History
Outsiders: 1976-1979
The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 in
New York by
Keith Streng
(b.
Sep 18 1955,
New York City) and Jan-Marek Pakulski (b.
Aug 23 1956,
Lewiston,
Maine), two roommates who discovered that a previous tenant had left behind some instruments in the basement of the house they were renting. Streng, on guitar, and Pakulski, on bass, were soon joined by neighborhood friends
Peter Zaremba
(b.
Sep 16 1954,
Queens,
New York) on harmonica, keyboards, and vocals, and Lenny Calderon (b.
1958,
New York) on drums.
The Fleshtones debuted at
CBGB on May 19, 1976, and began touring in the early 80s. Starting in 1978, the group was often joined onstage, as well as on record, by Action Combo, brothers Gordon (alto sax and harmonica) and Brian (tenor sax) Spaeth; Gordon Spaeth (b.
Sep 21 1951—d.
Mar 8 2005) became an official band member in 1983.
In the late 70s, The Fleshtones earned a local following and played often in
Manhattan at
CBGB and
Max's Kansas City. Later, they found a favorite venue at
Club 57 on
St. Mark's Place. The Fleshtones were the first band to be booked or to play at several famous venues, including
Irving Plaza and
Danceteria in Manhattan,
Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the original
9:30 Club in Washington D.C..
The Fleshtones shared a rehearsal space with
The Cramps on the
Bowery in 1977. The following year, The Fleshtones signed with
Marty Thau's
Red Star Records (a roster that included
Suicide and Real Kids, among others artists), recorded their first album, and with filmmaker/artist
M. Henry Jones produced
Soul City
, a performance-animation video composed of hand-painted cutouts. The Fleshtones' first single "American Beat" was released in 1979 (re-recorded in 1984 as part of the soundtrack of the Tom Hanks' movie
Bachelor Party
.)
The I.R.S. Years: 1980-1985
In 1980, with the Red Star Records album unreleased (later issued on cassette on
ROIR, now available on CD and vinyl), the Fleshtones were snapped up by
Miles Copeland at
I.R.S. Records (
R.E.M.,
The Go-Go's) where they would work with producers
Richard Mazda and
Richard Gottehrer. The band replaced Calderon with drummer
Bill Milhizer
(b.
Sep 21 1948,
Troy,
New York), appeared in the British Punk/New Wave concert film
Urgh! A Music War, and released its first EP
Up-Front.
Four discs on I.R.S. followed:
Roman Gods
(1982),
Hexbreaker!
(1983), and the live
Speed Connection
and
Speed Connection II
(1985). In 1982, they appeared on
Dick Clark's
American Bandstand
TV show.
Despite having a large cult following, the band never achieved commercial success:
Roman Gods
debuted at #174 on
Billboard’s album chart, the highest position that a Fleshtones album would attain.
Zaremba was the host of
I.R.S. Records Presents The Cutting Edge
on
MTV from 1984 to 1987. The I.R.S. Records-produced show featured up and coming underground artists. The program was short-lived (airing in a late night time slot didn't help accumulate a wide audience) but the format later revived as
120 Minutes
. Zaremba's MC talents surfaced again in the late-90s at New York City's "Cavestomp" Garage Rock festivals.
In the mid-80s, The Fleshtones regularly played at the
Pyramid Club on Avenue A in the East Village, where Streng booked shows at the weekly "Mod Teepee," and The Fleshtones were instrumental in helping to start
Wigstock, the drag-queen festival that became a New York City staple.
Era of the Indies: 1986 to date
In the late 80s, The Fleshtones were without major-label support, though they continued to tour America and Europe steadily, including shows opening for
Chuck Berry and
James Brown. In 1987, The Fleshtones made an appearance on the final episode of
Andy Warhol's
Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes,
an MTV program, during which they backed up famed English stage actor
Ian McKellen as he recited
William Shakespeare's Twentieth Sonnet. The band recorded the title track to the 1987 camp-horror film
I Was a Teenage Zombie
that same year. They released
Fleshtones vs. Reality
(studio) in 1987 and
Soul Madrid
(live) in 1989. I.R.S. Records released a best-of compilation,
Living Legends
, in 1989.
