drastically Reduced was formed in a bedroom in Manchester, NH in the very early 1980's. We were just four friends who loved punk rock and decided to start a punk band. Mark (aka Curley) attempted to be the singer. Pat (aka Nuge) picked up a Hondo bass and tried to play it. Jerome (aka Chuck..as in Biscuits) played drums. Steve played bad guitar with a Mosrite V2 picked up for $200 at Daddy's Junky Music on Elm St. We wrote one song called "Ron Sucks" (for Reagan of course). Curley saw a bin at a department store saying "drastically reduced". This became the band name and Steve drew the dR logo. The "band" lasted about a month and we retired from the music biz with our one song (which was recored on a cassette player during our practice..wonder if it still exists?).
Not long after Steve attended a GG Allin and The Jabbers gig at the Merrimac Club (a real dive bar in Manchester). After the show Steve (quite drunk) told Mister Allin and Mister Chapple he wanted to play guitar in the band. After a bit of time Steve got the call to join the Jabbers when their guitar player Chris decided to leave the band. Steve learned the songs when the band practiced at Chris' house a few times. Our next show was in Boston at the Channel as a five piece. Chris was then gone and I was on my own as the sole guitar player. From 1982 - 1984 we played sporadic gigs and got shut down most of the time. Great fun. The Jabbers last show with GG was in Manchester at the Club Casbah in 1984 backing up GBH. We did the last show as a 5 piece with Chris rejoining for this last gig. Steve "retired" from the music biz.
Fast forward 30+ years. Steve's cousin Johnny wants to record a few songs and wants his cousin to play on them. So the cousins and King Richard record two of Johnny's songs "New Girl" and "Truth or Dare". We also do a cover of Steppin' Stone. These recording sessions spark Steve to start writing and recording songs with basic gear on his laptop. First songs ever recorded and finished being "Space Girl and "Kill Me Now" in March 2018. Steve gets King Richard to record his drum parts in a small home studio (Vibe) in Epping, NH. This project needs a band name and dR and the logo are dusted off and used again. "Space Girl gets played on "Goldie's Garage" on Little Steven's Underground Garage. Steve thinks this is going to be easy to get his songs played since the first song he writes gets airplay. Well Steve was mistaken and dR becomes a mid life crisis vehicle for Steve to write all kinds of songs and release them out in the world. Regardless if they are heard or not. A labor of love.
dR is playing this forward. And is dedicated to all the bands that inspired Steve to pick up a guitar and try to play it and join a punk rock band. Our songs are dedicated to all the old school punk rock bands like the Ramones, Pistols, SLF, Damned, Undertones, 999, Clash, Thunders/ NY Dolls/ Heartbreakers, etc and local Boston bands like The Neighborhoods, Lyres, La Peste, Real Kids, Outlets etc. And of course the now infamous GG Allin.
dR hopes someday our songs will be discovered and inspire a kid to pick up an instrument and make original and uncompromising music..regardless the genre.
dR (Steve S.)