Crazy 8s (band)

Last updated

The Crazy 8s
Origin Corvallis, Oregon
Genres Rock, ska
Years active1982–1994
LabelsRedRum
MembersTim Tubb
Dan Schauffler
Todd Duncan
Mike Regan
Mark Wanaka
Rick Washington
Carl Smith

Crazy 8s is an American rock and ska band from Oregon. Although widely recognized as being a ska band, the manager and other members deny this label. [1] In 1991 the band was described as "Original razor-tight horn lines ride upon endless clots of tropical polyrhythms ranging from ska and reggae to harder funk fusions." [2]

Contents

History

Formation and first album

The Crazy 8s were formed in Corvallis, Oregon as "The Cheeks" in 1982. [3] However, because a UK band had already used this name, the band changed its name to "The Sweet Cheeks." During their earliest days, they were banned from Oregon State. [1] Later in 1982, Todd Duncan, former sax player of Eugene rock band "The Sneakers", proposed that The Sweet Cheeks open for Billy Rancher and the Unreal Gods at La Bamba's in Portland. The month before the gig, Todd changed the name of the band to "Crazy 8s" and added several new songs to the band's lineup. During their performance, the members of the newly monikered group were noticed by Tony DeMicoli, the owner of La Bamba's, who hired the band to perform in the upcoming months. [4]

The band opened for Romeo Void at Oregon State on October 5, 1982 and with The English Beat at the University of Oregon the same year. [3] In Rolling Stone magazine, the Crazy 8s were defined as one of "nine bands to watch" [5]

The cover of the band's Law and Order album has featured a series of cartoons by award-winning cartoonist Jack Ohman. Ohman's image for the original issue of the album, a caricature of President Ronald Reagan as a gunslinger toting nuclear missiles in his holsters, has been updated for successive reissues of the album. The most recent version of the Law and Order cover, for the album's 20th Anniversary, includes caricatures of Presidents Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Crazy8s.jpg
The cover of the band's Law and Order album has featured a series of cartoons by award-winning cartoonist Jack Ohman. Ohman's image for the original issue of the album, a caricature of President Ronald Reagan as a gunslinger toting nuclear missiles in his holsters, has been updated for successive reissues of the album. The most recent version of the Law and Order cover, for the album's 20th Anniversary, includes caricatures of Presidents Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

Reception

Law and Order sold over 12,000 units, and earned the band a number 9 rating on Rolling Stone for independent bands in the nation. The next album, Nervous in Suburbia, sold 6,000 within the first week. The band was named "Northwest Band of the Year" in 1985 by Seattle's Rocket music publication and the Oregonian. [6]

After the release of the hit single "Johnny Q", the band's album reached the "Top 20" on the Gavin Report. [6]

Greg Barbrick, a British writer for The Rocket, wrote: [7]

[Crazy 8s'] vision is of expanding the parameters of popular vision...[their album, Doggapotamus] is a melting pot...

For Barbrick, Crazy 8s was a group that deserved to be "international sensations." In another issue of The Rocket, released not long after the Rolling Stone article, he wrote that:

[The Crazy 8s are] on the edge of pop success...

However, Crazy 8s did not break into mainstream pop culture. [8]

Their 1985 song "Touchy Situation" reached the #6 position at CFNY (Toronto) and #13 at Z100 (Portland, Oregon). [9] [ better source needed ]

Founding members

Additional members

(listed chronologically)

Discography

Most albums were released under the Crazy 8s' official label, RedRum Records. [9] The final album, Still Crazy After all these Beers, was released under BDC Records. [14]

Awards and honors

Player of the Year Award:

Oregon Music Hall of Fame, 2007 [16]

Billboard Hits

References

  1. 1 2 Lannamann, Ned. "Best of 1988: Marc Baker of Crazy 8s". Portland Mercury. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  2. ↑ Stacey, John F. "Crazy from the Beat". Miami New Times. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  3. 1 2 ""HORN AGAIN" - Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their Debut Album..." wweek.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Tony DeMicoli recalls 22 years of Rose Festival music". OregonLive.com. May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ Wing, Eliza. "Small-Time Rockers on a Roll." Rolling Stone: 1985. February 18, 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 "History of Portland Rock". spclarke.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  7. ↑ Barbrick, Greg (June 1, 1990). "It's a dog eat dog world". The Rocket. p. 37.
  8. ↑ Pike, Jeff. "Let's Go CRAZY." The Rocket: November 1985. February 18, 2008
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Schauffler, Anne. A History of the Crazy 8s. 2006.
  10. ↑ "The Sneakers – the Band from Eugene, OR". pnwbands.com. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  11. ↑ Johnny Q. (Sheet Music). Tim Tubb
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Red Rum Records | THE NORTHWEST MUSIC ARCHIVES". nwmusicarchives.com. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  13. ↑ Crazy 8's - Still Crazy After All These Beers 1984-1993, 1998, retrieved May 12, 2025
  14. ↑ Noble, Barnes &. "Still Crazy After All These Beers 1984-1993". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  15. ↑ Two Louies
  16. ↑ "Induction Timeline". Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
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