This one is a unique entry as it is featuring two records by the same band, which covers different eras of the band’s existence.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. It all started with a compilation….
While not an overly original way to start one of these features, it is a testament to just how important compilations were back then. For awhile I’d discover more bands through compilations than I would through fanzines and simple word of mouth. Of course these days the compilation is all but useless. This particular compilations was called Let’s Die and it was one of the many Mystic Records comps. It was here that I discovered the White Pigs. I liked the song so much that I’d seek out their other recordings, which at the time was a pair of 7″s and a demo tape (which I still have).
I contacted Keith Grave, founding member and bass player for the White Pigs story and he chimed in with some info regarding these particular releases. He also penned the White Pigs history on the Kill From The Heart website, which I lifted part of for this band history.
The White Pigs formed in CT in 1980 out of the ashes of Zak and the Soda Boys. Lead singer Dave Death came up with the name as a goof on a neighborhood dog that used to shit all over the place. That line up did one Shamrock Pub show, then because of inner band problems disbanded.
In 1982 singer Brian Ripthroat and original founding member bassist Keith Grave agreed to reform the band, but it took until the summer of 1983 to locate drummer George Butterrick (formerly of the Separates) and guitarist Chuck Duncan, to get the band rolling again.
They then released their self-titled 7″ EP on Switch Kwilson Productions.
They released a second 7″ in 1984 called Evil Stalks the Innocent on their Songs Of Sin label. It was recorded live and they came on red vinyl. At the end of that year is when they appeared on the aforementioned compilation and had recorded the demo tape.
That leads us to their final release as a band, an EP on Combat Records that featured a different lineup than on the earlier works. After this came out, the band called it quits. It would be a few years before the posthumous 7″ on Mystic Records and the LP on Walkthrufyre would be released.
Keith had the following to say about these particular records chosen for this entry.
White Pigs – Combat Boot Camp 12″ EP (1987 Combat Records)
The poor bastards, I get them a full Metal Blade LP. deal, which included an appearance also on an upcoming Metal Massacre compilation LP. What do they do? They go with the bootcamp series that only offered them a 12″ EP. release. On top of that, the jacket is all camouflaged that didn’t even print the members names or contact addresses etc.
I was booted out of my own band by then because of personal differences, mostly with guitarist Steve Bertrand, so I had no say on which deal to go with. My replacement on bass, Dave Flannery, couldn’t play my bass lines on most of the recordings that made up the 1987 bootcamp release, so Steve played both guitar and bass on this record.
The remake of “Deathway” is lifeless and sterile. The Munsters Theme remake is slightly better than the original demo recording I played on, but boy that no fills allowed bass playing on the record grades on my nerves. Some new tunes were added in “Body Parts”, “Unholy Trinity” that sucked and a studio version of “Blood Sucking Freaks” that was good, but for my money, buy 1990’s Songs of Sin on Walkthrufyre Records. It has the full 1985 demo plus a few cuts from the Combat EP.
In their full bootcamp reissue, Century Media Records ,that owns the Combat catalog now, failed to include the White Pigs bootcamp EP with this reissued box set. Singer Brian Ripthroat told me years later he almost cried when he saw the finished release of the bootcamp record, it was so cheaply packaged and cheesy looking.
Click here to hear “Deathway from the record (right click and “save target as…”)
White Pigs – Hit Bonanza 7″ (1989 Mystic Records)
Doug Moody by now was running out of money and on the run. I used to call him to inquire on when this record was coming out and he used to disguise his voice as his mother and say “Doug isn’t in” but the bastard took pity on me and actually sent me the 100 copy payoff he promised me of this record.
In a nut shell Mystic went through Bill Smith pressing plant, first mistake, colored vinyl copies sounded horrible. Mistake number two, Doug strays from the original master I sent him and deletes some unreleased songs that are listed on the cover of the record. Nice packaging though, I like this record the best out of all the White Pigs releases.
This single came on both blue and purple vinyl. I believe there was 500 of each color.
Click here to hear “A.P.O.W.” from the record (right click and “save target as…)
As always, if you have any information you’d like to share or were one of the other members of White Pigs, please get in touch.
