The Effigies
Encyclopedia
The Effigies is an early post-hardcore
group from Chicago
. The band
, first formed in 1980, was active for approximately a decade, undergoing multiple personnel changes, with frontman John Kezdy the only constant, before disbanding in 1990 http://www.effigies.com/. The band released 5 LPs
and several EPs
, most on Ruthless Records
and distributed by Enigma
. They toured outside of Chicago, notably including a live performance at CBGB
in 1983 http://www.dementlieu.com/~obik/arc/effigies/pic_cbgbphotos.html, and received some radio
airplay
, principally on Northwestern University
's WNUR
and other college stations.
The Effigies' website states that they were one of the first punk bands in Chicago http://www.effigies.com/. This is a complicated claim for a band not formed until 1980, but true in the sense that the Chicago market was very late to discover or appreciate punk to any degree; in the half-decade after The Ramones and The Sex Pistols first released records, Chicago remained dominated by blues
, heavy metal
, and even disco
; punk bands had few places to play, and punk music fans had few places to hear live bands. Chicago's "progressive" radio station, WXRT, was never very supportive of punk. What most punk fans recall as the first "scene" in Chicago did not occur until the 1980s, when clubs like Oz and O'Banion's provided venues for live punk. Chicago Sun-Times
music writer Jim Derogatis
"correctly" terms the heyday of The Effigies "the second generation of Midwestern punks ."
The Effigies are generally considered hardcore
or post-hardcore
and, to the extent it is distinguishable, Chicago hardcore
. Indie rock pundit Steve Albini
writes that The Effigies "were a moving force during a crucial and exhilarating time".
The Effigies original line up consisted of John Kezdy (vocals), Earl "Oil" Letiecq (guitar), Paul Zamost (bass) and Steve Economou (drums). Robert O'Connor replaced Letiecq in 1985. In 1986, the entire band dissolved but in 1987 Kezdy reunited with Letiecq and added Chris Bjorklund (bass) and Joe Haggerty (drums). In 1988, Letiecq departed again to form the band Jack Scratch with Dave Bergeron, formerly of the local band Bloodsport. Bjorklund moved to guitar and Tom Woods became the Effigies bassist. Coincidentally, Bjorklund, Haggerty, and Woods had comprised the rest of Bloodsport . In 1990, the Effigies called it quits and Kezdy pursued a career as an attorney. The original line up reunited for a one-off show in 1992. They came together again in late 1995 and early 1996 to play a few local shows to celebrate the reissue of their Remains Nonviewable compilation CD on Touch and Go Records
.
The Effigies re-formed in 2004 and in 2006 Released their first recording in nearly 20 years called "Reside" . The album was Produced by Andy Gerber, who once played with Zamost and Economou in the band "Laughing Man" The current line up consists of original members John Kezdy, Paul Zamost, and Steve Economou, along with new guitarist Robert McNaughton, who had previously been in Pop Media, Were Staying and along with Zamost in the Indicators, Lemmings and The Greys. McNaughton also is known for composing music for a number of films, including Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
.
In 2010, The Effigies were slated to play Riotfest at Metro, initially reuniting with Earl in what promised to be a compelling lineup in a large venue called The Metro. Due to differences with the owner, they refused to play the Metro and were responsible for moving the show to a much smaller venue, the Double Door. The show was sold out, The Effigies dropped out and the remaining bands and fans who couldn't get in became upset.
The Effigies can be seen in You Weren’t There
a/k/a You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk, 1977-1984, a 2007 film about the Chicago punk scene from 1977 through 1984.
"Bodybag" b/w "Security" 7" (Ruthless Records
1982)
We're Da Machine 12" EP (Ruthless Records/Enigma Records
1983)
For Ever Grounded LP (Ruthless Records/Enigma Records
1984)
Fly on a Wire LP (Fever Records/Enigma Records
1985)
Ink LP (Fever Records/Enigma Records
1986)
Remains Nonviewable LP - compilation of the first 3 EPs and parts of For Ever Grounded (Roadkill Records 1989/reissued on CD by Touch and Go Records
1995)
"VMLive Presents The Effigies Live 12/16/95" 7" EP (VML Records 1996)
Reside CD (Criminal IQ Records 2007)
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
group from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, first formed in 1980, was active for approximately a decade, undergoing multiple personnel changes, with frontman John Kezdy the only constant, before disbanding in 1990 http://www.effigies.com/. The band released 5 LPs
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and several EPs
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...
, most on Ruthless Records
Ruthless Records (Chicago)
Ruthless Records was the name of a Chicago punk record label. Founded in 1981 by the Effigies, it was not a real business, but a name used by Chicago and Minneapolis punk bands from 1981 to 1990: Big Black, the Effigies, End Result, Naked Raygun, Rifle Sport and Urge Overkill...
and distributed by Enigma
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
. They toured outside of Chicago, notably including a live performance at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
in 1983 http://www.dementlieu.com/~obik/arc/effigies/pic_cbgbphotos.html, and received some radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
airplay
Airplay (song)
Airplay is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to state how frequently a song is being played on over-the-air radio stations. For example, a song which is being played several times every day would be classed as receiving a large amount of airplay...
, principally on Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
's WNUR
WNUR
WNUR-FM is a 7200 watt radio station based in Evanston, Illinois that broadcasts to Chicago and its northern suburbs. Northwestern University owns the station's FCC license.-History:...
and other college stations.
