Freaks - yes, no “The" - were an important underground New York City-based Rock & Roll band that grew out of the late-1970’s and early-1980’s Punk and Garage scenes. They existed between 1986 and 1989 and today remain a vital Missing Link between what was in that underground and what would soon become the Alternative Rock Explosion of the Nineteen Nineties.
This female-fronted - a rarity in those years - band was comprised of seasoned veterans. Lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist, Andrea Matthews Kusten (ex-The Outta Place, future-Fuzztones); bassist Howie Pyro (ex-The Blessed, future-D Generation & Danzig); lead guitarist, John Fay (ex-The Tryfles); and drummer Eric Eckley comprised the classic lineup. Musically, they fused their deep and deeply-shared Punk, Garage, Psychedelia, Acid, Glitter, Thrash, Proto-Metal and trash/pop culture obsessions into one cohesive sonic package they branded, Heavy Orange Rock. Like their heroes Kiss, they wanted to be the band you never saw before. And, they were!
Freaks played every room in the Tri-State area, often with notable local and national bands - Raging Slab and Soundgarden, included. As they were fans-first, they helped kickstart the careers of many others - most notably the then-teenaged Lunachicks, who have recently reunited. They released one self-financed 7” EP as well as the In-Sensurround LP on Resonance records. Sadly, the band imploded soon after the LP’s release due to the pressures of having too many lineup changes in too short a period of time. Howie, Andrea and John all moved on to different projects while Eric retired from performing. Unfortunately, Howie - who in decades since had become a globally-respected DJ and museum-status pop culture curator - passed away in Two-Thousand Twenty-Two.