I was the drummer from 1984 until we went our seperate ways a few years later. Keith a good guy but he has quiet a selective memory. If you need any other info on TWP drop me a line. Steve,Ripthroat and myself still stay in touch with each other. Pete
I am Brian RIPthroat now known as Ian Gothian
Should anyone seek any further info on The White Pigs, or the now formed IAN GOTHIAN which includes Stephen Bertrand now known as Sven Gothian please feel free to contact us at IANGOTHIAN@AOL.COM for direct contact, or at http://WWW.SONGSOFSIN.COM OR http://WWW.IANGOTHIAN.COM
As of 2005 we have made a lot of progress with an up coming release( our 3rd ) on our own label SONGS OF SIN RECORDS and have great news about the band and forth coming tour
Hope to hear from many of you soon
Ian Gothian aka Brian RIPthroat
White Pigs, Ian Gothian GREAT bands
make sure to check out the NEW Ian Gothian release -due late spring 2005
I represent Ian, I am his agent with The Willaim Morris Agency in New York City, you may reach Ian at Songs Of Sin or at his personal email address IANGOTHIAN@AOL.COM he would be thrilled to hear from you—James L. Carison 02-25-2005
I am Steve Bertrand, guitarist from “White Pigs”, and let me tell you the “real” story:
I joined the band in early 84, at that time they already had the first EP out and were doing shows to support it.The real reason I joined the band is because they smoked a lot of weed, and wanted to play my songs that I was writing at the time, and we had a good chance of releasing them first, and those songs were really metal sounding, so we worked on them first. Brian really took to the new songs and what I was writing, so we gelled. I was naive with the inner struggles of the band at the time between Brian and Kieth, with Brian wanting the metal songs and Kieth wanting the punk songs. Majority ruled, and we went with the metal songs. They kicked the drummer out (george), and I called Pete Clark, who was also into metal and was interested in playing. We rented a new band room at Bezzini Bros in Manchester, and were practicing alot, when one day I came to practice, and the manager we had at the time was there packing up his stuff and he told me I was kicked out of the band. No other band members were there. No reason, no nothing. And I found out later that Kieth had a pussy temper tamper andpushed over my stack onto my guitar case and damaged both and ending up costing me some money in repairs. And also I found out later that they kicked out Brian also. When the rest of them fell apart, I started playing with Pete Clack again, then Brian started coming around, so we just started White Pigs again. Same band, different bassist. So, Kieth basically kicked out the whole band. I mean to me, it was Brians band anyways, he was the vocal and focal point of the band. Kieth has it all wrong. I think he was just mad we got laid all the time and he was jerking off to swinger magazines. And yes, Kieth did get us signed, but they wanted the new metal songs that I was writing. And I give Kieth much credit for that, he is very good at getting bands and material signed, even though the asshole never sent me a fucking single copy of any release that I was on. I am just not a fan of his writing and playing style. And as far as the tapes, we went into the studio with Dave Flannery(another mistake), the new bassist, to record the new songs we were writing, and after we tried to re-record some bass tracks on the older songs. I did not play any bass on those recordings. Dave Flannery was soon replaced with longtime friend and bassist Ed Porter. As far as all of the deals, the combat deal, the walk thru fire deal, the doug moody deal, I had nothing to do with picking out the songs, artwork, liner notes, ect. I fucking cried myself when I had seen how chessy they were. We were a fucking metal band with song titles like Deathway, and Blood Thirsty Freaks. I was very disappointed in combat and their lack of support, so by the time the walk thru fire deal came around we were already broken up, but I was disappointed in that release because the sound sucked and kieth tried to use all the older recordings that he was on, and those versions sucked. But we managed to get the newer songs on there and the front cover artwork. The main thing is that the songs were released period. I am proud of those songs and I am now producing some original tapes of live and unreleased “White Pigs” material for our fans to enjoy. anyone interested in signing this material please contact me. I have been very busy since “White Pigs”, and I encourage everyone to listen to my many post pigs releases. The first is Eleventh Hour, a metal band that released one self titled CD. on drums is Steve Zimmerman from Fates Warning! After that band dissolved, I joined up with Brian Ripthroat once again, for the first of many “Gothian” releases. (we are working on our third as yet untitled CD, look for in summer 2005) I am also in touring punk band around NYC called “The Unattended”. I am also again working with Steve Zimmerman in the band “Interface” (www.interfacesoundz.com). If anyone is interested in any of these releases please feel free to contact me at svengothian@hotmail.com
