Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Women In L.A. Punk Part XIX - Spock

Backstage Pass was one of the bands who helped to usher in the era of punk rock in L.A. back in the mid to late seventies. They were also one of the few rock bands up until that time to feature female musicians. They rehearsed at and were one of the first bands to play the Masque, which is probably where I saw Spock for the first time.


Backstage Pass live at the Masque, 1977. Photo credit: Donna Santisi

Backstage Pass, as I've mentioned before, was one of the more musically competent acts around at the time. They were also slightly more theatrical in their performances than some of their punk contemporaries. The band's sound was somewhere between power pop and punk and their presence at the Masque proved that the label of "punk rock" in the late 70's had more to do with attitude than musical style. The fact that these women were writing and performing their own songs proficiently in an unabashed, sexually assertive manner made them unique.

Click on the Women In L.A. Punk thumbnail to read her interview.


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5 comments:

  1. Anonymous4/01/2006 05:30:00 AM

    thanks alice, great choice. spock genny marina and holly were not just beautiful woman, but proper musicians who wrote their own songs and had a fantastic stage presence,its a pity that line up didnt stay together i think they would have had great success.the l.a. girl groups that followed owe them a great debt. when i first came to l.a. in the summer of'77 knowing spock meant knowing everyone worth knowing in the l.a. music scene.more importantly spock was a most generous person, not just with her friends but with her time her sofa and her wisdom.she is still a wonderful person, we met up in new york ,and even though it had been a good few years since we had seen each other she was still the same beautiful, funny ,wise ,sassy spock i first knew as a young guy from london in love with the rocknroll world!!!

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  2. Anonymous4/14/2006 03:05:00 PM

    Ah, you guys, thanks for everything you have said about me, and the wonderful comments and memories.... Jenny, fyi, I am another rock n' roll Jew.

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  3. Anonymous4/16/2006 10:31:00 AM

    Alice:

    Thanks for a really awsome site
    We met a couple of times back
    in the day, and it's wonderful
    to see another old punk who's
    aged gracefully. Back Stage
    Pass? I knew a couple of those
    girls-that's really going back.
    Keep up the good work.

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  4. Anonymous4/18/2006 10:27:00 AM

    Spock,holy shit;30 years on,a different hairdo,and she still looks like Leonard Nimoy! What great character. I miss the L.A of the 70's!

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  5. Anonymous4/21/2006 09:31:00 PM

    you SO like A.Q.U.A -.-

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