The Continental Drifters are an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991 and dissolved in New Orleans, Louisiana, about a decade later, before reuniting in the years since. Though the line-up changed several times, at one point the band comprised a kind of college rock/indie-rock/power pop supergroup, including as it did Peter Holsapple of The dB's, Mark Walton of The Dream Syndicate, Bangle Vicki Peterson and Susan Cowsill of The Cowsills. [1]
The band was formed in Los Angeles in 1991, initially consisting of Carlo Nuccio (drums, vocals), Ray Ganucheau (guitars, banjo, vocals), Mark Walton (bass), Gary Eaton (guitars, vocals) and Danny McGough (keyboards). The group gigged regularly at Raji's in LA, and were often joined by Susan Cowsill and Vicki Peterson on backing vocals and guitars, and Peter Holsapple (keyboards, guitars), though these three players were not yet official members.
Holsapple was asked to join the band, but initially declined, offering instead to produce the group's debut album. The resulting disc was not released at the time; after it was completed, Holsapple, Cowsill and Peterson all joined the band officially, while McGough dropped out.
Led by New Orleans natives Nuccio and Ganucheau, most of the band moved to New Orleans over a span of several months during 1993/94. Eaton was the only member who didn't make the move, and who consequently left the band. However, shortly after the move Ganucheau developed health problems, and was forced to drop out, being replaced by Robert Maché. This line up (Nuccio/Walton/Cowsill/Peterson/Holsapple/Maché) recorded the band's first issued album, Continental Drifters, in 1994.
Nuccio left the band after the tour for the first album. He was replaced by new drummer Russ Broussard, and this line up issued two albums: Vermilion (1998) and Better Day (2001).
Susan Cowsill and Russ Broussard left the group in early 2002. The remaining players drafted drummer John Maloney and the returning Ray Ganucheau to continue for several gigs, but at this point the group essentially wound down as a continuing concern.
In 2003, the band's unissued debut album was finally released, and a Continental Drifters line-up of Gary Eaton, Ray Ganucheau, Carlo Nuccio, Peter Holsapple, and Mark Walton played a gig to celebrate.
On April 28, 2009, the group reunited for the fifth annual Threadhead Patry in New Orleans, LA during Jazz Fest daze between, followed by a show on May 1 at Carrollton Station, playing to a sold-out crowd.
In 2015, Omnivore Recordings issued a double album retrospective called Continental Drifters — Drifted: In The Beginning & Beyond which was focused on unreleased and live tracks from the band's long history. [2] [3] In September 2015, the band, including all members from both the Los Angeles era and the later New Orleans manifestations, came together for fundraising concerts in New Orleans and Los Angeles. [4] [5]
Founding member Carlo Nuccio died on August 24, 2022. [6]
A book about the band and a tribute album We Are All Drifters: A Tribute to the Continental Drifters were released in September 2024 on the Cool Dog Sound label. The book was written by Sean Kelly, a musician, author, and frequent collaborator of the band. Kelly and Los Angeles-based musician David Jenkins co-produced the tribute album, which features contributions from Marshall Crenshaw, Kim Richey, Garrison Starr, George Porter, Jr., and Don Dixon, among others. [7]
The Bangles are an American all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest commercial successes include "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), which became a worldwide phenomenon, "Manic Monday" (1986), a song written by Prince, and a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s "Hazy Shade of Winter" (1987), which was featured in the film Less Than Zero. Their ballad "Eternal Flame" (1989) became a big hit, topping the charts in several countries and is one of their signature songs. Other hits included "In Your Room" (1988) and "If She Knew What She Wants" (1986).
Cowboy Mouth is an American band based in New Orleans, Louisiana known for fusing alternative rock with album-oriented rock, roots rock, and jam band influences. Formed in 1992, the band saw early mainstream success in the 1990s, including the hit single "Jenny Says". After disappointing album sales in 2000, they were dropped by their label, but the band has succeeded since then by focusing on live performances and independent-label releases. In 2011, the band was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. His music combined New Orleans blues, jazz, R&B, soul and funk.
Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson Cowsill is an American rock musician and songwriter. She has been the lead guitarist for the Bangles since their founding in 1981. After their first disbandment in 1989, she has returned to the band for all subsequent reunions. In intervening years, she has performed with other artists, most extensively with the Continental Drifters.
The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island, six siblings noted for performing professionally and singing harmonies at an early age, later with their mother.
The dB's are an American alternative rock and power pop group, who formed in New York City in 1978 and first came to prominence in the early 1980s. Their debut album Stands for Decibels is acclaimed as one of the great "lost" power pop albums of the 1980s.
Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owing a particular debt to 1960s groups such as Love and the Byrds, but more generally referencing a wide range of pop and garage rock revival.
Peter Livingston Holsapple is an American musician who, along with Chris Stamey, formed the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He became the band's principal songwriter and singer after Stamey's departure. The band, with Stamey back in the fold, reformed with new material in 2005–2006.
Out of My Way is the solo debut album by the American musician Peter Holsapple, released in 1997 on the New Orleans label Monkey Hill. The personnel includes keyboardist Benmont Tench and Holsapple's fellow Continental Drifters Vicki Peterson and Susan Cowsill.
Doll Revolution is the fourth studio album by American pop rock band The Bangles. It was released in March 2003 in Europe and Japan, and in September of that year in the United States. It is the first album by the group since their 1998 reunion. It is also the final album to feature bassist and vocalist Michael Steele, who left the band following the promotional tour and was subsequently replaced by Annette Zilinskas, the group's original bassist whom Steele had replaced.
Bangles is the eponymous first EP by The Bangles. It was released in 1982 by Faulty Products and reissued in 1983 by I.R.S. Records when Faulty Products went out of business. The songs remained widely unavailable thereafter, with only occasional rereleases of individual songs. The whole five-song EP was eventually reissued as part of the Bangles' 2014 compilation, Ladies and Gentlemen... The Bangles!.
The Cold was a new wave band that formed in New Orleans in 1979. The band was hugely popular in its home city and throughout the southeastern U.S. during its existence, but did not find national success. The members of The Cold were Barbara Menendez, Vance DeGeneres (bass), Chris Luckette (drums), Kevin Radecker (guitar) and Bert Smith (guitar). Influenced by British punk bands as well as American act Blondie, the band released several independent singles between 1980 and 1982, then split up. They reunited in 1984 for an LP and new single release, and released another album in 1985. In 1997, a compilation of their early singles entitled Three Chord City was released. The band reunited for some live performances in 1999 and 2001. In 2005 a CD of outtakes from the band's original incarnation was released. In 2018, the band was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Paul Sanchez is a New Orleans–based American guitarist and a singer-songwriter. Sanchez was a founding member of the New Orleans band Cowboy Mouth. He was a guitarist and one of the primary singers and songwriters for the band from 1990 to 2006. Sanchez's songs have appeared in films and on television and have been performed by various artists such as Darius Rucker, Irma Thomas, Michael Cerveris, Susan Cowsill, Kevin Griffin and The Eli Young Band, Hootie and the Blowfish, John Boutté, Shamarr Allen, Glen Andrews and Kim Carson.
Susan Claire Cowsill is a musician, vocalist and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the family band The Cowsills. After touring with Dwight Twilley for quite some time in the 1980s, she co-formed the band Continental Drifters. Since 1990, she has been with the Cowsills, along with brothers Bob and Paul.
A Fragile Tomorrow is an American alternative/powerpop band from Charleston, South Carolina, United States, formerly from Montgomery, New York. The group formed in 2003 and included brothers Sean Kelly, Dom Kelly, and Brendan Kelly. In 2006, bassist Shaun Rhoades joined the group. The band has put out six studio albums, most recently the critically acclaimed Make Me Over in 2015 and Generation Loss in 2019. As of 2020, they were working on their seventh record and third MPress Records release. The band has shared the stage with/opened for Indigo Girls, The Bangles, Matthew Sweet, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Garrison Starr, Antigone Rising, K's Choice, Drivin N Cryin, Continental Drifters, Blues Traveler, The Cowsills, Danielle Howle, Susan Cowsill, Amy Ray, and more.
Alex Chilton was an American musician, singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops was never repeated in later years with Big Star and in his subsequent indie music solo career on small labels, but he drew an intense following among indie and alternative rock musicians. He is frequently cited as a seminal influence by influential rock artists and bands, some of whose testimonials appeared in the 2012 documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.
Live at Raji's is a live album and by Los Angeles band The Dream Syndicate.
Omnivore Recordings is an independent record label founded in 2010. It specializes in historical releases, reissues and previously unissued vintage recordings, as well as select releases of new music, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Omnivore Recordings is a part of Omnivore Entertainment Group LLC, which also incorporates sister companies Omnivore Music Publishing and Omnivore Creative, which provides A&R and art direction/design consulting for recording artists, artist estates, and other record labels.
Ladies and Gentlemen... The Bangles! is a compilation album of early material by The Bangles. It was released by the band on Thanksgiving Day, 2014.
Vermilion is an album by the American band the Continental Drifters, released in 1999. It was first released in Germany, in 1998.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
