‘I was a Shambles drummer’

(Bart Mendoza of Manual Scan and the Shambles counts off drummers he’s worked with.)

“I was a Shambles drummer” pin (collection Bart Mendoza)No doubt about it: Kevin Donaker-Ring and I have worked with a lot of drummers over the decades, keeping in mind that we first began our team-up in 1976.

Here are a few of the incredible musicians who have spent time behind a drum kit with Manual Scan or the Shambles over the past 30-plus years. Not pictured: Paul Brewin, Morgan Young, Terry Moore, Rob Wilson, Trace Smith, Brad Kiser. … There’s a future post there.

1) “I was a Shambles drummer” pin. People have sat in with the band for one song to obtain one of these.

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Manual Scan in autofocus

Detail: Manual Scan (Bart Mendoza, Kevin Ring, Paul Kaufman) (collection Bart Mendoza)Bart Mendoza of Manual Scan and the Shambles comes through with a cache of photos, sounds and a video montage of Scan and its predecessors, the Pedestrians and Starjammer.

First up: a photo of three-quarters of the original Manual Scan lineup from 1981. The band had recently formed when Bart Mendoza and Kevin Ring of the Pedestrians (guitars) joined forces with Dave Fleminger (bass) and Paul Kaufman (drums). Says Bart (on the left), “Here is an early pic for the site, I’d love to hear what Paul remembers of this day. I think it’s a transitional pic, just post-Pedestrians, probably a few weeks after.”

Paul Kaufman responds, “It’s a blast to see this! Yes, I remember when we headed down to Balboa Park, which provided nice backdrops for a photo shoot … But where’s Dave in this photo?… You can tell I wasn’t able to keep up with the Mod attire. I think the jacket might have been a last-minute addition from the Ring wardrobe.”

Detail: Pedestrians onstage, Abbey Road (collection Bart Mendoza)Detail: Boys About Town, 1986 (collection Bart Mendoza)Detail: Pedestrians flyer; Wizard; Dec. 29, 1980 (collection Bart Mendoza)Detail: Dennis, Jerry, Bart, Dave; Kings Road (collection Bart Mendoza)
Detail: Untouchables/Manual Scan/Playground Slap/Trebles; SDSU; Dec. 3, 1983 (collection Bart Mendoza)Detail: Starjammer, New Year’s (?) at Bird Rock (collection Bart Mendoza)Detail: Manual Scan in Balboa Park (collection Bart Mendoza)

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The Che Underground