WAX TRAX!
REVISITED
PART ONE:
DENVER
by Jo Ann Sieger

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Jim Nash was one of the most charismatic and innovative individuals I have ever known.

Jim, co-founder/owner of Wax Trax! Records, died of AIDS at the age of 47 in October 1995. When I heard the news, I was sad that such a unique individual was gone. Had it really been nearly twenty years since I first met Jim Nash?

I had the luck and good fortune to meet Jim back in 1976 in Denver, Colorado. At that time, in the midst of Disco Ducks, Rocky Mountain Highs and Stairways to Heaven, I found myself in the minority, an outcast in the Mile High City. I was 19 years old and wore glitter nail polish and platform shoes rather than flannel shirts and Birkenstocks. While everyone else was listening to FM fare of the day, I was buying up records by Sparks, New York Dolls, Roxy Music and T-Rex.

I came upon Wax Trax! quite by accident. Before Jim had the store (and subsequent label) in Chicago, he and his partner, Dannie Flescher, had a small store on Ogden Street (exact address unknown now) in the Capital Hill area (seedy with traces of hipness) of Denver. I was riding in the family car one afternoon when I spotted a life-sized cardboard stand-up of Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks (see Rocktober # 26 & Sparks-O-Rama) in front of a small storefront.

I told my dad to stop the car and jumped out and ran inside. I couldn't believe my eyes. Jim and a few other friends/employees were quite amused at the sight of this out-of-breath, wild-eyed girl muttering about Sparks.

Sparks were my favorite band at that time (and I'm still a fan club member today) so I was ecstatic. I was feasting my eyes as I looked about the store - the walls were covered with posters and record covers of rockabilly stars (Wanda Jackson, Elvis Presley, Link Wray), Glam rockers (Roxy Music, David Bowie, Sparks), 60's British bands (The Kinks, Stones) and garage bands (Astronauts, Trashmen.) On the store speakers, the Ramones' first album was blaring. Never had I met anyone else in Denver who had even heard of the Ramones. From that moment on, I became a "Wax Trax! girl" and became a semi-permanent fixture at the store.

When I first met Jim, he was a huge Roxy Music fan and had recently visited the UK where he met Bryan Ferry along with his then fiancé, Jerry Hall. Jim was animated and passionate when he talked about Roxy Music but then again, he was that way about the music that mattered to him. I would visit the store weekly and would have the latest Sparks import single or rare rockabilly instrumental ("Saturday in the Duck Pond") in my hand within minutes thanks to Jim and his staff. People like Greg Pickett, Steve Knudsen and Tom Nash (Jim Nash' older brother) were more like a family than employees and were characters in their own right. Outcasts like me.

When punk rock exploded in 1977-78, Wax Trax! had all the latest import 45's and albums. I was the first on my block to have "Neat Neat Neat" (Damned) "Anarchy in the UK" (Sex Pistols) "X Offender" (Blondie), "White Riot" (Clash) and "Orgasm Addict" (Buzzcocks.) This was years before the Internet so I doubt I would have had access to anything like that if it weren't for Wax Trax.

Jim and Dannie even flew to Texas to see the Sex Pistols ill-fated U.S. tour. Jim Nash was the coolest man in town. Wax Trax! was not just a record store but the CENTER of the burgeoning Denver punk scene too. Jim would host outrageous parties with go-go boys wearing fishnet stockings (and not much else) while blaring out "Love is the Drug" or "Beat on the Brat" or the entire "Real Life" album by Magazine.

Wax Trax! was the oasis for the small group of outsiders, misfits, rock and roll fiends, transvestites, gays and straights that just didn't fit into the norm and loved rock and roll.

Before long, Wax Trax! hosted special "punk nights" at anyplace that would be willing (gay discos, country bars, etc.) with willing local punk bands (we may have had two or three at that time.) One early show in the spring of 1977 was held above the Ogden Street store in an old, bare loft room and featured the Ravers and the Front. That night was short-lived due to the local cops pulling the plug. They didn't like the looks of us one bit and said something about not having the proper permits.

Besides the disappointment of not seeing the entire show, I was also embarrassed since my mom and younger brother had chaperoned me (I had never gone out before until I found Wax Trax.) I got over the embarrassment soon as fear took over. After being unceremoniously dumped onto the street, we found ourselves on Colfax Street looking for a phone to call my dad to pick us up earlier than expected. The Capital Hill area was seedier in those days so the only people on the streets at night were hookers, winos and up-to-no-good thugs. We huddled nervously together until we were rescued. Waiting for the man, I mean the dad, indeed.

