Center for Disease Control Boys

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Center for Disease Control Boys
File:CDCBoys.jpg
CDC Boys Live, Central Tavern, Seattle 1986
Background information
Genres Western Swing
Years active 1986–1987
Labels Fin de Siecle Records
Past members Dean Wartti, George Hackett, Chris Cornell, Ben McMillan, Orville Johnson, Bob Maguire, Jonathan Poneman, Tamara Jones, Gary Heffern, Tim Bowman, Artie Palm
Notable instruments
Accordion, fiddle, mandolin, 12-string guitar, 6-string guitar, bass, stand up drums, saw, spoons, washboard, jaw harp

The Center for Disease Control Boys were a satirical Western swing band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1986. Their performances included a mixture of original compositions and older songs written by such artists as Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel, and Woody Guthrie. Their stage show used an extensive array of props and costumes such as bales of hay, stuffed roosters, rubber trout, and wads of self printed 'country currency'. Yet though the band was tongue-in-cheek, their presage of another Great Depression - 22 years before the fact - was very much by design.

The band was only in existence for six months, but they are noteworthy for their ever changing lineup of musicians and performers which included Chris Cornell with Soundgarden,[1] Jonathan Poneman, founder of Sub Pop Records, and Ben McMillan, lead singer for Skin Yard and Gruntruck.

History

The CDC Boys was a design and musical collaboration between Dean Wartti and George Hackett in 1986. Wartti was manager and booking agent for the Ditto Tavern, which filled a void in the local music scene by providing a venue for folk, punk, art rock, and emerging grunge bands from the Northwest. Hackett was an accomplished guitarist who worked at Boeing and shared Wartti's interest in cultural satire, diverse musical tastes, and leftist politics. Wartti had a background in theatrical performance and design. As they wrote the songs and assembled the props and graphics, the two realized that a diverse cast of band members could be found within the roster of Ditto performers. Rehearsals were held at the SKUD artists collective in Belltown, Seattle, Washington and an opening performance was booked at the Rainbow Tavern as part of a KCMU Showcase. Thus began the band's short but illustrious career.

Lineup

The line up for the debut of the CDC Boys was:

The show also featured singing cowgirls who freely dispensed hay, empty Shake 'N' Bake boxes, and wads of 'country buckeroos.'

  • Cowgirl No. 1: Juliana Wood
  • Cowgirl No. 2: Debra June Connor

As the CDC Boys existed mainly as a comedic side project for all concerned, the band's line up continued to change, and included the following at times:

  • Jonathan Poneman (bass)
  • Artie Palm (mouth harp, saxophone, and guitar)
  • Tim Bowman (accordion and musical saw)
  • Ben Thompson (Clay Alien, The Fantods) drums, and hay bale procurement following Cornell's departure to tour with Soundgarden

The CDC Boys concluded their brief career by releasing a 45 single "We're The Center for Disease Control Boys" b/w "Who We Hatin' Now Mr. Reagan?" on their own Fin De Siecle label. Their final performance was at Seattle's annual Bumbershoot Festival, where they debuted a stirring opus to the Kennedy Assassination entitled, "Grassy Knoll".

Discography

Throughout their career, The Center for Disease Control Boys played only nine shows, but they put out a 45 vinyl single on Fin de Siecle Records in 1986.

Additional information

• George Hackett, who worked at Boeing at the time of the CDC Boys, went on to become Andrea Hackett, founder of the Las Vegas Dancers Alliance, the most widely known organization of strippers in Las Vegas.[2]

• Ben McMillan died in January, 2008 in Seattle from complications related to diabetes.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ Unofficial SG Homepage: Side Projects - CDC Boys
  2. ↑ The Last Honest Place in America by Marc Cooper, Nation Books, pp. 67-86
  3. ↑ Blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com

References

http://users.resist.ca:80/~kirstena/pagemodernbuskers.html

  • Information from Sub Pop Records on Soundgarden and the CDC Boys:

http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/releases/cdc.shtml

  • Infopedia reference that list the CDC Boys as one of Chris Cornell's first bands:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.indiepedia.de/index.php/Chris_Cornell&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522center%2Bfor%2Bdisease%2Bcontrol%2Bboys%2522%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

  • Tribute to '80's bands, including the CDC Boys, from Variant Cause:

http://www.variantcause.com/vc13.htm

  • CDC Boys featured on Dr. Demento radio show, October 5, 1986:

http://dmdb.org/cgi-bin/plinfo.pl?drd86l.1005.html

Posters

  • CDC Boys at The Central, Seattle

  • CDC Boys at The Central, Seattle

  • CDC Boys at The Ditto, Seattle

  • CDC Boys at The Rainbow, Seattle

  • CDC Boys w/Tupelo Chain Sex at The Rainbow

  • CDC Boys at Scoundrel's Lair

  • CDC Boys at the Boom Boom Room

  • CDC Boys, New Years at the Boom Boom Room

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