BIG BOBBY AND THE NIGHTCAPS/THE HALFWAYS @ Cogan's Instant Art, Norfolk, VA -- 4/17/97
(from Loose Screws, 1997)
I only had $10.00 in my pocket on this Friday evening, but that was a minor inconvenience. To borrow a phrase from The Humpers' manager, these two bands are "Rock And F u c k i n g Roll." I arrived too early, thus quick consumption of Budweisers was in order. The gentleman next to me took it at face value when I told him that John Denver had moved to Sydney, because the tap water in that city had been replaced by Coors Light. He said, "I'm moving there tomorrow." If you decide to go, mister, I'd advise you to leave before the 2000 Olympic Games come there. Best of luck! Talked with a nice lady behind the bar named Heather (see what a free drink will get ya) about bands from Boston. Although we didn't mention the band Boston, I'd take them over Slapshot any day.
About 11:30 or so, THE HALFWAYS cranked out roughly ten tunes, sounding like equal parts Stooges, Heartbreakers, and early Black Flag. As had been the case at their similarly good Route 44 show, the band closed with powerful takes of The Stooges' "1970" and Radio Birdman's "New Race." Yeh-hup, indeed! The Halfways don't have any vinyl on the shelves right now, but keep an eye out for their upcoming 4-song single. Commenting on the track "Friar Tucks," drummer Nyal told me, "Yeah, it's about Robin Hood." Next time The Halfways play here, I'll bring the peanut butter.
BIG BOBBY AND THE NIGHTCAPS, whom I've seen more times than Lawrence Taylor has smoked crack, took the floor and opened with "I Can't Believe You" -- a number the M-80's had played live. If you don't know the link between The Nightcaps and the M-80's, go take a history course at Tidewater Community College, because I don't have time to explain. Other songs included "I Close My Mind," a cut from their soon-to-be released 7-inch (forgot the title -- something about a bloodhound), and The Real Kids' "Do The Boob." Why not "Foreplay/Long Time?" Shortly after Bobby's reading of a note detailing an outstanding $17.50 bar tab, the 'Caps ended their set with JT and the Heartbreakers' "Chinese Rocks."
If you would rather hear The Nightcaps' guitarist Sambone say, "I stole this riff from Chuck Berry" than some ecstasy-induced technohead announce, "I lifted this sample from KMFDM," go check out The Halfways and The Nightcaps to see and hear what REAL rock 'n' roll is all about. Glass is easily flushable when crumbled into little pieces.
BIG BOBBY & THE NIGHTCAPS "Big Bobby rocks & his nightcaps roll" LP
After the success of their two monster 45s on the US label BLACK LUNG and their EP on the "Mighty Apple", the crusaders of rawk and roll mayhem are now going to conquer the whole planet with their longawaited debut-album "Big Bobby rocks & his nightcaps roll". Hailing from Norfolk,Virginia, the band that features ex members of the M-80�S and the CANDY SNATCHERS, recorded 15 brandnew tracks for this album, which can be described best as a wild rockin� rollercoaster ride through the garages of the last four decades. Influenced by the rock�n�roll invasion of the Fifties, the teen-punk spirit of the Sixties and the aggression of the punk-rock of the Seventies, Bobby and his drunken bunch will kick ass and certainly take no prisoners. Just imagine Jerry Lee Lewis and Jeff Conolly�s DMZ would jam with with the CYNICS and got even joined by the SWINGIN�NECKBREAKERS and you know you can expect the hell of a smokin� slab�o�wax.
The Nightcaps?!? Who are these guys? Why are they playin' rocknroll? And why not?!? The music was cool! Where is this screwed up town of Nawfuk can you find a garage punk rock'n'roll band? Nowhere!?! Well, with the drivin' force of Big Ass Bobby's voice and bass walkin' from Nawfuk's legendary M-80's, Sargent Stash's mindless stare and never missing a beat on the drums, and of course , the legendary 4-track head Sambone on the "guit", this band is here to rock yer town!!! So turn off your radio, supter trendy, MTV, Doc Martens, Beatles wannabe shit and check this trash out.
First release in this band for me:
'Wanna see her cryin'- Trash on demand Volume 2 compilation CD.
Screamin' apple- EP 7" 4 songs
Screamin' apple- album full-length LP
Black Lung split with Thee Apostles 7"
I was in this band from January 1996-October 1997. I played shows with them in Ohio, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, etc.
It was fun while it lasted. I had a great time in the band.
I got to play on some records, compilations and an album.
It helped me to establish a name for myself.
Pleasure Fuckers, Granny's 12 gauge, Nightcaps, Nashville Pussy @ Nyabinghi, Morgantown, West
Virginia, Summer 1997.
My summer vacation weekend to West Verginya! Whoo hoo!
Yeah, all I can remember is that it was hot, not
Verginya hot, but hot enough and I remember Surger
drinkin' some warm ass beer in my car the next morning
before we left Morgantown! We'll get to that later.
This was a big show due to the fact that the night
before, The Pleasure Fuckers played at RT. 44 in VB
with no PA and it pretty much sucked! Here's a band
from Spain and 44 couldn't get a fuckin' PA for the
fuckin' band! I think the Nightcaps were scheduled to
play, but it never happend. Let's get to the fuckin'
show review, shall we!?!
First up, we had the Nightcaps with Erico Verdrive on
Rhythm guitar! Up for the trip was ex-Candy Snatchers'
drummer, Barry Johnson! I remember we all got this
hotel room and we all partied all thru the night! I
don't remember sleeping! But the Nyabinghi was
probably the coolest club I've ever played at with a
cool ass jukebox! Any bar that has a jukebox with the
Stooges is pretty cool to me! There was a big turnout,
but not until Nashville Pussy and the Pleasure Fuckers
started up! The Nightcaps pretty much played their
normal set!