A second show, about a month later, featuring a power pop trio from LA, The Nerves, was more successful (Jim had secured the proper documents this time.) They arrived 30-45 minutes late but it was well worth the delay. As they made their entrance up the fire escape, they walked in with their Beatle haircuts, three piece tan suits, plugged in their guitars and won over the small crowd with their infectious, power pop gems. Two of their songs, "Hanging on the Telephone" and "Will Anything Happen" were covered by Blondie on their breakthrough (sold in excess of 20 million copies) album "Parallel Lines" in 1978. What a wonderful, life changing experience that was for me.

Jim and Dannie started to reach out and bring in out-of town bands too. We were appreciative and welcoming to the Suicide Commandos (Minneapolis), Marbles and Tuff Darts (NYC), Charlie Burton and Rock Therapy (Omaha) and almost got the Cramps too. I think the local bar, Doc Weeds, was scared away so it never materialized. Jim and Company set their sights on creating their own scene. Since there were no punk venues, Jim had to be creative. Fern bars, hotel ballrooms and country bars like The John (perfect name for this toilet) became our temporary haunts. The John regulars were always trying to pick fights with us because they objected to our attire, same gender dancing and music. After a half dozen times, we were asked not to come back and escaping short of injury. Another venue, the Oxford Hotel had enough of us after someone fell through the plate glass window (one drunk ruins it every time). The funniest reason was when Club Aeroplane (after 3-4 shows) made up the lame excuse that we were banned because we didn't have the proper attire - people had on sneakers! Hey, I had on my fuschia cowboy boots though.

Finally by 1978, we were lucky enough to have a regular venue, The Malfunction Junction, and a favorite band, the Jonny Three.

The Jonny Three was the band endorsed and sponsored by Wax Trax and was gaining a devoted following. I was the unofficial president of the unofficial fan club!

The Jonnies played the Malfunction throughout 1978 and into 1979. We dubbed ourselves the "Littleton Contingent" after the Bromley Contingent that supported the Sex Pistols. The "contingent" went to every single concert the Jonny Three played (Malfunction, other bars, private parties, outdoor events.) On one occasion, Jim, Dannie, myself and a few other of the "contingent" drove to Laramie, Wyoming to see the Jonny Three play at the Summit Tavern. This place was in the middle nowhere, right off the highway. The bands played outside the tavern - no stage and crude PA system - and were all country rock type bands except the Jonny Three. The locals did not know what to make of this small, black clad, spiked haired group dancing and kicking up a dirt storm while twisting away to the Jonny Three. We didn't linger too long afterwards since we didn't like the way some of the bikers were glaring at us. Another trek almost took us to Omaha, Nebraska. However, the band van broke down so we had a party in Littleton instead. By the end of that night, the floorboards were quite loose and we were fearful we'd all fall through to the basement. That happened a lot when the Jonnies played private parties. They blew the roof off while we literally tore the floor apart.

The Jonny Three hailed from Littleton, CO and played guitar crunching rock and roll and melodious, supercharged bubblegum pop songs. Led by guitarist extraordinare, Kenny Vaughan, he and bassist Nic Leuthauser and Leroy "X" Smith on drums became the driving force of the scene. In 1978, Miles Gassaway, Kenny's childhood friend, joined on sax and keyboards to fill out the sound. Kenny and Leroy wrote memorable originals like "Liberated Astronaut Blues," "Stood Up," "Strangle Your Guitar" and "Littleton Party". They also did cover versions of "Lucifer Sam", "Tuff Enough," "Something Else," "Dead Presidents," and "Wig Wam Bam."

Wax Trax! and the Jonny Three were a powerful force during 1978. Wax Trax! was very proud to be associated with such an original and exciting band as the Jonny Three. After the Jonny Three disbanded, Nic Leuthauser would work at the Chicago Wax Trax! store as a buyer until 1991 so a Wax Trax!/Jonny Three connection would last for years.

1978 was the peak year for Wax Trax!, Jonny Three and the Denver punk scene. Jim Nash moved the store to a larger location a few blocks away on Washington Street (638 E. 13th Avenue, Denver, 303-444-9829) and gained more clientele.