A Steve Bertrand Selected Discography:
White Pigs (combat)
White Pigs, Songs of Sin (walk thru fire)
White Pigs, Super 7, Lets Die,and all other comps
White Pigs, Greatest Hits (Songs of Sin Records)
Eleventh Hour (Barbarous Recordings America)
Gothian (Songs of Sin/Barbarous Recordings)
Gothian, In Nomini Dei Nostri Satanas (SOS/BRA)
The Unattended (Barbarous Recordings America)
Coming 2005
Gothian (as yet untitled 3rd CD)
Sven Gothian Solo CD,
Interface
Write: svengothian@hotmail.com
I don’t know shit about the pigs, but I remember seeing them @ a party on Coventry Lake in `88. It was right after I left the life of a crack homo in Bridgeport. This party was wild. I could hear the band from across the lake, so me and a couple of chums crashed. When I saw the drummer, I instantly wanted to shag him. Why not? He looked like a broad! After an hour of watching him work up a speed-freak (type) sweat, I had to jacket to a swinger mag! That crack-homo business was a bad career move is all. It doesn’t make me gay, just a bit continental. Cheers to PETE! And by the by, where’s that saucy bitch Fitzpatrick?
I’m glad to see Pete, Brian, and Steve set the record straight. Someone still needs to fix the “history” over at the Kill From The Heart website: http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cch223/usa/whitepigs_main.html
Let’s see some legit White Pigs releases, guys!!!
Get ’em on Napster and Rhapsody!!!
I’m so happy to see the AWESOME white pigs being talked about again, I was able to see them many times over the years and I also have copies of Brian (Ian) and Steve (Swen) Gothian releases,,,AWESOME Techno/Indrtl/Metal
I saw The White Pigs in CT and many New York shows over the years and have to say that Steve, Brian and Pete are true rock gods
Message to Brian my sister still thinks you’re so fucking hot,,,and shes dying to meet you, will do anything for you, she’ll be so happy to know I talked to you guys,,,she LOVES you to DEATHway,,and shes fucking super hot, Steve my sisters friend wants you BADLY,,,and she is beautiful and both of them have a shit load of $$$$$$ and would LOVE to take care of the two of you forever, Pete sorry we found out through good info that you are a married man
I can’t wait to hear all the solo stuff, and the new GOTHIAN releases
keep up the good work and if you ever see that keith dude kick him in the ass for me
Allen
I thought the sudden flood of comments on this post was a bit suspicious, and now seeing that they all come from the same two IP adresses confirms it. If you guys feel the need to drum up some publicity for yr old band, there are better ways of doing it, you don’t need to make a bunch of fake comments.
This is Steve again, guitarist from “White Pigs”. Sorry to hear about the comments coming from the same IP address. I will tell you this: The one comment I previously made to this site is totally true and accurate, and anyone who would like to debate this can e-mail me directly @
svengothian@hotmail.com
I was suspicious myself about all the entries that were posted after mine was and I assure you that I only posted that one entry(before this one). I am again very sorry for any confusion.
Thank you,
Steve Bertrand
Message to the people playing games with the postings here: why post these fake comments
bottom line STOP you’re coming off as assholes
Message to MXV: As to your comment about the fake comments
(Steven and I both agree are fake)
WE- Steve, Pete, Brian> could care less to “drum up” publicity for The White Pigs
we rested that beast many years ago and have all since moved on. and we agree with MXV that the comments posted after Pete, Brian, steve are all jerks with nothing better to do , we all feel sorry for these people that have nothing better to do, please know that the statements from Pete, Brian and Steve are real and that anyone with comments or questions about the white pigs or any related band should just contact one of us> Brian RIPthroat / Ian Gothian
Sorry you guys think all the above posts are fake. Mine, at least is legit. I was just trying to support a band I liked. I was never in the band, but know some of the members from when I lived in CT. If someone wishes to contact me regarding the validity of my post or whatever, drop me a line at jazzmanmaxx_001@yahoo.com. I still stand by my previous post.