Next up, we had Granny's 12-gauge! It was their home
turf and I'd seen them before and I still wasn't
impressed! I really pretty much tuned them out!
Then we have Nashville Pussy, I'll sum it up in 4
words, chicks, tits, fire and rock!
Last but not least, all the way from Spain, the
Pleasure Fuckers! They were fuckin� great! I was
totally impressed with them! They had synchronized
moves to the tune of Rod Stewart�s, �Hot legs�!
Fuckin� great! All the guys were tryin� to hit on
Nora, the rhythm guitar player! She was hot! A lot
of loud guitars and a big fat guy who belted out some
rocknroll in a Spanish way! It was fuckin� cool to
see them! I�ve never seen a lead guitar player play a
Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman hollowbody and
play some fuckin� rocknFuckin� Roll! I was amazed!
Great fuckin� band!
Another Nightcap memory
Yeah, I remember playin� shows with this band from
Ohio called the Cowslingers! Now, the Nightcaps would
open with �Pipeline� due to the fact that the
Nightcaps did the song when we did the Johnny
Thunders� Tribute band! Anyways, we opened with
�Pipeline� and then the Cowslingers decided to close
the show with what else, �Pipeline�! I just thought
that was real shitty! I really didn�t care much for
that shit, that stunt! So they came to Cogan�s to
play with us and we all knew that they did Link Wray�s
�Rawhide�, so we opened with that song to get those
fuckers back! Yeah, I haven�t heard much from that
band anymore! Nor the Nightcaps! Oh fuckin� well!
Oink & Squawk
Oh yeah, the Oink and Squawk! What the hell is that? Well, if ya break it down, a pig sez �oink� and a bird of some kind squawks! I don�t think they say, �squawk�!?! Pig and bird, pork and chicken! Yeah, I�m speakin� of food and a sandwich you could get in Ohio! Particularly in Athens, Ohio! Particularly at Ohio University! They had some sandwich buggies outside the bar whereby you could order sandwiches when the bars closed! There were other buggies, but I�ll get to those in another issue! This particular buggy was pretty much a trailer hitch that had a grill and they made sandwiches all fuckin� day! But we�re gonna talk about the �Oink and squawk�! This was pretty much a favorite sandwich purchased by the Nightcaps and the Black Lung records executives. How the fuck can you go wrong with a sub roll with grilled chicken, cheese and bacon and it was drippin� with grease!?! This was great! I think there were other meats, but I can�t really remember! I was really drunk and the next day I was really hung over, so all I can remember was the name and that it must�ve been good! That�s all we talked about when we left Athens, Ohio!
My White Castle Paradise
Now, if you love White Castle, yer gonna have to do some traveling to get the best White Castle taste because you ain�t gonna get it from some freezer from some grocery store! And the closest White Castle may be in Jersey and I don�t even know where in Jersey! I found a White Castle paradise in Columbus, Ohio at Ohio State University! This fucker was open 24-7! Imagine that! If I lived in Columbus, Ohio, I would probably be dead already because Slyders fuckin� rule! I think the only things that would be left on earth when the Apocalypse came about would be Slyders because they are soooooo greasy and cockroaches, but that leads me to believe that the cockroaches would probably eat them all and then die because their fuckin� arteries got fuckin� clogged! Anyways, back to the fuckin� White Castle! I�ve never seen a White Castle before which had like 8-10 different kinds of Slyders! There was the traditional beef patty one, a chicken one, a fish one, I know there were more, but I can�t really remember due to the fact that I was probably drunk and hungover! I know they had fuckin� corndog bites and I had never had a corndog in my life! That was fuckin� great! The only other White Castle I went to was in Brooklyn, NYC and it was a White Castle/Church�s fried Chicken with a bullet-proof window at the registers! That would be the death of me, deep fried chicken and sliders! Geezus man!
Big Bobby and The Nightcaps, The In-sect, & The Cowslingers @ The Union, Athens, Ohio, Spring 1997
This was the second time I had played at the Union! Probably the second time with the Cowslingers as well! I think we played first. At this time, we were a 3-piece band. I can�t really remember playin� because I was drinkin� my beer thru a pitcher! It�s all a blur! All I remember is that the stage was on the second floor! That sucked! Hiking all the equipment up the stairs! Whoo!
The In-Sect played a garagey set doing songs like, �Talk, Talk� and many other songs I can�t really remember! Man, it was long ago and I was really drunk!
The Cowslingers did there usual rockabilly set and I don�t remember there set as well! I was drunk! I know this may be a piss poor review, but I had a drunken great time and all the bands were great! It was a great bill! This was also the same line-up at the Columbus, Ohio gig!
I think the after hours party was more exciting! Probably more like the ride to the after hours party! We had this hippy chick, Beth drivin� a van for us and she was from Ohio! She was the drunkest one and she was driving! Go figure! Well, she knew where to go and we were all along for the ride! I remember she was takin� a right turn and she caught the bumper of a parked car. She was draggin� the car and wonderin� why we weren�t moving at all! She probably dragged the car about 30 feet from the parking space! I just remember she was tryin� to gun the van and we were all yellin� at her, �Dude, stop the van!� So we had to get out of the van and we had several guys pick up the car, a cutlass, and we picked up the car about 30 feet and we put the car back where it was! That was fuckin� hilarious when you think about it! Beth was fuckin� drunk and high as shit! It was funny! I had heard several stories that she was being chased by the cops one time and she drove her car into the forest hiding from them! That�s too hilarious! Beth, if yer still around or if you�ve been caught, yer my fuckin� hero!
Oh yeah, I can�t really remember the party as well! All I knew was that I wasn�t driving and I drank a lot! I think also before we left there was an episode at the buggies outside the bar! The food buggies! There was a pizza buggy, a sandwich buggy, and a burrito buggy, wait there was also some Indian food buggy as well! Some ali-ba-ba buggy! I don�t fuckin� know! These outta town shows were cool! I had a blast!
