Frank Meyer, Editor, KNAC.COM, put it this way: “Lipstick, lace, leather, cheap booze, cheaper dames, low slung guitars, and hair…lots and lots of hair. This was the Sunset Strip music scene in the ‘80s. A poisonous cocktail of post-Mötley Crüe metal meets Van Halen influenced cock rock, served with a healthy dose of Hanoi Rocks pout and New York Dolls trash. The Hollywood, CA scene held a lot of weight, spurning other likeminded bands throughout the rest of the world, so it wasnÂ’t any surprise to find that just up the coast San Francisco had it’s own thriving punk/metal/glam thang goinÂ’ on. So by 1986, Hollywood had Poison and Guns NÂ’ Roses, and the Bay Area had JETBOY and the Sea Hags. But JETBOY were always different from the restÂ…a little more warped, and a lot more punk.”
That pretty much sums up the early ‘80s West Coast music scene. But JETBOY always were “…a little more warped, and a lot more punk,” and that’s what set them apart form the “Baskin Robbins…flavor of the week” crew that arose in L.A. and flooded the West Coast. That and their MUSIC!
While many of the L.A. Glam Punks of that period have come and gone, JETBOY have doggedly survivedÂ…and grown!
Sure…they went through all of the “early years” stuff: Their teenaged beginnings in 1983, with the momentous meeting between co-founders Billy Rowe and Fernie Rod, spurred into a lasting musical friendship via their similar musical tastes… Stones, AC/DC, KISS, Aerosmith, Girl, Starz, Cheap Trick, and the Sex Pistols. Their attempt at an early band collaboration with drummer Ron Tostenson and bassist buddy of Fernie’s, Todd Crew. The arrival of Jerseyite vocalist Mickey Finn…drunk as a lord, in the alley behind the Mabuhay Gardens in North Beach. Through it all evolved JETBOY…San Francisco’s premier contribution to the genre.
“We were fortunate to blow up quick,” recalls Finn. “In California, we seldom had to play for a small crowd. We played a lot of good, quality gigs to packed houses and built a following pretty quick.”
By 1984, they’d begun their requisite “garage recordings”…yes, in Billy’s parent’s garage…which resulted in their tracking live faves like: “Little Teaser,” “In The Alley,” “Don’t Mess With My Hair,” and “Car Sex.” All tracks and tunes fresh enough to snag the attention of fans not only in San Francisco, but beyond. Kerrang! and Canada’s Metal Forces even published reviews of JETBOY’s Pink Demo. So the next step? Why go to L.A., of course.
But the thing that set JETBOY apart from the rest was their infectious “punky” attitude. Not poseurs, like the rest, they were the real deal.
It worked. By Â’89 they had snagged “the tours:” The U.S., with with Kix, Cheap Trick, Stryper, & Vixen. The big 60,000 stadium summer festival Day On The Green with Motley Crue, Whitesnake & Poison in 1987. And loads of early club shows with Guns Â’nÂ’ Roses, Faster Pussycat, LA Guns, Johnny Thunders, Iggy Pop, WASP, Toy Dolls, JaneÂ’s Addiction, Cherry Bombz, Poison, Lords Of The New Church, Specimen and so on ….and so on.
JETBOY even had a hit single on MTVÂ’s Headbangers called “Feel the Shake” and, of course, nailed the obligatory interview VJ Adam Curry. They even did a Rock The Vote Commercial In 1990. They had made it.
So whatÂ’s up now?
No surpriseÂ…theyÂ’re still together! And rockinÂ’ it harder than ever.
JETBOYÂ’s New DVD/CD IS IN STORES NOW!!!, and is a mothah! ItÂ’s called “The Glam Years Movie And CD,” and iTunes already has the audio version. But it doesnÂ’t stop there. There are six out of the total of 21 tracks (yeahÂ…thatÂ’s right 21 total tracks!) on the DVD/CD that have been previously released, so you can touch Jet with those, right away. True to their Punk Glam roots, though, thereÂ’s vinyl, too! The vinylÂ’s got 8 tracks from the CD plus two heretofore unavailable LIVE cuts, that are not on the CD. YouÂ’ll also discover 2 NEWLY recorded trax, including “Feel The Shake (2007 version)” and their stellar version of the classic “Folsom Prison Blues.”
YouÂ’ll find “The Glam Years Movie And CD” at Best Buy, WalMart, Amoeba and virtually every other retail record store with any taste at all, across the States. Japan & Europe? Just you waitÂ…theyÂ’re workinÂ’ on it!