Wax Trax! hosted a local radio show, Rockpile, on Saturday afternoons spinning obscure rockabilly classics by the likes of Hasil Adkins, Collins Kids, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates and doing on-the-air interviews with the Jonny Three. The Jonny Three played every weekend and got local press write-ups and the "contingent" continued to grow. Fans inspired by Wax Trax! and the Jonny Three, started their own bands. Soon we had a blossoming punk scene with bands with monikers such as the Defex, Lilly Rose and the Thorns, Violators, Corvairs, Broadcasters and the band I fronted, THE GUYS (female Ramones power pop).

With the local scene and bands like the Ramones, Devo, the Specials, Pere Ubu and Magazine coming to town, I was in rock and roll heaven.

However, like all good things, it started to change at the end of 1978. Jim, Dannie, Mike Smythe (British born new partner and third owner) and company decided they had enough of Denver - too limited and frustrating - and set out to conquer Chicago. A fabulous "Get out of Denver" going away party was held at the German Turnverein Hall. New Wax Trax! owner, Dave Steadman was introduced (the Washington Street store would remain) as we said goodbye to Jim and Dannie. Everyone pogoed with abandon and the Jonny Three rocked like men possessed by Elvis and the 1910 Fruitgum Company (they encored with "Wig Wam Bam.") At the end of the night, many of us, myself included, sat down at the foot of the stage and cried our eyes out. We knew what we were losing and Chicago was gaining.

Off they went to Chicago taking their Elvis collectibles and Sex Pistols imports and irreplaceable style. By this time, New Wave was infiltrating so it was becoming more mainstream and less innovative and exclusive. Jim wanted to expand the Wax Trax! Empire (merchandising and record label) and in Chicago he felt like he had a better chance and more of an audience.

Within a month, Jim lured the Jonny Three to Chicago to play in his living room and local clubs. After playing legendary (long gone) venues such as O'Banions, Mothers and Gaspar's in Chicago and the Longhorn in Minneapolis, they started to gain a new following in the Midwest. Not only did Jim take the best records and his innovative style, he was pulling our beloved Jonny Three to that metropolis with him. Just as it looked as if the Jonny Three would really take off and possibly be based out there, they disbanded due to too much excess (sex and drugs and rock and roll) and mishaps (Leroy X, while making a hasty retreat out of a loft bed, fell out and broke his arm.) They were destined for bigger things so I was grateful to have had that special band at that magical time in my life. I have not had another band that meant so much personally to me as the Jonny Three did. Both Jim Nash and Kenny Vaughan were very instrumental in me getting into a band. The love and admiration I had for those two men gave me the desire, encouragement and passion to pursue my singing career.

If I had not moved to San Francisco in 1980 with my own band, The Varve (another all woman, art-punk-rockabilly styled band),

I probably would have found myself in Chicago.

I visited the first Wax Trax! store on Lincoln Avenue December/January 1979. I felt a sense of loss and sadness as I watched lucky Chicagoans snatch up records and t-shirts. Boy, did they have an adventure ahead of them. Funny thing is that in 1996, I would find myself across the (former) Lincoln Avenue store while attending a Sparks-O-Rama. I had come full circle with that realization.

Wax Trax! is still located in Denver on Washington Street and has even expanded to three stores on the same block (Wax Trax I - used CD, Wax Trax II - vinyl (old rockabilly and oldies) and Wax III - CDs, tapes, vinyl.) A few months after Jim left Denver, a car came crashing through the wall of Wax Trax! destroying many collectibles. Luckily no one was badly injured. I was in the store at the time and I watched in slow motion as headlights were coming through what was once the front counter area. Despite that bit of excitement (the reformed Jonny Three played a benefit to help repairs), Wax Trax! and the Denver scene did not shine as bright as it once did (the "contingent" went their separate ways and the masses embraced New Wave). Jim Nash had the original spark, vision and energy that was the impetus for the Denver punk scene. Before Wax Trax! we had nothing but heavy FM bands, disco and watered down pop and a bleak musical outlook. Jim Nash and Wax Trax! made an indelible mark on my life and set me on a far more adventurous path than I ever imagined. I will always be grateful for that.

