THE VOMIT SPOTS are one of those many bands who were an early inspiration to me and proved that punk was alive and well in Alabama. They put out this debut 7" in 1987, which was a time when Alabama didn't have any places for punk bands to play. So, the bands would play in the middle of a field, miles away from anything. People would travel in buggies down dirt roads (Alabama didn't have paved roads yet...or cars) to watch the bands. Punks would charge their mohawks with cow shit since hair products hadn't made their way from the big cities yet. Then, large crews of racist skinhead KKK members would come and kill everyone at the show. Shit was really dangerous then.
I'm kidding.
THE VOMIT SPOTS played in big, crumbling brick warehouses to crazed mutants wearing smeared black eyeliner with fucked up hair. They charged their 'hawks with super glue and sometimes wore spandex bike shorts. It was a time that felt really crazy and free...like you could do anything you wanted in this crazy fucked up state that you happened to be born in. And then, large crews of racist skinhead KKK members would come and try to kill everyone at the show. I'm not gonna lie. I've been shot at by skinheads with shotguns. It was somehow threatening to be non-racist and punk. Shit was really dangerous then.
This 7" was not my first introduction to this band (see link above for that), but it still holds a special place in my heart. It's more punk and urgent than their tape. In my perfect punk world, "Stupid Punk Rocker" would be on every mixtape and this single would be classified as "KBD OOP". Instead, they are just some dumb band from Mobile,AL that no one cares about besides me and 20 other people. Fuck you.
8 comments:
I'm surprised anyone would think that there aren't any punk bands in other states (not to mention in other countries) besides California - Northern or Southern. Does this punk read MRR or listen to the radio show at all? Maybe she was just trying to get under your skin or play the devil's advocate. If she or anyone who thinks like this goes to shows (like many of us do) and realize there are touring bands from other places playing in our "backyard" then hopefully this type of ignorance can be corrected. In any case, I like this and the previous Vomit Spots post. Nice!
do you remember that space in hoover that bands used to play? i forget the name. the vomit spots used to play there. it may have been called porkies and had pigs painted on the wall or something like that. then i think some touring band made fun of the name and they changed it to something else i can't remember. i think it closed down in 89 or 90. i tried to go there when i was 12 but you had to be 13 to get in so my mom wouldn't let me and i had no way to get there otherwise.
Hoover wasn't really my side of town. I only saw the Vomit Spots at Frankie's and in Mobile. The pigs painted on the wall sound familiar though. I could ask my sister if she knows anything about it because she was going out to punk shows then.
I was more of a Tuxedo Junction, American Beat, weird Legion Hall kind of B'ham punk...oh, and parent's basements in Pleasant Grove.
funny article. you can get a mix of the older and newer unreleased vomit spots songs on some colored vinyl they put out on Last Hurrah Records
If you like the Vomit Spots, you can buy an LP called "Dude, I Didn't know!" from Last Hurrah Records at www.lasthurrahrecords.com
I care and I remember because I was there for all of it! LONG, LONG ago! Those guys helped shape our lives and we are all stronger souls for having had a part in the scene.
could you please re-up this pretty please. my computer crashed & I lost it :(
No, but send an email to remoteoutpostsATgmail for an explanation (and the mp3's)
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