The Eat

Legend has it that Florida punk outfit The Eat turned to rock music merely to sidestep enrollment in a bowling league. The group created songs strictly for personal enjoyment and paid little mind to outside approval, an attitude that positioned them as early architects of the state's hardcore punk movement. Blending 1950s rockabilly with punk energy, they crafted lyrics that touched on political matters without descending into lectures, instead offering darkly comic snapshots of local life and televised absurdities that ranged from abusive police officers and animal mistreatment to fumble-prone football players and eccentric street figures. Severely restricted distribution turned their 7-inch releases into sought-after collector pieces, with original pressings of "Communist Radio" fetching between $200 and $650. Brothers Mike O'Brien on vocals and guitar and Eddie O'Brien on vocals and guitars launched The Eat in South Florida during 1978. They added drummer Chris Cottie and bassist Glenn Newland, then began performing covers throughout Miami's club circuit. A full year passed before the quartet committed any material to tape. In 1979 they pooled earnings from live shows to issue the rollicking single "Communist Radio" on their own Giggling Hitler Records imprint, marking it as only the second punk record to emerge from Miami after Critical Mass's "Silver Screen." Their follow-up arrived in 1980 with the five-song EP God Punishes the Eat, cut over twenty-five days on a four-track machine in Eddie's basement. By 1982 the band had accumulated funds for improved recording quality and issued the scarce cassette Scattered Wahoo Action through Jeterboy Records. Although it retained the hardcore drive of prior work, the release softened somewhat and incorporated atypical instruments such as keyboards and saxophone. Bassist Glenn Newland exited in 1981, with Ken Lindahl stepping in as replacement. Later that same year, following the birth of Eddie's first son, live performances tapered off until the members chose to disband and explore separate pursuits. Longtime admirer Jello Biafra, vocalist of the Dead Kennedys, arranged a 1996 reissue of Scattered Wahoo Action as a 10-inch vinyl EP via Wicked Witch. The project revived attention, prompting the group to reconvene and cut the new single "Hialeah." Despite the extended hiatus, they delivered performances as cohesive as ever while staying faithful to their established sound and quirky subject matter. Two additional concerts took place at Churchills before the band dissolved permanently in 1997. A decade afterward, in 2007, more than thirty studio recordings appeared as the career-spanning collection It's Not the Eat, It's the Humidity.