under decomposition
STB
SHARON TATE'S BABY
JERRYSKIDS
Sharon Tate's Baby started as a graphic arts project by Chris Wing in 1979 and quite unexpectedly blossomed into an icon of Austin's early punk-rock scene which has become known collectively as the Raul's Era. Located on the University Drag, Raul's was Austin's premiere-and-only venue dedicated to the emerging punk rock/new wave scene that had been in full flower since 1977 in places like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and Europe. The old Raul's Club site is now home to The Texas Showdown. Go have a beer for old time's sake.
The story goes like this
Chris was looking at some rather prominent scars that he had collected as a young man. It was August 8, 1979, the 10th Anniversary of the murder of Sharon Tate and others by what became known as The Manson Gang. With the anniversary being highlighted in all the news media, Chris took particular notice. Over a game of Scrabble, he glanced at those old scars and remarked, "Gee, I feel like Sharon Tate's Baby." Some idiot in the room responded with, "wow, that would be a great name for a band." The rest isn't history, it's ridiculous!
The next step was easy
In the early days of Austin punk, every band, for every gig, spent plenty of time taping up homemade flyers on every other pole and in every possible window along the University of Texas Drag. Wing created a poster ad for a band that didn't exist: Sharon Tate's Baby – Coming in 1980.
Go Ahead – Make Your Own Band Name
Chris carried his project one step further by asking friends and strangers if they wanted to be in his band called "Sharon Tate's Baby," nicknamed STB. As luck, or unluck would have it, people started taking him up on it. That was in the day when new bands were being formed daily, drawing talent, or untalent from the well of UT's student body, a few of which were obviously well-read in the cultural, or uncultural goings on in cities large and far away from the sleepy Texas capital.
In a just a few days after the arts project went public, the band that never should have been began rehearsals. Joining singer Chris Wing were original members Alin Black, Mark Garfinkel, Jonathan Hearn and, briefly, David Fore (D-Day, Bubble Puppy).
Scene pioneer, Steve Marsh invited the embryonic band to open at Raul's for his Terminal Mind on October 28, 1979 at Raul's.
Now We're In Business!
Sharon Tate's Baby played 108 shows, 66 at Raul's, and appeared on bills in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston with such trailblazing local bands as The Big Boys, The Dicks, F-Systems, Standing Waves, The Offenders and The Next. While larger Texas cities had only one accessible club, Austin watched as several early "punk-friendly" venues came and went, including Duke's Royal Coach Inn, Club Foot, Studio 29 and The Satellite Club. Now there are too many such spaces to easily list.
Splinters and Highlights in History
Sharon Tate's Baby began to splinter toward the end of 1980, with Alin Black moving on to The Droogs and The Perverted Popes. Alin died in 2001. As it was, STB had such an odd place in the history of Austin's scene that by the time it was over, some 32 people had spent time in the group, and Sharon Tate's Baby had participated in some of Austin's great musical moments. Bands from near and far still cover some of STB's biggest hits, like Drugs (Will Kill Me) and Bored Stiff. Egged on by Chris and Alin, the band united with members of 8 other bands and guest performers in The Punk Symphony Orchestra for one-show-only at Antone's. They appeared with The Dicks, Big Boys and The Next at Armadillo World Headquarters for what was probably the only-one-anywhere-ever Punk Prom. Attendance that night: 1,000 kids!
Chris Wing became a singer/songwriter without portfolio in December 1980, and yet under the official name STB, he played 11 shows with 11 different partnerships before settling down with a steady new troupe. The final of these itinerant STB shows included three back-to-back sets at the UT Student Union's huge Time Warp Party and the Sonic Boom Orchestra at Duke's downtown, during which two bands, STB and The Ray-Vons combined for a memorable night of music. noise and fun.
Becoming Jerryskids
In April of 1981, the new STB brought together the talents of guitarists Steve Sonleitner (Stiff Kittens) and Brett Bradford (Decomposers); Brian Finger on bass, and Rey Washam on drums.
May 24, 1980 lives as one of the worst dates in Austin history, when 13 people perished in what became known as The Memorial Day Flood. Almost as disastrous, that was also when the new STB went slightly mad and without protest from Chris renamed itself Jerryskids – unaware that 2 such outfits were already doing that thing, in Boston and Los Angeles. But the die was cast, and once the boys had finished their task of rescuing people who were stranded in the terrible black waters, Jerryskids went on to play 33 shows before falling apart in January 1982. In September 1981 they released an album, What Can You Say & How Will They Take It, on Family Fun Records. Wing restored the decaying studio tapes in 2005 and released the tracks as Mars Needs Women and Other Big Hits. The CD cover was contributed by Randy "Biscuit" Turner one week before his death. In tribute to this international star, Austin legend and friend, virtually every copy of this CD were given away instead of sold. When it comes to art and music, it is doing it that trumps selling it every time.
The Jerryskids story could easily include a highlight reel similar to that of Sharon Tate's Baby and STB, but one such moment stands out above all others: on September 9, 1981, Chris and his Jerryskids crew opened and closed a thing called Woodshock – 11 bands in 8 hours – free. A huge success that was followed by Woodshocks Two, Three and Four.
Jerryskids helped promote the careers of Brett Bradford, who went on to play in Scratch Acid and Big Boys, and drummer Rey Washam, who also joined Big Boys and later earned a Grammy nomination for his work in Ministry.
Re-Becoming STB and Sharon Tate's Baby
Chris eventually determined that his career, too, was worth the agony of leaving his apartment other than to eat or earn money for food. In 2006, as part of the events surrounding Biscuit Fest, he performed with a slightly rebuilt STB, reuniting with Steve Sonleitner and Brett Bradford for a couple of shows. On September 21, 2007 the current edition of Sharon Tate's Baby STB had its debut at Trophy's On Congress. Chris was uncomfortable about reviving the old band name but his many friends and a small legion of eternal fans convinced him, "why not."
STB Sharon Tate's Baby STB is now officially recomposed. It's an electrifying and totally beefy unit: Chris is up to his usual tricks, with enormous help from guitarists Steve Sonleitner and Andy Fuertsch (pronounced like "church"); bassist Brian Curley (who had played with Andy in the Raul's era beach party band, Delinquents) and the amazing Anton Curley (bass for No!) on drums.
The band is currently mustering its forces for a trip into the studio to record one of the hottest set lists anywhere. A fundraising effort is highlighted on Wing's personal website whatcanyousay.net sponsored by Family Fun Music.