In the white rental van
Oh boy! It was like the first Nightcaps tour, weekend tours that is! I had just joined the band and my first shows as a Nightcap were outta town, we played in Morgantown, West Virginia, Cleveland, Ohio and Athens, Ohio! All pretty much great shows! But this bit was about the white rental van! There were only 2 seats, one for the driver and the other one for whoever was roadmappin� it! It was uncomfy in the back with all the equipment and 4-5 people in the back! All I can remember is that we were in Richmond and we got some food and Bobby was pickin� up his drink after he ate some biscuit and the lid wasn�t on the drink and he was pretty pissed off! It was like the fuckin� roadtrips with big daddy slappin� the kids around in the station wagon! Yeah, there was some construction in West Virginia and there was a sign that said there was gonna be construction for 3 miles and we were in rush hour traffic! No stops anywhere! So Erico had to make a piss stop in his Gatorade bottle! That was the new portapotty! On top of that, we had to drive on the way back with Black Lung�s pitbull, Ivy! I think this was in the spring/summer, because I remember it being really hot in the back of the van with only 2 fuckin� side windows! That was hell! I remembered we were in Pittsburgh at Jerry�s records and Bobby was tryin� to back out of a paralleled parking space and he backed into another car and we just left because we weren�t supposed to be traveling outta state according to Hertz! He rented the van and go unlimited miles, but only in the state of Virginia! I also remember when Erico drove on the way back and Bobby never had a case for his big ass Rickenbacker Bass and Erico stopped the van to avoid hitting a car and the bass slide on top of the equipment and like stabbed Bobby in the neck! I remembered it being really fucked up that that had happened, but it was also kinda funny! Yeah, that fuckin� White cargo rental van was hell! Never again!
The Steel Miners
A kick ass 3-piece band from Pittsburgh, we did some shows with! The first Nightcaps show was with these guys and they were fuckin� fast and loud! They had their shit together! Everybody sang, you had John on the guitars singing leads here and there and then you had Eric on bass and vocals and Max on the drums singing as well! They played �8-track head� off their Get Hip single! It was pretty cool! I think they blew away fuckin� Jack Black! Fuck, so did we! I was not impressed with them! Oh fuckin� well! This band was comprised of the drummer who played with the Cynics and the other two guys! They were great while it lasted! Max went on to play with Nashville Pussy and John and Eric kept it going! It was never quite the same and they I think I hear some story that John was fuckin� Eric�s wife or something and then the Steel Miners came to a halt! I always thought they were a great band!
The M-80's reunion show?!?
Really? No, not really! It did happen in some way, back in 1996, I believe! It was the summer of 1996, when Rusty Floyd was gonna marry this hot british chick, Angie! Nice ass! Yeah, they had their wedding in the summer out in Pungo, I believe and he wanted the Nightcaps to play at his wedding! All I can remember is that it was fuckin' hot as hell out in Pungo. Everybody was there. Pretty much all of the surviving members of the M-80's! The Nightcaps did a set and then it was a free for all jam and for the first time since the first time I had seen the original line-up of the M-80's, it happend, they were all there jamming out some tunes! But it was never ever to happen again! But it did that night on Rusty and Angie's wedding night! I wouldn't really call it a reunion show, but the M-80's did reunite to do some songs that were sadly missed by this area's fans and people who knew of the M-80's! It was cool just being there! I actually got to jam up there with the M-80's! Not bad for the first band I've ever seen and 6 years later, I'm jammin' with them in some potato barn!
Interview with Big Bobby!
Bobby!
What's going on?
Not much here!
I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions and
use this information for a bit in an upcoming issue of
The DIRT!
It will be entitled, An Interview with Big Bobby!
-Who or what inspired you to play music?
The first record I can remember really getting into was the Trashmen "Surfin' Bird b/w King Of The Surfers" 45 on Garrett. My Dad gave me and my Brother the record when we were little kids. He had bought it when it came out in the 60's, not because he was into Surf Music or Rock & Roll but he heard it on the radio and thought it was funny. We had a cool toy record player which looked like a jukebox with flashing lights and shit on which we blasted this record over and over. Later on we did bad versions of both these songs in various bands. That's pretty much where the obssesion began. I still have that 45.
-What instruments do you play?
Bass, Guitar, Bongos, Congos, Castanets, Harpsicord, Organ, Cowbell, Gongs
-What bands have you been in?
Pretty much just the M-80's & the Nightcaps. Everything leading up to the M-80's was pretty much the same band with different names. I can't even remember them. The Nightcaps was kind of my way of proving to myself that I could still Rock & Roll without being in the M-80's. I was lucky that it turned out to be a thing of it's own and I got to play with some what I consider to be the best musicians around. Various other bands and projects through the years too..
-Where did the name Big Bobby come from?
My Momma, where'd you get yours.
-What do you think of the music scene where you live?
Shit!
-Final Comments:
thanks
Buggies outside Bars!
These were trailer hitches that were parked outside the bars and clubs at Ohio University in Athens. A lot of places to eat were closed late at night when the bars and clubs were. These buggies were there for the drunks stumblin� down the street! They were cool as shit! There were like 3-4 buggies out there! One was a sandwich buggy, there was a burrito buggy, there was a pizza buggie and a buggy that made like Indian food! It was pretty cool and a pretty cool experience! Like I said in the last issue, the sandwich buggy made the �oink and squawk� sandwich as well as the �Monster Burger�! There was a guy in that buggy who looked like he never slept. His face looked like Frankenstein! I decided to get the Monster burger the next morning and I swear to gawd, there was like a student from the school who had this reaction on his face like the Monster Burger was like some wrasslin� move! He had the reaction like, �Nobody gets up from the Monster Burger!� It was too funny! I tell ya what, the monster burger was no fuckin� joke! 2 fuckin� sub rolls with 4 burger patties! Geezus! For what it was worth, the fuckin� buggies fuckin� ruled!!!
