Children In Adult Jails

Children In Adult Jails were a New Jersey band originally formed by Pseu Braun – guitar/bass/vocals, Diane “Kamikaze” Faris – drums/vocals, Christen Clark – guitar/vocals, Laurie Es – bass/drums/vocals, and Tom Shad – bass.

Children in Adult Jails flyer

“Throughout the years 1986 to 1995 the band recorded several songs and practiced hundreds more while trends like neo-sothern rock, concepts like grunge and marketing terms like 'alternative' seemed to have destroyed any vestige of artistic expression in the 'underground'. To admit to being in a band was like admitting to a murder, to be viewed as just one more piece of driftwood waiting to be fashioned into a puppet of the corporate music army. For CIAJ, to not be heard from was like having all the perks of invisibility. It was also seemingly imperative for their collective mental health to stick together.”

Children in Adult Jails

During their whole existence, the main core of the band was Pseu and Diane, both ladies deeply involved in the underground music scene, doing since long time ago great radio shows on the cult WMFU Radio.

Diane and Pseu

By the way, Pseu is still playing bass nowadays with the band Daughters Of Atlas. 

Children In Adult Jails – Brick House
You can download the whole album here.

“This song is one of a few early and seminal works of punk deconstruction of pop. It's entertainingly stupid, racist and features special guest Skippy the Sea Lion intermittently belching out the word 'House'. Recorded on 8 tracks in Caldwell, NJ back in 1984 I guess.” Pseu


Children In Adult Jails – Ebeneezer [Unreleased song]

Malcolm's punk pics

Yes, Malcolm Riviera took this shot.

Please, visit his site here. Plenty of amazing pics!

Wurm Baby / Grand Mal

Grand Mal was just Wurm Baby with a different name. It started out circa 1982 being part of the amazing early 80s harDCore scene, sharing gigs with bands like Government Issue, Marginal Man, Second Wing and Bloody Mannequin Orchestra. The band was formed by Joey Aronstamn – voice, Malcolm Riviera – guitar, Don Diego – bass, and Linda LeSabre – drums.

Wurm Baby / Grand Mal, 1983. Pic by Cynthia Connolly

Recently, I had the chance to get in touch with Malcolm via email, and he was so extremely kind to share with me some early Wurm Baby / Grand Mal songs. I do think “Silent Scream” is really great, and it's a shame there was no Wurm Baby release back in the day.

“That was an early song that never made it to record, only demo. I think it set the tone for future Wurmbaby/Grand Mal songs: inner angst, negative emotions, that kind of stuff. The darker side of pop music. No love songs on the Wurmbaby set list! For some silly reason we didn't consider it high quality enough to release, but listening to it these many years later, it's really not bad and I wish now that we'd done a Wurmbaby 7" at least.” Malcolm Riviera


Grand Mal – Silent Scream [Demo song, recorded @ Inner Ear Studios, 1983]


Grand Mal – Binge Purge [Demo song, recorded @ Inner Ear Studios, 1983]
It appeared on the Grand Mal's Binge Purge LP, released by Fountain Of Youth Records in 1985.

“Political Song”

Starvation Army – Political Song / Fun! (Live @ The Dale, 1983)

The definitive political song ever written. Period.

Crash Course In Science

Crash Course In Science – Cakes In The Home, Kitchen Motors (The Uncle Floyd Show, ca. 1979)

Q: “Is this Rock'n'Roll, is it?”
A: “No, absolutely NOT.”

Q: “You play toys (…) Why did you start this way as opposed to ordinary way of playing music?”
A: “We are all poor.”

Just perfect.

Necessary Evil

Necessary Evil – Normal (Live @ Albany Empire, London, 1980)

Stef Petticoat's band before turning into The Petticoats. By the way, it would be smashing to listen to that cult out of print Necessary Evil tape. Any caritative soul?

The Mo-dettes

The Mo-dettes – White Mice

Big Flame

Big Flame – Cuba!

From Hulme to heaven. Perfect shit to listen to while you dance like a possessed!

Anarka And Poppy

Anarka And Poppy were created in Preston in late 1981 by “guitarist Sean Kirtley and vocalist Jane Mason, at the tender age of seventeen, originally as just a guitar/vocals duo.”

“The punk scene was pretty big in Preston about then. We tended to stick and work with the punks that had summat to say though, rather than with the poseurs. So, a good, co-operative, little ghetto was born in the heart of Preston; full of activity, never a dull moment, everyone was welcome… the 'other' punk bands all seemed to sound and look exactly like Discharge, and that was the more popular scene, to be honest. Jackets with studs on all that; fashionable cheese cloths, bum-flaps and bondage straps; we didn't look like that, so we never got too much attention from the 'hardcore'. We didn't really care though; they could all go to hell as far as we were concerned at that time. That was our general attitude.” Sean Kirtley 

Anarka And Poppy

“As for the worst gig we ever played? That was with New Model Army and Here And Now at the Bier Keller in Blackpool. We forgot that we needed our own drum kit and New Model Army wouldn't lend us theirs. We didn't like the idea of playing with them anyway, so it was off to a strange start from the beginning. Then when the bastards wouldn't lend us their drums, it turned into a right arse of a night. Someone eventually persuaded them, but it was like, 'For Christ's sake, you pricks! They're only bloody drums!' Here And Now were a sound bunch though, and they played an excellent set.” Sean Kirtley


Anarka And Poppy – P.O.P.P.I.E.S.
By the way, any chance to listen to the Take It For Life cassette?

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Excerpts and pic taken from The Day The Country Died book.

ONECHORD badges

If you like them, just drop me a line and I will send you all three for free.

Size: 25mm / 1 inch