The Ed Davis Band

The Ed Davis Band was a group assembled near the end of 1976 for the "Woodstock/Altamont" segment of a large-scale performance piece, the Third Variation on the Alternate Pieta, by the Cincinnati media arts collective We're Just Like You. The band stayed together after the show and began to play around Cincinnati clubs and eventually at a series of parties in the WJLY loft downtown.

Strictly a cover band in their first few shows, Ed quickly began to create a series of fast, loud, angry songs that won over an emerging punk audience pissed-off about the overwhelmingly conservative voice that dominated Cincinnati. The local press was apoplectic about the band, their reviews dripping with the venom usually reserved for local smut-peddler Larry Flynt. Shows were crazy — especially at the loft — with an invitation-only audience, free beer, and 8mm stag loops projected on the band by sixteen-year-old wunderkind David Lewis. There were often four of five hundred people crowded into the dark, cavernous space, all chanting "oi oi oi" from the opening guitar blast and not stopping until the band played "Asshole."

In '78 the band cut a single (cover on the right), opened for The Patti Smith Group at local night club Bogart's, and lost its original guitarist Byron Stevens, who moved to NYC. Ed soldiered on for another year with new vocalist and pianist Fran Slater; bassist Bob Cotter switched to guitar; and vocalist Enright picked up the bass. In '79 Enright moved to the East Village as well, moving in with Byron at 12th Street and 3rd Avenue. Within a few months Fran joined them and what was left of Ed Davis became NYC's Desi Desi and Desi.

Keith Richards' Dead was the A side of Ed's 1978 single. Produced by local record-store maven Jess Hirbe and classical FM-guy Jeff Krys, 500 copies found their way to the airwaves in L.A., Cleveland, Detroit, and London. A small number were once available at Bleecker Bob's in the Village, and at least one made it onto a critic's desk at the N.M.E. There was even a copy that showed up several years ago in Singapore (20 Euros on eBay!) but it was never immortal until Carolyn put it onto the jukebox at Downtown Beirut. Play It

Historical note: "Keith Richards' Dead/Asshole" was slated to be release 001 on the Shake It Records label, founded by Jess Hirbe and Doc Kalmus. Jess also produced The Customs single, "Let's Get It On/Bring My Cadillac Back" which became the first Shake It release. The Customs played with Ed Davis at Ed's final show in the WJLY loft.

Asshole was the B side of Ed's single, and was the most-requested tune from punk-starved Cincinnati fans. For one or two years The Ed Davis Band was Cincinnati's punk scene, though they never wore the punk uniform — nobody knew what that was yet, at least not in southern Ohio. Both sides of the single were done live, fueled by Jack Daniels and pot, in a pro studio that later burned to the ground. The master tapes, "preserved in ideal storage conditions", were still there when it happened. "Asshole" is an edit of the last two takes. The song has shown up on at least one bootleg punk compilation, probably due to its title. Play It

Pictures from the recording session for the 1978 single at Fifth Floor Studios: 1 | 2

Fuck Each Other with its calculatedly outrageous title was also considered for the single. Ed cynically selected for the release by reviewing all the most provocative song-titles in the set list. "Fuck Each Other" was deemed a little strong, "Asshole" safe for a B side, and "Keith Richards' Dead" perfect for the A — underground marketing at its best. This 4-track was recorded in Ed's rehearsal space at We're Just Like You's Fifth Street loft. Play It

The Girlfriend Song was written for Fran Slater, the vocalist and pianist who joined The Ed Davis Band in 1978, when Byron moved to New York. With Fran's voice added to the mix — and without Byron's improvisations — Ed turned away from his hard-edged roots and began to explore more melodic avenues, particularly the girl-group sound. Though this beat-box living-room version of the tune was recorded after the move (see Desi Desi Desi), it was written in Cincinnati for The Ed Davis Band. Play It