Pearl Harbor & The Explosions

Emerging among the earliest American acts in the new wave movement, Pearl Harbor & the Explosions coalesced in San Francisco during 1978. Vocalist Pearly Gates, guitarist Peter Bilt, bassist Hilary Stench, and drummer John Stench made up the lineup. The quartet quickly became a local favorite within the Bay Area’s thriving new wave community, which also produced Romeo Void, Translator, and Wire Train. Gates had previously served as a background dancer for the Tubes before leaving that role to perform with Leila and the Snakes, the ensemble that would later be rechristened Pearl Harbor & the Explosions. The group issued the single “Drivin’” in 1979; even absent promotional support, the release moved more than 10,000 copies. Warner Bros. signed the band that same year, yet its self-titled debut album failed to achieve commercial traction, prompting the group’s dissolution. Gates thereafter adopted the stage name Pearl Harbor and pursued a solo career, issuing the album Don’t Follow Me, I’m Lost Too in 1981. A 1995 collaboration with East Bay Ray on guitar, formerly of the Dead Kennedys, yielded the recording Here Comes Trouble. Joined by guitarist Stinky Le Pew, bassist Lee Vilensky, and drummer Mike Hunter, the project topped the bill at the 1998 Psychobilly Festival, reviving the Explosions’ signature infectious new wave spirit and appetite for enjoyment.