Nawfuck�s Family Tree of Punk Rock!
Note: This is just my interpretation of the fuckin� tree as far back as I can remember!
The M-80�s
Eddie-------Who knows where he is!?!
Rusty-------Black Jesus---------The Floyds of Flatbush--------Easy Livin�------Moved to England
Rob---Left wing fascists--------Big Bobby and the Nightcaps--------other bands!
Witt--------Nightcaps/Shunts/Horehounds/Strap-ons--------?
Rob did a couple of shows with the Candy Snatchers!
Big Bobby and the Nightcaps
Big Bobby---------other bands!
Surge-came from Buttsteak-----played a couple shows with M-80�s/Black Jesus/Lostribe?--------Candy Snatchers
Gordo-----some band with Jimbuck
Jimbuck------some band with Gordo
Erico---------Black Jesus---------Thee Apostles---------The Bottlebabies
Sambone--------------Horehounds--------JRSS------nothing
Niles------------one show-------Halfways drummer-------I don�t know
Matt O.----Played a couple of shows----Candy Snatchers
Goose----played a show!?!------Phantom Creeps----River City Rapists---The Dirty Fingers---The Candy Snatchers
Collin---Crums------Candy Snatchers------Secrets-----other bands!
Steve Baise---came from the Devildogs/Vikings/Pearl Schwartz/Candy Snatchers/I think he even played with the Sonics!?! and many other bands----Secrets----Bomb Pops-----JRSS
Black Jesus
Erico Verdrive--------played in Nightcaps------Thee Apostles-------------The Bottlebabies
Chris Korbet-----------------I don�t know!
Rusty Floyd-------- The Floyds of Flatbush--------Easy Livin�------Moved to England
Jimmie�came from the Hustlers with Andrea------went back to Ohio!
Darby�came from Churn---------- Thee Apostles-------------The Bottlebabies--------moved away!
Many other drummers I never knew!!!!
J-bird----------unknown
Greg----------Thee Apostles/The Bottlebabies/The Unabombers/The Psycholics and many other bands I can�t think of right now!
Another Nightcaps memory at Cogan�s
I remember the Nightcaps playin� at Cogan�s one night and Bobby ran a beer tab and we drank for free all fuckin� night long! It was fuckin� great! Even at times, we would sneak in some Beast while we either played or watched bands! But we drank and got really drunk and Gallagher was lookin� for Bobby and we found out that Bobby had already left! Gallagher was furious! Then the next time we had to play there, there was a note stating that THE NIGHTCAPS could no longer run a beer tab at Cogan�s! Pretty fuckin� funny!
My Favorite guitar
My favorite guitar just so happen to be an Epiphone! Believe it or fuckin' not, it was an Epiphone with a glued in set neck! I traded a Gibson SG Special for it! I just wasn't into the SG at all! Yeah, I know, a Gibson for an Epiphone! Oh well, shit happens for a reason! Yeah, it was an Epiphone Les Paul Special Cherry finish, Double Cutaway, with 2 P90 pickups! These pickups were very hot! This guitar went through many stages when I first got it in 1996 in the summer when I was in the Nightcaps! I wanted a guitar that had the Gibson Les Paul Junior! This was the closest thing I could find and it was brand new! This was the first brand new guitar I ever had with P-90's! They were very hot pickups! Very twangy and crunchy when properly overdriven! Great sound! I recorded all the Nightcaps' recordings with guitar as well as other guitars!
This guitar went through many stages. I put many stickers on it, then I decided to make it all white like a mummy! I took medical tape and taped the whole guitar as well as the case it came in! It was cool! Then I decided one day that I wanted it to look like a Gibson Les Paul TV yellow guitar! So I taped it with yellow tape! I even taped the neck pickup to give it the single p-90 pickup effect! I played many shows with the Nightcaps with this guitar as well as spare guitars. I even had the TV yellow copy of this guitar! It was cool! But one day, actually one night, at a show at Rt. 44 I threw the guitar at the wall! The neck didn't even break! Just a chip near the headstock! I wanted something new because I had it for year already! After I quit the Nightcaps, I had put my own personal stickers all over the guitar! Then I took it to Rippers for a trade! I forget what I traded it for, but it is long gone and is just a memory in the memories and history of Sambone's guitars!
My Favorite Amp
My favorite amp has got to be the Mesa Boogie Mark IV 1/12 combo! This little fucker was very small, but very fuckin' loud with only one speaker it in! It was fuckin' heavy as well! It didn't even have wheels on it! So I had to revert back to my 80's skateboarding days and busted out the skateboard I still had and used this to transport the amp! This thing was cool! It was cream colored and I think it was made in the 80's! I didn't know how to set up the knobs on the amp at all! I just knew that the volume knobs went to 10 and if you pulled them out, there would be a gain boost like it would go another 10, up to 20! I never figured out how to set it up, so I used a Boss Overdrive pedal to kick in a boost! That did the trick! If I only knew back then what the fuck I know now, I would still have that amp! I ended up trading it for something else at Rippers music and then I had a black Mesa Boogie Mark IV 1/12 combo and I upgraded to a Mesa Boogie Halfstack! That was too cool! I know who has this Mesa Boogie Mark IV 1/12 combo cream colored, but I know he ain't gonna get rid of it! Oh fuckin' well!
Bobby's gettin' juiced!