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JONNY III cover art
by Steve Levin

THE
JONNY III
CHRONICLES
by Jo Ann Sieger

First show at Billy Jack's date / venue unknown

Apr-78 14-15 Hotel Oxford, Denver w/Suicide Commandos/Dirty Dogs (later Accelerators)* 21 Desert Fox, Denver Talent Night? 28-29 Broadway, Denver w/Tuff Darts*

May-78 5-6 The John, Littleton (real hick bar) 13 Private Party, Littleton Garage County Line Road landlady came and threw everyone out! 20 Private Party Chip's Wedding in suburbia by day 20 Private Party Wax Trax owner, Danny Flescher Birthday party Basement of Wax Trax, Washington St. hot sweaty fun, good snacks

Jun-78 3 Broomfield CO outdoor party w/ Dirty Dogs 4 Doc Weeds, Denver Punk Night (debut Train, Train, Train) 6 - 7 Heartbreak Hotel studio 16 The John, Littleton 17 Outdoor party across from Hot Line Junk Yard, Littleton w/ Quiver 17 The John, Littleton note: Nic wears shorts and platform shoes 23-24 Malfunction Junction, Denver Grand opening 24 Boulder, CO outdoor party (day) 30 Malfunction Junction, Denver with Marbles from NYC

Jul-78 1 Malfunction Junction, Denver regular venue, 3 sets for JIII 3 Laramie, WY Old condemned theater w/Dirty Dogs 4 Laramie, WY Laramie Days, Summit Tavern 7-8 White Mule, Denver w/ Suicide Commandos 14-15 White Mule, Denver w/Dirty Dogs, Dancing Assholes 16 Nic's Birthday 22 Private party, Denver Chip's house, Lincoln St debut: Branded, Jack the Ripper 28-29 Pearls, Denver w/Man Ka Zam from NYC (RETURN OF MILES FROM NY)

Aug-78 5 Sweetwaters, Denver w/Joint Effort, Miles joins on sax 1st time 8 Littleton, CO Western Welcome Week, Bega Park debut: Lucifer Sam, I Can't Help It Party at Nic & Leroy's on Hill Street afterward 11 The John, Littleton Leroy's Birthday 12 The John, Littleton 18-19 Pearl Street, Denver w/Charlie Burton and Rock Therapy (Lincoln NE) debut: Strangle Your Guitar 19 Wax Trax Rockpile radio show Jonny 3 & Rock Therapy interview. Miles officially joins Jonny 3 on sax/organ 20 Sweetwaters, Denver w/ Joint Effort 26 Kenny Vaughan project guest with country band

Sept-78 1-3 Summit Tavern, Laramie, WY w/ Dirty 15 Club Aeroplane, Denver Lilly Rose & the Thorns 16 Club Aeroplane, Denver cancels because "people were dancing with tennis shoes on" IS THAT A LAME REASON OR WHAT? 16 Leroy's House, Hill St, JIII rock out the house, floor almost caves in and the Police threw everyone out (again) 21-22 The John, Littleton rednecks vs. punks 23-24 Malfunction Junction, Denver w Lilly Rose & The Thorns

Oct-78 13-15 Malfunction Junction, Denver note: JIII take break to watch DEVO on SNL 20 Malfunction Junction, Denver debuted: Stood Up, Baja, 20 Flight Rock 21-22 Malfunction Junction, Denver 21 Studio, Boulder CO Kenny Vaughan w/Rachel Faro (yuck) 28 E. Bates house, Denver Halloween party, basement party, black lights. debut: Walking the Dog

Nov-78 3-5 Malfunction Junction, Denver debuted: Flip, Flop and Fly 6 Turnverein House, Denver WAX TRAX GOOD BYE DANNY & JIM PARTY w/Corvairs debut: Bronx Freeze 10 Malfunction Junction, Denver 11 Malfunction Junction, Denver 10-14 Westword arts paper JONNY 3 featured LOOK OUT WORLD! 17-19 Malfunction Junction, Denver w/ Corvairs

Dec-78 9 OMAHA OR BUST Didn't make Omaha, van broke down. Played an improptu "OMAHA OR BUST" party in Littleton (Dirk & Leslie's) Debut: "Rock 'n' Roll Lovin'" Rockin' Little Eskimo, Weekend) JONNY 3 GO ON ROAD FOR MINI TOUR OF MIDWEST 13-15 Longhorn, Minneapolis 17 Jim Nash (Founder of Wax Trax empire) private party, living room, Chicago, IL 18 Mother's, Chicago JONNY III RETURN (YAY!) 22-23 Malfunction Junction, Denver 25 Party at Leroy & Todd's JIII don't play but so what, they are there 26 Private party, Denver 1060 York Street house (Alice, Denise & Sandra) 31 Obanion's, Chicago. I attended this one. JIII played 4 sets (slept through 4th set, uh um)

