Yard Trauma

Arizona's '80s rock scene produced more than The Meat Puppets, with Tucson's Yard Trauma counting among the notable arrivals. Joe Dodge on guitar and vocals joined forces with bassist Lee Joseph—both veterans of the earlier Johnny 7—to launch the group at the close of 1982. Local hardcore punk dominated the moment, yet the pair opted instead for unconventional textures created by routing drum machines through fuzzboxes, incorporating shortwave radio signals and tape loops, and layering recited poetry atop the resulting sonic barrage. After performing initially as a duo, they recruited a drummer and keyboardist in time to issue the debut single pairing "Some People" with "No Conclusions," followed by the full-length The Red Album; the lineup dissolved in January 1984 once Joseph moved to Los Angeles.

Positive notices in the underground press prompted reconsideration, however, prompting the pair to exchange song demos through the mail before reconvening in Phoenix to cut the sophomore album Must Have Been Something I Took. Dodge subsequently relocated to Los Angeles as well. Repeated attempts to secure a stable drummer proved fruitless—among the many who passed through was one who had briefly played in a G.G. Allin band—yet Yard Trauma steadily cultivated an audience across Europe purely through critical attention to their recordings. The third album, Face to Face, appeared in 1988 and featured lead-guitar contributions from several guests, among them Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz. Additional releases followed with Lose Your Head in 1990 and Oh My God in 1994, the latter period coinciding with Joseph's founding and operation of the independent Dionysis Records, before the duo ultimately disbanded.