Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star, doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They were the first punk band in Belfast to release a record – the "Suspect Device" single came out on their own independent label, Rigid Digits. Their album Inflammable Material, released in partnership with Rough Trade, became the first independent LP to enter the UK top 20.
Naked Raygun is an American punk rock band that formed in Chicago in 1980. The band was active from 1980 to 1992, along with reunion shows in 1997, and since 2006.
John "Jake" Burns is a singer and guitarist, and is best known as the frontman of Stiff Little Fingers, although he has also recorded with Jake Burns and the Big Wheel, 3 Men + Black, and as a solo artist.
Brian Faloon is a musician born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He played drums for Highway Star, who were to become Stiff Little Fingers, having met two of the other band members at Belfast Boys' Model School. Faloon stayed with SLF long enough to record their first album Inflammable Material but decided the rock 'n' roll lifestyle wasn't for him, so left the band, inspiring the words to SLF's single "Wait and See". In the nineties, Faloon occasionally performed as a guest drummer with the SLF tribute band Hanx who went on to become minor Punk band 'The Red Eyes'.
Pegboy is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois with a relatively large cult following. They were founded in 1990 by John Haggerty, along with his brother Joe Haggerty, Larry Damore (vocals/guitar), and Steve Saylors (bass). Both Damore and Saylors had been members of Chicago-based hardcore band Bhopal Stiffs, whose 1987 demo had been produced by John Haggerty. Pegboy's 1990 debut EP, "Three-Chord Monte", was also the first release by Quarterstick Records, an offshoot of Touch and Go Records. Steve Saylors dropped out in 1992 after job commitments prevented him from touring. Steve Albini, a longtime friend of the band, filled the bass slot on the "Fore" EP. Former Naked Raygun bassist Pierre Kezdy became the permanent bass player in 1994. After the reformation of Naked Raygun, Mike Thompson took over for Kezdy on bass.
The Effigies were an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois, United States. The band played its first show in 1980 and was active initially for approximately a decade, undergoing multiple personnel changes with frontman John Kezdy the only constant, before disbanding in 1990. The band released 5 albums and several EPs, most on the record label they founded in 1981, Ruthless Records, which was distributed by Enigma. Later albums were on the Fever Records and Roadkill Records labels. They toured the U.S. and Canada and played notable venues, including CBGB, Maxwell's, First Avenue (nightclub), Mabuhay Gardens, Paycheck's (Detroit), Exit (Chicago) and The Rathskeller, among others. They also received a significant amount of national airplay on college radio at a time when it was the only medium for alternative music.
Strike Under was an influential Chicago punk rock band of the early 1980s. It was started by Steve Bjorklund after the demise of The Rabbits. The principal musicians, besides Bjorklund, were his brother Chris (guitar), Pierre Kezdy (bass), and Bob Furem (drums).
Chicago hardcore band the Bhopal Stiffs was formed in 1985 by singers/guitarists Larry Damore and Vince Marine, bassist Steve Saylors, and drummer Dave Schleitwiler. The band name is a reference to an ecological disaster which took place in Bhopal, India in 1984. Honing a melodic, mid-tempo approach very much in tune with the prevailing Windy City punk sound of the period, the group gigged steadily, in time becoming the de facto house band at the Chicago bar Exit. In 1987, the Bhopal Stiffs recorded a ten-song demo tape, with the single "Not Just My Head" following on the Dazit label later that year and played gigs in Indiana, Wisconsin, St Louis and many shows in Chicago. Marine exited the lineup in early 1988, with guitarist Ron Lowe stepping in and Larry Damore assuming sole vocal duties; the reconfigured group recorded the six-song E.P.A. record, issued on the Roadkill label. After contributing "Too Much Pain" to the There's a Fungus Among Us compilation, the Bhopal Stiffs disbanded in 1989; Larry Damore and Steve Saylors later formed Pegboy with former Naked Raygun guitarist John Haggerty, while Dave Schleitwiler went on to play drums for local groups Buzzmuscle and The Indicators, amongst others, and Ron Lowe became a recording engineer at the Chicago Recording Company. Harmless Records later compiled the Stiffs' complete recorded output on the CD 1985-1989. The band played reunion shows in 2001 and 2010.
John Haggerty is an influential Chicago guitarist. A key member of Naked Raygun during their heyday (1983–1989), Haggerty formed the band Pegboy, with brother Joe Haggerty on drums and Steve Saylors (bass) and Larry Damore (vocals) of the Bhopal Stiffs, upon leaving Naked Raygun.
Throb Throb is an album by American punk rock band Naked Raygun, released on Homestead Records in 1985. It was the first of the band's releases to feature the musicianship of John Haggerty whose guitar playing distinguished the band's sound during the 1980s. Quarterstick Records reissued the album in 1999, and added an early version of "Libido" as bonus material, which originally appeared on the Flammable Solid 7".
88 Fingers Louie is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, which was formed in 1993. After disbanding in 1999, guitarist Dan Wleklinski and bassist Joe Principe formed the well-known punk rock band Rise Against. The band reunited in 2009, and has continued playing shows in Chicago, Canada, Belgium, Las Vegas, and Asbury Park. The band held a 20th anniversary show in 2013. The name comes from a Flintstones gangster who sells dodgy pianos.
Iain Burgess was an English record producer and audio engineer. He helped define the sound of the Chicago post-punk music scene in the 1980s and early 1990s. Burgess worked with a number of key underground bands including: Big Black, Naked Raygun, The Effigies, Rifle Sport, Toothpaste, Get Smart!, Ministry, Green, Bloodsport, Pegboy, Poster Children, and Bhopal Stiffs.
The Wanton Looks were a pop punk band from Chicago whose music has been described as reminiscent of Joan Jett's early 80's work. They were called one of the best underground bands of 2011 by the Chicago Tribune and one of the best unsigned bands of 2012 by The Jivewired Journal. They have also been a featured artist on WXRT's "Local Anesthetic" program.
Strong Reaction is the debut album of Pegboy. It was released in 1991 through Quarterstick Records.
Fore is an EP by the punk rock band Pegboy. It was released in 1993 on Quarterstick Records.
Earwig is the second studio album by the punk rock band Pegboy. It was released in 1994 through Quarterstick Records.
Cha Cha Damore is the third album by Pegboy. It was released on October 14, 1997, through Quarterstick Records.
Pierre Kezdy was an American bass player, known for playing with various Chicago punk bands, including Naked Raygun, Pegboy, Strike Under, Arsenal, and Trial By Fire. He was also the younger brother of Effigies frontman John Kezdy.
Raygun...Naked Raygun is the fifth album by Chicago punk rock band Naked Raygun, released in 1990 through Caroline Records. The album was recorded at Chicago Trax and was co-produced by Keith Harbacher and the band. It was the band's first album with their new guitarist Bill Stephens, who had replaced John Haggerty. This was the last album by the band before they broke up in 1992.
No Going Back is the tenth studio album by punk band Stiff Little Fingers. It was released on 15 March 2014 for a limited time through Pledgemusic, a website where fans can pledge/donate money to purchase the album in various forms. The album was released to the general public on 11 August 2014 through the band's Rigid Digits label and elsewhere through Mondo Recordings/INgrooves. The album is the band's first studio release in eleven years since 2003's Guitar and Drum. It reached No. 1 on BBC Radio 1's UK Top 40 Rock Album Charts on 14 September 2014.
