About Me
Punk / Pop / Rock
THE FRONT -
They were a strange agglomeration of individuals from the start.
It was as if a molecular engineer had somehow created a functional,
living entity using components from a subterranean insect,
a marsupial,
a Commodore 64,
a pterodactyl,
and a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner with a 426 Hemi V8.
One would assume that the various parts couldnt come together
into something that could perform a useful function.
but the parts fit and The Front was born.
Randy Rush was still living at home with his parents,
well past the point when most young men would be on their own.
but he practiced guitar 4 hours a day and could play anything
from classical guitar to the latest Eddie Van Halen licks.
Steve Myers played the bass. He didnt play fancy
and couldnt play as effortlessly as Joe Jacksons bass player,
but the bass note was always where it should be.
the right note in the right place.
Larry Hill,was the bands drummer and recording engineer..
Flynn Picardal was an industrial safety inspector by day
and a rhythm guitar player by night.
Greg McLaughlin was probably..the artistic one.
both in terms of temperament and the ability to write catchy pop songs.
They all wrote the songs, mind you, but Gregs songs
somehow seemed more ..poppish.. and the most likely to be heard
on the radio. When they got together in the summer of 1980,
it was understood that they wouldn..t play any cover songs.
and they never did, not even in rehearsals.
They picked a name, ..The Front.., that had an economy of syllables
and didnt carry any baggage that would identify them with a particular
musical style.
Warren Tepper soon appeared as their manager
and was largely responsible for them not becoming a well-kept secret.
Warren..s father, Sid, had written some hits for Elvis
(not the Costello-kind) in the old days so Warren had some insights
into the ..biz
A couple of months after they started playing together,
Warren had them playing shows at the Agora Ballroom
in Hallandale. They would frequently get the call as the opening act for
new wavish.. bands playing in the Miami area over the next few years,
including U2 (during their first American tour),
the Go-Gos,
Ultravox,
the Vapors,
the Psychedelic Furs,
Missing Persons, and others.
Between these shows, they would play their unique brand
of aggressive rock at various Miami-area venues
including 27-Birds,
the Blitz,
the Balkan Rock Club,
the Level III Lounge,
the New Wave Lounge,
and Coconut Groves Continental American Cafe.
Their music was an interesting blend of musical influences
that ranged from Devo and Cheap Trick to the Beach Boys.
Many people characterized it as punk or new wave,
but this was likely due to the aggressive intensity and speed
of many of their songs. The titles and themes of their songs
also made some people think of them as ..punk...
Execution by the State.. was about the renewed use of Floridas
electric chair and ..Wet Things in the Darkness.. was
an ironic view of masturbation. One of the best descriptions
was offered by another Miami-area musician who referred
to their music as de-evolutionary, heavy-metal, album-oriented rock
In February 1981 they released their first record, ..FirstStrike,
that contained three songs including,
Immigration Report. This song, always a crowd favorite,
presented a tongue-in-cheek view of South Floridas
immigration problem (remember Mariel?)
as seen by the local immigration officers who tried
their best to do the right thing.
This record was followed over the next few years by another single,
Aluminum Room/Poor People.., and an LP, ..Sideways.
The band was amazingly prolific and wrote over 100 songs
during their almost 4-year existence
.
In the years following The Front
Greg along with Looch aka Luciano Delgado
formed Velvascurge which lasted until 1989
Greg has not performed publicly since.
Thru-out the 90’s and into 2003 he has been in and out
of the studio recording,
Currently Greg is President and founder
of his independent label Whateverway Productions.
To date WhatEverWay has released
Scurge- ’Humanot’ -2003
The Front - ’Let’s Go Bongo Fury!!- 2004
The Front - ’A Little Nukie Never Hurt Nobody’-2005
Whateverway Productions is looking forward to releasing
South Florida Rockers
DANCING IN THE COMBAT ZONE..May 1st 2008
followed by Maguire & McLaughlin
’We Dont Live On That Planet Anymore’
hopefully will be released by the end of 2008
Greg McLaughlins body of work
The Front - First Strike - Foam - 1981
The Front - Aluminum Room - Foam - 1982
The Front - Sideways - Foam -1985
VelvaScurge - The Human Element - Esync - 1985
VelvaScurge - All The Live Long Day- Esync cassette - 1987
VelvaScurge - Wiggly Snake - - Esync - 1989
VelvaScurge - Defrosted - unreleased - 1995
Scurge - Humanot - Whateverway - 2003
The Front - ’Let’s Go Bongo Fury !!! ’ - Whateverway - 2004
The Front - ’ A Little Nukie Never Hurt Nobody ’
Whateverway -2005
The Front ..
Scurge ..
