Choir Invisible
Encyclopedia
The Choir Invisible was a rock
band from Pasadena, California
(formed c.1981) comprising John Curry (vocals, keyboards), Scott Lasken (bass), Thames Sinclair (guitar), and Danny Benair (drums)Don Romine (drums).
, and recorded the first album ever released by Frontier Records
, a small independent label started by Lisa Fancher in 1979.
Thames Sinclair joined the Flyboys after the death of David Wilson in a car crash in 1978, and Denny Walsh joined on drums. Curry, Lasken and Sinclair then went on to form Choir Invisible with the addition of Danny Benair on drums.
The band was essentially put together by Frontier Records founder Lisa Fancher. After the breakup of The Flyboys, Lasken and Sinclair recorded a demo with singer Maicol Sinatra and gave it to Fancher for possible release on Frontier. Fancher agreed to put out an album if Curry returned as vocalist and she was instrumental in finding Benair to play drums. Benair had formerly played with The Quick and The Weirdos
and went on to drum with The Three O'Clock
.
The band split up after the release of their self-titled album, but reformed later with Don Romine (San Francisco's Instamoids and Quiet Room) replacing Benair, recording the Sea to Shining Sea EP
, released on PVC in 1984.
Curry and Lasken retired from the music business until Curry briefly resurfaced in the mid 90's to play guitar in a short lived group called Polar Bear formed by ex-Janes Addiction bass player, Eric Avery
which also featured drummer Biff Sanders from Ethyl Meatplow
. Sinclair went on to form Wonderwall.
The Flyboys also came out of retirement to play reunion shows at the LA Weekly
25th Anniversary Party in 2003 and the recent release party for Brendan Mullen
's Photo Book of The Masque
, the first punk rock club in Los Angeles, where they played some of their earliest shows.
In 2009 John Curry and Scott Lasken started performing again as "The Edwardo Show with Curry", singing and playing Ukulele, Guitar and Piano and Lasken playing acoustic bass. The duo has been performing Curry's compositions influenced by 1920s and 1930s music but with a decidedly glam/punk vibe. The band also sometimes includes percussionist Joe Berardi – formerly of seminal LA band, The Fibonacci's.
Don Romine went on to play drums in Vivabeat, See Jane Run and Wonderwall as well as with Rob Dean, Alex Gibson and more. He currently plays drums in the Los Angeles blues band Lookin' For Trouble.
Flyboys:
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
(formed c.1981) comprising John Curry (vocals, keyboards), Scott Lasken (bass), Thames Sinclair (guitar), and Danny Benair (drums)Don Romine (drums).
History
Curry and Lasken were founding members of The Flyboys, a punk rock group that received comparisons with early U2U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, and recorded the first album ever released by Frontier Records
Frontier Records
Frontier Records is an independent record label, started in 1980 in Los Angeles by Lisa Fancher, a former employee of Bomp! Records and writer of the liner notes for the first album by The Runaways....
, a small independent label started by Lisa Fancher in 1979.
Thames Sinclair joined the Flyboys after the death of David Wilson in a car crash in 1978, and Denny Walsh joined on drums. Curry, Lasken and Sinclair then went on to form Choir Invisible with the addition of Danny Benair on drums.
The band was essentially put together by Frontier Records founder Lisa Fancher. After the breakup of The Flyboys, Lasken and Sinclair recorded a demo with singer Maicol Sinatra and gave it to Fancher for possible release on Frontier. Fancher agreed to put out an album if Curry returned as vocalist and she was instrumental in finding Benair to play drums. Benair had formerly played with The Quick and The Weirdos
The Weirdos
The Weirdos were an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. They formed in 1976 and broke up in 1981, were occasionally active in the 1980s, and recorded new material in the 1990s...
and went on to drum with The Three O'Clock
The Three O'Clock
The Three O'Clock were a United States alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the 1980s L.A...
.
The band split up after the release of their self-titled album, but reformed later with Don Romine (San Francisco's Instamoids and Quiet Room) replacing Benair, recording the Sea to Shining Sea EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, released on PVC in 1984.
Curry and Lasken retired from the music business until Curry briefly resurfaced in the mid 90's to play guitar in a short lived group called Polar Bear formed by ex-Janes Addiction bass player, Eric Avery
Eric Avery
Eric Adam Avery is an American musician and is the former bass player for the rock band Jane's Addiction. Avery played in Jane's Addiction initially from 1985 to 1991, and rejoined the band in 2008 before departing again in 2010....
which also featured drummer Biff Sanders from Ethyl Meatplow
Ethyl Meatplow
Ethyl Meatplow was an American alternative/industrial music band best known for their sole album, Happy Days, Sweetheart, released in 1993 by Dali Records, a division of Chameleon Music Group and distributed by Elektra Entertainment...
. Sinclair went on to form Wonderwall.
The Flyboys also came out of retirement to play reunion shows at the LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
25th Anniversary Party in 2003 and the recent release party for Brendan Mullen
Brendan Mullen
Brendan Mullen was born in Paisley, Scotland and moved to Manchester, England when he was 8. He spent his early teen years writing for various British music magazines. In 1973, Mullen moved to the United States where he remained for the remainder of his life. Mullen had just started working toward...
's Photo Book of The Masque
The Masque
The Masque was a small punk rock club in central Hollywood, California which existed intermittently from 1977 to 1979. It is remembered as a key part of the early L.A. punk scene.-History:...
, the first punk rock club in Los Angeles, where they played some of their earliest shows.
In 2009 John Curry and Scott Lasken started performing again as "The Edwardo Show with Curry", singing and playing Ukulele, Guitar and Piano and Lasken playing acoustic bass. The duo has been performing Curry's compositions influenced by 1920s and 1930s music but with a decidedly glam/punk vibe. The band also sometimes includes percussionist Joe Berardi – formerly of seminal LA band, The Fibonacci's.
Don Romine went on to play drums in Vivabeat, See Jane Run and Wonderwall as well as with Rob Dean, Alex Gibson and more. He currently plays drums in the Los Angeles blues band Lookin' For Trouble.
Discography
- Choir Invisible LP (1981), Frontier
- Sea to Shining Sea EP (1984), PVC
Flyboys:
- "Crayon World" 7-inch single (1979), Flyguy
- Flyboys mini-LP (1980), Frontier