The Welders, St. Louis' first all-female punk band, will have their four song EP released on BDR Records -- after a 32 year wait.
Well, they probably weren't waiting all this time, but it's pretty cool regardless.
Recorded in 1978 by the teenage quintet, the songs hold up very well. Le Tigre would have carried their instruments had they lived here in the late 1970s.
According to the label, the songs were "rescued and restored from the only available source ... a 30 year old rotting cassette." Vinyl fans will enjoy the limited edition 7" pressed on red, opaque vinyl.
"We were 13 to 15 years old," a band member wrote on their MySpace page. "We were straight-A students and we all wore glasses. Most of all, we loved rock'n'roll. ... Four of us worked as busgirls at a Chinese restaurant to raise money for instruments. By 1976, we'd all gotten contact lenses and learned to apply makeup.
"As far as we can tell, the Welders are currently all productive members of society," she concluded.
Adding to the nostalgia, the first official CD of 1980's Test Patterns local compilation will also be released at the show. Originally an LP put out by Jet Lag magazine founders Steve Pick & John The Mailman, it includes tracks by such local acts as the Oozkicks, the Strikers, Zanti Misfits and the Felons.
BDR Record release party with Welder-Grunt, Bunnygrunt & The Medical Tourists
8 pm Sat., Tap Room, FREE