Matt C in SC
looking for the white pigs ep munsters theme they played on z rock
i have the munster’s theme mp3, if anyone needs a copy email me: jayd@budweiser.com
just a hopefully final comment from myself on the pigs and bertrand.
steve-pete-brian-eddie porter are musically done-no releases no gigs.the music dream for them is over.
bertrand was an egomanic since the day he joined the band.hating the name-hating the music whinning all the time.
falling for brian’s bullshit that the band was started by brian,in reality les roberts-dave death-john roberts and myself played the first show at the shamrock in hartford opening for the regular joes in 1981.before brian was even going to local shows.
steve of course is right that i flipped his cabinet onto his guitar but he was treating us all like shit in practices-soloing for 10 minutes without playing a song,smiling while we were standing there trying to practice our set.he thought the whole thing was a joke and we all agreed to boot his ass out because he was getting so un productive in practices.
so we went and got frank from demonaxe to fill in for him to complete the un finished 85′ songs of sin session.
unfortunatly a i use this term losly”manager”talked steve back into the band to complete the songs of sin session.the agreement was steve would finish the recordings and then leave to form a real”metal”band as he was ashamed of playing punk music.
the guy actually came at me with a puty knife in one practice because i tried turning off his amp. while he was on one of those never ending guitar solo tangants.
those guys didn’t eben let me know i was out of the band they just left for a bit,came back rented another practice room and continued.
but steve left out things like the plan he and brian had of getting all our equipment insured and then getting someone he knew to steal it so we could get the insurance money and buy new equipment.
i squashed that idea immediantly.
steve left out that i gave copies of releases the pigs were on to pete clarke to pass them out to the rest,namely the mystic hit bonanza and 1984 the fourth new rave records comp. l.p.
i can’t be holding hands and making sure these guys function.
in a nut shell who are these guys,what have they acomplished since the band broke up?
nothing maybe demos they didn’t know how to market or get released.
pete clarke had a c.d. out on a pay to release label in the late 90’s,but not a peep from brian or steve that i’ve heard of.
and guys don’t forget all the coke you did that prevented you from even attempting to tour on the combat release.
the bottom line is i got all the music from the rest of the band and got it released for them.and that wasn’t much.
from a buisness side century media records who bought out combat owns the bootcamp pigs master and they don’t even want to re release it.
guys you fucked your selfs.
i could care less about what you think of me or my playing but i’ve survived in music.
now if they want to get the combat music and any other music released then go for it,but right now from all the bullshit comments from the other members i have to sit back and keep on laughing at these clowns.
one last thing stevie gothic.ya failed to mention how you refused to pay for any studio time.we had to carry the load.
and you and your friends “stole”the amphion studio master that you didn’t own to re record at the gallery.
and then you guys tried chumping that studio for recording costs and were served with a letter from doug clarke’s(owner of the gallory studios)lawyer sent you a collection or will sue letter.that was accedentally delivered to my p.o.box address.
of course pete clarke became the pattys and payed off the bill.
so steve except for the boo boo on your guitar,what are you bitching about?
you got some shitty music released on shitty labels without lifting a finger.
playing a metal god guitar player who sits back starts chaos and lets the rest of the people cater to his every command.
some one as bright as me woke up smelled the coffee and realized he was
just being treated like your personal slave and that didn’t fly with me.
so go to hell go back into your 20 year obscurity and keep patting yourself on the back for being a total prick and an un original run of the mill randy rhoades clone who doesn’t get the whole underground music scene and never will.
the bottom line is the old pigs music is in much more demand then the metal pigs so that speed metal experiment was a failure.
hey pete pretty detailed huh?not bad for memory loses.
good luck on securing that big interscope record deal.duh
yeah, what happened? that first white pigs 7″ is so good!
that later stuff sucked.
any idea if there are any more copies of that first 7″ around? mine is very scratched up.
timmy
From Brian RIPThroat, now known as Ian Gothian
Steve and I have to laugh at the most recent entry from the former(horrible at best) bass player K.Grave or whatever AKA who now uses
we have nothing to say about his nimble minded entries, some is fact others and I mean most is delusional at best.
