Severe Tire Damage (band)
Severe Tire Damage is a rock and roll "garage" band from Palo Alto, California.
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[edit] Uniqueness
Severe Tire Damage was the first band to perform live on the Internet.[1][2] On June 24, 1993, the band was playing a gig at Xerox PARC while elsewhere in the building, scientists were discussing new technology (the MBone) for broadcasting on the Internet using multicasting. As proof of their technology, the band was broadcast and could be seen live in Australia and elsewhere.
On November 19, 1994, the Rolling Stones decided to broadcast one of their concert tours on the Internet. Before their broadcast, Severe Tire Damage returned to the Internet, this time becoming the "opening act" for the Stones. Instead of an obscure Australian researcher, the entire world press was watching this time, and Severe Tire Damage was elevated from obscurity to Warholian fame.
Newsweek magazine described Severe Tire Damage as being "a lesser known rock band."[3] The Rolling Stones told The New York Times: "the surprise opening act by Severe Tire Damage was a good reminder of the democratic nature of the Internet."[4]
[edit] Band members
- Russ Haines played guitar, and worked at Digital Equipment Corporation.
- Mark Manasse played bass, and worked at Digital Equipment Corporation.
- Steven Rubin was the singer, and worked at Apple Computer.
- Mark Weiser was the drummer, and was Chief Technologist at Xerox PARC.
[edit] Music
Besides performing rock and roll standards, the band wrote a number of original songs that run the range from rock to punk. These songs appears on their two albums: "Who Cares" (a full CD album) and "Trial Starter Kit" (a mini-CD with only 4 songs). Both albums are out of print but are available on their collection CD "The Best We Can Do."
[edit] A Funny Name for a Band
Bands with the name Severe Tire Damage appear in the literature many times:
- 1988: Vice Academy. In one scene two guys listen to a tape of their favorite rock band: Severe Tire Damage.
- 1990: Give Me Liberty by Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons. A panel in volume 3 states: ". . . condemning the growing popularity of the mutant musical group Severe Tire Damage."
- 1992: Real Men Don't Eat Quiche by Bruce Feirstein. One example of "real men" is that they "...still keep waiting for a band to be named either Republican Guard or Severe Tire Damage."
- 1993: Mrs. Doubtfire. In one scene, Robin Williams' character pretends to be a former vocalist for Severe Tire Damage.
- 1998: Zits (comic strip), appeared August 5. While trying to choose a name for their band, they suggest "Severe Tire Damage, Blown Lunch, and Bite-size Yak". In the end, they reject these for "Goat Cheese Pizza".
- 2006: Monk (TV series), season 4, episode 15, "Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist", aired March 10. Lieutenant Randy Disher temporarily quits the force and devotes himself full time to his high school garage band "The Randy Disher Project". The other band members disagree about the name of the band. One band member suggests Severe Tire Damage as a better name for the band.
[edit] Downfall
On April 27, 1999, Weiser died,[5] and the band never fully recovered. For Rubin, this was the second band in which the drummer had died, making his life into a Spinal Tap-like experience. For a brief time afterward silicon valley drummer Joel Jewitt practiced with the band and played some local gigs; as of March 2010 Jewitt was believed to be alive.
[edit] References
- ^ Savetz, K., Randall, N., and Lepage, Y., "MBONE: Multicasting Tomorrow's Internet", John Wiley, 1996, ISBN 1-5688472-3-8
- ^ Rogers, Adam, "15 Years of Wired", Wired Magazine, June 2008, page 166
- ^ Hafner, Katie, "The MBone: Can't You Hear It Knocking", Newsweek, Dec 5, 1994
- ^ Strauss, Neil, "Rolling Stones Live on Internet: Both a Big Deal and a Little Deal", New York Times, Nov 22, 1994, p. C15.
- ^ In Memoriam: Mark Weiser
