Urban Verbs
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The Urban Verbs was an American new wave band from
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
The band was fronted by lead singer and lyricist Roddy Frantz (brother of
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads
drummer
Chris Frantz Charton Christopher Frantz (born May 8, 1951) is an American musician and record producer. He is the drummer for both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, both of which he co-founded with wife and Talking Heads bassist, Tina Weymouth. In 2002, Frant ...
) and guitarist Robert Goldstein. The duo wrote songs together for over 30 years. Altogether, the band originally consisted of the aforementioned Roddy Frantz, Robert Goldstein, Linda France on bass, Robin Rose on keyboard, and Danny Frankel on drums. In 1977, the Urban Verbs rehearsed in the Atlantic Building at 930 F Street in Washington, D.C. The band's first performance was at an art party in a loft close to D.C.'s
Dupont Circle Dupont Circle is a historic roundabout park and Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th St ...
. Robert Goldstein (December 6, 1949 – October 7, 2016) began to book bands in a bar in the Atlantis Club, which was where the Urban Verbs played their first shows and became a nexus of the D.C. new wave and
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 ...
scene. In 1980, the Atlantis became the 9:30 Club. The Urban Verbs played at the
CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...
club in 1978 with the Cramps.. Producer
Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...
was in the audience. Eno offered to record several of the band’s songs ("The Next Question" and "Pensive Lives") which have never been officially released. In late 1978, Urban Verbs returned to CBGB to perform with Cleveland band
Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...
. Urban Verbs played the Peppermint Lounge and various New York clubs as well as numerous Washington, D.C. shows. In early 1979, the Urban Verbs shared the stage with
the B-52's The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, k ...
at the Corcoran School of Art. The band received positive reviews in ''
the Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
and ''
the New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
', among others. Urban Verbs became darlings of the D.C. downtown art scene and played shows at such arty venues as the
Washington Project for the Arts Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is an American non-profit arts organization founded in 1975, dedicated to the support and aid of artists in the Washington, D.C. area. Early history Alice Denney, a contemporary art collector active on the W ...
, D.C. space, the Corcoran Gallery and School of Art, and the Pension Building (now the National Building Museum). The band also played at night club venues such as Atlantis (Nightclub 9:30), the Childe Harold, the Bayou, and the Cellar Door. Warner Brothers executive Bob Krasnow signed the band to a two-record contract. The band's eponymous first album, ''Urban Verbs'', was recorded with
Mike Thorne Mike Thorne (born 25 January 1948) is an English record producer, arranger, composer, engineer, and musician. He started playing the piano at the age of 10. After studying physics at Hertford College, Oxford, in the late 1960s he worked as a t ...
(producer of
Wire file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...
,
Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synth-pop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball (electronic musician), David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit versio ...
and
Bronski Beat Bronski Beat were a British synth-pop band formed in 1983 in London, England. The initial lineup, which recorded the majority of their hits, consisted of Scottish musicians Jimmy Somerville (vocals) and Steve Bronski (keyboards, percussion) and ...
) in 1979 and published under
Warner Bros Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
in early 1980. The cover of the album pictures single photos of each band member in plastic bags partially filled with a clear liquid, presumably water. The Urban Verbs second album for Warner Bros. Records, ''Early Damage'', was recorded in Atlanta with producers Jeff Glixman and
Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite (born 15 March 1955) is an English record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts The Alarm ...
. Urban Verbs were scheduled to tour with
Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...
in May 1980. Arriving in Toronto for the first show, the band found the tour was canceled due to the suicide of Joy Division singer
Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, lyricist and occasional guitarist of the band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown Pleasures'' (197 ...
. After subsequent touring in 1980, Robin Rose and Linda France left the band. France was replaced by bassist Billy Swann, formerly of
the Muffins The Muffins were an American Maryland-based progressive rock/ avant-jazz group. They were formed in Washington, DC in the early 1970s and recorded four albums before disbanding in 1981. In 1998 the group reformed and recorded a further five alb ...
. The band toured the United States and Italy as a quartet until its final show at Nightclub 9:30 in D.C. on October 29, 1982. In 1995, Urban Verbs reunited to perform at the closing celebration for the 930 "F" street location of the 9:30 club. Urban Verbs again reformed in 2008 to play a show at the 9:30 Club which was featured on NPR’S
All Songs Considered ''All Songs Considered'' is a weekly online podcast and radio program hosted by Robin Hilton. It was created in January 2000 by NPR's ''All Things Considered'' then-director Bob Boilen and produced by Robin Hilton beginning in 2001. At first, ...
. Robert Goldstein died on 7 October 2016 from cancer, at the age of 66.


Notes

# Welcome to the Club: 930, The Washington Post Magazine, April 18, 2010 # Urban Verbs Renewal, Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post, December 22, 1995 # Urban Verbs Past Perfect, Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post, December 30, 1995 # Shaping Music, Richard Harrington, The Washington Post, October 7, 1983 # Urban Verbs, Mike Joyce, The Washington Post, February 22, 1982 # Pop Notes, Richard Harrington, The Washington Post, November 4, 1980 # Urban Verbs, Harry Sumrall, The Washington Post, March 10, 1980 # Assault by Urban Verbs, Joanne Ostrow, The Washington Post, March 7, 1980 # The Urban Verbs, Eve Zibart, The Washington Post, January 26, 1979 # The Urban Verbs, Harry Sumrall, The Washington Post, October 30, 1978 # Pop Notes, Eve Zibart, August 15, 1978 # Two Rock Groups Play CBGB's, John Rockwell, The New York Times, November 12, 1978


References

{{Authority control American new wave musical groups Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups from Washington, D.C.