About Psychobud
Psychobud is a freak of rock musical nature. A misfit amongst a crowd of misfits. At the very beginning a band of “bros” that was forced into playing live as a time slot replacement for the unorthodox punk band the Aesthetics. A band that became the digest of countless creep bands that manifested improvised recordings in a Westminster, CA garage. A band that desired each song sound like a completely different band if possible. The first two shows in San Clemente and in North Hollywood had about 11 different players on stage and performed an array of songs from different creep bands. Soon after the band trimmed down the live act to 6 players, Seph Marx (Joe Bali), Mikey Balistreri, Jim Balistreri, Paul Smith, Doug Summers and Bob Cave.
(From left to right, Paul Smith, Jim Balistreri, Seph Marx, Bob Cave, Mikey Balistreri and Doug Summers.)
Here’s a couple stories from early Psychobud shows as told by a source from the website Weirdotronix.
10/8/82
Psycho Bud
Some Rich Kid’s Party, Huntington Beach
$2 at the door (or free if you climbed over the fence)
“This was another evening that I’ll never forget; I think that it was the last time that I actually slugged someone in the face. But that’s another story.”
“Psycho Bud was set up next to the swimming pool at the very large, luxurious house where the birthday party was being held. The party was packed, it seemed like every punk in Orange County was there. There were about three hundred punks crammed into the rich kid’s back yard.
After Psycho Bud had played about three songs, the cops arrived; lots of cops, maybe twelve patrol cars to break up the party and arrest a dozen or so uncooperative punks.
I’ve been to lots of parties with live punk bands, just about every one has ended the same way, with a street full of police cars and major property damage.”
8/20/82
Middle Class, Salvation Army, Psycho Bud
Galaxy Roller Rink, Fullerton
$6
“Psycho Bud was from Huntington Beach, birthplace of HB/surf punk bands like the Crowd and T.S.O.L.. HB punk usually meant loud, fast, nihilistic two minute explosions; Psycho Bud was definitely punk derived, but they had a creepy, medium tempo, synthesizer backed sound that was heavily influenced by english new-romantic music. They were competent musicians and pretty good song writers too; I had never heard them before, but I wound up with a couple of their tunes stuck in my head.”