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| NEW ASSAULT |
This was another short-lived project in the early days of the Fresno punk scene. For
me it was right after the SUBTRACTIONS and right before ALTERED FEATURES. It's
quite amazing how quickly a band can move from first rehearsal to first gig when
they are riding the wave of an expanding cultural movement like punk rock in the
late 70's/early 80's. In the 6 months this band was together we got to play a couple
good gigs, some house parties and do some demo recording. One gig was at the
long-gone, but legendary Fresno nightclub, the Wild Blue Yonder. It was 1980 and
the Bixlers were nice enough to let us troublemakers play at their club.
Steve Martineau was one of the earliest members of the Fresno punk scene. I
remember him and Raymond X-ray Dog hanging out. They walked all the way up
Blackstone ave. to Tower records one day from way down where Ray lived near
Ventura ave. They told a tale of harrassment, catcalls and threats on their way just
because they were dressed punk. All they had on was punk t-shirts and Steve had a
big chain with a padlock on. You think people are anti-punk now, you shoulda seen
'em in '79!
I heard several stories of curses and shit being lobbed from pickups by passing jocks
and rednecks. They threw a full Big Gulp soda cup at me as I sat at the bus stop one
day. Can you imagine? Waiting for a bus to go to my job at Tower Records!
Trajectory was way off and it landed 10 feet over as I acted like I didn't see it as
they drove by cursing, "Go back to San Francisco ya faggot!" They were always
calling us queer because of the funny clothes and hair-dos even though some of us
were probably more hetero than them.
I think if this band would have stayed together and continued to pay gigs we would
have gotten much better. It's a good example of a Fresno punk band circa 1980. In
that year there were very few gigging punk bands in Fresno and New Assault was
one of them.
Dale Stewart punksnax@hotmail.com
me it was right after the SUBTRACTIONS and right before ALTERED FEATURES. It's
quite amazing how quickly a band can move from first rehearsal to first gig when
they are riding the wave of an expanding cultural movement like punk rock in the
late 70's/early 80's. In the 6 months this band was together we got to play a couple
good gigs, some house parties and do some demo recording. One gig was at the
long-gone, but legendary Fresno nightclub, the Wild Blue Yonder. It was 1980 and
the Bixlers were nice enough to let us troublemakers play at their club.
Steve Martineau was one of the earliest members of the Fresno punk scene. I
remember him and Raymond X-ray Dog hanging out. They walked all the way up
Blackstone ave. to Tower records one day from way down where Ray lived near
Ventura ave. They told a tale of harrassment, catcalls and threats on their way just
because they were dressed punk. All they had on was punk t-shirts and Steve had a
big chain with a padlock on. You think people are anti-punk now, you shoulda seen
'em in '79!
I heard several stories of curses and shit being lobbed from pickups by passing jocks
and rednecks. They threw a full Big Gulp soda cup at me as I sat at the bus stop one
day. Can you imagine? Waiting for a bus to go to my job at Tower Records!
Trajectory was way off and it landed 10 feet over as I acted like I didn't see it as
they drove by cursing, "Go back to San Francisco ya faggot!" They were always
calling us queer because of the funny clothes and hair-dos even though some of us
were probably more hetero than them.
I think if this band would have stayed together and continued to pay gigs we would
have gotten much better. It's a good example of a Fresno punk band circa 1980. In
that year there were very few gigging punk bands in Fresno and New Assault was
one of them.
Dale Stewart punksnax@hotmail.com
| New Assault at the Wild Blue Yonder Fresno 1980 |
Steve Martineau-Vocals
Dale Stewart-Guitar
Gilbert R. Gilbert-Bass
Ron-Drums
Dale Stewart-Guitar
Gilbert R. Gilbert-Bass
Ron-Drums
| Patrons at the club were either appalled or enthralled at live punk rock in 1980. |