Tag Archives: Bags

The Germs – Show List and Key Dates

This index will attempt to gather show dates and flyers for all appearances

1977

Date: April 16, 1977
Venue: The Orpheum Theatre
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: opening for The Weirdos, The Zeros

Date: May, 1977
Venue: The Roxy Theatre
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: Up in Smoke movie shoot. This show is the source for the recording of “Sex Boy,” the B-side to the band’s first single.

Date: June 21, 1977
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with Screamers, Zippers

Date: August 5, 1977
Venue: Larchmont Hall
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: Slash benefit with Screamers, Dils

Date: September 4, 1977
Venue: The Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Skulls, Alley Cats, Needles & Pins

Date: September 25, 1977
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with The Weirdos, The Bags

Date: October 1977
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: with Blondie, Devo

Date: October 7-8, 1977
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with The Weirdos

Date: November 23, 1977
Venue: The Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Skulls, Eyes, Waxx, Naughty Women

Date: Friday, December 2, 1977
Venue: The Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Skulls, Controllers, Hitmakers, LA Shakers, Rubber City Rebels

Date: Saturday, December 3, 1977
Venue: The Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Controllers, Hitmakers, LA Shakers, Rubber City Rebels, Front Bottom Rear & Fidel

1978

Date: Friday, February 24, 1978
Venue: Elks Building (Park Plaza Hotel)
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: Masque benefit with Zeros, Dils, Eyes, Screamers, Controllers, Bags, Deadbeats

Date: Friday, March 10, 1978
Venue: Elks Building (Park Plaza Hotel)
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Needles & Pins

Date: Friday, April 21, 1978
Venue: Larchmont Hall
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Bags, Controllers, Middle Class

Date: Tuesday, May 23, 1978
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: Lobotomy Night #2 with Bags, Stitches

Date: Friday-Saturday, July 14-15, 1978
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: West Hollywood
Notes: Lobotomy Night #3 with Red Lights

Date: Wednesday, September 6, 1978
Venue: The Rock Corporation
Location: Van Nuys
Notes: with The Simpletones, Brainiacs

Date: Tuesday, October 31, 1978
Venue: Roosevelt Hotel
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with The Go-Go’s, Mau-Mau’s, Hal Negro and the Satin Tones

Date: Saturday, November 4, 1978
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with Dead Kennedys, The Red Products

Date: Tuesday, December 19, 1978
Venue: 1317 W. 7th
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Controllers, Bags, Middle Class

1979

Date: Friday, January 12, 1979
Venue: The (other) Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Dead Kennedys, Rhino 39

Date: Saturday, January 13, 1979
Venue: The (other) Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Dead Kennedys, Rotters

Date: Saturday, February 24, 1979
Venue: The (other) Masque
Location: Hollywood
Notes: with Cramps, Dead Boys, Pure Hell, Wall of Voodoo, Extremes

Date: Saturday, March 3, 1979
Venue: Deaf Club
Location: San Francisco
Notes: with Dead Kennedys

Date: Tuesday, March 13, 1979
Venue: Squeeze
Location: Riverside
Notes: with X, Rhino 39

Date: Saturday, May 26, 1979
Venue: Club 88
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Alley Cats, Dred Scott

Date: Tuesday, July 17, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Extreme, the Adaptors

Date: Wednesday, August 15, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with B-People, Vs

Date: Saturday, September 22, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Middle Class, Black Flag

Date: Wednesday, October 31, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Fear, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Chinas Comidas

Date: December 14, 1979
Venue: Hope Street Hall
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with X, Suburban Lawns

Date: December 23, 1979
Venue: Whisky a Go-Go
Location: Hollywood
Notes: Masque Xmas party with Arthur J. and the Gold Cups

Date: December 31, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Café
Location: Los Angeles
Notes: with Johanna Went

Date: January 29, 1980
Venue: The Great Gatsby
Location: Redondo Beach Pier
Notes: with Black Flag, Descendents, Eddie and the Subtitles

Date: February 17, 1980
Venue: Kings Palace
Location:Hollywood
Notes: Youth Party Benefit with X, Circle Jerks, Top Jimmy, UXA, Gestapo, Lost Souls, the Men.

Date: February 17, 1980
Venue: Kings Palace
Location:Hollywood
Notes: with Circle Jerks, Mau Mau’s

Date: Tuesday, February 26, 1980
Venue: The Great Gatsby
Location: Redondo Beach
Notes: with Circle Jerks, Cheifs, Crowd, Eddie and the Subtitles

Date: March 13, 1980
Venue: Fleetwood
Location: Redondo Beach
Notes: with Middle Class

Date: April 26, 1980
Venue: Fleetwood
Location: Redondo Beach
Notes: with Middle Class, Adolsecents, der Stab

Date: December 3, 1980
Venue: Starwood
Location:
Notes: Reunion show with Middle Class, the Screws

Dangerhouse Records

Dangerhouse was one of the first independent labels to document the burgeoning West Coast punk rock scene. It was a short-lived enterprise, starting in 1977 and shuttering by the end of 1980, but nonetheless left an indelible mark on the punk rock history of California.

Established by David Brown and Pat “Rand” Garrett, both members of the punk rock band Black Randy and the Metrosquad, the company operated on a limited budget, supported by the more conventional typesetting and aerospace jobs of the founders. Black Randy himself got a day job in telemarketing and joined the effort as a business partner.

