An eighties Hollywood / Chinatown Garage band that is hard hitting as well as melodic. Unapologetic and politically incorrect from the mountains to the sea. Music for the surf and turf.

13 MP3 Songs
ROCK: 80's Rock, POP: New Wave



Details:
New Skin for an Old Ceremony is a collection of previously unreleased tracks by The Vidiots (aka Audio Vidiot), a largely forgotten band from the L.A. punk scene, circa 1979-80.

Like many contemporaries, The Vidiotsâ existence was short-lived and without any real body of work on vinyl. They were a regular attraction at the Hong Kong Café, appearing with better-known acts like X, the Go-goâs, Wall of Voodoo, the Dils, the Plugz, etc. A flyer from a 1979 Halloween show at Kingâs Palace on Hollywood Blvd., lists Ella and the Blacks, The Urinals, The Terminals, The Cartwrights, The Descendants, Red Cross, The Silencers, Audio Vidiot, The Rells and Black Flag, all for two dollars.

Known for an extremely loud, garage style, the band released only one song, a minute and a half extravaganza entitled Laurieâs Lament that wound up on The Happy Squid sampler, Rodney on the Roq, vol. 1, Bloodstains over California, the feature documentary Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator and the Keats Rides a Harley compilation.

Except for a handful of songs recorded at a movie lot sound facility (including Laurieâs Lament), the material here is primarily 4-track basement demos. Sound is pretty raw, ranging from straight-ahead buzz-saw punk to psychedelia. A couple of untitled mystery tracks appear at the end. All in all, an uneven but intriguing sonic blast from an obscure member of Hollywood punkâs halcyon days.