In 1986, Pakulski left The Fleshtones. ,
Fred Smith (
Television), and
Andy Shernoff (
The Dictators) shared bass duties until 1990, when
Ken Fox
(b.
Feb 19 1961,
Toronto,
Canada) joined. Fox, who had formed Raving Mojos in Toronto and played in
Jason & the Scorchers, has been with The Fleshtones ever since.
The Fleshtones signed with
Ichiban Records in 1992, where they stayed until the label's demise, releasing
Powerstance
(1992),
Beautiful Light
(1994),
Laboratory of Sound
(1995), and
More Than Skin Deep
(1998). In the 90s and 00s, in addition to self-producing in Paul Johnson's Compactor basement studio in Brooklyn, New York, The Fleshtones worked with producers
Dave Faulkner (
Hoodoo Gurus),
Peter Buck (
R.E.M.),
Steve Albini,
Rick Miller (
Southern Culture on the Skids),
Jim Diamond (
The Dirtbombs), and
Ivan Julian (
The Voidoids).
The Fleshtones were one of the last bands to play at
Windows on the World atop the
World Trade Center; they played there five weeks before the
9/11 attacks, and in 2002 played at a Night of Remembrance and Hope festival at CBGB. In December 2003 The Fleshtones played at a CBGB 30th Anniversary show along with
The Dictators, and in August 2004 played
Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival at Randalls Island in New York City with 39 other bands, including
The New York Dolls,
Iggy Pop,
The Strokes, and
Bo Diddley.
In 2003, The Fleshtones signed with
Yep Roc Records, which has released
Do You Swing?
(2003),
Beachhead
(2005),
Take A Good Look
(2008), and
Stocking Stuffer
(2008).
Book, Tribute, and Feature Documentary
- In 2007, Continuum Books published
, an authorized biography by Joe Bonomo.
- Vindicated! A Tribute to The Fleshtones
was released in 2007 on vinyl by (France) and on CD by (U.K.). The album features 23 international bands (including Hoodoo Gurus, the Nomads with Handsome Dick Manitoba, the Slickee Boys, the Woggles, Snax, the Swingin' Neckbreakers, Richard Mazda, the Subway Surfers, the Insomniacs, and others) covering songs spanning the Fleshtones' career.
- A feature documentary directed by Geoffray Barbier, ,
was released from
in 2009.
Members
- Ken Fox—bass & vocals (1990-present)
- Bill Milhizer—drums & vocals (1980-present)
- Keith Streng—guitar & vocals
- Peter Zaremba—lead vocals, harmonica & organ
Former members
- Mitchell Ames—guitar (1979)
- Lenny Calderon—drums, vocals (1976-1979)
- Danny Gilbert—guitar (1976)
- Jan-Marek Pakulski—bass, vocals (1976-1986)
- Walter Scezney—bass (1979)
- Gordon Spaeth—sax, harmonica, organ, vocals (1978-1988)
- Brian Spaeth—sax (1978-1981)
- Robert [Burke] Warren—bass, vocals (1986-1988)
For-hire
- Clem Burke-drums (1979)
- Andy Shernoff—bass (1989-1990)
- Fred Smith—bass (1988-1989)
Horn players
- Markus Arike—sax (1992-1994)
- Ken Fradley—trumpet (1988)
- Steve Greenfield—sax (1988-1992)
- Joe Loposky—trumpet (1990-1994)
- Mark McGowan—trumpet (1988-1990)
Fleshtones discography
- (complete international discography)
Selected discography
Albums, EPs, and singles
- American Beat b/w Critical List 7" (Red Star) 1979
- Up-Front
EP (I.R.S.) 1980
- Roman Gods
LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1982 + CD [limited] (Eur. I.R.S.) 1990
- Roman Gods [Dance Remix] b/w Ride Your Pony + Chinese Kitchen 12" (I.R.S.) 1982
- Blast Off!
