About this user
the Medveds, a byproduct of Allston, Massachusetts USA formed in the summer of 1994 and immediately took the Boston music scene by storm with their under 3 minute, drunken rants. The band's name, which carried over from earlier garage projects headed up by frontman Ben Hunter, was drunkenly derived from a game of pin the tail on the donkey with a mid-1980s Cleveland phonebook. The group landed on the name Keith Medved and it stuck (not to be confused with film critic Michael Medved). The band blasted onto the Boston music scene almost immediately playing staple clubs like Avalon, Bill's Bar, Kirkland Cafe, Linwood, Mama Kin, O'Briens, The Middle East, TT the Bears & the legendary Rat. In the early years, opening for bands like England's ''Oi'' pioneers, The Business, helped to shape what would become their addictive nautical punk/power pop/psychobilly/ska/oi sound. It is this volatile blend of booze and banter that has made them an underground favorite worldwide for over a decade.
In 1996, the band was signed to the indie punk label Pill Party Records and were reluctantly whipped into shape by famed Ohio/West Virginia booking agent "Mean" Russell Taff. Taff was quickly crowned the "meanest manager in music" by a local Boston magazine editor after his surly reputation with club managers and record labels began spreading through the industry. When asked his reason for taking on a sinking ship like The Medveds, Taff replied, "Hell, I don't know."
The Medveds released their first 7" single, "Gilded Cock", in 1995 and wasted no time following up with the intense, 4-song highball aptly titled "Your Drinking Ruined Christmas" in 1996 on the Pill Party label. One year later in 1997, the band released the critically acclaimed "My Mom Smoked My Stash". In just their first four year's of existence, the band managed to hammer out four releases which culminated with the highly touted "3rd Nipple From The Sun", released in the summer of 1998. After a grueling two year stint of touring the US and playing many raucous shows, the band settled down to polish off their first full length studio CD appropriately named "Aging Failures" in the winter of 2000. The band has also been featured on the FanAttic Records' New England punk compilation "Runt of the Litter 2" alongside Boston hometown heroes, The Dropkick Murphys, as well as the Legend of Assquatch Reckirds' "Hepcats Took My Baby". Most recently, their psycho instrumentals ''Western Pill Party'' and ''Tom Fuckery'' can be heard in the Kennedy Park soundtrack, an independent movie by Austin filmmakers "Unknown Artists".
After the release of "Aging Failures" and several months of touring in support of the album, the band decided to shift their focus onto family with Hunter getting married in June of 2000. Bass player Larry Ramona quickly followed, getting married in the Fall of that same year. The rest of the band moved in with their parents in order to avoid deportation. In mid-December of 2000, the Medveds considered turning off their amps for the very last time (and rightfully so). Amongst the speculation and rumors in regards to their long hiatus, the Medveds have re-surfaced and begun putting the finishing touches on their much anticipated live CD "Boos, Coups & Interviews". It compiles several years of the band's previously unreleased material captured from live shows, bars and radio appearances. Let's hope this time around they have practiced a little bit.
Hometown
Cleveland, OH
Country
United States
themedveds
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