Jan-79 1 Mother's, Chicago Cancelled, No one knew about gig 7 Harlow's, outside Chicago w/Bohemia (dreadful) Afterward all go (including JIII) go to White Castles for hamburgers 8 Mother's, Chicago 9 Huey's, Chicago 12 Gaspar's, Chicago w/ Skafish 19 Malfunction Junction, Denver Returned to a PACKED house 20-21 Malfunction Junction, Denver new songs: You Know Who You Are 27 Oxford Hotel, Denver. Private party. Encored with "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy"

Feb-79 1 Kenny Vaughan's Birthday 5 Rainbow Hall, Denver New Talent night (Kenny wears rainbow shirt) 7 Sweetwaters, Denver 9-10 Rainbow Hall, Denver opened for Elvin Bishop 9-11 Malfunction Junction, Denver 12 JONNY III ON THE ROAD AGAIN 14-17 Longhorn, Minneapolis 18 Chicago Various parties 26 Gaspar's, Chicago

Mar-79 8 & 10 Gaspar's, Chicago 11 O Banions, Chicago opened for Kenny & the Kasuals 12 Mother's, Chicago 14-17 Longhorn, Minneapolis 18 JONNY III RETURN HOME 23 Malfunction Junction, Denver SRO, crowd FANTASTIC 24 Malfunctions Junction, Denver debut of Kenny's new pink Fender 25 Malfunction Junction, Denver New songs: Tonite I'm Gonna Leave You", "Cruel Sea" 30-31 Malfunction Junction, Denver

Apr-79 1 Malfunction Junction, Denver added: "Wig Wam Bam" 14 Private party, 1060 York St. (One year since I first saw JIII) 19 Malfunction Junction, Denver w/ The Guys (my band, yay)

20 Malfunction Junction, Denver Kenny wears his western outfit 21 Malfunction Junction, Denver New songs: First Love, Three Chord Rock 23 Sweetwaters, Denver, Kenny jams with Joint Effort 25 Mabuhay Gardens, SF Cancelled, van won't start

May-79 4 Rainbow Hall, Denver open for Tom Robinson band 5 Mountains, Colorado 7 Tulagi's, Boulder w/ Corvairs JIII wear Indian headgear for Wig Wam Bam Played: Purgatory Point 8 Littleton, Todd's House JIII Going Away party 9 MIDWEST TOUR #4 Van actually starts 11-12 Gaspar's, Chicago 19-20 Longhorn, Minneapolis 24 Pirates Cove, Cleveland 25-26 Bookies, Detroit

Jun-79 VARIOUS OUT OF TOWN GIGS Nic Leuthauser replaced by the notorious Dave Hill (ex Front bass player)

Jul-79 8 Utah Moon, Boulder Kenny, plays with Ms. Trixie and her all male band" 20 Ground Round, Denver w/Violators, Accelerators (ex Dirty Dogs) cancelled 29 Englewood, CO Party near Cherry Creek Reservoir -bunch of bands. New songs: Love's Made a Fool, Indian Giver, California Sun, Special Delivery, The Savage, Wild Weekend, Shine

Aug-79 3 Littleton, CO Western Welcome Week Kenny dons fringe jacket, "Henry VIII" for kicks 4 JIII Leave on tour

Sept-79 17 JIII Cut Tour short Leroy X breaks his arm, JIII (mach 1) call it quits November Ground Round, Denver Original lineup (Kenny, Leroy, Nic) reunited for Wax Trax Anniversary party Leroy X would start spin-off Leroy X & Excitation with Kenny Vaughan joining on guitar

1980- Jonny III try and reunite with various new Members

Fall-80 - Move to NYC but return after one month and then promptly break up

Billboard
October 21, 1995
HEADLINE: JIM NASH DIES AT 47; FOUNDER OF WAX TRAX!
BY TRUDI MILLER ROSENBLUM
Jim Nash, president and co-founder of the seminal industrial music label Wax Trax! Records, died of complications from AIDS Oct. 10 in Chicago. He was 47.

