ABOUT
Following in the still-reverberating cultural footsteps of the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, the San Francisco Bay Area had its own vibrantly creative local punk scene by the late 1970s. The Mutants, one of its most popular acts, are set to issue their first archival release in two decades. Curse of the Easily Amused is out July 15 on CD and digital with a vinyl LP planned for late summer.
Fronted by Fritz Fox, alongside fellow singers Sue White and Sally Webster, the Mutants were formed in 1977 by seven local art school students. They found inspiration in the wildly diverse strains of punk rock emanating at the time, as well as Andy Warhol's Factory, John Waters' Dreamlanders, low budget filmmakers George and Mike Kuchar, and perhaps most intensely, San Francisco's glitter-and-makeup adorned performance art troupe, the Cockettes. The fledgling Mutants quickly built a fervent local following based on their energetic, art-damaged live shows.
In 1980, the band's first two releases appeared on legendary Bay Area indie label 415 Records: the three-song The Mutants EP, and the 415 Music compilation which included "Baby's No Good." Two years later, the band's sole LP, Fun Terminal, was released by Mutiny Shadow International.
The Mutants made frequent trips to Los Angeles throughout their existence to play such storied venues as the Whisky a Go Go, the Masque, the Starwood, and the Hong Kong Café. They also embarked on four east coast tours that included stops at Danceteria and Hurrah in New York City, the Rat and No Name in Boston, and the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
By the mid-80s, the band had splintered, although they have continued to reunite sporadically over the decades for live shows. They are joined by an ever-evolving lineup of new Mutants with histories in such groups as Tuxedomoon, Negativland, Frightwig, No Alternative, the Offs, the Next, and others.
MEDIA BREAKS
The Big Takeover (Review by Jack Rabid)
Scene Point Blank (Feature interview)
Scene Point Blank (“Five Favorite Albums of 2022, so far” feature)
MNPR Magazine (Photos from November 2022 Bay Area concert)
Vive Le Rock Magazine (Curse of the Easily Amused review)
Razorcake Magazine (Curse of the Easily Amused review)
The Midlands Rocks / UK (Curse of the Easily Amused review)
Fear & Loathing / UK (Curse of the Easily Amused review)
OX Fanzine / Germany (Curse of the Easily Amused review)
Voix de Garage / France (Curse of the Easily Amused review)
Take Effect Reviews (Curse of the Easily Amused review)
Issue Punk Zine / UK (Curse of the Easily Amused review)
Portable Infinite (purple vinyl news)
The Second Disc (Curse of the Easily Amused announcement)
Vive Le Rock Magazine / UK (Curse of the Easily Amused announcement)
Punktuation Magazine / Australia (Curse of the Easily Amused announcement)
The Portable Infinite (Curse of the Easily Amused announcement)
Scene Point Blank (Curse of the Easily Amused announcement)
The Punksite (Curse of the Easily Amused announcement)
