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Paisley Underground

Los Angeles, 1981

Rain Parade

Rain Parade began in Los Angeles in 1981 as the Sidewalks, started by Matt Piucci and David Roback, who had been roommates at Carleton College. David's brother Steven joined on bass, and Will Glenn and Eddie Kalwa followed. They started with a single on their own Llama label in 1982, and Emergency Third Rail Power Trip followed on Enigma in 1983. David Roback then left to form Opal with Kendra Smith of the Dream Syndicate, and later Mazzy Star with Hope Sandoval. Rain Parade carried on, recorded a live album in Tokyo, made Crashing Dream for Island in 1985 and split the next year. They reunited in 2012, played with the Bangles, the Three O'Clock and the Dream Syndicate in 2013, and in 2023 released their first studio album in 38 years.

Seattle, an attic, 1984

The Green Pajamas

The Green Pajamas came from Seattle, not Los Angeles, but they took their cue from the Paisley Underground. Jeff Kelly and Joe Ross met at a party, found they both loved sixties psychedelia and formed the band in 1984. Their first album, Summer of Lust, was a cassette recorded on Kelly's four-track reel-to-reel in the attic of Ross's parents' house, and the first run was 25 copies. Book of Hours, their second album, came out on Green Monkey and was reissued in Greece, Australia and Germany. Bucketfull of Brains called them the future of rock'n'roll in 1987. They never signed to a major, broke up during the sessions for a 1990 album, reunited in 1994 and kept making records for decades. Kelly, who also records under his own name, has written most of their songs.

Los Angeles, 1981

The Bangles

Susanna Hoffs and the sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson got together in Los Angeles at the end of 1980. They called themselves the Colours, then the Bangs, and became the Bangles when another band turned out to own that name. They released records on their own DownKiddie label in 1981, and an EP followed on Miles Copeland's Faulty Products. Michael Steele, a founding member of the Runaways, replaced Annette Zilinskas on bass in 1983. Columbia signed them, and All Over the Place came out in 1984, and their 1986 album went triple platinum in America. Friction, and a press that kept singling out Hoffs, broke them up in 1989. They re-formed in the late 1990s, and in 2018 Zilinskas was back in the band for the first time since 1983.

Los Angeles, Paisley Park

The Three O'Clock

The Three O'Clock started in Los Angeles in 1981 as the Salvation Army, with Michael Quercio singing and playing bass. Legal trouble with the real Salvation Army forced a new name in 1982, taken from the time of day they rehearsed. Quercio coined the phrase Paisley Underground from a line on a rehearsal tape and used it in an LA Weekly interview, and the writer picked it up. Their records came out on Frontier, then I.R.S., with Mike Hedges and Ian Broudie producing. Prince's Paisley Park label signed them, and their 1988 album came out there. It flopped, and they broke up. They had turned down reunion offers for 25 years before playing Coachella in 2013.

Los Angeles, Club Lingerie, 1982

The Dream Syndicate

Steve Wynn and Karl Precoda started the Dream Syndicate in Los Angeles. Kendra Smith played bass and Dennis Duck drums, and Duck picked the name, borrowed from La Monte Young's 1960s ensemble with John Cale and Tony Conrad. Their first show was at Club Lingerie in Hollywood on 23 February 1982. Their first album came out on Ruby/Slash that October, with Precoda's guitar noise against Wynn's songs. Smith left to form Opal with David Roback. A&M signed them, and Sandy Pearlman of Blue Öyster Cult produced their second album in San Francisco in 1984. Paul B. Cutler took over on guitar, and the band split in 1989. Wynn brought it back in 2012 in Barcelona, and since 2017 they have made several more albums.

Chico, Russ Tolman, 1985

28th Day

28th Day were a three-piece from Chico, California: Barbara Manning on bass, Cole Marquis on guitar and Mike Cloward on drums, with Marquis and Manning sharing the singing. Their recorded output was small. Russ Tolman of True West produced their one record in 1985, which tied them to the Los Angeles Paisley Underground bands. Marquis went on to form the Downsiders. Manning's later career took her through World of Pooh, the SF Seals on Matador and the Go-Luckys! while she lived in Stuttgart. She made solo records with Stuart Moxham and Jon Langford, studied biology, hosted a radio show in Chico and now teaches science. The band has played reunion shows since, without recording anything new.

Tucson, the Serfers, 1979

Green on Red

Green on Red started in Tucson's punk scene in 1979 as the Serfers, with Dan Stuart singing, Jack Waterson on bass and Chris Cacavas on keyboards. In 1980 they moved to Los Angeles and changed their name, partly so nobody would take them for a surf band. Steve Wynn of the Dream Syndicate put out an early EP on his Down There label, and Slash released their first album in 1983. Chuck Prophet joined on guitar for Gas Food Lodging in 1985, and their sound moved toward ragged country rock. After two records for Mercury the original band broke up. Stuart and Prophet kept the name going until 1992, and Prophet built a long solo career. The band reunited in Tucson in 2005 and played Gas Food Lodging in full in 2006.

The Collection