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Lung Overcoat 1983 - 1987
Lung Overcoat really starts back in 1980 when guitarist Mark Semmes quits the Rejects (arguably San Antonio's first "real" punk band). While at Alamo Heights High School he forms the Stiffs with James Morris on drums and David Gray on bass. Soon the name changes to We're not the Stiffs and later the News Ants with Chris Smart joining on vocals.
After playing a few parties (and hearing the first PIL and Joy Division LPs), the punk sound is dropped along with the rhythm section. With Chris taking over bass duties and Jeff DeCuir joining on drums they're rechristened Junior Vacuums and shortly later Platform of Youth . With a new post-punk sound influenced by the likes of PIL, Gang of Four, the Banshees and Wire (to name but a few), PLOY hit the live clubs scene (usually with they're parents in tow since they were all between 15-17 years old).
By late '82 DeCuir had moved on (later joining Fearless Iranians from Hell and currently heading Hyperbubble) and Rick Kernaghan and Clay Dooley joined ..boards and drums. As their music and image grew progressively darker, they're chances for success seemed to brighten garnering the opening spot for the very un-dark B-52s in front of several thousand people.
With the "Youth" monicker becoming more and more associated with hardcore bands (ie Youth Brigade, Reagan Youth, etc) and three of the four members wanting to get even darker musically, it was once again time for changes.
Lung Overcoat first appeared in mid 1983 with new drummer Paul Schmidtzinsky, replaced a few months later by Kim Warman, and a new double A-side 7" single "Internal Silence" and "Past Lives" (recorded concurrently and in the same studio as the Butthole Surfers first record) on the Lung's own Scolex Records.
The first lineup mid 1983 Rick Kernaghan, Paul Schmidtzinsky, Christopher Smart, Mark Semmes
The "classic" lineup late 1983 Mark Semmes, Christopher Smart, Kim Warman, Rick Kernaghan
April 1984 Past Lives video directed by Rudy Canedo for Roger's Cable Access show "Any man, Any band". Shot at the then long abandoned Missouri Pacific Train station built in 1907. The building was restored in the 1990s and is now a credit union.
Internal Silence video directed by Rudy Canedo April 1984 for "Any man, Any Band".
Being one of few (if not the only) bands looking and sounding very dark and English at the time, Lung Overcoat quickly developed a cult following across Texas and into Louisiana with the single receiving heavy airplay on the fledgling "college radio" network. Touring the region heavily and developing the reputation as "that gloomy band dressed in black", the Overcoats shared stages with a veritable who's who's of Texas underground music; True Believers, Butthole Surfers, Poison 13, Volumatix, Ideals, Hickoids, Zeitgeist, Doctors Mob, Scratch Acid, Marching Plague, Not for Sale, Texas Instruments, even the just formed metal band Agony Column. After a positive writeup in the national magazine Trouser Press and receiving airplay from John Peel on BBC Radio 1 in the U.K. , it was time to undertake a national tour. But of course not before "a few more changes".
The very short lived lineup from late 1984 Chris, Mark, Jason Asnes, and Rick
In late 1984 it was decided that a new drummer was needed. After using several fill-ins (including Thomas Krofts of the Raging Woodies who had to sneak out of high school class to play a gig in Louisiana) Jason Asnes (now a famous NYC DJ) became Lung drummer 3. Just months before the national tour, Mark decided to stay in school and in a mad dash overcoat cohort Bart Farar jumped into the guitar spot. In a strange twist, Asnes lost his apartment, pawned his drum kit and was living on a rooftop and not surprisingly was given the boot after only playing a few shows. Bart met a drummer passing through Austin named Steve at the then trendy bar "the Beach". The Overcoats who were suddenly drummerless again hit up Steve who agreed to join just as soon as he finished a tour with this band called the Crucifucks. Several weeks later Steve (last name Shelley) called back to turn down the Overcoat gig because he'd just joined this New York band called Sonic Youth (smart move!). So...in a madder dash, just weeks before the tour began, the drummer spot was filled by Farar's friend Jeff Hoskins.
