The Original Sins

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The Original Sins
The Original Sins Band.jpg
The Original Sins c. 1992
Background information
Origin Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Genres Punk rock, garage rock, power pop, psychedelic rock, garage punk
Years active1986 - 1998, 2019
Labels Bar None, Psonik, Bedlam, Blood Red Vinyl & Discs
Past membersJohn Terlesky
Ken Bussiere
Dan McKinney
Dave Ferrara
Seth Baer

The Original Sins were a garage rock band that formed in 1987 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The group were known for combining the musical stylings of punk rock, psychedelic rock, and even pop music with their songs. The band released a total of nine full-length studio albums across their entire career before they band broke up in early 1998.

Contents

On Friday, April 12, 2019, the band reunited to play at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

History

The band emerged in 1987 from the edgy punk scene of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. [1] The city was going through a major decline at the time due to the closing of the industrial powerhouse Bethlehem Steel. After numerous unsuccessful attempts at joining bands, guitarist John Terlesky decided to form his own band with Ken Bussiere, a bassist he met through Neil Hever, a WMUH college radio disc jockey who was friends with Terlesky. Later on, the duo would meet keyboardist Dan McKinney and drummer Dave Ferrara, and the quintet would name themselves The Original Sins.

Later that same year, the band released their debut studio album Big Soul , which received moderate success within the American underground music scene. [2] Their independent success with Big Soul continued with The Hardest Way (1989) and Self Destruct (1990), the latter included a photo of Terlesky holding a BB gun next to his head as the cover. Their 1992 album, Move was expected to be a major success for the band, as Peter Buck from R.E.M. helped with the record, but unfortunately for the band, it was not. [3]

After the release of Move , Ferrara left the group and would later perform in the band The Reach Around Radio Clowns. [4] To replace him, the band hired Seth Baer on drum duties. Seth would stay with the band until he left for school before the production of Suburban Primitive , in which Ferrara came back to perform drums. [5] The band would continue releasing records with Baer, such as Out There (1992) and Acidbubblepunk (1994). Their 1995 album Turn You On was released as a limited edition vinyl record through Terlesky's Bedlam record label. [6]

1996 saw the release of Bethlehem , which was released through Bar/None Records, who released their debut album in 1987. The album shows a change in style and tone for the band, focusing much heavily on pop music rather than the garage punk fury of past releases. The album met high praise from fans and critics alike, with some calling it as "the band's greatest achievement". [7] A year after the release of their 1997 album Suburban Primitive , the project finally ended after bassist and founder member Ken Bussiere announced that he will be moving to Florida to perform in oldies cover bands. [8]

Members

Discography

Studio albums
EPs
Singles
Compilations

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<i>The Hardest Way</i> 1989 studio album by The Original Sins

The Hardest Way is an album by the American garage punk band The Original Sins. It was released in 1989 by Psonik Records.

<i>Self Destruct</i> (album) 1990 studio album by The Original Sins

Self Destruct is the third album by the American garage punk band the Original Sins. It was released in 1990 through Psonik Records. The CD version of the album included bonus tracks that originally appeared from their 1990 "Coca-Cola" 7" single.

<i>Big Soul</i> 1987 studio album by The Original Sins

Big Soul is the debut album of American garage punk band The Original Sins, released in 1987 through Bar/None Records on vinyl format. The record was reissued in 1994 on CD format, which included bonus tracks, an alternative track listing, and different artwork.

<i>Move</i> (The Original Sins album) 1992 studio album by The Original Sins

Move is the fourth studio album by garage rock band The Original Sins, released in 1992 through Psonik Records. The album was intended to be a break into mainstream music for the band, but the record sold poorly among its initial release. The album's production duties were credited to Peter Buck, guitarist with R.E.M., but most of the production was actually done by John Keane.

<i>Out There</i> (The Original Sins album) 1992 studio album by The Original Sins

Out There is the fifth studio album by garage rock band The Original Sins, released during the later half of 1992, only a couple of months after their previous release Move. It is the first album by the group to feature drummer Seth Baer.

<i>Acidbubblepunk</i> 1994 studio album by The Original Sins

Acidbubblepunk is the sixth full-length studio album by garage rock band The Original Sins, released in 1994 through Psonik records. The album is considered by many fans as a disappointing record, with Trouser Press referring to the record as a "disappointing drop in [The Original Sins'] standards". The album cover was drawn by frontman John Terlesky.

<i>Turn You On</i> 1995 studio album by The Original Sins

Turn You On is the seventh studio album by garage rock band The Original Sins, which was independently released in 1995 through there very own Bedlam Records imprint, a label John Terlesky uses to release his solo material. The album was only ever released as a limited edition vinyl, with its artwork screen printed by hand.

<i>Bethlehem</i> (The Original Sins album) 1996 studio album by The Original Sins

Bethlehem is the eighth studio album by garage rock band The Original Sins, released in 1996 through Bar/None Records. The album shows a change in tone for the band, focusing much more on pop music and psychedelic rock than the energetic garage punk fury from previous releases. The album has been considered as the band's best, with some describing it as "the band's greatest achievement" and a "great leap-forward".

<i>Suburban Primitive</i> 1997 studio album by The Original Sins

Suburban Primitive is the ninth and final studio album by garage rock band The Original Sins, which was released in 1997 through Blood Red Vinyl & Discs. The album features the return of Dave Ferrara, the band's original drummer. The album was released on 10" vinyl and CD formats. The photograph shown on the front cover was provided by John Terlesky's parents.

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References

  1. Young, Jon & Rompers, Terry. "The Original Sins Biography". Troser Press. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  2. Rae, Steven. "Taking A Bite Out Of The '60s The Bethlehem, Pa., Group Original Sins Plays At J. C. Dobbs Tonight". Philly.com. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  3. Boehm, Mike. "Original Sins' John Terlesky Sings Blues". LA Times. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  4. Ferrara, Dave. "Dave Ferrara: Biography". Daveferrara.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  5. Cristiano, Nick. "Breaking Up: It's Not Hard To Do, But Hard On Fans Original Sins Are Ready To Disband. It's Rock's Loss". philly.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  6. Terlesky, John. "Turn You On/Radio Friendly". BrotherJT.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  7. "The Original Sins". Bar/None Records . Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  8. Warminsky III, Joe. "The Original Sins Will Self-destruct After Decade Of Rock". The Morning Call. Retrieved March 27, 2015.