Thursday, July 1, 2010

A Tribute to Sid Sludge



Sometime during my first year at art school in Dover, NJ (maybe around 1989 or so), one of my roommates told me his friend Sid was coming over to the building we all lived in for a visit. It turned out to be Sid Sludge from my hometown heroes Mental Abuse. He was the nicest guy ever, and funny as shit. When he left, my buddy asked him where he was parked. Turned out his car broke down in the middle of the Lincoln Tunnel, so he just left it there, walked out of the tunnel, and jumped on a bus. That sealed it for me. This guy was the epitome of punk. I hope he's still out there somewhere, doing crazy shit. I've heard rumors of his death for years, hopefully it's not true. Anyway, here's the collection. Enjoy.

A Tribute to Sid Sludge


Every Thursday night back in the late '80s, Pat Duncan would play at least one Mental Abuse song on his radio show on WFMU. It was always from a live set recorded at CBGB in 1985. Years later i was able to get a copy of the Streets of Filth LP, which was a great album but paled in comparison to the energy of the live versions of the songs i would hear on Pat's show. Sometime during the mid '90s, i was lucky enough to get a copy of the entire live CBGB set, which i still listen to, and think is one of the best live hardcore sets i've ever heard. It's rare that a live set is better than the band's records, but in this case it's a definite. They just nailed it on this one. Every song is perfectly executed, and the music is faster and much more intense than on the LP. I've included the set in it's entirety here (the first 11 tracks of this collection), hopefully you enjoy it as much as i do. For me it's essential listening.

Mental Abuse info i found online, i'm not sure how accurate it is:

Sid Sludge - vocals
Dave Jones - drums
Andy Kelb - guitars
Mike Lucas - bass
Paul Dieter - guitars

Mental Abuse were founded in August of 1982. Sid and Paul started the band, then Dave (who is the ex-Agnostic Front drummer) joined them. They went through 4 guitarists and shortly after that they broke up - from August 83’ to November 83’. They then reformed with Andy on guitar (the lineup now incuded Mike Porath “Spike” on bass). Spike recorded with M.A. on the “Streets Of Filth” LP, then decided to split, and was replaced by Mike (since has passed away).

Paul (guitar) switched to bass, Dave also left the band, and was replaced by Billy Psycho (from the NY band The Psychos with Billy Milano M.O.D. - S.O.D., etc.).

Some of the places M.A. played included: A7, The Loft, Delmonties, Anthrax, Pogo’s, The Showplace, The Dirt Club, CBGB’s, party’s, party’s, and High School “Battle Of The Bands”.The Danceteria (NY), Club Hell, and opened for C.O.C. in someone’s basement in Poughkeepsie, NY…

Aside from their “Streets Of Filth” LP (Urinal Records), Mental Abuse had tracks on the “Message To America” comp (Urinal Records).

I can't find any info on
Outgroup online. They used to have a website but it was taken down a while back. I'm pretty sure the band (during the 1983 sessions) was the same lineup as Mental Abuse. Sid sang one of the band's 3 demos, the "Bleecker Street Studio Demos", recorded in the Fall of 1983 (while Mental Abuse was disbanded). Included here is the entire 21 song demo, taken from the "Out Completely" CDR, which also includes the band's other demos without Sid. This demo is full of raw, fast (and about as un-PC as you can get) punk rock anthems. The song Get Away is a NJ classic, covered by many bands, including Outgroup-related bands like Mental Abuse and Clenched Fist. Also on this demo you'll hear early versions of Mental Abuse songs and the blueprints for songs they would revise and record years later for the Streets of Filth album.

If anyone has any info on Outgroup, or any Sid Sludge stories to share, please leave a comment.

I had a Mental Abuse collection on the blog about a year ago and was asked to remove it (still not sure from who). There should be no problems this time, as i'm not posting anything that was officially released, like the LP or comp tracks. And i'm pretty sure the Outgroup CDR is impossible to find since the website was removed, so everything should be OK. And after all, it's just good old, long out of print, '80s NJ punk rock. Let the fans enjoy it.

Thanks to Cade Perrin for the great Sid Sludge pic.

46 comments:

  1. NICE ONE!

    liveset sounds incredible for its age and never heard of the out group but GREAT STUFF!!!

    and hook me up with the collection please,if it contains the unreleased demo thingy cleaned,i want it bad!? ;-)

    Dan

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  2. Hey Dan, glad you dig it. I think the old collection had the LP, the comp tracks, the live on WNYU set and some early Outgroup demos. I'll find it this weekend and send it to you.

    Vin

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  3. hey man, thanks for this. never heard of Sid Sludge or these bands, but it's always a great treat to hear some rabid old school hardcore.

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  4. Hey Stormy any chance you could re-up the older Mental Abuse collection?? Yet again another jem from the old days unearthed!! Nice one!!