Wax Trax! began in 1974 as an alternative record store in Denver founded by Nash and Dannie Flesher, his partner and longtime companion. In 1978, they moved to Chicago and opened a new Wax Trax! store on the city's North Side. The store became the focus of Chicago's underground music scene. In 1980, some fans convinced Nash and Flesher to release a 12-inch EP by their band, Strike Under, and the Wax Trax! label was born. The label pioneered the industrial music movement in the U.S., issuing music by such acts as Ministry, KMFDM, Front 242, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, and Revolting Cocks--dark, grim, technology-oriented rock with a machine-like dance beat. (Occasionally, the label put out lighter releases, such as Divine's single "Born To Be Cheap"/ "The Name Game.")

The artist-oriented label worked largely on handshakes--an approach that ultimately backfired when a number of bands left for major labels. Wax Trax! was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1992 and was subsequently sold to TVT Records, but Nash and Flesher retained creative control.

TVT president Steve Gottlieb says, "Jim was just amazing. He was brilliant. He did what few people ever do--he built a kind of magical, personal imprint that made people want to buy and listen to his records just because it was a Wax Trax! record. He was an amazing inspiration to a whole lot of people. He knew how to nurture chaos and created a great home for a lot of creative people who I know are going to miss him--along with countless fans."

Gottlieb also describes Nash as "a visionary and a beautiful, gentle man." Gottlieb adds that Wax Trax! "is having its best year ever and will continue under the leadership of Dannie Flesher."

In November 1994, Wax Trax! released "Blackbox," a three-CD boxed retrospective. In addition to Flesher, the Kansas-born Nash is survived by his daughter, Julia; his son, Aaron; and his granddaughter, Olivia. A fund for donations in his memory will be established at a charity yet to be named.

Chicago Sun-Times
October 12, 1995, THURSDAY
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 64
HEADLINE: Jim Nash, Co-Founder Of Wax Trax! Records
BY LLOYD SACHS
Jim Nash, co-founder of Chicago's Wax Trax! record store and president and co-founder of Wax Trax! Records, the influential alternative-rock label that it spawned, died Tuesday night. The cause of death was AIDS.

Mr. Nash, 47, and his partner, Dannie Flesher, opened Wax Trax! in 1979 at 2449 N. Lincoln (the store moved two years ago to 1657 N. Damen). It is credited with being the city's first record store devoted to hard-core and industrial dance music, while also specializing in '50s and '60s cult artists and local bands.

Wax Trax! Records released the first recordings of Ministry, a Chicago band that went on to international renown. Its other groups have included My Life with Thrill Kill Kult, Throbbing Gristle and Front 242.

Acquired in 1992 by New York's TVT Records, the label has continued recording new and established bands.

"Jim had breadth and idiosyncracy and unpredictableness, and Wax Trax! reflected that," said TVT head Steven Gottlieb. "It thrived on a kind of 'nurtured chaos.'

"People do the label a disservice when they say it was just about industrial music. Jim let artists go in a lot of different directions, and they adored him for that."

"He was a great friend and we'll miss him dearly," said Ministry leader and Wax Trax! associate Al Jourgensen, through his publicist.

Mr. Nash is survived by Mr. Flesher, his companion of 25 years; a daughter, Julia; a son, Aaron, and a granddaughter, Olivia.

Billboard
October 1, 1994
SECTION: ARTIST & MUSIC; Pg. 14
HEADLINE: Box Retraces Wax Trax! 's Bumpy Road;
Indie Label Rebounding From 1992 Bankruptcy
BY BRETT ATWOOD
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES
Wax Trax! , the U.S. label that put industrial dance music on the map in the '80s, is readying a comprehensive retrospective boxed set that details the genre's rocky rise, fall, and rebirth. The three-disc collection is due Nov. 8 in partnership with TVT.

The elaborate compilation, simply titled "Black Box," covers the era from the eclectic label's origins in 1980 to its near demise in 1992. Included are highlights from those 13 years, during which the label launched the careers of Ministry, the KLF, and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult.

The collection, which is wrapped in a black net mesh, is housed in a steel box and contains a poster, a 76-page booklet, two coasters, a sew-on patch, and a string of loose cassette tape.

The limited-edition set, which will retail for $ 69.99, is geared to followers of the bleak, brutal beats that characterize most Wax Trax! acts. Only 10,000 copies will be made available.

