Band of The Month

Stench Radio’s July Band of the Month: The Derelicts

BAND MEMBERS – Duane: Vocals Niel: Guitar Jason: Bass Donnie: Drums

Artists The Band Also Likes: Zeke, Motorhead, Zipgun, Ramones, Dead Boys, Slayer, the Frantics, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Mudhoney, Nirvana

Hometown: Seattle

Founding Date:  1987

The Derelicts fucked up a bunch of stages, turntables, and probably your house between summer 1987 and spring 1991. The Band reunited March 16th 2014 to present what would be the bands first full length LP. The band released a string of 7″ on Sub Pop and Empty Records, as well as a compilation of 7″s on CD. Finally they bring you Life of Strife Produced By Jack Endino (Soundgarden, Nirvana, Mudhoney)

“I’ve been a fan of the Derelicts since the first time around,” – Mark Arm, frontman of mainstay Seattle punk outfit Mudhoney.

“Blew my mind… I love their bass player, and it was so rad seeing the old bass player up and seeing my man (Donny) Paycheck on the kit. I’ve always been a huge Zeke fan, and to have one of my favorite bands’ drummer playing with a favorite band I never got to see — was priceless.” – Erik Gidney, fan, first time seeing them because he was too young to get into clubs before.

“Just all the shows meld together at Washington Hall. Man, those were just the best shows I’ve ever been to… just pure mayhem. I remember toilets getting ripped out of the bathroom. Bodenheimer had the full-on punk mentality, but did it with style. It wasn’t just run-of-the-mill-type stuff — it was unique.” – Jeb Steel, saw the band about five times back in the day

“There was a pit and I just thought they had a really good sound and everybody was really into them”. – Steel’s wife, Angela, recalled seeing the Derelicts with Mudhoney at the St. Joseph’s Church cafeteria. A punk meal was clearly served.

Seattle Punk Heroes were in the thick of it from the beginning, moving to Seattle from Denver in 1987 they soon began sharing bills with the likes of Nirvana and Mudhoney back in the days when our little backwater town was still best known for Heart, the SuperSonics, and the 1962 worlds fair. The band released a few singles and a full length LP before imploding in a tangle of drugs, fights and frustration in the early 90’s. We heard dark rumors over the years, and never thought we’d see them deliver the goods again, but miracle of miracles, they reunited in 2016 for a show that put speculation to rest The Derelicts are back and more ferocious than ever. On June 7th The Derelicts will release their first album in 30 years, Life of Strife, Produced by Jack Endino.

Life of Strife will mark the first full-length from the Derelicts since 1989’s Love Machine. A handful of singles, EPs and appearances on compilations peppered the years following their debut, but any momentum the band had in the early ’90s was derailed by excessive partying and the heroin bug that has plagued countless musicians. The band’s implosion occurred right around the time Seattle was the epicenter of pop culture (and right around the time Mudhoney landed a major label deal). Thus, the Derelicts folded. “I went head-on into drug addiction,” Bodenheimer admits. “I lost everything, I was homeless. I almost lost an arm and a leg… literally”.  After relocating to Denver, Bodenheimer got clean and was inspired to start making music again after seeing his old friends in Seattle hardcore band Zeke come through Mile High City. A friend would later suggest to Bodenheimer that his former band should reunite, and in 2014, more than 20 years after the breakup, the Derelicts returned to the stage together at Capitol Hill’s metal club the Highline.  Retooled with a new rhythm section, the Derelicts have recaptured the menacing live show that escaped their grip a quarter-century earlier. When asked what the biggest difference is between the two incarnations of the Derelicts (aside from age or health), Bodenheimer says with a laugh, “We don’t physically hit each other anymore.”

www.facebook.com/Derelictsseattle

www.thederelicts.net
Record Label: Digital Warfare Records
www.facebook.com/DigitalWarfareRecordsandShirts/ digitalwarfarerecords.com

The DERELICTS are Featured on the STENCHRADIO.COM “RISE OF THE STENCH” Compilation”: zekeyou.myshopify.com/products/stench-radio-rise-of-the-stench-compilation

The Derelicts – “Final Fall” Digital Warfare Records – A BlankTV World Premiere!