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  5. Hey Man,
    I was searching more than 20 years for this legendary Live-tape of the Mental Abuse Show.Thanx alot for this great stuff. Greetings from Germany,
    Dirk

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  6. Anonymous, unfortunately i can't re-up the old collection. Every time i do, someone contacts Mediafire, and all my files get fucked up. I had to re-upload the entire blog twice because of that damn collection.

    If you email me, i can send you the WNYU set. The Streets of Filth LP is on other blogs. Just do a search.

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  7. Crypt, just linked you. Great blog.
    Vin

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  8. I've got your back :)

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  9. great singer and Mental Abuse is one of my favorite HC band !
    Can you upload the live on WNYU please ??

    Dundy from www.keponteam.org

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  10. I remember seeing Mental Abuse in 1984 or so in my hometown Montclair, New Jersey. They played at diner with my friend's band. Sid has apparently broken his leg on a PCP trip after attempting to kick through a fridge. Mental Abuse with the Street of Filth line-up with Sid on crutches. They kicked ass that night and I still listen to them to this day.

    R.I.P Sid

    Daryl

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  11. Great upload, Vin! I haven't been here in a while but I'm glad to see that things are still going here. I have to agree that I like the live versions of these Mental Abuse songs more than the LP-versions, plus I'd like to be more familiar with Outgroup, so thanks for the collection!

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  12. Outgroup was Chris Rogers on Guitar (he was 12 or 13 at the time), his brother Sean Rogers on bass, and Dave Jones on drums. Dave was the drummer on Agnostic Front 'Victim in Pain' album (Sid Sludge is thanked in the liner notes). Dave recently played a reunion show in Brooklyn with the original 'victim in pain' lineup, which looks like it's on youtube in it's entirety in several parts.

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  13. Anonymous, thanks for the info.

    Here's the Mental Abuse live on WNYU set from 1987 that some people have asked about. I never got a chance to clean this one, so the quality's not the greatest. Enjoy.

    http://www.mediafire.com/?nbno0nxk6i72204

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  14. I remember when Sid was living on some main street in west orange, we used to go to central park and smoke dust by some castle that he knew of, he was a trip, ive been way out of the scene for many years but stumbled upon some web sites, its so good to see all these web sites keeping the old school njhc alive and well, I miss the old days.

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  15. Hey Vin, great stuff man. Mental Abuse had a brief reunion that lasted from January 2009 to sometime in Summer 2010. Their first reunion show was at the Dew Drop Inn (RIP) in Matamoras, PA. The lineup constisted of Dave Jones on guitar/vocals, Dave Gutierrez (formerly of Social Decay) on bass and Matt Gray (formerly of Bigwig) on drums. They played songs off the Streets of Filth LP as well as some new ones. They went through some lineup changes and ended it with Dave Jones on guitar, Anthony on bass, And Dave's wife on drums. Dave is now in a band called Crippled Solution with Prentice "Johnny Cripple" formerly of New York gutterpunk band Necrophilia.

    --Joe

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  16. hey
    just wanted to say i sing in social decay & over the winter of 2010 we played with mental abuse at the meatlocker in jerz it was the nite of the ice storm so no one showed but the bands jammed out for each other ultraviolence also played our bass player(Dave Gutierrez) was in mental abuse for a while our new record "Sick Society"will be out soon and we cover corporate scum on our record..our shout out to a great hardcore /punk band..

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  17. hey vin, do u know where i could get a copy of that mental abuse album, my band used to cover sock woman, i've been dying to hear those guys again for years, thanks...bobby

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  18. http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/82224

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  19. Anyone looking for a bassist and working on a project thats even remotely NJHC? Hit me up paulmusolino@hotmail.com I live in North NJ and mention Mental Abuse....

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    Replies
    1. Paulie, what the hell r u doin here! hhhaaahaa...god damn small world.

      Jurgen

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  20. Paul D's on the radio live every other Friday night on KBCU Radio 1190. Next show Friday Jan. 28 2011 at 11pm Mountain.

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  21. KVCU Radio 1190 http://www.radio1190.org/

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  22. I think I lived at said house after you moved out!
    Sid is still around despite rumors of being dead.
    \N/
    HXC
    /J\

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  23. Joe (and everyone else), thanks for posting, and for the info/stories.

    Greazy Tony, Sid is still around??? You're sure about that?

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  24. I found vids from 09? of them playing live opening for napalm death!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz0r-othlnE
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAPBllAGlw8

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  25. Yea I know some of sids old friends/roommate. And the all say he's dead

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  26. Sid (Chris) is definitely not dead. He's living outside the NY/NJ area, but still has family there that he visits occasionally.

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  27. hey, my name is tohm and i sing in the band four fingers from norther nj. i've talked to some "older" dudes from the NJHC scene *cough* AOD *cough* and they have all stated that Sid is somewhere still alive living around the east coast. last they heard was maryland. who the hell knows. hes mysterious as fuck.

