History Mad Violets

The True Story of the MAD VIOLETS

by Dino and Wendy

The Mad Violets were formed in 1982 by Dino Sorbello and Wendy Wild when they met at Privates nightclub where she was the MC and he was the busboy. A common interest in psychedelic music & mushrooms started them off writing songs and forming a band. There were several line-ups, one of which included Fleshtones guitarist Keith Streng on drums and his wife Judy on bass. Eventually the line up settled out to being Wendy on vocals and Casio keyboard, which she carried in her right hand while playing with her left, Dino on guitars , and the rhythm section from then-current critics' darlings The Cyclones: Big Daddy  Dan Reich on drums and Mark Seligman on bass. It is with this line-up that they recorded all three of the previously released songs (each on various compilation albums only), and most of the newly released material on the Tripwave! Records CD. Early Mad Violets shows took place at loft parties and the infamous club known as The Dive on West 29th St, where a whole new quasi-retro 60s garage/psychedelic rock scene was coming together quite fast. In a scene they shared with such local luminaries as The Fuzztones, Cheepskates, Optic Nerve, The Tryffles, Headless Horsemen, The Outta Place, The Secret Service, The Vipers etc etc. they quickly distinguished themselves as the one band that featured original material where most were content to play note-for-note covers of obscure classics. For their fungicidally-inspired Psilocybe  song Wendy assumed role of high priestess and handed out live mushroom communion to the faithful as they would line up before the stage. The Mad Violets also made many trips to Boston and stops along the way, playing often at the famous Rat, and often with Boston band The Prime Movers. With the Movers they also embarked on a very surreal tour of the Midwestern states during September of 1984. And there was the night they were banned from Hobokens  Maxwells club after Wendy mounted the stage occupied by LA s Dream Syndicate (after being waved up by Steve Wynn himself) carrying a vacuum cleaner and playing it like air guitar. Promoter Todd Abrams mistakenly thought his Village Voice Pick show band was being told they sucked. After the usual internal disturbances Mad Violets finally disbanded in late  84, but not before there was one aborted attempt to continue the band without Dino, using ex-Levi & The Rockkats guitarist Danny Harvey to record an ep for Voxx Records. Although not a complete piece of shit, it just ain t the real thing. The current release of Season Of The Mad Violets (TWR 001, Tripwave! Records) came about after searching thru piles of old tapes; rehearsals, gigs, quick studio demos, living room productions, as well as the three songs which were already released, and putting them together with some artwork drawn by Wendy Wild for some of their show posters. It is a tribute to Wendy who passed away after a protracted battle with breast cancer in 1997. Besides The Mad Violets, she will be remembered by many for her ultra zany performance-art antics in the East Village, and her other projects such as Pulsallama and Das Furlines.

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