Many years ago, I was in this band called Big Bobby and the Nightcaps! We used to practice in this space off of Hampton Blvd. between 38th and 39th st! We pretty much practiced there for almost 2 years! Well at least the 2 years I was in the band! Well, one day, Bobby found a reel to reel tape recorder and decided to tape one of our rehearsals! He just wanted to see how it sounded on tape! Yeah, Bobby had a PA that he had gotten from Rippers and I think it was 400 watts! He also had a bass rig that powered 300 watts! Well, if yer amp is not grounded, you can receive some shocks when you touch certain things! The PA didn't seem to be grounded that one night when we were practicing and Bobby was recording with his new tape recorder. We were going over some songs on the set list! I remember Bobby singing in the mic and receiving a series of shocks. He got up to the mic and said, 'Ouch, this shocked me, I could've fuckin' died, then where would the Nightcaps be?' I didn't think much of it at the time! So we kept on practicing! We got to a song that we had just started learning! I think it was Flamin' Groovies', 'Have you seen my baby?' I think I went into the guitar solo too early and we all just stopped. Bobby wanted to say something to me, he was probably gonna tell me that I fucked up really bad. Before he could, he had his bass in his hand and went to grab the microphone! As he was going to the mic, I had turned my back to him because he was gonna bad mouth me due to the fact that I had fucked up! Well, as I was turning, I caught from the corner of my eye, Bobby falling down to the ground! I thought he had just tripped on the carpeting in the rehearsal space! I was thinking to myself, 'what a fuckin' clutz!' Little did I know what was going on! As he fell to the floor, he was shouting a series of things! The dialog went like this: 'Get it off of me, get it off of me, get it off of me,........quick!' I had no idea what was going on! Surge caught on and I guess responded to his third 'get it off of me' and the 'quick'! Surge pretty much saved his life! He took his drumstick and pulled the cord outta the amp! Bobby was gettin' fried! Pretty much fried due to the fact that you had a 400 watt PA and a 300 watt bass amp that neither was grounded and Bobby was pretty much a piece of white toast! It was funny in retrospect, but this fucker could've died and where the fuck would the Nightcaps be? Well, as I could see the smoke coming off his body, he was saying, 'Oh geezus, oh my geezus!' I remember saying as he was tryin' to get life back into himself, 'So, is practice over?' It was fucked up! Bobby would've been dead if it wasn't for Surge! I have this incident on tape and it makes the hairs on my neck stand up! But my friends and the people who know Bobby, laugh their asses off! Well, he's still alive, so you can laugh this one off!
Big Bobby and the Nightcaps, Peabody's, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Summer 1997
We were tryin' to get shows due to the fact that we didn't have a practice space anymore! Surge was also playin' in the Snatchers, so he was always up to par with his drumming! So we get this show at Peabody's and we're playin' at a fashion show! It was fuckin' lame as hell! I remember Matt hookin' us up with the show, but the Snatchers weren't gonna play the show at all! I think as I remember, that we were the only band from Norfolk! So we had some people there from Norfolk giving us some support! Yeah, in between each set, there would be the band breakin' down their equipment and the next band setting up and in between, there would be a dj rappin' his ass off! Bobby wasn't too enthused, neither was the punk/rocknroll crowd! Well, the place was packed with surfers/beach meatheads! It was our time to play and I had a Mesa boogie half stack that was loud as fuck! And Bobby was talked into playin' the transistor bass rig that was already on stage! It was a piece of shit! So I'm all set up and Bobby's on the mic sayin' shit like, 'He get this rap shit off the stage!' while tossing the dj's records! So we start playin' our set and as we're playin' the crowd of meatheads and probably the dj were tryin' to pull Bobby off the stage! I'm thinkin', 'wow, this is like a candy snatchers' show!' And we're like 3 songs into our set and Surge has a drumstick and half a drumstick and he's like, 'What song are we doing next?' As we are waiting, the crowd of meatheads pull Bobby off the stage and pull him away! Surge pretty much gets off his drumkit and dives into some meatheads! So I didn't wanna be left out, I took my guitar off and I dive for the meathead who pulled Bobby off the stage! If you've never been to Peabody's, in front of the stage, there is a dance floor and around the dance floor there is this wooden railing! As I was diving off the stage like a football tackle, I hit the guy and tackled him and the we hit the railing and the railing just comes down like a bulldozer running over a sign! There wasn't a big riot, but we only played for 20 minutes and we got kicked out of Peabody's! We still got paid, but I had to come back another day to get the money!
Big Bobby and the Nightcaps, the Empty Glass, Charleston, West Virginia, 1996
Charleston, West fuckin' Virginia! I don't know how he got this show at all! It was in the capital of West Virginia if that meant anything! We didn't have the white rental cargo van! Bobby rented a mini-van! We traveled in comfort and style! So we get to the place and it's a little dive just a few hairs bigger than Cogan's! I didn't know what to expect for West Verginya! So we're wheelin' our equipment into the bar and the soundman was there and he saw my Mesa boogie halfstack and by the squeakin' of the wheels, he was already tellin' me that it was gonna be too loud!
The bar had a place for the band to stay, right up above the bar in a section they called, The crib! Whatever! The Crib consisted of many mattresses on the floor and another stairway up for more partying! Yeah, it was just hard to try to sleep on mattresses with pecker trails everywhere, so I found a chair and slept there! Bobby slept in the van with all the equipment! He said that there was some drag racing going on all night! Well, lemme talk about the show!
Well, there was another band, but I didn't know who the fuck they were! There was this couple at the bar and the West Verginyan lady kept askin' me, 'Hey, are you fillerpeener?' 'Where are you guys from?' 'Verginya?' 'You mean East Verginya?' Yeah, there was this hillbilly who kept askin' us if we were a 'thrash band!' I left the bar and just laughed my ass off and told the guys! We finally started playin' and I remember people actually dancing to our music! Freaked me out!
Yeah, these people had no clue of rocknroll! Or at least the rocknroll we played! Silas was not wrong to say that this bar should've been called, 'The Empty Skull!' I think it's safe to say that I will not be going back to West Verginya any time soon! Or at least to Charleston! Yee haw!!!!
