THE COACHMEN |  |
HISTORY
The Saga of J.D. King & The Coachmen:
Mach One: South Street, Where All The Coachmen Meet
The NYC version of The Coachmen (1978 to 1980), the group that included J.D. King on guitar and vocals, Thurston Moore on guitar, Bob Pullin on bass and, first Danny Walworth, then Dave Keay on drums, was documented in copious detail in the liner notes to their posthumously released, "Failure to Thrive" (New Alliance) a 1988 album of their 1979 demo tape. The short version is this:
Just before Christmas, 1976, RISD grad and Providence, RI, resident, J.D. King, met a Connecticut teenager, Thurston Moore, in Cutler's Records in New Haven, CT, over the Velvet Underground bin.
The following September, J.D. and some Providence friends moved to a South Street, NYC, loft intent on punk rock. Thurston was a frequent visitor, driving from his mom's place Bethel, CT.
From this South Street scene, J.D., Thurston, Bob and Danny formed The Coachmen.
By early-1978 they were playing the NYC club/loft circuit: Max's Kansas City, CBGB's, Tier 3, The Botany Talk House (billed with Lee Ranaldo's band, Flux) and loft parties thrown by Jenny Holzer (where they were once billed with Glen Branca's band, The Static) and a Lower East Side performance space, A's, operated by Arlene Schloss and Todd Jorgenson.
Despite minor victories, they were going nowhere. Their final gig was August, 1980, at White Columns.
Mach Two: Into the Woods
This new version of The Coachmen was formed in 1997 with guitarist J.D. as the sole original member, Valerie Boyd on Farfisa organ, Dave Wain on bass and Simone Kwik on drums. No longer NYC-based, they live in upstate NY. In March, 1997 they recorded "Ten Compositions: New Frontiers in Free Rock" (Ecstatic Peace), an all-instrumental blend of free jazz, garage psych and modern composition, released in 2000.
"Ten Compositions: New Frontiers in Free Rock" is available from Ecstatic Peace.
To avoid confusion with other bands with the same name, they became J.D. King & The Coachmen, and also underwent a slight personnel change, Dave Wain replaced by May December, as well as Valerie trading her Farfisa for an electric guitar. Their August, 2000 recording session, "American Mercury," was released by Ecstatic Peace on CD in 2006 and is available from Ecstatic Peace.
"American Mercury" received airplay in the US and Canada on independent and college stations, most notably WFMU. It also garnered positive reviews in The Wire no. 276 and The Next Big Thing.
J.D. King & The Coachmen returned to the studio to record, "Mercy (Can Make You Happy)," a stripped down version of garage rock. The album is mixed and in search of a label.
MP3s
1. Rumble (© Link Wray)
This is from an unreleased tape from 1978. It's the very first version of The Coachmen that includes JD King and Thurston Moore on guitars, John Miller on bass and Danny Walworth on drums. John Miller was soon to make tracks for Cal Arts, to be replaced with Bob Pullin.2. General Zachary Thackery Marches On (and on and on)
It was recorded at the 85 South Street loft on a cassette recorder.
This is the 1997 version of The Coachmen. JD, on guitar, is the sole remaining original member. The others are Valerie Boyd on Farfisa organ, Dave Wain, bassist, and drummer, Simone Kwik.3. Shivaree! Shivaree!
Production is by Chas Leland.
This track was previously only available on the Ecstatic Peace LP, "Ten Compositions: New Frontiers in Free Rock" To order this LP from Ecstatic Peace click here.
4. Untitled #17
Both are on the new CD, "American Mercury," on the Ecstatic Peace label. The personnel is slightly altered: JD and Valerie are on guitars, May December on bass, and Simone still holding down the drum slot.
Production is by Chas Leland.
To order "American Mercury" from Ecstatic Peace click here.
ARTIFACTS
 |
 |
|
A's flyer/poster |
The Coachmen and others |
 |
 |
The Coachmen, circa 1978, prowling downtown Manhattan, searching for kicks. L to R: Bob, JD, Thurston, Danny. |
JD on South Street, 1977. |
 |
 |
Thurston, circa 1978, wondering, |
JD serenading the flowers and the birds at the |
BACK TO THE TOP