Here’s a keystone number in Hair Theatre’s brilliant repertoire: “Nightfall” is one of my clearest memories of this unforgettable band.
According to vocalist Sergio, this performance was part of a four-song demo recorded at the end of 1983: Hair Theatre’s second demo session and the first with lead guitarist Paul Allen.
“Nightfall” was recorded at Lab Studios in Carlsbad by James of Manifest Destiny. “James was very patient with us, very good,” Sergio recalls. “He was used to doing everything punk-style: one take and out. I insisted on a couple of tracks for my vocals,” and the band devoted multiple takes to making sure the sound was polished to a fine edge.
“Nightfall” features Sergio (vocals); Sergio Castillo (bass); Cesar Castillo (rhythm guitar); Paul Allen (lead guitar); Steve Broach (drums).
I love this song so much… my favorite Hair Theatre song. Most of the times I saw them play, they’d start out their set with this. Out of all the bands around then, I always thought Hair Theatre had the best chance of making it. It was a great combination of talents that really gelled.
What ever happened to Steve, the drummer?
I can’t stop listening to this. Yes, I especially love that ending…
Ditto on Dave’s comment,my favorite Hair Theatre song as well.I love everything about this song. I also agree that of all the bands Hair Theatre always seemed like the one that could break through commercially.
Great band live , never put on a bad show I can remember….they once opened for DEVO inTijauna , a very strange line up but a memorable show.John the harmonica player staggered into thier off limits back stage drunk and went on and on how we used to listen to thier records.
P.S James was really no part of Manifest Destiny but a wanna bee bass player , no writing credits…. , he did however have a fantastic studio we would rehearse and record in ….thank s James
Speaking of Hair Theatre in Tijuana: For those conversant in Spanish, here’s an article that mentions Hair Theatre gigging in TJ — after my time in San Diego, but Sergio mentioned to me he’d grown quite close with the late Luis Guerena, and I guess the band played down there a fair little bit in the late ’80s/early ’90s.
Here’s Sergio Castillo’s recollection of the show mentioned in that article:
“Octavio is a guy we met while playing some shows in Tijuana and Mexicali. He used to write for some underground rag in Mexico City I believe. We had gotten invited to play a few shows south of the border through our friend Luis Güereña of Tijuana No!. He or one of the guys in that band had a connection to somebody involved with a Mexican government program which was responsible for promoting the arts. I think this is really about the time the whole Rock En Espanol movement began taking shape — late ’80s, early ’90s.
“Octavio happened to be at a show we played but probably should have canceled. It was a battle of the bands which put bands from Tijuana against bands from San Diego. The situation sucked in that our drummer decided traveling to Europe with his chick was more important, so we ended up doing a show sans a drummer — wow.
“I think Octavio thought we were pretty crazy and had some balls to go out and still do our thing. But he liked us enough to do an interview for his rag. I have a copy laying around, maybe in the move I’ll see if I can grab it and see if there is anything there we can use for the site.
“We did get a second place finish, while Tijuana No! got the main prize.”
For the record (no pun intended) my visual mind remembers Hair Theater as the best LOOKING of all our very style conscious ensembles. I’d love a chance to shoot portraits of any of us today…perhaps I’ll bring my gear to the reunion/convention/riot/potluck/whatever that many have alluded to.
(We really should try to pull something off next year)
But I truly do miss having not photographed the Serg-meister back in the day. Muy guapo.
I’m sure now as much as then.
But then we were all beautiful weren’t we?
Pat
Patrick: There’s no one’s lens I’d rather occupy! (You’ll need the wide-angle one now.) :-/
Daddy Long Legs palyed with us (The Morlocks) all the time. The band, as I remember, was Damien “Stickman X” on bass and vocals (he’s on Bobby Lane’s myspace), Brian Jordan on lead guitar (he’s on my myspace), Robert Walters on keys (?) (he went on to do a bunch of stuff in San Diego and, I believe, New Orleans), I forgot the name of the one other guy in the band. I probably remember everyone else ‘cuz we were all at City College. City College was an absolute blast back then.
I’ll tell you what Sergio and myself spent a memorable afternoon a few years back at the old town days inn with 2 completely crazy 19 year olds, a propane torch and some of uncle johns bestest…he looked terrific and a great time was had by all!
Hair Theatre gets some pixels on Deathrock.com … Would be nice to get a link back here, especially since the author of the thread borrowed the photos from us, but I’m stoked to see HT garner a bit of buzz! 🙂
I’m curious who deathrockers Torrey Pine and noinim are.
Some kind of reunion would be a lot of fun.
Damien of Daddy Long Legs is the one I remember with the fretless bass and guitar. I guess they were around a lot longer than I remember. According to Damien’s site, http://www.centralelements.com/stick3x, they were together for 10 years. I’ve seen Robert Walter in the Bay Area, solo and w/the Grey Boy Allstars, very soulful and funky. I don’t remember Brian Jordan but he’s got some nice jazzy guitar goin’ on. Thanks Matt, now I have more great music to check out.
Torrey Pine is probably a (locally) well known and very sacred vocalist. I’m not going to out the guy but I love his style and manner and everything he’s about and his initials are James Peroni aka Sacred Jimmy. OOPS!
Hi Jimmy! We love your style!!! Ground floor death rock!!!!! You’re the best!!!!
🙂
Get back over here where you belong, upsetting the masses with your signature paradigm of what it all was! Aloha- over and out!!
Sincerely yours- the LIFEHATER
>>Damien of Daddy Long Legs is the one I remember with the fretless bass and guitar.
Paul: Can we get him to pay us a visit? I think these guys turned up a leetle bit after I split SD … But they sound like interesting spiritual and geographical kin.
BTW, we just got a nice writeup on BlogSanDiego.com, and author Keith Boyd cites Daddy Long Legs (as well as Hair Theatre and other nears and dears) as staples of San Diego in the ’80s.
Now that I’ve thought about it more, it seems like Robert Walters was actually the drummer in Daddy Long Legs and the guy I can’t rememeber (Mike?) was on keys.
Hey Max… duga duga
I am still alive and Kicken yaal, Thank you for remembering me, makes me feel very loved, I remember those days very well, it was a blast. Much love.