Date Bait, The Nightcaps, and Monsters from the surf,
Phantasmagoria, Wheaton, Maryland, 1996
I think this was the second time the Nightcaps played
here! It just sucks to have great equipment and then
you can't really use the fuckin' equipment to it's
full potential! That's the whole fuckin' point of
havin' great equipment! Well, I had a Mesa Boogie
Halfstack and I couldn't really blast the fucker! So
I wasn't that happy! Oh fuckin' well!
First up, we had Monsters from the surf! Great surf
guitars and Trashmen sounding 3-piece band! I was
impressed! More impressed with a 3-piece band playin'
this kinda music than the Cowslingers!
Next, the Nightcaps took the stage and I was playin' a
Hamer White Dawg prototype guitar with a humbucker and
a single coil wrapped around each other! The guitar
sounded great, but it was a Hamer!?! Great twangy
single coil sound! Good set! There were people
dancing to the stuff! Fuckin' amazing!?!
Last, Date Bait! Great rocknroll set from the former
Slickee Boys, Kim Kane and the rest of the guys! They
had some long-haired Stryper lookin' guy on lead
guitar! It was kinda weird! He didn't fit the band's
image! Total 80's metal rocker! Short guy with long
brown hair, tight blue jeans with white high tops
pretty much screamin' I love 'Monsters of rock!' But
they played a great set!
The Nightcaps and The Plungers, The Continental, New
York City, New York, 1997
Alright, the Nightcaps were recording on the weekend
of this show! We played on a sunday night! The
Nightcaps were finishing the tracks for the Screaming
Apple album! I had never been to the Continental
before, but I had planned to go there once with a
buddy of mine back in 1991, never happend! It was
cool! A typical New Yawk rat hole!
There were many fuckin' bands playin' all fuckin' day!
We pretty much played next to last! I don't even
remember the band before us! I remembered that the
beer was expensive! Pretty much everything was! We
rocked out though! We weren't really practicing much,
but Surge was already playin' with the Candy
Snatchers! I was able to record the show and it came
out pretty good!
Next up, the Plungers! This band was comprised of the
guitar player and bass player from the defunct
Stallions! It was a 3 piece of rocknroll with white
guy hippy lookin' drummer! They rocked! Reminded me
of the Stallions, imagine that!
Urine stains across virginia
This is a Black Lung release of a single with this area's best of the best!?! and the rest! It features the Candy Snatchers, The Dirty Fingers(the Richmond Candy Snatchers), Thee Apostles, The M-80's(Dude, I don't know!?!), the Horehounds and some other bands I might be forgetting! But I heard some great things about this! I think the Nightcaps may be on it as well! I still need to get a copy of it! But I've heard that it is in Urine Yellow vinyl! How Pissy! Not Chrissy!
Urine Stains across Virginia
All fuckin� right! This is a new release on the Black
Lung records label. There are 7 bands from this area
whether they are defunct or not we have Thee Apostles,
the Candy Snatchers, Hillbilly Werewolf, The
Horehounds, Big Bobby and the Nightcaps, The M-80�s,
and the Dirty Fingers. It�s like a little piece of
Virginia history. Members of the Nightcaps and M-80�s
in pretty much every band. It�s amazing how most of
the bands are defunct, but the music lives on. This
is a fine example of what rocknroll is all about in
this area, but is never recognized and people in this
area don�t give a rat�s fuckin� ass! And it�s in piss
yellow vinyl. You know you�ve made it when yer shit
is online! I saw this on ebay sellin� outta
california or something! Pretty cool.
What happens when you quit a band?
Yes, I ask myself this question all the time. I quit
the Nightcaps at the height of the Nightcaps. The
Screamin' Apple releases were coming out, the ep and
then the album. We were at our height due to the fact
that we didn�t have a practice space and we were
playin� all the time. Things were lookin� up! But I
quit, pretty much quit rocknroll, graduated college,
got a job, got engaged, it didn�t work out, got a
band, you know the rest of the fuckin� story.
I�ve heard other stories about people quittin� bands
and doin� something with their lives or not. Such as
becoming a lawyer, settlin� down, havin� kids, getting
real jobs and shit like that. It�s almost like a
�Where are they now after they quit the band?!?�
Sometimes, people just move away and are never heard
from again. Pretty sad sometimes, but oh fuckin�
well! Some people quit bands to start their own
bands. Sometimes, they are successful and sometimes,
not! Who fuckin� cares anyways!?!
Big Bobby and the Nightcaps Big Bobby Rocks and the Nightcaps Roll LP
Alright, I played on this album and I thought it was great! I did feel kinda rushed in the studio, but after finally getting to listen to it, it came out really good! Paul Johnson, the engineer/ producer did a great job up there in Flatbush, NYC! I knew I could�ve done better on the solos! The only thing I have a complaint on would be the multitude of covers on the album! But all in all, the album was great!
Big Bobby and the Nightcaps EP
Hey, I played on this too! 4 songs that rock, 3 originals and one cover! Has the Chuck Berry influenced song, �My first car� which was about Sambone drivin� a VW back in the 80�s! �Bad taste� was a great song as well! And you can�t go wrong with the evil sounds of �Yer not the same�! The �Bloodhound� cover was a great pick for the ep! Great record and great cover art!
Trash on Demand Volume 2 CD
This comp was put out by the one man band, Jeff Dahl himself! It has many bands on it such as the Cynics, Snap her, The Nightcaps, ADZ and many other bands from Europe who play Stones influenced rnr! It�s a good comp and I think Jeff has a couple more on his web page!
Big Bobby and the Nightcaps/Thee Apostles Split 45
I played on this one as well, but I think this recording of the song, �Alcoholic Suicide� was during the �Witt Drawls� years! I can tell by this guitar sound! Great guitar player! But I did play on the Groovies� cover, �Have you seen my baby?� which is a cover of Randy Newman! On the B-side, we have Norfolk�s own, Thee Apostles! Their songs rocked as well! You can barely see the drummer, Greg on the cover though!
