music wasn't as great as the song titles or the PS, but it's serviceable.
[b]The Modern Look - Romance Minus One[/b]
http://www.sendspace.com/file/fjhbro
[b]The Modern Look - Milk from a Contented Cow[/b]
http://www.sendspace.com/file/8ffpyu
The Modern Look
Wayne Lagasse - lead vocals, guitar
Morrie McCarthy - guitar
Lynne Maiocco - bass, vocals
Bob Aucoin - drums, vocals
[/quote]
I grew up in Boston & moved to CT in 78 - great to see all these posts. Met the band when I was a counter jockey at Capitol Records in Hartford (during it's brief existence, easily the best record store in the state - not saying much, but a great store) ). The Modern Look single was on Revolving Records, owned by one of Capitol's partners). They were really good, much better than the single would have you believe - the production is even thinner than I was then. That said, it was one of the first local singles by a "new wave" band and it sort of opened the floodgates.
They were originally called the Look (but had to change it as a Brit band had the same name) - a 5-piece with Dave Shadowfax on keyboards (he gave me his old ID after legally changing his name so I could get into shows at Toads & Stage West - thanks Dave). When Dave left they dropped the keyboards and their sound got crunchier. The band got really popular in CT, although they rarely played out of state.
Morrie, their guitar player, was a fan of Thunders and 60's garage rock who'd played in local CT mainstream acts like Backslider. His guitar sound combined with Wayne's great Elvis Costello / Joe Jackson / XTC hooky songwriting is what set them apart. It didn't hurt that the other two were accomplished musicians (and Lynne was a very cute bass player)!
Wayne released a full-length Modern Look tape "To Whom It May Concern" after they broke up (I have a copy here somewhere) with a lot of the better known songs from their set and more overly-mannered studio stuff that again fail to capture the rockier aspects of their sound. The live stuff on the tape is more representative.
I really loved them - and played the record a lot on my WRTC radio show. There was an interview with them in my fanzine (Decadus) and I designed the sleeve - thanks for the compliment! It was my first job on the label side of the music business. I printed the sleeves at my high school in print shop on an old AB Dick press while no one was looking. My band Crawling Smash (Morrie was also a member) used to open for them and every once in a while I'd jump on stage during their set and sing the Dirty Looks song "Let Go" with Wayne.
The band played lots of shows at oddball CT venues that seemingly opened and closed in a matter of months or on New Wave Nights at more established clubs. I saw them at Cellblock 13, Toads, some pits on the Berlin Turnpike and Park Street and of course the legendary Lit Club (where many local bands were lucky to play with National acts thanks to Rick Banz), as well as many one-off gigs at VFW Halls,etc...
Wayne legally changed his name to R Andrew Exile and released at least one solo tape under this name. He was living in LA, but is now back in Hartford. Morrie owned Rhymes Records in New Haven and played in other bands like the Not Quite. He also produced and did the cover for the first Crystalized Movements album by Wayne Rogers (owner of Twisted Village). Morrie is no longer playing and lives in Florida. I left CT before they called it quits - seems like none of us could wait to get the hell out.
Although CT was mostly boring musically at that time (and remains boring in general from what I see), the Molos were a bright spot along with some of the other acts (reducers, etc). It's too bad they never got signed & made a record that really captured what they were like live.
Keep up the great work!