by Chuck50 » Thu Jan 02, 2020 1:57 pm
Growing up in Los Angeles in the 70s/80s,
Berlin and SSQ were the "Local Bands" done good.
L.A. celebrates its Hardcore Punk and Hair Metal but didn't really embrace it's New Wave scene,
even though it was home of the world famous KROQ radio station.
L.A. had New Wave bands, Oingo Boingo ,Wall Of Voodoo, Suburban Lawns, Animotion, Bone Symphony, Missing Person,
Berlin, SSQ, Slow Children, Martini Ranch, Abecedarians, A Drop in the Gray, Sue Saad and the Next, The Go-Go's,
The Plimsouls, Sparks, and The Knack...
Techno-Pop/Synth-Pop never really caught on in L.A.
When Berlin, SSQ, Missing Persons, Wall Of Voodoo, etc etc play at your School dances/Grad Night,
you have a certain fondness for them.
Sadly Metal dominated L.A. in the 80s.
L.A. Punks turned into Thrashers and some New Wavers turned into Metallers.
Even John Crawford, Mark Christian, Rob Brill, (Berlin)
played in a Hair Metal band called 'The Big F' The Cult meets Guns N' Roses.
Speaking of..
Berlin's original drummer Daniel Van Patten (RIP)
before Berlin drummed for a New Wave/Synth-punk band called 'Null and Void"
You can find a compilation on Medical Records site.