The Alley Cats (punk rock band)

The Alley Cats
Alley Cats flyer for August 7, 1982 show at Night Train, Tucson, Arizona.
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California
Genres Punk
Years active Late 1970s - mid-1980s, 2015 - present
Labels Dangerhouse, Time Coast
Members Randy Stodola, Apryl Cady, Matt Laskey
Past members Dianne Chai, John McCarthy
later members as The Zarkons:
Terry Cooley, Freda Rente
reformations after 2010:
Paula O'Rourke, Pam Jag, Malti Kennedy, Joe Barile

The Alley Cats are a Los Angeles, California-based punk rock trio featuring Randy Stodola (guitar and vocals). Along with Dianne Chai (bass and vocals) and drummer John McCarthy[1], they were members of the early L.A. punk rock scene. X's John Doe described the band as having "made some of the toughest, most nihilistic music on the scene."[2]

Originally signed to Dangerhouse Records alongside other seminal California-based punk bands including the Bags, Black Randy and the Metro Squad, and X,[3] they released their first single "Nothing Means Nothing Anymore" backed with "Give Me a Little Pain" on March 30, 1978.[4] At Dangerous they released the album, Nightmare City (1981), while major label MCA released Escape From The Planet Earth (1982). They are among the six bands featured on the 1979 compilation album Yes L.A. and appear in the 1982 film Urgh! A Music War.[5]

The Alley Cats were regular performers at such Los Angeles venues as Club 88, Hong Kong Café, The Masque, and the Whisky a Go Go.[6]

Reformed as "The Zarkons", they released two albums, Riders In The Long Black Parade (1985) and Between the Idea & the Reality…Falls the Shadow (1988),[7] before disbanding in 1988.[8]

After a 20-year haiatus, Stodola reformed the trio and currently performs as The Alley Cats along with Apryl Cady (bass and vocals) and Matt Laskey (drums). Randy Stodola was recently interviewed by Pete of Suburban Rebels zine on Youtube.[9][10][11]

Discography

The Alley Cats at the San Pedro Brewing Company in San Pedro, California, June 18, 2016
L-R Apryl Cady, Matt Laskey, Randy Stodola

Albums

  • 1981 - Nightmare City
  • 1982 - Escape From The Planet Earth
  • 1985 - Riders In The Long Black Parade (as The Zarkons)
  • 1985 - Between the Idea & the Reality…Falls the Shadow (as The Zarkons)
  • 2007 - 1979-1982 (Anthology)

Singles And EPs

  • 1978 - Nothing Means Nothing Anymore
  • 1980 - Too Much Junk

Soundtracks And Compilations

  • 1979 - Yes L.A. (compilation)
  • 1981 - Urgh! A Music War (soundtrack)
  • 1991 - Dangerhouse, Vol. 1 (compilation)
  • 1993 - Dangerhouse, Vol. 2: Give Me A Little Pain! (compilation)
  • 1996 - Live From the Masque, Vol. 2: We We Can Can Do Do What What (compilation)

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ Doe, John; DeSavia, Tom (2016). Under the Big Black Sun. 277: Da Capo Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-306-82408-1.
  2. ↑ Doe, John; DeSavia, Tom (2016). Under the Big Black Sun. 277: Da Capo Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-306-82408-1.
  3. ↑ Dangerhouse Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  4. ↑ The Alley Cats--Nothing Means Nothing Anymore Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  5. ↑ Urgh! A Music War. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  6. ↑ Gehman, Pleasant. "The Alley Cats", In 1979-1982 [CD booklet], Tarzana, Calif., Time Coast Music, May 2007.
  7. ↑ Between the Idea & the Reality…Falls the Shadow. Nothin′ Sez Somethin′. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  8. ↑ The Zarkons - Riders In The Long Black Parade (1985). Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  9. ↑ Bernadicou, August (January 8, 2015). "Just an Alley Cat: Randy Stodola Speaks!". Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  10. ↑ Doe, John; DeSavia, Tom (2016). Under the Big Black Sun. 277: Da Capo Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-306-82408-1.
  11. ↑ James, Falling (November 11, 2014). "Classic L.A. Punk Bands Were Still Rude and Relevant at Dangerhouse Records Night". Retrieved August 15, 2017.
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