Shattered Faith – I Love America/Reagan Country 7″ (1981 Posh Boy Records)
Shattered Faith were a Southern California punk band that started in 1978. It would be 3 years before they put out their first record, which is this single. They had appeared on a few compilations around this time as well. They signed a contract with Posh Boy Records and were to do an album after this 7″ but they had a falling out when the band found someone to back them and wanted out of their contract with Posh Boy. I asked Posh himself for his recollections and here is what he wrote…
They were very heavy pot smokers and they did not hide it so I was a fool for getting involved with them knowing it, But I was always thinking of the music and I was taken with the songs as I heard them performed. They just continued to get high and come up with career plans that did not account for reality. There was no real animosity between us, at first. They simply found a financial backer after going into the studio with me and they wanted out of their contract and for the sake of $1200 or so which I wanted them to reimburse me for, they gave me the finger. They wanted out probably right after the single when I was advertising their forthcoming. Their contract called for a minimum of 12 sides, similar to TSOL’s.
It’s a pretty straightforward scenario: I get them on the radio before the record is released to create demand, now other people take them seriously. That’s 1981, by 1982, all I had to do was give a group a contract to go over and other people would swoop in. The worst part of it was that they agreed to a buy out then balked. But in those days, there were plenty of people around who would just say “F Robbie, he won’t do anything”. People like Greenworld that became Enigma and Bug Music.
So after this, they released their first album titled Shattered Faith Live that had both live and studio tracks on it. Sometime after that, they put out Shattered Faith Volume Two and then I believe they broke up.
A couple years ago, they resurfaced and started playing some shows around southern California. Grand Theft Audio put out a collection of old works on CD and Posh Boy reissued the studio recordings they owned (6 songs, including this 7″) on a CD, which incidentally, I did the layout for. The band has a website. Sadly, one of the original members, Paul Jamie, who played bass (but not on this record) passed away this past New Years Eve. Remaining members seem to be playing in a band called Firecracker 500. Shattered Faith also seem to still be together in some capacity. I emailed the address on their website to ask if they’d like to chime in with any stories or history and the person who seems to answer their mail and probably does the site said they were practicing and that he’d ask. I never heard back from him though.
As always, if you have any additional information, or were in Shattered Faith, please get in touch.
Click here to hear “Reagan Country” from the record (right click and “save target as…”)
Another underrated band of their era. One of my favorite SoCal bands. I thought I read on their website that they will be releasing new material in 2005.
They also released some material on Underground Records comps and on some Mystic comps.
Lew
Shattered Faith always stoned, huh? That must have been why they sometimes were no-shows at gigs! I was always bummed when they didn’t make it. I did see them twice: at the Summer Slam at the Olympic in LA (’82) and when my band, Sorex, played with them in Long Beach (’85).
Great band.
Andy, I never heard of yr band before. Did you guys put out any records?
FYI this is from Spencers very own words. taken from Shattered Faiths upcoming CD on Finger Records Due out April 05. First and formost Robbie Realy loves to talk about the guys Smoking Pot and Bad Decisions etc.. Get over it Robbie like your other acts dident shoot heroin… Please!!!