With 1/2 the band replaced the Overcoats sound changed drastically to say the least! Learning to play together on tour, the group embraced a harder sound closer to Christian Death than Joy Division. Along the way the previously recorded "Maybe We've Gone" was included on the S.C.R.E.A.M. compilation released by Trouser Press Magazine. On tour the Overcoats shared stages with Joy Division label mates Section 25 (in Baton Rouge LA of all places) as well as Brit goth rockers the March Violets (at Danceteria in NYC).
Dark Night of the Soul live opening for Section 25 at Louisiana State University February 1985
While in NYC the band attended the gallery opening for the Andy Warhol/ Jean-Michel Basquiat painting exhibit and got to hangout with Basquiat at the after party thanks to Chris's cousin NYC's acclaimed avant garde composer William Basinski (Warhol would not come out of the bedroom?). You can see a re-enactment of this party in the film "Basquiat" (but they left the Overcoats out).
The Overcoats opened for Art in the Dark's farewell performance in Athens GA (with members of B-52s, R.E.M. and Pylon in attendence) and were given floors to crash on by the girlfriend of Love Tractor's drummer as well as Athen's own Kilkenny Cats (who lived across the street from Micheal Stipe...Stipe later sent the Overcoats a postcard). The group also got to play in a strip club in Atlanta (with Peter Buck and Mike Mills of R.E.M. in the crowd) and record a 4 song EP in Nashville(still unreleased). By the end of the tour everybody was burned out and tired of one another...and inevitably more changes were instore.
The tour lineup from 1985 Bart Farar, Jeff Hoskins, Rick and Chris
Another short lived lineup from mid 1985 Mark Semmes, Jim Harbison, Jeff and Chris
Farar decided to leave the group in mid 1985 (to get married) and Mark Semmes returned to his old spot behind the guitar. Shortly later original keyboard player Kernaghan decided to leave and go back to school. He was replaced briefly by Jim Harbison (a college friend of Smart's) and then permanently by Charles Gruber (one time member of San Antonio's Mystery Dates). With a new lineup it was time to record a new record. But first the recently recorded "Find the Time" was included along with tracks by Throwing Muses and Rash of Stabbings on the Dr. Death Vol I compilation on C'est Le Mort Records. The Overcoats were then slated to open for the Chameleons U.K. only Texas date but with the sudden death of their tour manager (Ruth Polsky of Danceteria fame) the tour was cancelled. Later that year recording for the EP "Climbing Up the Hill" was completed with former Louisiana nuclear power plant technician Joe Fuller (later manager of Three Dog Night!) producing. Upon release it too received a good deal of college radio airplay and positive reviews in national mags like Option and the Big Takeover, but the "big time" would forever elude the Overcoats.
Life in Holes live at the Chimes Baton Rouge Louisiana July 1986.
By January 1987 after playing support for PIL and a Flock of Seagulls and with dark Brit-pop finally breaking all over the U.S.A. Lung Overcoat decided to hang it up...(well actually they devolved into a "New Orderish" elctro dance band called "the Empire State"... but that's another story (perhaps best untold)!
Mark Semmes is now a well respected Texas artist. Jeff Hoskins formed, recorded and toured with Nice Strong Arm in the late '80s and is currently active with his recording studio in Austin. Chris Smart had success in the '90s with his indie pop band Thirteen touring the U.S. and releasing a well received single on I.R.S. Records (6 months before the label went bankrupt!) Currently he heads the Mechanical Walking Robotboy(click here for link) , a dark electro-swanky rock band based in San Antonio.
If anybody is an ex-member or knows any ex-members of Lung Overcoat please drop a line.
The second "classic" lineup from late 1985 Jeff, Chris, Charles Gruber and Mark
Postcard from BBC Radio 1 super DJ John Peel (RIP).
Probably the strangest show to ever hit Baton Rouge.
Platform of Youth early 1983 just months before becoming Lung Overcoat. Rick Kernaghan, Chris Smart, Mark Semmes and Clay Dooley.
Platform of Youth early 1982 shortly after giving up the "Junior Vacuums" name. Mark Semmes, Chris Smart and Jeff DeCuir.
The only known picture of "Junior Vacuums" practicing in Mark's parents livingroom mid 1981. Chris singing and Jeff on drums. Out of the picture is Mark Semmes on guitar and David Gray on bass.
