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The Trashmen

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The Trashmen
OriginMinneapolis, Minnesota, US
GenresSurf rock, garage rock, proto-punk
Years active1962–1967, 1982–2016
Members
  • Tony Andreason
  • Dal Winslow
  • Bob Reed
  • Robin Reed
Past members
  • Steve Wahrer
  • Mark Andreason

The Trashmen were a rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1962.[1] The group's original lineup was Tony Andreason on lead guitar and vocals, Dal Winslow on guitar and vocals, Steve Wahrer on drums and vocals, and Bob Reed on bass guitar. The group played surf rock which included elements from garage rock. They have been described as being, along with Colorado-based band the Astronauts, "the premier landlocked Midwestern surf group of the '60s."[2]

"Surfin' Bird"

Cover of the 1995 reissue of the album featuring the hit single

The Trashmen's biggest hit was 1963's "Surfin' Bird",[1] which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the latter part of that year. The song was a combination of two R&B hits by the Rivingtons, "The Bird's the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow".[3] Early pressings of the single credit the Trashmen as composers, but following a threat from the Rivingtons' legal counsel, that group was subsequently credited as composers.[4] The early single was credited solely to the drummer (and singer), Steve Wahrer. The song was later re-recorded by artists including the Ramones, the Cramps, Silverchair, the Psychotic Petunias, Pee-Wee Herman, Equipe 84, and the thrash metal band Sodom. It has been used in filmmaking and television productions, notably including Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, Vince Vaughn's "Fred Claus", John Waters' Pink Flamingos, Lyndall Hobbs's Back to the Beach (in which Pee-Wee Herman sang it), the soundtrack of the video game Battlefield Vietnam and David Frankel's "The Big Year" as the cellphone ringtone of Brad Harris (the character played by Jack Black) .

"Surfin' Bird" was the subject of the episode "I Dream of Jesus" of the television series Family Guy, sending the song to No. 8 on the iTunes Top 10 Rock songs chart and No. 50 on the UK Singles Chart in 2009. In 2010, a Facebook campaign was launched to send the song to No. 1 in the UK over the Christmas season; this was largely intended (as with Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name", in 2009) as a protest against the takeover of the Christmas No. 1 spot by The X Factor winner's song. The track debuted in the UK Top Ten for the first time on December 19, at No. 3.

Later history

The Trashmen went on to have other hit singles. In 1964, "Bird Dance Beat" reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.[5] and was a top 10 hit in Canada. Five other Trashmen singles charted. The group released a total of fourteen singles. A four-CD box set of their work was released by Sundazed Records.[6]

The group disbanded in 1967 but reunited in the 1980s, playing together until the death of Steve Wahrer, from esophageal cancer, in 1989.[7] Tony Andreason's brother Mark replaced Wahrer as drummer. Reed's son Robin joined as a touring member in 2009 on drums, filling in for Mark Andreason.

In 1999, the Trashmen played at the Las Vegas Grind and have played select gigs, including Chicago (July 2007), Spain (September 2007), Chicago (November 2007), Wisconsin, and Cleveland (March 2008). They toured Europe 2008 with gigs in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Austria. Following up again in 2010, they added Norway, Sweden and Finland to the mix.

The band recorded four tracks at Custom Recording Studios in Golden Valley, Minnesota, with longtime fan and acclaimed guitarist Deke Dickerson, for the Major Label record label, releasing a 7" 45 EP, I'm a Trashman in March 2013 and a full-length follow up LP Bringing Back the Trash, released in April 2014. After several rousing hometown Minneapolis shows in 2015, the band went back into retirement in 2016.

Discography

Albums

Year Album Label Reissue US 200
1963 Surfin' Bird Garrett Sundazed (1995) 48[8]

Compilations and live albums

Year Album Label Reissue US 200
1965 Bird Dance Beat Garrett Soma (1996±)
1989 Comic Book Collector NPR
1990 Live Bird '65–'67 Sundazed
1992 Tube City!: The Best of the Trashmen Sundazed
1994 The Great Lost Trashmen Album Sundazed
1998 Bird Call!: The Twin City Stomp of the Trashmen Sundazed 4-CD box set
2009 Teen Trot: Live At Ellsworth, WI, August 22, 1965 Sundazed
2014 Deke Dickerson and the Trashmen: Bringing Back the Trash Major Label Records

Singles

Year Single B-side Peak positions Album
US UK
1963 "Surfin' Bird" "King of the Surf" 4 3 Surfin' Bird
1964 "Bird Dance Beat" "A-Bone" 30 — "Bird Dance Beat"
1964 "Bad News" "On the Move" 124 — "Bird Dance Beat"
1964 "Peppermint Man" "New Generation" — — "Bird Dance Beat"
1964 "Whoa Dad" "Walking My Baby" — — "Bird Dance Beat"
1964 "Dancing with Santa" "Real Live Doll" — — "Bird Dance Beat"
1965 "Hanging on Me" "Same Lines" — — "Bird Dance Beat"
1965 "Bird '65" "Ubangi Stomp" — — "Bird Dance Beat"
1965 "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" "Lost Angel" — —
1967 "Green, Green Backs Back Home" "Address Enclosed" — —
2013 "I'm a Trashman" "Torture"/"Bop a Lena"/"Brewski" — — I'm a Trashman 45 EP

References

  1. ^ a b Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Astronauts Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  3. ^ Scholtes, Peter S. (October 14, 1998). "Birdland Revisited". City Pages. Archived from the original on May 21, 2001. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "The Trashmen – Surfin' Bird" at Discogs
  5. ^ Koda, Cub. "The Trashmen Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "The Trashmen – Bird Call". Sundazed Records. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  7. ^ Simmonds, Jeremy (2008). The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches. Chicago Review Press. p. 252. ISBN 978-1556527548. Steve Wahrer (born November 22, 1941 in Minnesota – January 21, 1989)
  8. ^ Hot 200 chart position. Retrieved Jan 21, 2012.
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