Reviving San Diego's Rock Renaissance
Sweeping onto the scene from northernmost San Diego County in 1983, Hair Theatre made its mark with a brand of American Gothic that was far ahead of its era.
This rare video of “What Should I Say” shows Hair Theatre at the peak of its power and offers a glimpse of the charisma that would make the band a legend among music cognoscenti.
The date was Dec. 28, 1984, and the venue was the Gaslamp Quarter Theater, where Hair Theatre appeared with Penguins Slept and Orange County’s Society.
An online discovery has created a new Che Underground mystery to solve.
I ran across this video of the mighty Hair Theatre playing Iguana’s in Tijuana. Now I want to know how it made its way to YouTube and who-all is on the other half-hour of tape!
Some clues:
Read moreHair Theatre opens for Devo at Iguana’s: The Juni Bravo archive
Here’s another selection from Hair Theatre’s Nov. 17, 1983, performance at the Che Cafe, where the band joined Eleven Sons and Noise 292. For the occasion, Hair Theatre added Answers co-founder Dave Fleminger to the original lineup of Sergio (vocals); Sergio Castillo (bass); Cesar Castillo (rhythm guitar); and Howard Palmer (drums).
Listening to songs like “Place in Space” at 30 years’ remove, I’m more aware than I was then of the contemporary qualities of Hair Theatre’s sound.
Watch Hair Theatre perform “In Obscurity” at Che Games for May, 2009!
Our Che Games for May 2009 show at San Diego’s Casbah regrouped nine legendary bands and ignited countless personal reunions. The crescendo of the two-night event was the triumphant return of the incredible Hair Theatre, seen here performing “In Obscurity” for the madding throng.
Seeing Hair Theatre perform together again was a personal highlight. This band amazed and delighted me from the first time I saw them play a party in Leucadia in 1983, and the reunion of members scattered along the West Coast was more than I could have hoped for when we first conceived this event.
While we await the arrival of new video from Che Games for May 2009, here’s some more vintage footage of the Hair Theatre lineup that reunited for that show.
Like “What Should I Say,” this sizzling performance of “Final Steps” dates from 1984 and features Sergio (vocals); Sergio Castillo (bass); Cesar Castillo (guitar); Paul Allen (guitar); and Steve Broach (drums).
Check out more Hair Theatre and other Che Underground video morsels on the Che Underground YouTube channel!
(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes lays the table for May’s audio feast.)
The Che Underground Weekend Showcase:
Celebrating more than 25 years of San Diego’s underground music history
An incredible opportunity to reconnect, reminisce and rediscover will unfold as 25 years and thousands of miles of distance disappear in a single weekend — May 29 and 30 at the Casbah in San Diego.
The lineups have been set, the bands are rehearsing, and the drinks are on ice. Here’s what to expect:
Hair Theatre documentarian Laura S. joins the list of contributors to the Che Underground photo archive. First up: a set of photos that I would estimate to be from 1986 or 1987, when Rockin’ Dogs guitarist Sam Wilson joined Hair Theatre after the departure of Paul Allen.
Besides Sammy, this set features our clearest views yet of the rest of the band; there’s vocalist Sergio, of course, but also great shots of bassist Sergio Castillo, guitarist Cesar Castillo and drummer Steve Broach.
More Hair Theatre on YouTube, this time ca. 1984 with Paul Allen on lead guitar.
This video portrays the second major phase of what would prove to be the Che Underground’s longest-running group, enduring into the ’90s. (This is also the lineup that recorded the classic MP3s we’ve shared so far on the blog.)
When I first encountered Hair Theatre in July 1983, it was a four-piece with Howard Palmer on drums. By the end of the year, Howard had ceded the drum stool to Steve Broach, and Paul had added his guitar to Cesar Castillo’s.
Hearing “What Should I Say” after 25 years is another Proustian revelation to me; the tight songwriting and machine-gun delivery cuts through the murk of the video and taps wellsprings of love and admiration for this band.
Can anyone identify the venue? And who’s the young lady with the pink hair gyrating in the front row?
From the same 1983 Lab Studios demo that brought us “Nightfall,” here’s Hair Theatre performing “Rolling Soul,” another signature number and staple of the band’s early-’80s repertoire. This track showcases the clean confidence of Hair Theatre’s early years and highlights the sophistication and charisma that vocalist/ songwriter Sergio demonstrated by age 18.
It also commemorates the collaborative skills of Sergio and Answers co-founder Dave Fleminger (demonstrated elsewhere with a recording of Sergio’s “He’s Calling You Tonight.”) “Sergio and I wrote that song one afternoon at [original Hair Theatre drummer Howard Palmer’s Carlsbad] shack,” Fleminger recalls. “The song was part of the expanded ‘3 Daves’ Answers sets, including our ‘Painted Sun’ gig opening for the Unclaimed at the UCSD Rec Gym” April 14, 1984.
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.