Smack Street, a Sleazy Chicago area rock band (whose name was lifted from the stock market crash of 1929) was also a
band shrouded in scandal and mystery. Smack Street should have been one of the biggest names in the late eighties, but lies and deception hid them from the public eye. The band slipped away virtually unnoticed, while others in the same genre made millions. Todd "Tid" Houston (vocals) and Rick Viren (Guitar) formed the group in Rockford Ilinois (1989). They recorded a demo in 1990 but threatened to disband shortly after due to lack of label interest. Before they split up however, they would go on to release a single (The Road less traveled) on the Shackle Records compilation with Jimmy Johnson (Cheap Trick, Hagfish, etc) producing and engineering . From there the story of Smack Street takes some surprising twists. Due to emotional afflictions 19 year old guitarist Jeff Miksik would be in and out of the band on a regular basis making success impossible in an already volatile community where rock bands were becoming more and more passé (thanks to the emergence of grunge). Doug Erickson (Bass) would be the only stable fixture while Houston's facination in the occult, Viren's failing health and now Herraman's (drums) Agraphobia were taking a desperate toll on the band. (and whom ever happened to be near them at the time). Toby Houston (Sound Engineer) later went on to say "you can only lead a band so far into the woods before they have to catch and clean their own squirrels". Meaning? In February of 1992 Houston and Miksik would make the trip to Dallas Tx. in order to shop the Smack Street EP. Sadly this would also mark the end for the band itself with one final show following Lenny Kravitz on stage in Madison Wisconsin. Was it the occult dabbling? Viren's health problems? Depending on who tells the story, Smack Street were either the victims of record company politics, or of their own debauchery. Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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