The Fleshtones

Pioneers who shaped and championed the super rock style they invented, the Fleshtones stand among the finest rock & roll performance units in the United States across a run that opened in 1976. Although often grouped with garage rock revival acts, the ensemble draws on a wider array of sources than most peers. Sixties garage textures formed one key pillar, yet rhythm & blues, soul, hard rock, psychedelia, and disco also figured prominently, as the musicians themselves noted the thrill of packed dance floors when explaining the source of their extravagant stage energy. The group delivers rock & roll built for vigorous parties and nonstop movement, relying on potent, basic melodies, disciplined instrumental execution, playful words, and the magnetic singing of frontman Peter Zaremba. Their first album, Roman Gods from 1982, already displayed the fully realized aesthetic, Speed Connection II: The Final Chapter in 1985 preserved the force of their concerts, Hitsburg, USA in 1997 presented covers that illuminated their roots, and Do You Swing? in 2003, The Band Drinks for Free in 2016, plus It's Getting Late (... And More Songs About Werewolves) in 2024 proved the outfit retained complete mastery of its abilities well into the present century.

The Fleshtones trace their beginnings to the start of 1976, when Keith Streng and Jan Marek Pakulski, two enthusiasts, shared a house in Queens, New York. Abandoned instruments and gear left by earlier residents prompted Streng to take up guitar and Pakulski to play bass as they began mastering material. They were soon joined by neighborhood acquaintances Peter Zaremba on vocals, organ, and harmonica together with Lenny Calderon on drums, turning the project into a functioning band. The new lineup quickly prepared for its public debut, and the Fleshtones performed their first concert at CBGB in May 1976. They joined the emerging underground circuit in New York, appearing regularly at CBGB and Max's Kansas City plus Club 57, the Pyramid Club, Irving Plaza, and Danceteria. For a period they also shared rehearsal space with the Cramps. In 1978 the band added the horn section known as the Action Combo, with Gordon Spaeth on alto sax and his brother Brian Spaeth on tenor sax. Brian participated only sporadically, while Gordon remained a full member through 1988.

The Fleshtones built an audience through high-energy, dance-oriented live appearances, and two admirers—Alan Vega of the pioneering synth-punk duo Suicide and Miriam Linna, formerly the drummer with the Cramps and the Zantees—praised the group to Marty Thau, proprietor of the independent label Red Star Records. Red Star signed the Fleshtones and issued their first single, “American Beat” b/w “Critical List,” in 1979. The band cut an album for the label and contributed two tracks to the compilation Marty Thau Presents 2x5, which also featured material from the Student Teachers, the Comateens, the Revelons, and the Bloodless Pharoahs, whose lineup included a pre-Stray Cats Brian Setzer on guitar. Financial troubles at Red Star blocked the album’s release, however, and the Fleshtones nearly disbanded in disappointment. Clem Burke of Blondie was recruited to handle drums on the 2x5 sessions once Lenny Calderon departed.

An offer to appear at a showcase of New York and New Jersey acts in London organized by Stiff Records restored their momentum, leading them to enlist Bill Milhizer as the new drummer ahead of the event. The London performance drew notice from I.R.S. Records, which signed the band and released the five-song EP Up-Front in late 1980. Their first full-length album, Roman Gods, followed in 1981, and the cassette-only ROIR Records finally issued the shelved Red Star LP in 1982 under the title Blast Off! That same year the group appeared in the concert film Urgh! A Music War and contributed their version of “Shadow Line” to the accompanying soundtrack album. Hexbreaker! arrived in 1983, and in 1984 they recorded a fresh take of “American Beat” for the soundtrack of the Tom Hanks comedy Bachelor Party. Also in 1984 Peter Zaremba began hosting The Cutting Edge, MTV’s weekly program devoted to alternative music, a role he continued until the show ended in 1987.

Determined to capture the intensity of the Fleshtones’ stage show on record, the European division of I.R.S. put out Speed Connection: Live in Paris 85 in 1985. Dissatisfied with the mix and performance, the band prepared the American edition, Speed Connection II: The Final Chapter, using a revised balance and additional selections from a second Paris date, resulting in the stronger release. Despite the ensemble’s established live reputation, the I.R.S. catalog had limited chart impact, prompting a split with the label in 1986. Jan Marek Pakulski soon exited, and bassist Robert Burke Warren made his first recorded appearance with the group on 1987’s Fleshtones vs. Reality, their initial album for Emergo Records. That proved their final release for Emergo after the label encountered financial strain; following the 1989 live set Soul Madrid, which documented a Spanish tour, the band issued no new recordings for two years.

In 1991 the Fleshtones traveled to Australia to cut Powerstance with producer Dave Faulkner of the Hoodoo Gurus, who had long acknowledged the group as an influence. Ken Fox had replaced Robert Burke Warren on bass in 1990, yet Fox could not make the trip, so Andy Shernoff of the Dictators participated in the sessions. Powerstance reached the United States through Naked Language, a rock imprint of the soul-focused Ichiban Records, which also issued 1994’s Beautiful Light, produced by Peter Buck of R.E.M., and 1995’s Laboratory of Sound, recorded by Steve Albini. More Than Skin Deep from 1998 appeared on CD via Ichiban and on vinyl through the garage-oriented independent Telstar Records; Telstar additionally released two collections of the Fleshtones interpreting lesser-known favorites, 1997’s Hitsburg, USA and 1999’s Hitsburg Revisited. Solid Gold Sound, recorded in 2001 for the French Wagram Music label, contained two separate tracks devoted to the group’s lyrical fixation, bubble gum cartoon hero Bazooka Joe.

The Fleshtones joined the capable independent Yep Roc Records in 2003 and delivered one of their strongest albums, Do You Swing? With reliable distribution and promotion now available for the first time in years, the band entered a productive phase. The equally robust follow-up Beachhead appeared in 2005, partly produced by Detroit garage rock figure Jim Diamond. Diamond returned to oversee several tracks on 2008’s Take a Good Look, with the remaining sessions handled by former Richard Hell guitarist Ivan Julian. Only months afterward the group released its first holiday-themed project, Stocking Stuffer.

Lenny Kaye joined as a guest guitarist on 2011’s Brooklyn Sound Solution, a departure centered on covers and interlocking guitar lines, and in 2012 the band saluted Spanish-speaking listeners with the four-song EP Quatro x Quatro, recorded entirely in Spanish. The Fleshtones resumed their customary high-energy approach for 2014’s Wheel of Talent, assembled from sessions in Spain, Detroit, and Brooklyn. In 2016 the indefatigable outfit marked its 40th anniversary with the album titled after one of its slogans, The Band Drinks for Free. The next year brought Budget Buster, a collection of B-sides and rarities issued over the preceding decade. Following an extended hiatus, the Fleshtones returned in October 2020 with Face of the Screaming Werewolf, timed for Halloween. The same season influenced several tracks on their subsequent studio album, 2024’s It's Getting Late (... And More Songs About Werewolves), which incorporated covers of seldom-heard material by Johnny Rivers, Lee Hazlewood, and Elton John.