"It will definitely sell well here -- even at that price," says Ginny Simpson, manager of the Sacramento, Calif., alternative-intensive retail store the Beat. "There is significant consumer awareness of the Wax Trax! label. Both Ministry and KMFDM have large followings at our store."

A scaled-down compilation, retailing at $ 45.49, will hit stores Dec. 1. Wax Trax! was founded by label president/co-owner Jim Nash in 1980 with silent partner Dannie Flesher. The duo had opened a record store by the same name in Denver in 1973, before ultimately settling in Chicago.

To promote the release, endcap displays will be set up in national and regional retail outlets, including Tower Records, Best Buy, Newbury Comics, Harmony House, Streetside, Title Wave, HMV, and Virgin Megastores.

In addition, consumers will receive a coupon for a $ 2 discount on the set when they buy any Wax Trax! /TVT CD or cassette by an artist featured on the compilation. Participating retail chains include Camelot, Musicland, Blockbuster Music, Wherehouse Entertainment, and Trans World.

It was TVT, the label on which Nine Inch Nails got its start, that came to the floundering label's rescue at the 11th hour. Wax Trax! , though financed and marketed through TVT, remains a separate entity. Wax Trax! maintains creative control of its roster, says Nash.

In the fall of 1992, Wax Trax! filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, following a rapid and rocky decline spawned by excessive spending and several ill-advised business decisions.

"I'm a music fan, not a businessman," says Nash. "In the year before we filed bankruptcy, we made some bad decisions. [The Italian industrial group] Pankow wanted a five-color inner sleeve on its vinyl release even though vinyl was dying. We released a CDV of Front 242's 'Headhunter.' That wasn't exactly a popular format."

However, it was that same disregard for convention that helped break the elusive industrialist disco act Front 242.

"Who else would bring a Belgian band to America to tour on the strength of one 3,000-copy-selling single?" says Nash of 242's early days. The label successfully emerged from Chapter 11 in January of this year.

"I think Wax Trax! is very much Jim and Danny's vision," says TVT president Steve Gottlieb. "They just release the music they love, and it happens to appeal to others.

" Wax Trax! is part of a long tradition of independent labels that have single-handedly changed and nudged the evolution of music. Few labels are able to establish themselves in music history with a specific genre of music. Wax Trax! has successfully done that, though the industrial label that is placed on the music is something that the critics do."

A single-disc collection of more recent music on Wax Trax! /TVT, titled "After Burn," will come out Oct. 18. "We really grew fast in the mid- to late '80s," says Nash. "We went from a staff of three in 1984 to 20 in 1986. Our failure was just bad business management. I'm not a spreadsheet kind of guy. I think that our financial failures have defined the Wax Trax! sound as much as our biggest sellers."

FRONT 242 LEFT OFF
Though Front 242 produced the label's largest-selling album, 1988's "Front By Front," the group was left off the compilation when its overseas label, Play It Again, Sam!, refused to license its songs for use in the retrospective.

"I guess the label is still upset about the fact that we went bankrupt," says Nash. "Some people can accept it, and some cannot. The label won't even return our calls. It's unfortunate."

"Cold Life," the debut track by Ministry, on which Al Jourgensen sings in a well-polished British accent, is also conspicuously left off the collection. "Al hated that record and didn't want it on here," says Nash. "That's fine with me. I respect Al, so I'll respect his wishes."

Nine Inch Nails front man Reznor leads off disc one with 1000 Homo DJ's track "Supernaut." Reznor's version has never been released before, though bootlegs have been rampant for several years. A different version, fronted by Ministry's Jourgensen, was previously available commercially.

A two-cassette Wax Trax! /TVT video compilation will hit the streets before the end of the year. Among the 34 videos featured is the controversial AIDS-themed Coil video, "Tainted Love." That video, which contains stark and disturbing visuals portraying a man's decay from the disease, is now on permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art.

"It was one of the first videos to deal with death and AIDS," says Nash. "No one wants to see videos with people in body bags."

As Wax Trax! closes the door on its past, it will focus on expanding the boundaries of alternative pop.

"I feel we are a tad more mature now," says Nash. "There is an emerging pop sensibility, like on the new Chris Connelly [material]. Both the artists and the mainstream tastes are moving toward a common middle ground."