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  28. Chris, Sid, however you want to remember him, is very much alive. I should know more than any of you, I'm his sister!

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    Replies
    1. I'm really glad to hear that. I spoke to Andy's sister not long ago and he is in the mid-west somewhere. He had an accident in Cali and fucked his hand up...disabled. I forget your name but am fairly sure we've met at some point. Anyway, glad to know the rumors are just that. Sid prolly wouldn't remember me much...PCP and acid tends to do that to people, lol. I'm lucky I remember anything of the good ole days. Take care

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  29. how is he doing? give us proof hes alive!

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  30. I don't know what kind of proof you're looking for. He's doing well, haven't heard from him since christmas, but I know sure as hell I haven't been to his funeral. We did lose a brother about six years ago, maybe there was some confusion about that. Or maybe some douchebag just like to talk shit about my brother. Either way, he's alive, and doing okay.

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  31. I was in the band black out, we were on the comp album with mental abuse. looking for Sid and Dave. Would be cool to find who we can. Reunion....

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  32. what songs on the outgroup demos does sid sing?

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  33. Sid sings on the entire Bleeker Street demos posted. There are other Outgroup demos with other vocalists. All the demos are on the Out Completely CDR, which is kinda hard to come by.
    Vin

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  34. are there anymore live sets recorded? specifically looking for the WNYU set and the WFMU set. also can you possibly upload "come on baby" off the message from America comp?

    thanks!

    -tohm

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  35. sid sighting!!!

    sid was the guest vocalist for AOD for one song at the aod reunion gig on 10/12. they played "sock woman" and he remembered most of the words. it was fucking awesome.

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  36. Syd is VERY MUCH ALIVE! ...as Andrew stated, he recently performed the song "Sock Woman" LIVE (for the first time in about 25 years) with Adrenalin OD at the recent "Reunion" show in NJ...

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  37. The Return of Mental Abuse w/ Sid Sludge!!!

    Dec 19, 2013 @ Niagara (formerly A7) 112 Ave A, NYC

    Free Show!!!

    With Urban Waste, The High and the Mighty and Abject

    It's a record release party for The High and the Mighty and the Abused

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  38. Met Sid in 1982 at a Damned show held at the Showplace in Dover, NJ. Hanging outside and smoking weed, he was trying to come up with a name for a band he wanted to start. Many names were thrown about including Mental Abuse.

    Sid looked scary but was one of the nicest people I ever met. Hard to believe that was 30+ years ago.

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  39. UPCOMING MENTAL ABUSE SHOWS!!!

    FRI MAR 7 @ DINGBATZ/CLIFTON NJ
    HUB CITY STOMPERS
    MENTAL ABUSE
    KING DJANGO
    SOCIAL DECAY
    DECREPIT YOUTH
    SAMMY K
    ...
    SAT APR 5 @ STANHOPE HOUSE/STANHOPE NJ
    MENTAL DECAY
    MENTAL ABUSE
    KNUCKLE SANDWICH
    JOHNNY-CAB SUICIDE
    CONTROL

    FRI MAY 2 @ BRIGHTON BAR/LONG BRANCH NJ
    MENTAL ABUSE
    DEFIANCE ENGINE
    PUT UNDER
    WISE GUYS

    SAT AUG 2 @ RRROOOAAARRR FESTIVAL/MONTREAL CN
    MENTAL ABUSE
    BOSTON STRANGLER
    RIKK AGNEW
    FUNEBRARUM
    BLASPHEMY
    REVENGE
    POWERTRIP
    OMEGAS
    IRON LUNG
    AND MANY MORE!!!

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  40. i forgot to add you can find more of the bands lineup on facebook at mental abuse

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  41. Sid Sludge's real name is Chris Wood. When his parents moved to Massachusetts he went with them. His father was a telephone company executive. Chris used to work for Nagel's Candy Barn in Randolph, NJ near his old residence during his 'Sid Sludge' days.

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  42. I was just watching some live M.A. footage on you tube from the reunion show. I was surprised to see they are still around.Back in the 80's Sid once dropped the mic and spent the rest of the show looking for it! An audience member had it in his pocket . They lived near me in Madison NJ , I worked at Exxon with Sid (Chris) . There is you tube evidence that He's alive ! Is that Paul Dieter, sure sounds like it. I noticed Mr Sludge holding on to the that microphone tightly .

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  43. It's a shame mental abuse tracks still aren't available on Youtube/Spotify because of that 2 bit gangster Johnny Costello. Guy's a total loser.

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  44. I was at that party in Dover w Spike/
    Mike porath
    I remember someone pouring booze down Sids mouth,the whole place was lit everyone yelling Sid Sid Sid.good times

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