Dec 14

The Bangles

THE BANGLES

 
The Bangles  are an American all-female pop rock band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.  The band’s hits include “Walk Like an Egyptian”, Billboard magazine’s number 1 single of 1987, as well as “Manic Monday”, “Hazy Shade of Winter”, and their 1989 number-one single “Eternal Flame”.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
After leaving Code Blue, Michael Ostendorf was in an all-star line-up called Toni and the Movers that was formed by singer-songwriter Toni Childs in 1979.  The other bandmembers were Jack Sherman, who has had an active career in music and is best known for being an early member of Red Hot Chili Peppers and playing on their debut 1984 album, The Red Hot Chili Peppers; and Michael Steele, who was in two different all-female rock bands, the Bangles and the Runaways (she was known as Micki Steele in the latter band).   
 
(September 2012)
 
*       *       *
 

The bandmembers in the Runaways were all young girls when the band was formed – much as “runaways” are in real life – and several went on to successful musical careers, among them Joan Jett, Micki Steele (later in the Bangles), and heavy metal chanteuse Lita Ford. 

 

Two of the bandmembers were also featured in major motion pictures; Cherie Currie appeared in the 1980 film Foxes and also (with Vicki Blue) in the 1984 cult classic This Is Spinal Tap. 

 

(January 2015/1)

 
*       *       *
 

Besides their own albums and popular concert appearances throughout Southern California, the Beat Farmers collaborated with numerous musicians; Allmusic lists Mojo Nixon, John Doe of X, Rosie Flores, the Bangles, Los Lobos, Katy Moffatt, blues singer/pianist Candye Kane, and guitarist Dave Alvin, formerly of the Blasters.  For his part, Country Dick Montana had several side projects over this period, including the Incredible Hayseeds, Country Dick’s Petting Zoo, Country Dick’s Garage, and the Pleasure Barons.  

 

(January 2015/2)

 

*       *       *

 

Katrina and the Waves came along in the 1980’s when a lot of the alternative rock music was getting pretty serious, and were they a breath of fresh air. Kimberley Rew (guitar, chief songwriter) put together a band in the mid-1970’s called the Waves (along with a cover band called Mama’s Cookin’); but it was their second incarnation as Katrina and the Waves that hit the big time, after his other band, the Soft Boys came and went. Other bandmembers were Katrina Leskanich (guitar, lead vocals), Vince de la Cruz (bass), and Alex Cooper (drums). Actually Kimberley Rew was also a sometime lead singer, but that didn’t last long. Their major hit was “Walking on Sunshine” (1985), but they previously wrote and recorded a song that was a hit by the Bangles, “Going Down to Liverpool”.  
(March 2016)
* * *
Madeline Ridley of SS-20 has a short performance called “Monitoring Madeline for Two Decades and Other Scenes” on a double-LP compilation album of alternative rock, spoken word, and poetry called English as a Second Language (1983) that has an amazing 84 cuts.  Others represented on the album include Charles Bukowski, Dave Alvin of the Blasters, John Doe and Exene Cervenka of X, Henry Rollins and Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag, Tito Larriva of the Plugz, Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles, Jeffrey Lee Pierce of the Gun Club, record producer Craig Leon, prominent DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, and Kim Fowley.
 
Her work is also on two other similar compilation albums, Voices of the Angels (Spoken Words) and Neighborhood Rhythms (Patter Traffic) that feature many of the same artists and were released in the same time period. 
 
(December 2017)
 
Last edited: April 7, 2021