Avant Garde: Difference between revisions

One year after [[Fury]]'s formation, Rivers wanted to play a heavier metal and his friend Justin agreed.  The two began writing as members drifted in and out.  At the time, Rivers was writing his own guitar parts as well as covering Metallica and [[Fates Warning]].  Eventually, Rivers and Justin would call the band "Avant Garde".  Rivers has since said, "We were anything but."  In 1986, [[Kevin Ridel]] was cast as the lead singer.  Kevin first met Justin and Rivers at a local Battle of the Bands.  Kevin's brother Eric also joined the band as rhythm guitarist.  Rivers' and Justin's friend from high school Bryn Mutch was cast as the drummer.  Even today, Justin considers Bryn "an amazing drummer."

Avant Garde was very devoted to the music they were playing and worked meticulously.  The band would typically practice four times a week for several hours at a time.  Anyone who the band considered to not take the music seriously was kicked out.  Eric, being a partier, was the first member to go.  Even Justin Fisher was confronted by Rivers about his one night of partying.  In a ''[[Rivers' Edge]]'' interview, Justin said, "We didn't really drink, smoke, or do most of the things that people usually associate with rock music.  We were really focused on being musicians and the people that we saw drinking or getting high back then didn't seem to be as 'serious' as we wanted to be.  One night, I'm hanging out with our friend Jim Emino and a couple of girls -- ooh! -- and I try schnapps, pot and cigarettes all for the first time -- double ooh!  Needless to say, I didn't score very well with the ladies, and when I went to Rivers' house the next day I got the third degree from Rivers, Eric and Leaves.  They were all sitting around the Kitchen table -- we were practicing in Rivers' bedroom -- and saying, 'We heard what you were doing last night -- smoking pot -- and we need to know if you are going to want to do it again.'  The underlying message being, 'We're not really into having a pot smoker in the band.'"

During Rivers and Justin's junior year, Avant Garde released a demo tape consisting of "Tongue of Fire", "I Must Be Dreaming" and "Black Rose."  The tape was called "The Blue Demo", the name evolved from the light blue label stickers on the cassette tapes.

On [[December 12]], [[December 13|13]] and [[December 18|18]] of [[1987]], Avant Garde recorded six new songs at Trod Nossel studios in Wallingford, Connecticut.  It costed the band $288.37.  This, their first professional demo, known as the purple demo for it's purple label, featured "You Were Just Using Me", "Renaissance", "Standing in the Paris Rain", "Father Time", "Never Forget", and "Free Fall".  It is unknown how many copies remain to this day, but aproximately fifty were pressed at the time.  In a matter of weeks, the demo was getting heavy rotation on  WHUS 91.7, U of C's campus radio station.  It appeared in the #11 slot (above Jane's Addiction's debut).  Avant Garde would go on to headline shows throughout [[1988]].  In early 1988, the band convinced [[Michael Stanton]], whom Rivers met at Berkley the summer previous, to leave his parent's farm in Texas and come to Connecticut to play with Avant Garde.  Justin said of the event, "Here's a 17 year old kid from Texas who moves to Connecticut to hang out with some other 17 year old kids just to play in a rock band...it's bizarre!"

Avant Garde was extremely impressed with Michael's devotion to move to Connecticut.  After his arrival, the band re-entered the studio in July of 1988 to record a third demo they called ''Somethin' Different''.  The new demo had the song "Renaissance" (redone), "Judge and Jury", "Bite the Bullet", "21st Century Shogun", "You Were Just Using Me", and "Never Forget".  For the most part, the songs were collaborations between Cuomo and Ridel  exclusively.  Although, Stanton did contribute to some parts of "21st Century Shogun" and some lyrics to "Judge and Jury".  Despite all the rehearsals, only one show was booked for the band in the winter of 1988.  On the day of the show, the club was no longer open (it had gone out of business).  At least, that's Stanton's account.  According to Justin, a snow storm blew in that day and closed the club (despite the storm not hitting the club until later).  After this, the band decided to move to L.A.