Categories: Connecticut Audio HistoryRecordings

Bridgeport CT Punk Rock 1985 : : : update : : :

Came across this 1985 7″ at a yard sale this past summer. The band is called ‘Rude Awakening’ and the A-side is “Teenage Suicide.” Thetells us that it was recorded at Downstairs Studio, Bridgeport CT. Label is Incas Records, whom I believe I had some contact with some years ago when I was scouting for some re-issue material for Anthology Recordings. ‘Teenage Suicide’ is sort-of punk-opera with lots of different sections, changes, etc. My pick is the B-side “Wanted” which has a classic Johnny Thunders vibe. Check it out:

LISTEN: Wanted

Update: Tom Boudreau, writer of ‘Wanted’ and guitar-player for ‘Rude Awakening’ got in touch with PS.com. Here’s a few words from Tom about the band and the studio:

“(re: the) Rude Awakening 45. That was a few lifetimes ago. Roughly 25yrs later i can report that we sadly lost my brother / drummer in 05 due to complicated health issues / diabetes. I am still in contact with Joe Stoner (vocals). Sean (bass) is still local and we have crossed paths over the years. Joe wrote the A side and i wrote the B side of that record. All 4 of us built the music. I do not have any contact with Sam Eckhardt who owned and opperated Downstairs Studio. This was an 8 track Tascam board, 388 1/2″ reel, 2 room facility in the basement of Davidsons Fabric in Downtown Bridgeport. A lot of bands recorded there in the mid-80’s. Currently i have a small project studio in my home. I still have contact with Incas (Records). I have done some tape to cd transfer for them including ‘Ct Fun’ which was a compilation done with many bands from the times including Rude…

Tom Boudreau
www.boneheadstudio.com”

Thanks for getting in touch Tom! The Davidsons building, btw, is still present in Downtown Bridgeport. It’s just one of another abandoned buildings in the largely derelict downtown of this once-great city. The huge painted ‘Davidsons’ signage is clearly visible to all who approach the bus/train station from the North. I’ve asked Tom for some pics of ‘Downstairs Studio’; if any arrive I will post them here. BTW, nice to get a solid, concrete examples of one of the hundreds of busy, active Tascam-based project studios of the early 1980s. See this previous post for more on the Tascam revolution.

chris

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Tom Boudreau says:

01/17/2011 at 12:02 pm

sorry, i should also mention that the day before this session, our lead guitarist Dwayne Kanterowski split for Florida and John MacFayden stepped in and did these great leads with no rehearsal. John (and Dwayne) are still great friends of mine to this day.
Good times!
Brad Morrison says:

07/18/2014 at 10:17 am

Nice to see that both Incas and Bridgeport Hardcore is remembered in such a favorable light. I was one of the "founders" of Incas. I use the little quote things because Incas was a Co-op. Each of the bands paid for their own recordings and record pressings. If Joe Diaz(Lost Generation) and or Mark Mulcahy (Miracle Legion) and or Me agreed that you could be on Incas then you were "on the label" whatever that meant. I was the distribution and sales guy, and I also had one of the only shows broadcasting Punk on college radio. It was called Capital Radio and was on WPKN, 89.5 FM on Saturday night.
Also, another aspect that needs to be mentioned is Pogo's a punk nighclub that I started in 1981 in an old irish bar in Downtown Bridgeport.
With a label, radio play and a place to play Bridgeport Hardcore and Alternative boomed in the early 80's...................Brad Morrison