The Effigies' website states that they were one of the first punk bands in Chicago http://www.effigies.com/. This is a complicated claim for a band not formed until 1980, but true in the sense that the Chicago market was very late to discover or appreciate punk to any degree; in the half-decade after The Ramones and The Sex Pistols first released records, Chicago remained dominated by blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, and even disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
; punk bands had few places to play, and punk music fans had few places to hear live bands. Chicago's "progressive" radio station, WXRT, was never very supportive of punk. What most punk fans recall as the first "scene" in Chicago did not occur until the 1980s, when clubs like Oz and O'Banion's provided venues for live punk. Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
music writer Jim Derogatis
Jim DeRogatis
James "Jim" DeRogatis is an American music critic and co-host of Sound Opinions. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as Spin, Guitar World and Modern Drummer, and for fifteen years was the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.He joined Columbia College Chicago as a full-time...
"correctly" terms the heyday of The Effigies "the second generation of Midwestern punks ."
The Effigies are generally considered hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
or post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
and, to the extent it is distinguishable, Chicago hardcore
Chicago hardcore
Chicago developed a hardcore punk scene in the early 1980s. Chicago Hardcore is now characterized by fast, hardcore punk rock with familiar sounds to Boston, New York, and Los Angeles hardcore....
. Indie rock pundit Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
writes that The Effigies "were a moving force during a crucial and exhilarating time".
The Effigies original line up consisted of John Kezdy (vocals), Earl "Oil" Letiecq (guitar), Paul Zamost (bass) and Steve Economou (drums). Robert O'Connor replaced Letiecq in 1985. In 1986, the entire band dissolved but in 1987 Kezdy reunited with Letiecq and added Chris Bjorklund (bass) and Joe Haggerty (drums). In 1988, Letiecq departed again to form the band Jack Scratch with Dave Bergeron, formerly of the local band Bloodsport. Bjorklund moved to guitar and Tom Woods became the Effigies bassist. Coincidentally, Bjorklund, Haggerty, and Woods had comprised the rest of Bloodsport . In 1990, the Effigies called it quits and Kezdy pursued a career as an attorney. The original line up reunited for a one-off show in 1992. They came together again in late 1995 and early 1996 to play a few local shows to celebrate the reissue of their Remains Nonviewable compilation CD on Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.After its genesis as a hand-made fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s alternative and underground rock scenes, Touch & Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurous...
.
The Effigies re-formed in 2004 and in 2006 Released their first recording in nearly 20 years called "Reside" . The album was Produced by Andy Gerber, who once played with Zamost and Economou in the band "Laughing Man" The current line up consists of original members John Kezdy, Paul Zamost, and Steve Economou, along with new guitarist Robert McNaughton, who had previously been in Pop Media, Were Staying and along with Zamost in the Indicators, Lemmings and The Greys. McNaughton also is known for composing music for a number of films, including Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 crime horror film directed and co-written by John McNaughton about the random crime spree of a serial killer who seemingly operates with impunity. It stars Michael Rooker as the nomadic killer Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, a prison buddy with whom Henry is...
.
In 2010, The Effigies were slated to play Riotfest at Metro, initially reuniting with Earl in what promised to be a compelling lineup in a large venue called The Metro. Due to differences with the owner, they refused to play the Metro and were responsible for moving the show to a much smaller venue, the Double Door. The show was sold out, The Effigies dropped out and the remaining bands and fans who couldn't get in became upset.
The Effigies can be seen in You Weren’t There
You Weren’t There
You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk, 1977–1984 is a 2007 documentary film about punk subculture in Chicago from 1977 through 1984. The film was written and directed by Joe Losurdo and Christina Tillman, and profiles the punk bars and local bands that gave rise to the city's punk rock...
a/k/a You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk, 1977-1984, a 2007 film about the Chicago punk scene from 1977 through 1984.
Members
- John Kezdy - Vocals (1980–1990, 2004–present)
- Robert McNaughton - Guitar (2004–present)
- Paul Zamost - Bass (1980–1986, 2004–present)
- Steve Economou - Drums (1980–1986, 2004–present)
- Earl Letiecq - Guitar (1980–1984, 1987–1988)
- Robert O'Connor - Guitar (1985–1986)
- Chris Bjorklund - Bass (1987–1988), Guitar (1988–1990)
- Joe Haggerty - Drums (1987–1990)
- Tom Woods - Bass (1988–1990)
Discography
Haunted Town 12" EP (Autumn Records 1981/reissued with "Security" as a bonus track by Ruthlesss Records 1984)"Bodybag" b/w "Security" 7" (Ruthless Records
Ruthless Records (Chicago)
Ruthless Records was the name of a Chicago punk record label. Founded in 1981 by the Effigies, it was not a real business, but a name used by Chicago and Minneapolis punk bands from 1981 to 1990: Big Black, the Effigies, End Result, Naked Raygun, Rifle Sport and Urge Overkill...
1982)
We're Da Machine 12" EP (Ruthless Records/Enigma Records
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
1983)
For Ever Grounded LP (Ruthless Records/Enigma Records
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
1984)
Fly on a Wire LP (Fever Records/Enigma Records
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
1985)
Ink LP (Fever Records/Enigma Records
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
1986)
Remains Nonviewable LP - compilation of the first 3 EPs and parts of For Ever Grounded (Roadkill Records 1989/reissued on CD by Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.After its genesis as a hand-made fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s alternative and underground rock scenes, Touch & Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurous...
1995)
"VMLive Presents The Effigies Live 12/16/95" 7" EP (VML Records 1996)
Reside CD (Criminal IQ Records 2007)