Biography
Atlanta's Swimming Pool Q's emerged among the earliest Southern new wave acts to achieve national notice in the opening years of the 1980s, once the B-52's success alerted audiences that Southern rock extended beyond what frontman Jeff Calder termed the Boogie Establishment. Yet unlike most of their Georgia contemporaries, whose work centered on buoyant, offbeat pop, the Q's pursued a murkier, more demanding direction that juxtaposed angular guitar figures with lyrics steeped in Southern Gothic imagery, often laced with wit and at times carrying an ominous tone.
Raised in Lakeland, Florida, Calder cultivated early enthusiasms for the quirks of Southern writing—he later studied fiction at the University of Florida under novelist Harry Crews—as well as the fractured soundscapes of Captain Beefheart. Exposure to the Hampton Grease Band's idiosyncratic vision led him to kindred spirits; after that group dissolved in 1973, he formed a close tie with its guitarist Glenn Phillips, who in turn introduced him to Atlanta-based guitarist Bob Esley, an admirer of Jimi Hendrix drawn to unconventional rock.
Convinced that Atlanta offered better ground for his ambitions than other parts of the South, Calder relocated there, took up guitar, and began composing with Esley. By 1978 the pair had launched Swimming Pool Q's—the moniker arising from a misheard remark about a brawl involving “swinging pool cues”—merging new-wave urgency with the exploratory spirit of Beefheart and Hampton Grease Band. Esley handled lead guitar while Calder played rhythm and sang most leads; the lineup was completed by drummer Robert Schmid, bassist Billy Jones, and vocalist Anne Richmond Boston, who fronted several tracks, contributed occasional keyboards, and supplied toy-based sounds during performances.
The group issued its debut single, “Rat Bait” backed with “The A-Bomb Woke Me Up,” on its own imprint in 1979; the release drew strong notices and sold sufficiently to secure opening slots with Devo and the Police. Extensive touring, undertaken before any organized Southern new-wave circuit existed, built a following that prompted Danny Beard to sign them to his pioneering DB Records label. Their first album, The Deep End, arrived in 1981 after Pete Jarkunas replaced the departing Billy Jones on bass. Continued road work and favorable coverage helped the record approach 20,000 copies sold, leading to a contract with A&M Records.
The self-titled major-label debut appeared in 1984 with a revised rhythm section of bassist J.E. Garnett and drummer Billy Burton; the arrangements grew somewhat more streamlined as Anne Richmond Boston assumed additional lead vocals and expanded her keyboard contributions. A follow-up, Blue Tomorrow, emerged in 1986, yet despite college-radio support and high-profile dates opening Lou Reed’s New Sensations tour, commercial momentum stalled and A&M dropped the band. Undeterred, the Q's issued the EP The Firing Squad for God on DB in 1987 and the Capitol album World War Two Point Five in 1989; Anne Richmond Boston appeared on neither, having chosen a quieter solo path alongside work in publishing and design, though she designed the cover of the latter release. By 1992 the group had grown weary of constant touring and entered an extended hiatus, though Calder and Esley kept the name alive for occasional performances while Calder turned to writing and joined Glenn Phillips’s band the Supreme Court.
A refreshed lineup reconvened in 1998. A remastered edition of The Deep End surfaced in 2001, augmented by twelve bonus tracks and an extensive historical essay from Calder. The band mounted regional shows to promote the reissue, with Anne Richmond Boston rejoining for several dates, and in 2003 released the ambitious album The Royal Academy of Reality, on which Calder and Esley had been laboring since 1993.
Raised in Lakeland, Florida, Calder cultivated early enthusiasms for the quirks of Southern writing—he later studied fiction at the University of Florida under novelist Harry Crews—as well as the fractured soundscapes of Captain Beefheart. Exposure to the Hampton Grease Band's idiosyncratic vision led him to kindred spirits; after that group dissolved in 1973, he formed a close tie with its guitarist Glenn Phillips, who in turn introduced him to Atlanta-based guitarist Bob Esley, an admirer of Jimi Hendrix drawn to unconventional rock.
Convinced that Atlanta offered better ground for his ambitions than other parts of the South, Calder relocated there, took up guitar, and began composing with Esley. By 1978 the pair had launched Swimming Pool Q's—the moniker arising from a misheard remark about a brawl involving “swinging pool cues”—merging new-wave urgency with the exploratory spirit of Beefheart and Hampton Grease Band. Esley handled lead guitar while Calder played rhythm and sang most leads; the lineup was completed by drummer Robert Schmid, bassist Billy Jones, and vocalist Anne Richmond Boston, who fronted several tracks, contributed occasional keyboards, and supplied toy-based sounds during performances.
The group issued its debut single, “Rat Bait” backed with “The A-Bomb Woke Me Up,” on its own imprint in 1979; the release drew strong notices and sold sufficiently to secure opening slots with Devo and the Police. Extensive touring, undertaken before any organized Southern new-wave circuit existed, built a following that prompted Danny Beard to sign them to his pioneering DB Records label. Their first album, The Deep End, arrived in 1981 after Pete Jarkunas replaced the departing Billy Jones on bass. Continued road work and favorable coverage helped the record approach 20,000 copies sold, leading to a contract with A&M Records.
The self-titled major-label debut appeared in 1984 with a revised rhythm section of bassist J.E. Garnett and drummer Billy Burton; the arrangements grew somewhat more streamlined as Anne Richmond Boston assumed additional lead vocals and expanded her keyboard contributions. A follow-up, Blue Tomorrow, emerged in 1986, yet despite college-radio support and high-profile dates opening Lou Reed’s New Sensations tour, commercial momentum stalled and A&M dropped the band. Undeterred, the Q's issued the EP The Firing Squad for God on DB in 1987 and the Capitol album World War Two Point Five in 1989; Anne Richmond Boston appeared on neither, having chosen a quieter solo path alongside work in publishing and design, though she designed the cover of the latter release. By 1992 the group had grown weary of constant touring and entered an extended hiatus, though Calder and Esley kept the name alive for occasional performances while Calder turned to writing and joined Glenn Phillips’s band the Supreme Court.
A refreshed lineup reconvened in 1998. A remastered edition of The Deep End surfaced in 2001, augmented by twelve bonus tracks and an extensive historical essay from Calder. The band mounted regional shows to promote the reissue, with Anne Richmond Boston rejoining for several dates, and in 2003 released the ambitious album The Royal Academy of Reality, on which Calder and Esley had been laboring since 1993.
Albums