|
JAB
Formed in 1976
Style Experimental, punk
Original line-up: Bohdan X (guitar, vocals), Ash Wednesday (synthesiser,
bass), Boris ? (guitar), Johnny Crash, drums)
History
Adelaide band JAB started out as an experimental outfit, taking
inspiration from the likes of Eno, David Bowie and certain German
electronic artists such as Kraftwerk, Neu!, Faust and Can. With
the advent of punk/new wave circa 1977, the band took on a brasher
punk stance. Alongside the likes of The Dagoes, Young Modern,
X-Ray-Z, Black Chrome, Nasty Nigel and the Teenage Hellcats, Sputniks,
The U-Bombs, The Warm Jets and The Accountants, JAB was part of
the first wave of new bands on the Adelaide scene.
JAB backed frontman Bohdan X on his solo single `Time to Age'/`You
Got Soul' which came out on the Tomorrow label in late 1977. The
single was not punk, however, being almost acoustic in a Roy Harper
vein. By the time the single came out, JAB had relocated to Melbourne.
Bobby Stopa replaced Boris on guitar. JAB became part of the Melbourne
new wave scene, and got swept up, along with The Boys Next Door,
Teenage Radio Stars, X-Ray-Z, The Negatives and others, as part
of the Suicide Records package. JAB contributed two tracks, `Blonde
and Bombed' and `Let's Go', to the label's 1978 Various Artists
compilation Lethal Weapons.
Pierre Voltaire (bass; ex-Teenage Radio Stars) joined JAB in May
1978, but three months later the band broke up. Bohdan X joined
members of The Chosen Few to form Bohdan and the Instigators.
He later issued several solo records, including the four-track,
12-inch EP Bohdan (`Fear of Flying') (Rumour, December 1983) and
the mini-album Kingsnake (Rampant, 1988). He became a DJ on community
radio station 3RRR-FM. Wednesday, Crash and Voltaire linked up
with Sean Kelly (guitar, vocals; ex-Teenage Radio Stars) to form
Models. Wednesday stayed with Models for a year, after which he
played with The Metronomes, Modern Jazz and Crashland. He also
issued a solo single in 1980, `Love by Numbers'/`Boring Instrumental'
Encyclopedia
of Australian Rock and Pop / Ian McFarlane 1999
under licence from Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd
|
Encyclopedia
of Australian Rock and Pop