[1978] cassette (ROIR) 1982 + CD (ROIR) 1990 + CD (ROIR/Fr. Danceteria) 1993 + CD (Red Star) 1997 + LP (Sp. Munster) 2001 + LP (Get Hip Records) 2002
- Hexbreaker!
LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1983
- American Beat ‘84 + Hall of Fame b/w Mean Ole’ Lonesome Train + Super Hexbreaker 12” EP (Fr. I.R.S.) 1984
- Speed Connection
LP (Fr. I.R.S.) 1985
- Speed Connection II: The Final Chapter
LP/cassette (I.R.S.) 1985
- Fleshtones vs. Reality
LP/cassette/CD (Emergo) 1987
- The Fleshtones: Living Legends Series
CD (I.R.S.) 1989
- Soul Madrid
LP (Sp. Imposible) 1989
- Powerstance!
CD/LP/cassette (Aus. Trafalgar) 1991 + CD/LP/cassette (UK Big Beat ) 1991 + CD (Naked Language/Ichiban) 1992 + download (Ichiban) 2006
- Forever Fleshtones
LP (Gr. Hitch Hyke) 1993
- Beautiful Light
CD (Naked Language/Ichiban) 1994 + download (Ichiban) 2006
- Angry Years 1984-1986
CD (Sp. Imposible) 1994 + CD (Amsterdamned) 1997
- Laboratory of Sound
CD (Ichiban International) 1995 + LP (Gr. Hitch Hyke) 1996 + download (Ichiban) 2006
- Fleshtones Favorites
CD (Flesh) 1997
- Hitsburg USA!
LP (Telstar) 1997 + CD (Sp. Imposible) 1997
- More Than Skin Deep
CD (Ichiban International) 1998 + LP (Telstar) 1998 + CD/LP (Eur. Epitaph) 1999 + download (Ichiban) 2006
- Hitsburg Revisited
CD (Telstar) 1999 + CD/LP (Eur. Epitaph) 1999
- Solid Gold Sound
CD/LP (Blood Red) 2001 + CD (Fr. Fantastika) 2001
- Do You Swing?
CD/LP (Yep Roc) 2003
- Beachhead
CD/LP (Yep Roc) 2005 + LP (It. Nicotine Records) (2006)
- Take A Good Look
CD/LP (Yep Roc) 2008
- Stocking Stuffer
CD/LP (Yep Roc) 2008
Compilation appearances
- Marty Thau Presents 2 X 5
(Red Star Records) 1980; reissued 2005
- Start Swimming
(Stiff Records) 1981
- Bachelor Party
soundtrack (1984 Superfecta Records); reissued 2003
- I Was a Teenage Zombie
(OST Columbia Records) 1987
- Time Bomb: Fleshtones Present The Big Bang Theory
(Skyclad Records) 1988
- New York Rockers: Manhattan’s Original Rock Underground
(ROIR) 1989
- Shangri-La: A Tribute to The Kinks
(Imaginary Records) 1989
- Turban Renewal: A Tribute to Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs
(Norton Records) 1994
- Dictators Forever Forever Dictators: A Tribute to The Dictators, Vol. 1
(Roto Records) 1996
- Super Bad @ 65: A Tribute to James Brown
(Zero Hour) 1998
- Guitar Ace: Tribute to Link Wray
(Musick Recordings) 2003
- Children Of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1995
(Rhino) 2005
- Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents: The Coolest Songs In The World Vol. 3
(Wicked Cool Records) 2007
Video / DVD
- "Right Side Of A Good Thing," The Beast of I.R.S. Video Vol. 1
VHS (I.R.S. Home Video) 1984
- "F-f-fascination," Back In The Day: Live At Hurrah’s New York City
DVD (WEA) 2006
- The Fleshtones: Brooklyn à Paris! Live at La Maroquinerie
DVD (Big Enough) 2006
- The Fleshtones—Live At The Hurrah Club
DVD (Cherry Red) 2008
Side projects
Fleshtones side projects have included Peter Zaremba's Love Delegation, and Streng's bands Full Time Men (which featured
Peter Buck) and The Master Plan (with
Andy Shernoff).