the Masked Men

The Masked Men were the only young, native Oakland Punk band playing around in the mid-nineties scene. There were some other East Bay youngster bands around, but none from Oakland entirely. With more of an emphasis on Punkness, Craziness & Drunkness than all other Punk bands of the time, they were too much for the scene. It was a strange time "for the Punks". On one hand there were lots of poppy-comedy punk bands playing, on the other hand, there were lots of doomy, heroin-laden bands playing. On one foot there were lots of spazzy, frenetic bands playing & on the other foot, there were the Masked Men, looting the history of Punk to create a new sound that would energise the youths into getting mohawks & spiking their jackets with society burning around them.The Masked Men started in 1994, we were four disturbed kids who had all gone to Claremont Middle School in Oakland & were all into Punk Rock as a result of our severe alienation & hatred of society. The original line-up was Michael Aaberg on guitar & vocals, Sean Aaberg on drums, Eric Radey on guitar & Ben Wrubel on bass. This line-up lasted for a couple years, playing a few shows here & there, recording live on KZSU & a full-length studio album that was never released. We played our first show with Ragady Anne (soon to be the Donnas) in Palo Alto & Mike from Oppressed Logic would give us shows on occassion. Then Ben Wrubel was hit by a bus or eaten by a pterodactyl & was replaced by Peatre Lindsay. The line up shifted with Peatre on vocals & Michael on bass. We played like this for a while earning the fandom of Frank Depression & many native bay arean fuck up anti-socialites. The band fell apart again a bit later when Peatre fell into an open manhole & Michael became Stevie Wonder. Sean & Eric tried to piece the band together a bunch of times using members of Da Nuffinks//@//Political in Baltimore & later, two members of the Cuts in Oakland but it was not to be. The entire band sacrificed themselves to dark powers by cutting out their own hearts & diving into Lake Merritt.