Skitch and I the working members of the band pooled our money together and funded the first recordings it was about $300.00 the studio was l little hole in the wall in midway city called phantom Studios who knows what happened to those reels. But in a few days these recordings would be aired on the very Radio show that started it all for us. So with the final mixed tape My girlfriend and I headed to Pasadena were Rodney did his show live. She went to the back door upstairs and knocked and knocked until it swung open and their stood this little man who was the the undisputed King of Music to all or us. He asked her name She Said Ecy.. he replied that’s a new one she handed him the tape and gave him some basic info and the band name. the door closed and down she came and as she was heading to the car Rodney comes on the radio and says “All right I just had this cute girl at the back door she gave me a tape of a band from Huntington beach and without listening to it he put it in and Trilogy was On the Air, Ecy ran up screaming can you believe it we started laughing and shouting its us on the radio he playing us the song ended and Rodney comes on All Right that was Shattered Faith from H.B. meanwhile at the same time in H.B./F.V. all our crew were glued to the radio and the song and band in the next few years would become legendary.Now every sunday morning Rodney & Robbie meet for breakfast at the Denny’s on Sunset Blvd, and this is were Posh would ask rodney what new bands he thought were good bounce ideas and of course eat.Robbie must have liked what he heard cause he went after us it was in Costa Mesa at the famous Cookoo’s Nest or Concert Factory by this time is where we first me him. To the best of my knowledge it think the line up was China White, SF, The Vandals & CH3 Spencer was in a friends big giant 4X4 blazer taking bong rips when this guy taps on the side of the door and gestures to roll down the window as he does smoke bellows out of the truck and a voice with a british accent speaks “ Hello I was told by some people that you are a member of Shattered Faith” Spencer replied “ya!” Robbie” Let me introduce myself I am Robbie Fields”
Spencer “ So-I’m Spencer Bartsch” and then he rolls up the window. moments later their is another tap on the door. with the roll down the window gesture again, however Spencer just swung open the door to jump out as he did Robbie states “I’m Posh Boy” Spencer says “That’s nice and walked into the club” later they would all talk exchange #s Blah Blah Blah!. In the following months Robbie would visit the Band were they rehursed at that time.It was in F.V. at Spencer’s house cause to many people knew were Kerry’s house was by then and their would be people hanging out in the front yard and the big tree out front to listen and sneak a peak into his bedroom window. Spencer’s parents were living in singapore at the time due to his fathers job. So Spencer and His Older brother Scott were carrying for the house and such.This time Robbie showed up with this Record contract it was something life 50 pages , the kind you see the Devil throw down on a table in one of those horror movies from the 50’s. it was redeculas, all we wanted to do was make a record the rest of the stuff was not important to us,With all the legal mombo jumbo they had no idea that they were signing away all their rights to the music, likenesses, performances etc… 50 pages worth. Just remember that money was never the bands driving force and they never made more than $1.00 from the Posh Boy Recordings, Literally Robbie Sent a check Spencer’s parents house for One Dollar and it was payable to Shattered Faith like they could even cash it the Band was a band not a business, I think Spencer still has the Check somewhere in storage with the rest of his life. The Band Recorded six songs in Burbank at one of the Studios Posh Used. David Hinds was the engineer and him and Posh produced the songs etc.. the first actual release was a cassette by the name of “The Future Looks Bright Ahead” it was a split tape with Posh Boy Bands on side A and SST Bands on side B the cover was an illustration of Elvis gazing into a Crystal Ball. SF was the opening band the song were A.D.P., the Verdict & Trilogy on the tape followed by TSOL, CH3 and Social D. the next release was the 7” with I love America & Reagan Country the later ROTR vol 2 with Right is Right. Robbie never put us back in the studio and if you can count he had used all six songs that we recorded so you do the math. with no new songs recorded and Posh not putting them back in the studio for the two slatted unreleased records know still today as PBS 1019: SHATTERED FAITH – Unreleased EP & PBS 133: SHATTERED FAITH – Unreleased LP. The band never recorded the last 6 songs for Robbie and after an entire year of waiting the band felt the had no choice but to Brake out on their own. For the record Now thats what realy happened…
Spencer – Thanks so much for sharing your story, I will update this entry to post your story as part of the main story as soon as I get a chance.
What is the CD coming out? Is it new material or some old stuff?
Hey Punk Vault! SF checking in – ripping site! We are playing a show (not announced yet) March 5th at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach with Manic Hispanic, The Grabbers, & The Fakes. This is a benefit show to raise $ to help the family of our friend & former band mate Paul Jaime. Better get a hold of Alex this is gonna sell out quick! Our e-mail was slightly f’d up – but I think it is fixed now…
asweissenheimer@yahoo.com
or
theband@shatteredfaith.us
or
http://www.firecracxker500.com
Talked to Alex – this show is going to be huge. You guys should add another night…
Beans