All of us, Peter, Stephen and myself have done much more post WHITE PIGS than Ms.Graves would ever know,,,he’s still locked into that late 70’s early 80’s movement that is NO LONGER MOVING,,,we are all sad about him “missing the train” and could care less about his ranting and raving(most women do that post menopause)
should anyone reading these entries be at all interested in obtaining ligit WHITE PIGS items you should contact:
SONGS OF SIN PRODUCTIONS
P.O BOX 380042
EAST HARTFORD CONNECTICUT 06138-0042
and I’ll make sure to follow up all request personally.
You are also welcome to contact me at: iangothian@aol.com
songsofsin@aol.com
in addition to WHITE PIGS I can also enlighted you to everything the 3 of us have been doing for all these years , I’m sure many of you will then be able to judge for yourself who has made musical progress over the past 23 years and who has some how remained in a time lock where progress or change and mastering is unobtainable because of a lack of intellectual capasity coupled with sour prospective on life
Stephen and I invite all inquires , and why not get your info from the “horses” mouth instead of it’s asshole.
we are all so sorry that you have been subjected to this constant bickering and teenage attitude that Ms. Graves displays.
I thought we made are ammends with him a couple of years back and that was all there was to it, yet it appears that he is still mad over an issue that the 3 of us have long past.
Again we look forward to hearing from you and please do feel free to contact us about the many projects you have missed over the years.
Ian Gothian
NAPALM – the “other” white meat
Hey, just want to step in the middle of this family feud here and find out if there’s any possible way for a reunion White Pigs band to form here. I was the drummer on the NAPALM Bootcamp EP and was thinking it would be cool to put together a Bootcamp band reunion show. There were 2 other bands, HAVE MERCY and POWERMAD, and I’m gonna see if they have any interest. I’ve also been in touch with one of the guys in AT WAR, they were supposed to be the very first Bootcamp band, but they never released.
Hey, logistically it might be impossible, but think about it anyway. Btw, I have no interest in this other than I thought it would be a cool idea.
Rex aka deadfoot
deadfoot@lycos.com
http://deadfoot.com
http://myspace.com/thatsheavyrecords
Summer 1983 … or sometime thereabouts. Chuck and I were sitting around on the front porch of my parent’s house in Wilimantic one lazy afternoon reading the Hartford Advocate, which was an alternative newspaper. When I came across an ad that Keith and Brian had posted. It seemed to be too good to be true…. Wanted Guitarist and Drummer for Punk
Band. Must like the Exploited, etc. etc. It almost seemed too good to be true because that was the stuff I was listening to almost exclusively in those days… all high energy and now classic material. After throwing the idea to Chuck, I gave Brian a call. At first he thought we were joking and accused me of being a metalhead, perhaps because nobody really was listening to that stuff in those days… remember, it was for the most part, raw, new, and undiscovered, the term hardcore barely existing then… he said stuff like “what do you think about this or that band?” and i’d say yeah they rock or whatnot, but basically i got the feeling i floored him cuz he didn’t believe me and kept saying “you’re joking, right?”. I had a rehearsal space/studio set up in my basement from my various musical pursuits, and chuck and i were already writing and gigging together, and Brian and Keith were involved in the Hartford scene, so when they rolled up a few days later and we started practicing, a strong foundation was already in place. I believe we had laid down our first demo “Sickened Brain”, which was a 20 minute or more madly distorted improvisational psychobabbling punk opera inspired by madness and a fat sack of weed. As a note (with apologies to Brian– yes i know it was a secret, but…) for the sake of
history, the liner notes should read: Brian – Drums, Keith – Bass, Chuck – Guitar, George – Vocals. Brian sent a copy in to Claudia Chapman of the Advocate who was covering the scene in those days and she wrote a surprisingly positive article about it which helped to launch the pigs on a breakneck path. This band was all about momentum. Fast, Tight and powerful , intended to strike the listener like a wall of sheer energy. The scene was ours to shape, and in genuine punk fashion, we were gonna do it. Life pretty much consisted of practicing and gigging (and getting high), all of which we were quite serious about. Teddy, aka Swinch Kwilsen, was the silent band member, manager, chauffeur, roadie, all around Malcolm McLaren and greatest supporter at the time deserves