.One of the most influential bands Sacramento ever produced, punk legends Tales of Terror ruled Sacramento’s underground music scene a quarter century ago. Derailed by tragedy twenty-seven years ago, the question remains: Why is one of the most important Sacramento bands of all time all but forgotten in their own home town?
Formed by Stratford and Magner out of the ashes of the Square Cools, one of Sacramento's first punk bands, Tales of Terror were different from the start. Unlike the stereoty...
.One of the most influential bands Sacramento ever produced, punk legends Tales of Terror ruled Sacramento’s underground music scene a quarter century ago. Derailed by tragedy twenty-seven years ago, the question remains: Why is one of the most important Sacramento bands of all time all but forgotten in their own home town?
Formed by Stratford and Magner out of the ashes of the Square Cools, one of Sacramento's first punk bands, Tales of Terror were different from the start. Unlike the stereotypical punk band, Tales of Terror knew how to play their instruments. Their frenetic shows were the stuff of legend.
Often cited as the foundation of the grunge movement, Tales of Terror blended hardcore, psychedelia and rock to form an original high-energy sound that had a lasting impact on music fans around the country, including Kurt Cobain. Based at the Stucco Factory, Sacramento's legendary artists’ warehouse on R Street, Tales of Terror toured relentlessly and also played seemingly every punk venue in town.
The Tales of Terror cast of characters: Rat’s Ass (Pat Stratford, singer); Dusty Coffin (AKA Boots, AKA Geoff Magner, bass); Luther Storms (AKA Emperor Fuckshit, AKA Lyon Wong, guitar), Capt. Trip Mender (Steve Hunt, guitar), Thopper Jaw (AKA Thumper, AKA Mike Hunter, drummer). It’s like a fucking Russian novel with all the nicknames, it took me ages to sort them out. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.