'70s/'80s SF punks The Lewd playing first-ever East Coast shows this week

August 14, 2019

In late 1979, Satz and Blobbo moved The Lewd to San Francisco and Blobbo switched over to guitar, adding Bob Clic on bass. This band recorded some demos and played SF for nearly a year until Blobbo quit to form his new venture Metal Church, who released quite a few heavy metal albums. Bob Clic moved to guitar, and part-time model Olga de Volga came in on bass. Olga had played with other bands, including one called VS and often played Lewd shows wearing outrageous black leather outfits. The band appeared on the 1980 seven-inch, four-band EP S.F. Underground 2 (Subterranean Records) doing the fast-paced punker “Mobile Home.” With Christopher Reece in as drummer, they released their only LP, “American Wino,” on ICI Records in 1982. Having fully absorbed the emerging faster hardcore punk sound, this blistering document features one side of studio recordings done in Hollywood, and another side culled from a live performance at Target Video Studios. This album is a crucial document of the San Francisco early ’80s hardcore scene, right up there with releases by Flipper, VKTMs, No Alternative, Dead Kennedys, etc.

After the LP was released, Bob Clic left and the band fizzled out soon afterwards. Olga moved to Hawaii, and Chris Reece became a member of Social Distortion.

In 1999 Sats and Clic played with The Loudmouths for two live shows in San Francisco, billed as The Lewdmouths. Both shows were insane and the band sounded great. These shows were so much fun it prompted the pair to reform The Lewd, although not as a career minded working band, this time it’s only for the kicks they get out of playing these songs again.

The above quote is from ’70s/’80s-era San Francisco punk band The Lewd’s website. As it points out, they’ve continued to play some reunion shows — with lead singer J. Satz Baret as the only original member — and they’re now gearing up for their first-ever East Coast shows, including Brooklyn, Philly, and Pittsburgh’s Skull Fest (with Poison Idea, Sheer Terror, Dropdead, Warwound, Rubella Ballet, and more).

The Brooklyn show happens Thursday (8/15) at Saint Vitus with Assholeparade, Slaughter Boys, Ammo, and Burning Man. Tickets are available.

All dates are listed, with a stream of the band’s sole full-length (1982’s American Wino) and their classic late ’70s single “Kill Yourself,” below.