a note here as well. On a fast track, in 1984, we cut our 7″ ep at a “polka” studio, as we called it, somewhere out in the boonies of Connecticut. It was culture shock for everyone involved, and a fight to maintain our live” sound in a studio environment, but the most notable event; the engineer signalled to us to take a break– he needed to change the tape, there being only 30 seconds left on the reel. Yes, we used tape back then. I think we left him startled as we laid down not one, but several of those thrashlettes: The classic Kill-A-Cop, I Hate You, etc. The logo for that was ep, and the band overall, was designed by Barry Lavoie, whom I think was in some ways embarrassed to be associated with it, but will get my shameless plug for
leaving us with such a great memorial. Listening to that ep 25 years from it’s inception i think that it stands along side the best. My least favorite song from that session was APOW, which bothered me because no matter how we tried, the
timing seemed out of synch. The gigs and recognition came quickly and we pushed ourselves to the limits, and
struggled to find direction for the band. Much of my memory fades to a blur of petty stardom and decadence, as i feel it must have done to the others. For this reason, the timeline is a little hazy, but i have added reference points as i recall, perhaps wrongly. Blame the drugs. At some point in early 85, Chuck left the band. Perhaps he foresaw the pitfalls that lay ahead of us, or perhaps he had a life beyone the Pigs. I don’t really know, and life was moving too quickly to reflect upon. We brought in Mike Morbey (Songs of Sin era… where is he now?), the wildly tattooed guitarist from Wild Kingdom, which an amazing high energy local band (think Dictators), whose talent I greatly admired and respected. It
was an amazing blend and his sound brought us to new heights at just the right time in our career, as we continued to steamroll along. However, shortly thereafter, I left the band, and afterwards, I suspect, perhaps unfairly, that the Pigs surfed along on this early momentum until the wave crashed. I should note that I left the Pigs for numerous reasons, all of which personal. I refuse to partake in hard feelings. No, i wasn’t kicked out, but feel free to think whatever u want. I don’t care. I am not here to participate in the drama. At times the personality issues didn’t help, and i remember thinking at times we were careening wildly out of control along a path of madness, but overall, I think I reached a state of burnout.
It was an intense lifestyle, and there were many other personal issues in my life that desperately needed attention which eventually became inevitable. Do I miss it? Hell yeah. My biggest regret was destroying my eardrums. My shouts go out to all White Pigs friends and family that helped to put a dent in his the annals of history.
thanks for that awesome info. i think that first 7″ is unreal…..
ive been trying to find a good copy forever. mine is all scratched up. any plans on re-releaseing the original 7″?
such a great recording. would love to hear that demo. hint hint…
thanks,
timmy
Hey former Pigs and fans. Yes, it’s the last member of the classic White Pigs punk-era band weighing in… I am the guitarist on the first 7-inch. George’s summary of the band’s history from that era pretty much hits the nail on the head, I’d say. Nice Job George! And yes, vocal credits to you on that magnum opus on the demo.
Only things to add are that the best show we ever played with that line-up was at Zeising Brothers Book Store, a true anarchist bookseller, during a Rock Against Prisons fundraiser. We kicked ass. I still have the ‘zine with the photos of the event, as well as the Holy Grail of White Pigs ephemera, the original drawing of the pig for our 7-inch cover (who’s the moron who ruined the image above by putting monkeys in the eyes?).
I remember playing with TSOL and at the big all-day punk-a-thon at the Living Room in Providence, where I nearly got electrocuted from my old guitar amp. I still have the ’69 Gibson SG. Now a classic.
Sad to see you guys at each other’s throats today. Essentially it was two different bands – a punk outfit and a later metal outfit – each with their own good points.
To the guy looking for the first 7-inch, I have some of it on mp3. E-mail me. Charles@charlesduncan.com
Can anyone please tell me if a guy named “Harve” ever played drums in the early days of the band? While I was living in Providence RI in the early 80’s I knew this guy, and he claimed to have been “Harve” and played drums for White Pigs in the early days….Thanx
Now living in New Zealand
F Y I
I can assure, that no one by the the name of Harve ever played drums or anything else for us…EVER.
lol
I thought I heard this one before from someone else.