Despite its scarce resources, Dangerhouse was notable for its production quality. They released records by many of California’s finest first-wave punk bands, including X, Avengers, the Weirdos, and the Dils.

A. Singles and EPs (7″)

1. Randoms ‎– ABCD / Let’s Get Rid Of New York
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: PT-1
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1977

2. Black Randy & The Metrosquad ‎– Trouble At The Cup
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: MO-721
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: 1977

3. Avengers ‎– We Are The One
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: SFD-400
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: December 1977

4. The Dils ‎– 198 Seconds Of The Dils
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: SLA-268
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: December 1977

5. Weirdos ‎– We Got The Neutron Bomb
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: SP-1063
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1978

6. Alleycats ‎– Nothing Means Nothing Anymore / Give Me A Little Pain
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: LOM-22
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: March 1978

7. X ‎– Adult Books
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: D88
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: June 1978

8. Black Randy And His Elite Metro Squad ‎– Idi Amin
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: IDI-722
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: April 1978

9. The Deadbeats ‎– Kill The Hippies
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: IQ-29
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, EP
Released: July 1978

10. Howard Werth ‎– Obsolete
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: DH-101
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1978

11. Bags ‎– Survive
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: BAG 199
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: December 1978

12. Eyes ‎– TAQN
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: IZE-45
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1979

13. Rhino 39 ‎– Xerox/No Compromise
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: RH-39
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1979

14. Black Randy & Metrosquad ‎– I Slept In An Arcade
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: KY-724
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: 1979

B. LPs (12″)

1. Black Randy And The Metrosquad ‎– Pass The Dust, I Think I’m Bowie
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: PCP-725
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Released: 1979

C. Compilations

1. Various ‎– Yes L.A.
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: EW-79
Format: Vinyl, LP, Single-Sided, Compilation
Released: August 1979

Notes: includes The Bags, Eyes, The Alley Cats, Black Randy, X, Germs.

Bags

The Bags were formed by Alicia Armendariz and Patricia Morrison, who had met at an audition for Venus and the Razorblades, Kim Fowley’s next attempt at creating a band after The Runaways had left him. Armandariz and Morrison decided to form their own band and from this the Bags were born. They took the band’s name and their stage names “Alice Bag” and “Pat Bag” from a gimmick that the band used during early performances where they performed with grocery bags over their heads (the practice did not last, in part due to an incident where Darby Crash of the Germs ran up on stage and ripped the bag off Alice’s head). Alice Bag was the vocalist and Pat Bag played bass. The band was rounded out by guitar players Craig Lee and Rob Ritter, and Terry Graham on drums.

The Bags played their first concert at The Masque on September 10, 1977. Their concerts were riotous affairs including altercations with celebrities, such as one between singer Tom Waits and drummer Nicky Beat at The Troubadour.

By 1978, they had released their only record during the band’s lifetime, a single called “Survive”, backed with “Babylonian Gorgon”, released by independent record label Dangerhouse Records. “We Don’t Need The English” was included on the Yes L.A. punk compilation album released by the same label.

After this, Pat Bag left the band. In 1980 the group, minus Pat Bag, was filmed by Penelope Spheeris for the seminal documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization, which also featured the Germs, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, X and other prominent L.A. punk bands. However, at the release of the film in 1981 the producers billed the group as “Alice Bag Band” to avoid any conflict with ex-member Pat. By then, however, the band had broken up.

Craig Lee also played with Catholic Discipline, and he and co-member Phranc performed together occasionally when she embarked on her subsequent solo career. However, Lee is best known as a writer and critic for publications such as Flipside fanzine, among many others, and as co-author of the book Hardcore California: A History Of Punk and New Wave. He died, as a result of AIDS in 1991.

Terry Graham went on to play drums for The Gun Club. Pat, now known as Patricia Morrison, also joined The Gun Club soon after. Once she left The Gun Club she joined The Sisters of Mercy and then The Damned, one of the original British punk bands (and the one that was often credited with sparking the L.A. scene), for which she plays bass. She married Dave Vanian, the Damned’s lead singer.

Rob Ritter also joined The Gun Club, and appeared on their first LP Fire Of Love, but left, changing his name to Rob Graves and forming the seminal death rock band 45 Grave, with Dinah Cancer, Don Bolles, previously of the Germs and Nervous Gender, Paul Roessler of The Screamers and Nervous Gender and Paul Cutler. 45 Grave was influential in the creation of goth rock. Graves died in 1990 of a heroin overdose.

Alice Bag joined the deathrock band Castration Squad, which included Phranc and Dinah Cancer among its many members. In the 1990s, she formed Cholita! with punk rock drag queen Vaginal Davis and the band released several videos. After this, she performed with Las Tres and then formed Stay at Home Bomb, her most recent musical project. According to her official website, since the deaths of Lee and Ritter and her estrangement from Morrison, she considers the Bags to be permanently disbanded, and has refused to perform Bags songs in public.

A collection of recordings from the group has been released on Artifix Records as well as a reissue of the original Dangerhouse single.

Official Releases

1. Survive
Label: Dangerhouse
Catalog Number: BAG 199
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Released: Dec 1978

additional notes…

2.Disco’s Dead
Label: Artifix Records
Catalog Number: SPR018
Format: Vinyl, 7″
Released: 2003