Nuclear Beachparty

The band formed in December 1986 when Dean returned to Hornell NY from Arizona. Having played together before in Hornell’s first known punk band (Funhouse), the group was familiar with each other’s tendencies from the outset. Dean also had a great voice, perfect for the material the band wanted to do and so it was generally decided that he’d handle those duties as well as the drums this time around.

The focus of the group was to create original material playing the type of music they all wanted to play and get as much of it on tape as possible. With notebooks overflowing with songs and lyrics, no time was wasted and the band hit the ground running. Almost every practice was recorded, original songs were constantly worked on and cover songs were kept to an absolute minimum.

In two months time, the band had a large amount of original material worked out and the decision was made to try to play a live show. With a very few places to play and none of them conducive to a band playing an hour set of original material, it appeared as though it would never happen. Then, with the help of a few sympathetic insiders, the band managed to pass itself off as a C&W group and infiltrate a jamboree held at the Hornell Eagles Club in March of 1987. Finally gaining its desired hour long slot on a bill, the band managed to get off five songs by running them together before the power was shut off on them. The band repeated this stunt a month later in Whitesville NY. Lasting just as long as the show in Hornell and ending in the same result with the added bonus of being physically chased out of the town.

In spite of the negative reputation and hostility the band obtained from the above shows, they did manage to grow a small but fervent cult of fans based around the colleges in Alfred NY. This was helped along by both word of mouth and by limited airplay on Alfred State College’s radio station, WETD. The band held its own show at Alfred State’s Pioneer Center that May with local hard rock cover band, Y.O.S., in support. Outside of a disastrous, abortive trip to Schenectady later on, the Alfred show would be the last time the group would attempt to play in public.

The group then traveled to Corning NY and hooked up with producer Bill Grooms to record an official demo. Faced with a shortage of funds and studio time, they made the decision to record as many songs as possible in one take with limited overdubs instead of working on getting four or five songs to perfection. It was a decision that all in the band would later regret.

Sometime in July, Dean alerted the others that he planned on moving downstate to attend college in the fall. The band spent the rest of the summer recording basement tapes of material at a feverish pace. Many of them done totally spontaneous in one take. When Dean left at the end of August, Bob and Ray attempted to continue by trying to form a new band in the same stylistic vein. The lack of finding suitable, like minded musicians in the area however doomed the project and the pair quietly gave up trying nearly a year later.

EPILOGUE: Bob left the area and retired from playing music altogether, concentrating on visual arts instead. He returned to NY early in 2006 after moving around the country and now teaches art.

Ray also left the area and briefly played bass for Charlotte NC based grunge band Bandana Down before returning to NY and working for the NYSDOT.

Dean would play in many NYC bands eventually forming Clowns for Progress in the early 90’s. Clowns for Progress would go on to release two CD’s and tour extensively with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones before disbanding in 2000. After a stint with NYC's King Dust, He now plays drums for the Austin TX based band, Mocktigers.