Ian Gothian
I group up in Willimantic and missed the White Pigs by about 10 years. Needless to say they were/are kind of legendary in – if just for the fact that they were playing hardcore punk in CT before Forced Reality, Skeletal Ambitions, Big Gulp, Deformed Conscience, etc. and many other hardcore, Oi! and hardcore punk bands in CT even dreamed of lacing up their combat boots and Doctor M’s. TOTAL PROPS.
I first heard of the White Pigs in 1985, at a time when I was going from punk to taking in anything to do with the new style of fast hardcore metal (blame it on Pushead).
The White Pigs made an appearance in the wacky Muskegon MI Heavy metal fanzine “Sludgehammer Press”, and the accompanying demo soon found it’s way into the West Michigan scene.
I remeber the first time I heard the Pigs, a buddy’s brother said “wait till ya hear this” popped in the demo, and the intro to deathway began. I was taken in bigtime, for the time and the changes in Punk and Metal, this stuff was a god..er satan-send.
I of course bought and still have in mint condition the Combat EP, and although I was dissapointed that there was absolutely no info, artwork (except the tiny logo on the label)or bio on the band, It seemed fitting for the hardcore presence the band had.
Funny, I hadn’t come across the Mystic records 7″ until around 88 or 89, a friend had it and had no idea who the pigs were.
Anyway, thanks to all the bickering slugs above for creating what you did, it really was some Kick A$$ $hit!
Wow! I happened along this site and what a shame. You guys sound so bitter and desperate and it’s so many years later. How OLD are you now? I have great memories of playing out in the late ’70s, early 80s and of course a self pic’d 45 – Garageland Records(now I’m sounding old!), but life goes on. I remember KEITH and TEDDY and they were great, talented/dedicated guys. That’s the way I’ll choose to remember them, not all weighed down with this neg. crap. Hey – GROW UP – LIFE’S TOO SHORT. Oh, and thanks to George B. for the positive comments! 🙂
Just stopping by to see what’s new here…
It’s nice to see Missy’s smiling face on the pages here.
So many folks have gone with the winds.
An Off topic question:
Is it true that some Wild Kingdom audio exists?
For those who really want that the Pigs’ first EP on mp3, or maybe would just like to hear someone else rant and rave about those early days, here’s the contact info:
georgebutterick at hotmail.com
I’m afraid I was never really PUNK enough to stick my head up my own ass, so be POLITE!
Maybe you’d all find time to twang on those old strings
if you all could frickin behave.
There may be more material from the archives forthcoming… stay tuned.
A very(!) small clip from the White Pigs’ first release, the Sick Frustration Demo, later known as the Sickened Brain Demo is available here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/94659819/White_Pigs_-_Sick_Frustration_Demo__sample_.mp3
Originally released to clubs and radio stations, this demo gained the Pigs enough of a foothold to launch their career– although I gotta wonder about some people’s taste. It could be described as free-form and chaotic yet thoroughly expressive and ultimately punk. Or maybe it’s just crap.
Regardless, this is the sound that began that phenomenon known as the White Pigs.
This sample, albeit small is quite representative of the
complete version of this session which does yet exist.
to kieth : wasn’t it you ole boy that ruined the great METAL pigs,,the other pigs,,,all that punk crap sucked.
kiss,kiss you lil bitch
to steve,brian and pete:
shut up,play that metal
to george:
JUST SHUT UP
to chuck: whatever,shut up
to missy:
“DOUBLE SHUT THE FUCK UP”,eat something and gain a little weight,last time i saw you you looked horrible
to: tim(whoever you are),get a life,the white pigs was 25 years ago,listen to mozart ..it’s real music
to all the others:
it’s 2008 let this all go, get that life you failed to get on track(you’re 20 plus years back) and listen to Mozart,it’s real music
i hope to see many of you,if not all at this years panzie fest,i’ll be the one wearing the pink and yellow jumper,tap me on the shoulder and say hello
just wanted to say hello white pigs i am a old friend worked at recording in east hartford when you all made your lp and i lived next store to brian for years rembering the fun and good old days is what brought me here i miss you all peace out
Been trying to track down all the punk and metal I grew up on in CT. Anyone know where I can find an MP3 rip of the Bootcamp 12″? Or maybe even the vinyl itself? Let me know at david.michaels@rapp.com . Thanks!
