Atlanta's first punk rock band

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Punk, ROCK: Grunge



Details:
The Restraints formed in 1977 and by doing so became Atlanta's first punk rock band ever. Playing to wild acclaim at Atlanta's Agora Ballroom, Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom, and 688, The Restraints never failed to entertain with their eccentric brand of theatrical musings: Leather and chain clad Chris Wood lead the charge with the odd mix of a lounge MC and S & M god, David Barge,founder,main song-writer,and general eminence grise, held solid bottom on bass in Lynchian pose complete with pinstripes and wing-tips, as svelte rocker Dan Timmers screamed axe leads and punk basher Rodney Chandler kept time.

The spit, the beer and the empty cups flew, and Chris Wood filled syringes with lighter fluid and set them on fire while sticking the needles from his forehead. And all this in the late 70's/early 80's era South where good ole boys still hollered "breaker breaker one nine" from their confederate flag-draped pickup trucks!

The Restraints never released a record in their day, besides appearing on an LP sampler and a later single by Chris Wood and a different band, but a lost 1980 demo surfaced in 2001 and was remastered for a CD release on Scarred Records.

There's a sordid tale too long to tell about the final destiny of Chris Wood, but sadly, he died in prison in 1989 after being convicted of murder for a tragic fire arms accident involving the death of his girlfriend.