BART MENDOZA
Bart Mendoza (born September 5, 1962) is an American journalist, musician and songwriter. (More from Wikipedia)
Mike Stax also does not have an article in Wikipedia, though there is a short article on the fanzine Ugly Things that he founded in 1983 (the Tell-Tale Hearts were also formed that year). To my mind, there can be little doubt of his “notability”. An article in the San Diego Union Tribune on May 23, 2013 about an upcoming concert over three days celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ugly Things quotes another San Diego musician and rock critic Bart Mendoza (who is in the Shambles): “To me, Ugly Things is the top music magazine in the world. It’s even better than (top English music publication) Mojo, because it has more pages and covers more ground with more depth. Mike’s coverage of music is the template everybody has to match, not only for content but for research. No one else does such comprehensive articles.”
* * *
After the Tell-Tale Hearts broke up, their former bandmembers and those from another popular local band, Manual Scan joined forces in creating the Shambles, a power pop band that formed in 1990 and is still active. Kevin Donaker-Ring and Bart Mendoza, both of Manual Scan, started playing with first Ray Brandes and later David Klowden of the Tell-Tale Hearts, plus Mark Z, formerly of the Crawdaddys. Another ex-Heart, keyboard wiz Bill Calhoun was added at a later date. The Shambles have had a revolving membership over the years; from what I can tell, none of the bandmembers from the Tell-Tale Hearts are currently with the Shambles.
* * *
The Tell-Tale Hearts also toured in 1994 to promote High Tide (Big Noses & Pizza Faces). Further reunions took place in 2004 and 2007. An article written by Bart Mendoza of the Shambles for sdnews.com for the 2007 reunion says of the band: “Mixing Vox keyboard-driven rhythm and blues with fuzzed-out rock, the group’s live shows were incendiary, championing an authentic ’60s sound and taking their cues from such legendary acts as the Pretty Things and [the Dutch band] the Outsiders. While the group has been overlooked locally in recent years, their impact worldwide, particularly in Europe and Japan, continues undiminished. The band is cited regularly as an influence on today’s rockers. Numerous acts have covered the Tell-Tale Hearts’ music, including Spain’s Agentes Secretos, Australia’s Shutdown ’66, England’s Diaboliks, and Japan’s Young Pennsylvanians.”
(September 2017)