WOW!! Missy / Melissa from Wild Kingdom…. TOM (Rock Doves)GRADATE’s basement on Laurel St. ripping practices!!– I was his roomie for a while, and somebody’s boyfriend(Missy’s)….. fried my Gibson Guitar!! LOL!! ANYBODY know where / what happened to Dave Kershner??(any info better than none…) also trying to get Gradante’s phone ##. AWESOME that folks are still remembering the ‘good old days’… alexvoog@yahoo.com
I have good info that says in 2010 the METAL White Pigs will reform with singer Brian Ripthroat and a new line up ,of VIP status and will set up a MASSIVE tour, world tour.
This tour will include 2 other MAJOR acts in support, when I say major acts I mean you won’t want to miss this one
This is true, and will happen late spring through the late summer of 2010 with stops on a few big outside tour bills.
Sorry to have to tell you this,but,Kieth is not the founding member of the band,that would be Brian Mickelson A.K.A. Rip.Kieth was on one album and that is all,I`ll tell Brian about this site Saturday when I see him.
re Wild Kingdom… Missy, are you on facebook?
whatever happened to Mike Morbey and Dave Kirshner??
I REMEMBER those basement practices at Tom’s! My first band. That would be Mike Morbey that fried your guitar, as we were an item for many years. Don’t know where Mike or Dave are. Lost track of Mike after he moved from New Haven to Boston. Nobody has heard a word from him in quite some time. Last I heard (MANY years ago, Dave had moved to Long Island and become “respectable!”
Just saw our Free Love Society Record being sold on iTunes, of all places, courtesy of Keith Grave! Go figure.
Hope all is well,
Melissa (Missy/Wild Kingdom/Free Love Society and many others……) 🙂
stever,
how do I know you?
Melissa/Missy
Hey George Butterick,
I can still see your red hair and smiling face! You were/are an awesome drummer! Loved playing with you way back when.
🙂
Melissa/Missy/Wild Kingdom
THANKS Missy!! I had heard Mike moved to Boston. Dave ‘respectable’? un-huh….. Thanks, for the update, I’d love to track(no luck so far…) the lil’ fucker down!(and raise some hell with him, you know, get his wife to hate me…) It was through him that I met you all to begin with as we both lived in Marlborough (I grew up there). I’ll NEVER renege my PUNK roots… NEVER. Regardless of whatever else I listen to, I still slam Thunders, Iggy and Stooges, Dictators, Dead Boys/Lords of the New Church, et al. in the player and BLAST that shit out. I bought the ‘Busted at the LIT Club – Shielded by Death’ CD circa 2002 w/ Jack Tragic and a host of others. It’s out there (ebay sucks, but people have them listed…) if you want to hear yourself say: “Oh yeah, I remember them, FUCK YEA!!”
just wanted to say back in the early 90’s i was way into the metal of the 80’s-90’s (still am) and at a local record store i found the famous “songs of sin” tape. i thought what the hell i’ll give it a try might be good. and wow i was amazed guys so i let all my friends listen and they we’re just a speachless. i do believe it was one of the best albums i ever heard. deathway was so epic and the energy and sound was just superb to us kids back then. years later i dug out my old cassettes and put them into a yard sale and i looked through em and seen ‘white pigs”. needless to say i still have it. i switched it to cd but for years i looked for any info about you guys. unfortantly the tape had nothing as to info and couldnt find anything till now. i wished i coulda seen you guys perform i bet that was killer. i been trying to find new material from you guys for years. when i found out the band split i was devestated. but i just wanted to let you all know thank you guys for giving us metal head kids of the late 80’s and 90’s an epic album.
so it’s the last week of october 2010 and i’m breathlessly waiting for that huge white pigs world tour.
i haven’t seen a tour schedule yet but with people in the know like richard blanchett setting the record straight i know brian and his band of hungry 13 year olds will woe them in many football stadiums across the world.