Nancy and the bangs, Big Bobby and the Nightcaps, & The Hillbilly Werewolf @ the Tokyo Rose, Charlottesville, Virginia, September, 2001
Ok, this is a show that never got reviewed and I was fuckin' there and I'm gonna fuckin' review this fuckin' show!!! Well, I was hitchin' a ride with the Ashleys and we were following Stevie and the Nightcaps up there! We went a whole other way which seemed to take a long fuckin' time! Stevie even got a fuckin' ticket on the way up! Well, I made the assumption that Stevie was drivin' thru all these fuckin' back fuckin' roads tellin' Bobby all these stories about being on the road! I even made up some dialog which I think Stevie was sayin' to Bobby: "Ya know, Robert, these fuckin' roads back heya were fuckin' dirt roads! When I used to play in that fuckin' band, da fuckin' Rat Bastards and PT-109, all this fuckin' shit was fuckin' farm fuckin' land! None of this shit was fuckin' here! And right there, (Stevie pointing) Robert, there was a fuckin' hot dog stand, they had some fuckin' coney island dogs, bratwurst, cheesedogs, you fuckin' name it, they fuckin' had it! You put mustud on it and fuckin' eat the shit! Unbelievable!"
First off, we have Nancy and the Bangs and I think we were told that the band was gonna be Nancy and the Knockers, but it wasn't that band and she did or she does have some big fuckin' knockers!!!! She told me that she's a 36-D! Now that's a mouthfull!!!! OH YEAH!!!! Anyways, their guitar player was the clean cut version of Witt. Dude, if you were there, you would think the same as well. Fuckin' Goose, (Doug) even walked up to the guy and thought he was Witt, no lie man! It was hilarious!!! These guys were playin' some garagey music from Richmond! It rocked!
Next off, we have Big Bobby and the Nightcaps! Bobby had a curly ass wig on for awhile and he told me that it's his Larry May wig! That was hilarious as well! They rocked as usual! Amazingly enough, I provided the guitar equipment for Witt and at the end of their set, I sat in on the song I helped Bobby write, "Goin' nowhere fast"! It was cool to be up on stage again and playin' that song! That was alotta fun!
Lastly, we have the Hillbilly Werewolf! Rockabilly from Charlottesville! Creepy Scott dressed in his misfits outfit and makeup and all and a labcoat! This music reminded me of very early Misfits! He had a killer fuckin' Supro! Great voice!
Ok, the after hour party was at Goose and Creepy Scott's house! They were spinnin' records and drinkin' whoo!!! PBR!!!! Yeah!!! I love it!!! Well, we had been drinkin' all night and it seemed like the night was a relationship rescue retreat! The fuckin' guitarist and bass player in the band, Nancy and the bangs were a couple and they were fighting! The Ashleys were fighting as well! But fuckin' Creepy Scott's chick was just gettin' naked in front of us! I remember this very well because she's got some nice boobies and I remember Girl ashley talkin' in the kitchen with the drummer from the Bangs about fake boobies and here's fuckin' Scott's chick gettin' naked and exposin' the goods! ROCKNFUCKIN'ROLL!!!! I also remember she was tryin' to get Scott to fuck upstairs and Scott was just pushin' her away so that he could play some records!!! GEEZUS!!!
This was a great show and great after hours party!
Memories of a Nightcaps show!
Big Bobby and the Nightcaps, The Steel Miners, and The Candy Snatchers @ 31st st Pub, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1997!
This was back when Serge was a drum whore, well, actually, THE drum whore in the rocknroll scene! He played with the Nightcaps and then with the Snatchers! This show, I�ve never seen Bobby drink so much, especially the Iron City free beer we got!
Well, first off, we have Big Bobby and the Nightcaps. I recall playin� my new old Epiphone Coronet I got from Rippers� music and it sounded great.
Secondly, we have The Steel Miners on their Own Turf playin� out a killer set off their �Irony� album!
Last, but not least, we have the Candy Snatchers! Okay, Rockstar or Boxstar Willie, you decide, had An amp, a Peavey amp that was beat up to hell and was what to me and Bobby to be a decoy. Well, he was tryin� to borrow the bass rig that the bass player used in the Steel Miners. He said this, �hey man, yer shit�s already set up, why don�t you lemme play thru yer shit!� Yeah, and Matt was playin� his brand new Gibson Les Paul Special that his girlfriend bought which was fuckin� up on him! I was to understand that the Mighty Bosstones were Playin� some show down the street from us due to The fact that one of them or some of them were Watchin� our show in their suit and ties! Afterwards, Bobby was too drunk to drive, so we Had to leave the rental car at the bar. We hitched A ride from Matt and the Snatchers over to Max�s House! Actually, we went to some bar down the Road and some people in the band decided to Burn one and the bouncer of the bar says, �Whoever�s Smokin� pot better put it out or I�m gonna kick Yer ass!!!� Needless to say, we left and continued On our journey to Max�s house in Matt�s van! Well, In Matt�s van, the Candy Snatchers� touring van, Matt, well, I guess us as well, happened to sideswipe Many cars on the street, parked cars while tryin� To pick up chicks on the sidewalks! Well, we finally Got to Max�s house and it was party central, coke, pot, You name it! I�m on the couch passin� out from Mucho Iron City beer and actually I do pass out and the chick From the bar, Max�s girlfriend, woke me up and said, �Hey, do you wanna go to bed?� And I replied, �with you?� And she said, �No, there�s a bed upstairs!� So I get upstairs and Bobby�s layin� face first on the Floor snoring away! So I found a place on the floor And fell asleep! The
next morning, we had to drive to Ohio to play somewhere and me and Bobby had to Walk back to the rental car which was still at the bar. Yeah, Bobby drank mucho beer! I�d never seen him This drunk since I�d been in the Nightcaps! Well, We�re walkin� like 3 miles to the car in the Morning And Bobby�s pukin� like every 20 feet. We finally get In the car and he�s still feelin� like shit and he started Pukin� in record sleeves from the records he�d scored the day before. It was a bad scene!
