As Ron Silva of the Crawdaddys left high school, he advertised for a rock band that he was thinking of forming; after being contacted by vocalist Jeff Scott (who had just left the seminal punk band the Dils) and drummer Josef Marc, he instead became the guitarist in their new band called the Hitmakers. They quickly became part of the growing DIY music scene in San Diego. A joint show in 1977 at the Adams Avenue Theatre by the Hitmakers, the Dils and the Zeros was the first big punk rock concert in the city. Later Steve Potterf joined the Hitmakers as their second guitarist, and Joel Kmak became their new drummer.
Meanwhile, back in San Diego, drummer Dan McLain was in another band called the Penetrators that was being courted by major record labels; and Steve Potterf also played with the Upbeats, his side project with Paris Trent – this band was thinking of moving to Los Angeles. Steve Potterf left first in late 1979, and Dan McLain left the Crawdaddys in 1980. The 16-year-old guitarist Peter Miesner joined up on guitar, while the drummer was, briefly, Joel Kmak, who had previously been in the Hitmakers. Keith Fisher was added later on keyboards.
(January 2015/2)
