Bands that should've lasted longer...

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594 & CU24
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(The recent David Grissom thread conjured up all kinds of Storyville memories, as well as of the Austin live music scene of years past... spinoff time!)

For this thread, I was hoping to focus on lesser-known artists or groups. I'm picturing outfits which only lasted for an album or two, rather than pining for twenty additional Rush studio albums or something. :D

So, who had a killer sound in your world, that you wish had gone huge? Post clips if you're able.

Probably my #1: Arc Angels

Their 1992 debut album, Arc Angels, met with critical approval and reached No.127 on the Billboard chart. Arc Angels made their network television debut on the NBC show Late Night with David Letterman on June 9, 1992, performing "Living In A Dream". They performed on the show again on January 6, 1993, this time playing "Too Many Ways to Fall".

Bramhall's heroin addiction and internal friction caused the breakup of the band in 1993. The Arc Angels broke up in October of that year, concluding their run with a series of farewell concerts at Austin's Backyard outdoor venue.

I remember watching those Letterman gigs, absolutely jazzed that my fave local group was destined for super-stardom. Then it all fell apart as described above. Sadface.

Man, they were powerful. I know they didn't get along for anything, but damn were they ever solid together.


 
The Boneshakers

they were a club band out of North Carolina back in the late 80's, that I would go see whenever they played Peabodys in Virginia Beach. Guitar driven and a good kicking beat in their original stuff.
 
Maggie's Dream. Funky rock band, got compared to Lenny Kravitz for obvious reasons. The lead singer was a former member of Menudo, so I guess some good did come out of that!

The single...


But I think I like this better...

 
(The recent David Grissom thread conjured up all kinds of Storyville memories, as well as of the Austin live music scene of years past... spinoff time!)

For this thread, I was hoping to focus on lesser-known artists or groups. I'm picturing outfits which only lasted for an album or two, rather than pining for twenty additional Rush studio albums or something. :D

So, who had a killer sound in your world, that you wish had gone huge? Post clips if you're able.

Probably my #1: Arc Angels



I remember watching those Letterman gigs, absolutely jazzed that my fave local group was destined for super-stardom. Then it all fell apart as described above. Sadface.

Man, they were powerful. I know they didn't get along for anything, but damn were they ever solid together.



Too funny! I saw the name of the thread, and Arc Angels was the first band that popped into my mind. I love those guys!

I'd toss out a couple of classics...Cream and Blind Faith both could have been around longer. Maybe too obvious of a choice.
 
2 spring to mind.

The first Mammal, I really enjoyed this band and had a chance to see them live, didn't take it and they split up after that tour. Only did one album but it was brilliant.


The second is Sacred Mother Tongue. Terrific band, a lot of people may know the guitarist Andy James, he is quite prolific around Youtube and social media. But the singer for me was this bands strong point. unfortunately they disbanded after just 2 albums.

 
+1 to Arc Angels, that's the first one that came to mind when I read the thread title.

The Dirt Drifters is the other one (they are like bar band redneck rock, great songwriting)
 
I got to see them live. Good lord, what a band. Vai even played part of "Eruption" during his solo (my guess is that was DLR's idea). I wish there was a video of that tour. DLR still did some of his VH schtick - like the quarter throwing incident.

Likewise. IIRC, Cinderella opened for them.
 
Likewise. IIRC, Cinderella opened for them.

Yup... my 1st live show of Cinderella (fantastic band in their own right; better than alot of the hair metal bands of the time), and my 1st (and only) DLR show.
 
Likewise. IIRC, Cinderella opened for them.

I caught this tour in Atlanta - DLR band was unbelievable.
I was left with a bad impression of Cinderella - maybe it was just where I was sitting, but they were using a cowbell tone as a click and had it absolutely blaring! It may have been mainly through the stage monitors, but I had side-stage seats and the cowbell was almost all you could hear.
(insert gratuitous SNL needs more cowbell sketch jokes here).
But back to DLR band. This was my first time seeing Vai/Sheehan, and I was blown away, particularly by Vai's seemingly effortless showmanship!
 
The Four Horsemen. They were but a short blip on the rock radar from 1991-1992 and kind of got lost in the shuffle but their Rick Rubin-produced debut album "Nobody Said It Was Easy" easily stands the test of time for stripped down, gritty rock and roll. Sadly, the original band disintegrated shortly after its release. Another version of the band released a follow up in 1995 but lead singer Frank Starr was hit by a drunk driver and fell into a coma (finally passed away in 1999) and original drummer Ken "Dimwit" Montgomery (Chuck Biscuit's older brother) died in 1994 from a heroin overdose which pretty much sealed the fate of the band to the history books. But that one album remains in heavy rotation in my car's CD player and pretty much whups the a$$ off of anything out there today. I highly recommend this album (especially the reissued 21st Anniversary Edition) to anyone who likes their rock and roll gritty, greasy, all killer, no filler.
 
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