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The Punks were an American
proto-punk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock genre and movement. A retrospective label, the musicians involved were generally not originally associated with each other and came from a variet ...
band from
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
near Detroit, who were active from 1973-1977. They specialized in a hard-driving, sometimes thrashing sound that anticipated much mid-to-late 1970s
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
and 1980s hardcore. The group came out of the last vestiges of the Detroit rock scene that produced bands such as
MC5 MC5 was an American rock music, rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The classic lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis (bassist), Michael Davis, and drummer ...
, Iggy and the Stooges, and
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
, and with these acts they formed a musical bridge between the
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
bands of the 1960s and the later
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
movement that emerged in New York and London during the mid-1970s. In 1977 they changed their name to the End and moved to New York with hopes of making their mark in the burgeoning punk rock scene there, but were unsuccessful, and broke up shortly thereafter. Though relatively unknown outside of Detroit and New York in their day, they have more recently garnered the interest and accolades of underground rock enthusiasts who consider them to be pioneers in the early development of punk rock. Parts of their song "My Time's Comin'" were used in the soundtrack of two March 2016 episodes of the television series, ''
Vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
'', co-created by the Rolling Stones’
Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
and director
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
.


History


Active years 1973-1977

The Punks formed in Waterford, Michigan, outside of Detroit in 1973. The band was fronted by the highly charismatic lead singer William "Frantic" Kuchon, who has sometimes been compared to
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
. The group came at the tail end of the Detroit rock scene that produced acts such as
MC5 MC5 was an American rock music, rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The classic lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis (bassist), Michael Davis, and drummer ...
and Iggy and the Stooges,
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
and these groups were the Punks' primary influences, along with some of the earlier Detroit garage bands of the mid-1960s such as the Underdogs and the Unrelated Segments, as well as acts from elsewhere such as
the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...
and Blue Cheer. The rest of their lineup consisted of Alan Webber and Steve Rockey on guitars, Rod McMahon on bass, and Craig Webber (Alan's younger brother) on drums. The band was known for its volume and energy and exciting live show. The group made use of occasional costumes and theatrics customary of the
glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...
trends of the time. They played gigs when available in the Detroit metro area, and were even touted by influential writer
Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist and critic. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines and was also a performing musician. The music critic Jim DeRogatis called ...
in a piece for ''
Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American rock music magazine and entertainment company, founded in Detroit, whose initial print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor ...
'' magazine and in another piece that appeared in ''Creem'' in September 1976 Air-Wreck Genheimer said of the group: "The Punks played in such a gut grabbing manner that your ear bones feel like they're getting socked in the jaw and cunnilinguisized at the same time". According to Richard Blondy, their former manager and booking agent, "Their music was so intense and so strong, and their stage show was so exciting. It’s just like the guy said about (the Naughty Bits) on ‘Vinyl’—they smack you in the face and they get your attention". In 1974, the group recorded a series of demos in the basement of Alan and Craig Webber's family house in Waterford Township. Several of the tracks they recorded such as "My Time's Comin'", "Q1", and "Drop Dead" display a thrashing intensity indicative of future punk acts. By 1974 the once thriving Detroit rock scene had dissipated and most of its venues either folded or switched their focus to other musical styles. According to Alan Webber, "We were left going, 'OK, there’s nothing more for us here. Let’s make our own noise." Sensing the futility of trying to remain in Detroit, in early 1977, the band changed its name to the End, and re-located to New York in hopes of making it in the thriving punk rock scene there, but the band was unable to gain a sizable following or land a record deal and ended up out of money and disillusioned. They returned to Detroit and essentially became dormant, ceasing to play, except for occasional private get-togethers—in the words of Alan Webber "just to entertain ourselves...we never had an official, ‘Well, we’re done.’"


Later developments

The former members of the group moved on to other endeavors. Vocalist William Kuchon, spent time working in the film industry in California. Guitarist Alan Webber is retired and living in Pontiac. Bassist Rod McMahon is a heating and cooling contractor in Auburn Hills, and guitarist Steve Rockey is retired and living in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Webber’s younger brother Craig, the Punks’ original drummer, died in 2011, though another younger brother, Paul, also plays drums. At the turn of the millennium, a Detroit web site, MotorCityJams.com, chronicled the group's career and helped organize the 2003 release of a limited edition CD culled from some of the band's assorted demos and recordings entitled ''The Most Powerful Music on Earth.'' It was subsequently distributed by Italy's Rave Up Records on LP in 2005. Many of the tracks have made their way onto
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
and other internet sites. The last time The Punks played together privately was in 2011 before drummer Craig Webber died. They reunited again in 2015 (with Craig's brother Paul Playing drums), at the Motor City Music Awards, where they were introduced by Violent J of The Insane Clown Posse as "Detroit Legends". Toronto filmmaker Bennett Phillips, in association with Chains of Madness Motion Pictures, has begun work on a documentary about the band to be titled ''My Time’s Coming: The Story of The Punks''. Their song "My Time's Comin'" was used in the soundtrack for the March 13th and 20th (2016) episodes of the television series, ''
Vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
'', co-created by the Rolling Stones’
Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
and director
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
, in which the Nasty Bits, a fictitious band headed by a lead singer and front man played by Mick Jagger's son James Jagger, attempt to record parts of the song." The show's creators indicate that other songs by the punks may be used in future episodes." Alan Webber indicates that interest in the band could justify release of some of the other unreleased songs in their archive: "there were other recordings we did--I’ve got tons of material we did over the years...And the rest has been history--and possibly a future".


Membership

*William "Frantic" Kuchon (lead vocals) *Alan Webber (guitar) *Steve Rockey (guitar) *Rod McMahon (bass) *Craig Webber (drums)


Discography


Compilations

*''The Most Powerful Music on Earth'' (CD, Motor City Music, 2003) *''The Punks'' (LP, Rave Up Records, 2005)


See also

*
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
- early-mid 1970s proto-punk band from Detroit


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Punks American protopunk groups Hard rock musical groups from Michigan Musical groups established in 1973 Musical groups disestablished in 1977 Punk rock groups from Michigan