Denver Westword
January 28, 1999, Thursday
SECTION: Music
HEADLINE: A Weasel No More;
Get reacquainted with Steve Knutson, the Denver rock-scene alum behind four CDs' worth of hip-hop history.
BYLINE: Michael Roberts
Tommy Boy's Greatest Beats: The First Fifteen Years, 1981-1996 is a thoroughly enjoyable four-volume collection recently issued by Tommy Boy. From "Planet Rock," a genre-defining opus by Afrika Bambaataa + Soul Sonic Force, to "Gangsta's Paradise," a commercial bonanza for Coolio, Greatest Beats' finest tracks define a very specific brand of New York urban cool. So it's rather surprising to learn that the set was compiled and co-executive-produced by Steve Knutson, a Caucasian from Colorado who once fronted one of Denver's most successful new-wave bands. Or maybe it's not--because Knutson, who's been in charge of sales at Tommy Boy for over a decade, has never let imagined boundaries keep him away from great music. "I started out as a fan," he says. "And that's still what I am."

But an equally important outlet for his musical passion was Wax Trax, a record store opened in the fall of 1975 by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher. According to Knutson, "I got a flier about it in the mail, and it listed all my favorite bands: New York Dolls, Bowie, and a lot of groups that I thought no one but me knew anything about. It was like a letter from heaven, because Denver didn't have anything like it then."

Wax Trax (which opened in an Ogden Street storefront before moving to its current location at 638 East 13th Avenue) turned out to be a dream come true for Knutson; he describes it as "a club with these passionate members who met each other by accident and realized they weren't crazy." He spent so much time there that Nash and Flesher hired him to work for them in late 1976. Two years later the owners decided to move the business to Chicago, selling the Denver outlet to regular customers Duane Davis and Dave Stidman.

Along with Marilyn Megenity's Mercury Cafe and a handful of other hipster hangouts, Wax Trax helped give birth to Denver's late-Seventies underground music scene. The Jonny 3, an outfit that starred guitarist Kenny Vaughan (now a successful Nashville session player), was the first of the bands in this movement to attract a sizable audience, rising to prominence in 1977.

Various Artists:
Alternative Press Presents Industrial Strength Machine Music; The Framework Of Industrial Rock 1978-1995

w/ WAX TRAX! acts Front 242, KMFDM, Revolting C*cks, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult +

Liner Notes:

Industrial. The word, either standing by itself or appended with a hyphen and a shopping list of other genres, implies different things to its various devotees.

In the early '80s Chicago scenester Al Jourgensen was making electronic-tinged dance records under the name Ministry for the tiny indie label Wax Trax! The label was an extension of Wax Trax! Records, the Chicago store founded by Jim Nash and Danny Flesher, who were huge fans of the European industrial scenes. Word had spread about Ministry's single "Cold Life," and soon Jourgensen--an enthusiast of art-punks Wire, proto-electronic body-music duo DAF, the pummeling early work of Killing Joke, and, of course, Throbbing Gristle--would be graduating to major-label status by signing to Arista.

In 1985 Jourgensen, disgusted over how Arista had turned Ministry into a lightweight new romantic dance band, took his career and his music back to Wax Trax! The resultant single, "Everyday Is Halloween," became an underground club sensation. It had all the characteristics of a perfect club record, with its big beats and chirping synth sequences. But it also had vicious turntable-scratching breaks that had as much to do with maintaining a rap/hip-hop groove as an Uzi does supplying diagnostic treatment in a hospital E.R. "Halloween" was remarkably catchy and noisy in contrast to many of the ultrapolished remixes of British bands infiltrating American clubs.

"Halloween" and its follow-up single, "The Nature Of Love," had only set the stage for Jourgensen's next creative vision. He signed with Warner Bros. subsidiary Sire, which promised him complete artistic control. With the help of maverick dub producer Adrian Sherwood (chairman of avant-noise-funk unit Tackhead), Ministry delivered Twitch, an album riddled with buzzes, clicks, and land-mine beats that made confused fans check the back of their stereos for smoldering wires. Twitch upped the intensity of sound while widening industrial music's scope to include dance floors and the visionary DJs who held court over them. Obviously, the record sold poorly, causing a rift between Jourgensen and the label. Ironically, one of the album's tracks, "All Day," would later be used as a sound bed on a beer commercial for a Chicago-based brewery.

--Jason Pettigrew
Senior Editor, Alternative Press