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The Vertebrats are a musical group formed in the twin cities of Champaign-Urbana (CU), Illinois, initially active from 1979 until 1982. They are credited with being one of the originators of a local CU DIY music scene that still exists. The Vertebrats gained notoriety due to their energetic live performances, on-stage chemistry, numerous original compositions, a fiercely loyal local fan base, and, as time went on, other bands covering their songs. During their initial existence (1979–82) their recorded legacy was scant. Their song “Left in the Dark” was included on Greg Shaw’s Voxx Records (a subsidiary of Shaw’s Bomp! Records label) anthology called (“Battle of the Garages” ) released in 1981. Because this anthology LP was distributed internationally, The Vertebrats gained broad exposure. As a result, “Left in the Dark” was covered later by The Replacements, Uncle Tupelo, The Screaming Tribesmen (from Australia), and Courtney Love (her recording of it has not been officially released, but The Vertebrats have a copy of it), among others. The band put out a 7-inch 45 RPM single with “Diamonds in the Rough” and “Jackie’s Gone” on their own label (Vb Records) in 1981. Their song “Any Day Now” was included on a locally produced anthology “Stabs in the Dark” put out by Pogo Records in 1982. The CU FM radio station WPGU (107.1 MHz) honors listeners' requests for Vertebrat recordings such as "Left in the Dark" to this day. In the early 1990s, the band posthumously released two CDs of material gleaned from various studio and home recordings. The first is called ''A Thousand Day Dream'' and the second ''Continuous Shows''; both were released by Parasol Records of Urbana, Illinois. Taken together, the two CDs showcase over 40 original compositions. A remastered (and improved) version of “A Thousand Day Dream” was released in 2003 by the Reaction label, a subsidiary of Parasol Records. The four members of the band's original stable lineup (from November 1979 onward) were Roy Axford, Jr., Matt Brandabur, Kenny Draznik, and Jim Wald. Axford (from Urbana) and Brandabur (from Champaign) are both sons of professors at the University of Illinois. Draznik was born in Joliet, Illinois, and raised in nearby Plainfield. Wald was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois. ==Formation== Draznik was an English major at Illinois, and while there contributed record reviews and feature articles for the entertainment section of the student publication ''The Daily Illini'', called “Review”. His editor was Ken Paulson, current President of the Newseum in Washington, DC, and former editor-in-chief of ''USA Today''. Draznik and writing partner Van Cagle covered The Ramones' first visit to Champaign. Likewise, they interviewed David Johansen during his first solo tour—an interview that resulted in a story for the now infamous PUNK magazine, which, as editor John Holmstrom has put it, "started it all (terms of punk rock. )"(John Holmstrom and Legs McNeil, eds). For several years Draznik’s roommate was Bill “Willie” Wells, who was a disc jockey at campus radio station WPGU, and who won Chicago station WXRT’s College Disc Jockey of the Year award in 1977. Besides DJing, Wells would enlist Draznik to do voice-overs for commercials that he engineered at WPGU. While spinning records one night in the fall of 1977, Wells received a call from Roy Axford, requesting that Wells play more punk rock. The two met after the show, and ended up at the house to meet Draznik. Thus started a fast friendship. With the help of Wells, Axford started disc jockeying at WPGU with a weekly punk rock hour called ''The Roy Bad Show''. “Roy Bad” became Axford’s moniker. Axford was then a graduate student in Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois. He had played bass in various pick-up blues bands, and drove in four Champaign County Fair demolition derbies, from 1976 to '79, because he liked to crash cars. Draznik had been frequenting The Red Lion Inn to see bands play. He started dating a girl he had first seen at a Screams show, who introduced him to one of Matt Brandabur’s siblings. At the time, Matt Brandabur was in eighth grade. Brandabur’s sister suggested that Draznik play guitar with her younger brother. When it quickly became apparent what talent he had, the three – Axford, Brandabur, and Draznik - entertained the idea of starting a band. Wells assisted the trio in making home recordings, and in time, with all technical aspects of the band’s performances. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Vertebrats」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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