Great Show though!
What ever happened to......
Who knows? Who really cares? I don't know the answer! Well, first up in this series is the band, Black Jesus! This is a band I caught many years ago at the Kings Head Inn opening for 7Seconds! I remembered them being really fast and a 3-piece band which had Erico Verdrive on the gits and vox, Chris Corbet on the bass/vox and I believe it was Rusty Floyd on the skins! I didn't hear much from them afterwards! Then, they became a 4-piece with J-bird on the vox! This was a totally new band and outlook on the music in my opinion! That meant that Erico and Chris could concentrate on their instruments alot more! Through many lineup changes, mucho drummers and the Reverend Darbe joining on bass and Chris moving to the second guitar, they became a driving force to be reckoned with as a 5-piece chicken dinner with a couple of sides! I heard some of the stuff they recorded at Cybersounds back in the day and it sounded to me like the Humpers! I was greatly impressed with the sound! But through time, people get married, settle down, find jobs, work at Dog-N-Burger, have kids, get real jobs, and sober up somehow, someway! Black Jesus just pretty much came to a screeching halt! I guess it was simply due to having nowhere to practice! That's what kills most bands in this area and no drummers! There are only so many drumwhores in this area! What can you fuckin' do? I think Black Jesus had a couple of singles and they are probably still available through Black Lung Records! But Erico and the Rev are tryin' to keep it together with the band they formed after Black Jesus with Greg on the skins called Thee Apostles! Keep rockin'!!!
The Nightcaps! This is a band I heard of and caught them at good ole' Cogans! Whoo! It was the cheesecaps as was referred to by someone due to the fact that they had Jimbuck and Gordo on the guitars and Big Bobby and Serge! Very clean sound! It was cool 50's and 60's inspired rocknroll! That didn't last long! Big Bobby fired Jimbuck and then Gordo left soon thereafter! The cheesewall of sound was finished! Enter Erico Verdrive! He played second guitar to Gordo before he quit! Then I joined to play second guitar for the Johnny Thunders Tribute band and then Nightcaps! Erico had been playin' in Black Jesus and the Nightcaps as well! Soon, he made Black Jesus full time! The unit of the nightcaps of 3-piece was the most powerful of all the Nightcaps I've heard and seen! That unit which consisted of me on guitar and vocals, Bobby on bass and vocals and serge on drums and backups! I think it was the longest lasting Nightcaps there ever was and it rocked really hard! I didn't play clean at all! But through time, one album, some singles, songs on comps, weekend tours outta town and all the bullshit that goes with being in a band, I quit! And in my opinion, the Nightcaps were never the same! Serge was playin' in the Candy Snatchers as well! And soon, that became full time! Yeah, they had many other guitar players arouse such as Witt Drawls, Sean, Steve Baise and drummers such as Colon and Ash! They never really quite captured the sound and feel of what the Nightcaps were in my opinion! Oh well! Bobby ended up moving to North Carolina and settled down! I quit rocknroll for 4 years! And you know the rest of the story!
The Shunts! I heard these guys through a friend and he told me it was Witt's new band! I figured I'd check them out at Mango's in Norfolk! It was cool to see Witt on stage again! I hadn't seen him on guitar or stage since I caught the M-80's at the Boathouse opening for the Ramones back in 1990! Cool punk rock songs! They had 2 guitars and the overexpressive monkey man on the drums! 'I know they ain't yo drums, so take it easy, monkey man!' I had met the singer years ago when I was in the Nightcaps! I think I had sold him some of my records! They recorded a couple of songs at Steveland and then nothing happend! It came to a halt! No releases, nothing! I pretty much took the rhythm section and formed the Horehounds!
The Pimps! What? Yeah, after Brian's baby, Love Missile, he formed the Pimps with Norman Bates and Reubenstein and some bass players!?! Their gimmick was dressin' like pimps! Hmmmmmmm..... They played around and then all of a sudden they're the Strap-ons! I didn't know what happend or really even cared, but that's pretty much what happend! Now, the Strap-ons is a band that can't keep people in the band, so they have been renamed, the Add-ons! And if yer picture ain't on the webpage, then you've probably been fired from the band!
Bathroom incident at IHOP/Nightcaps show in Norfolk 2001
I was told the Nightcaps were doin' a show at Mango's and I was gonna check it out. I was basically tryin' to get a band together. 2001 was my rocknroll comeback year. I didn't know anybody, so I had to go back to the bars to meet some people who would be into playing. So I'm there to see the Nightcaps play and I had come to the bar earlier to eat dinner. And that wasn't sittin' too well in the gut. So Bobby was tunin' up the bass and the vibrations of the bass was rumblin' my stomach and I really wanted to see the Nightcaps play. So I had an idea. Probably not a good idea. The idea was to go home at my comfortable shitter and take a messy dump. But that would take 20-30 mins. to get home, 20-30 mins. to take the shit and then 20-30 mins. to get back to the show and that would mean I would probably miss the show. So I had to think fast because the pain was really bad. So I drove down fuckin' 21st street and remembered that there was an IHOP in the area and decided to go there. So I played it off and had them seat me. The waiter got me some water and I asked him where the bathroom was and went to the bathroom. That was the whole goal! So I get back to the seat and the waiter wanted to take my order and then I told him that I forgot my wallet in the car and I needed to get it. So I get back in the car and pull out all fuckin' nonchalant with the headlights turned off and I get the fuck outta there to see the Nightcaps play.
