THE HOLY TERRORS REMASTERED
Sometime in the middle of 1991, when I was living on South Beach, I stumbled into the Cactus Cantina, lovingly known to the inebriated as the “Cactina,” with a fetching young woman who claimed that she had lived in a tree in Big Sur, California for the past year (I really didn’t care if it was true).
We did a completely unnecessary shot of this outrageously spicy and strong tequila and listened to Nirvana’s “Nevermind” on the jukebox.
Then something amazing happened. It kind of sounded like a cross between an airplane taking off and locomotive chugging at full speed.
The Holy Terrors had just started playing their set in the next room, and it felt like the Cactina was going to detonate and explode, hurling chunks of concrete and glass all across South Beach.
Up until that point, I had only heard about the Terrors via Greg Baker’s weekly “Program Notes” column in the New Times (we didn’t need to call it Miami New Times back then).
I might have heard their classic single, “Cigarettello” on WVUM once or twice and thought it sounded good and that I should catch them some time.
Turns out, they caught me first!
Completely off guard!!
It was perfect.
I have no idea how many times I saw the band after that night, but when I started booking shows at Squeeze in Fort Lauderdale in 1994, I wanted them to play as often as possible. I really could bore you with all the reasons why I loved them, but if you are reading this, it is likely that you don’t need me to tell you what you already know.
The original lineup was relatively short lived, including monster bassist Frank Labrador, who chose a more domestic path in his life within a couple of years after the night they assaulted my senses.
(As a side note, I was managing the amazing Cell 63 at the time, which featured future Terrors bassist, Will Trev.)
The Terrors had many lineup changes over the years, and they were always awesome, but this lineup was their best. And it was this lineup that showed up to play a live set on Bob Slade’s weekly WLRN radio show, “Off The Beaten Path,” on May 18, 1992.
Frank “Rat Bastard” Falestra recorded them and mixed the results. From there, they dropped a limited, cassette-only release called, “Live Six,” and set off to change the face of the South Florida music scene for the next decade and a half.
Over the years, Trev replaced Labrador on bass and drummer Sam Fogarino left and eventually made it big with Interpol, leading to a revolving cast of some of the best drummers to ever smack stick to skin in the history of the South Florida music scene.
The stalwarts were, of course, vocalist/guitarist Rob Elba and lead guitarist/vocalist, Dan Hosker. Until Dan’s sad and untimely passing nearly 20 years to the day “Live Six” was recorded, the Terrors soldiered on, releasing one exceptional studio album, “Lolitaville,” in 1994 and some odds and ends EPs later.
I never knew of the existence of “Live Six” until February of 2017 when South Florida singer/songwriter Jim Wurster shared some cassettes with me as I started to offer cassette-to-digital transfers as part of my Magic Ears Mastering company.
A live Holy Terrors release I’ve never heard before? Holy fucking shit!!
Listening to it brought me back to that night in the Cactina when the original lineup blew me away. I was able to transfer Jim’s extremely well-cared-for cassette via a vintage Nakamichi cassette deck and, with permission from Rob, began obsessively remastering the EP.
Realizing it was the 25th Anniversary of the performance/recording made reissuing the remaster a no-brainer, and Rob suggested that the majority of the proceeds be donated to the Dan Hosker Music Continuum, a scholarship set up in Dan’s memory for students with a passion for music. It is awarded annually at Bishop Fenwick in Peabody, MA, where he attended high school.
The 25th Anniversary reissue of “Live Six” by The Holy Terrors debuts on Magic Ears Radio! The show goes live at 9pm HERE
This was a labor of love, and I hope you enjoy The Holy Terrors just as you remember hearing them in their prime.
~ Adam Matza
R.I.P. Dan Hosker 1965-2012
THE HOLY TERRORS
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Rob Elba…………………Vocals/Guitar
Dan Hosker……………..Guitar/Vocals
Frank Labrador…………Bass/Vocals
Sam Fogarino…………..Drums
Recorded and mixed by Rat Bastard with technical assistance by Steve M.
Remastered by Adam Matza at Magic Ears Mastering
This recording was originally broadcast live May 18, 1992 on Bob Slade’s “Off The Beaten Path” radio show on WLRN in Miami.
Original artwork/design: Danny & Sherry (updated by Adam Matza)
Photos: Dan
Thanks to: Washington Square, WVUM, WLRN, Uncle Sam’s, Y&T, Open Books & Records, Rat Bastard, Bob Slade, Glenn Richards, Tony Parodi la cosa nostra.
©ESYNC/TERRIBLE MUSIC
© & ℗ ALL SONGS BY ROBERT ELBA 1992
Reissued by MAGIC EARS MUSIC in 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
