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 Adam Ritchie and his band inside the DMZSteve Schmidt and Link Smith skating in DMZ parking lotSteve Schmidt, somewhere between the heights and downtownGrove Circle Punx - Andy Conrad, Utrillo, Bryan Spinas, Matthew Thompson, Jason White, Josh Bentley (92)
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Show at Governor's Mansion Governor Jim Guy Tucker hosts nine LR punk bands and two out-of-towners for a "Surreal Little Get Together" in April. Nuisance joins Jetjangua, five-0, Drain, Thumbnail, Absorption, Lime Pit, G, and Soophie Nun Squad for alotta rock.  Lizzy Calhoun // So, as I recall, Anna Tucker & I were sitting in our 10th grade art class at Central one fine spring day in 1993. She & I grew up downtown in the Quapaw Quarter & were old childhood playmates. We were talking about her boyfriend, Alan Leek's band called Lime Pit. Her family had just moved into the governor's mansion a few months earlier after Clinton's presidential win & she figured that all that expanse of backyard was going to waste. I was only about a year or so into the LR scene & was coming up with excuses to get involved in any way that I could. I figured that being a dorky wannabe punk kid, how great would it be to impress all these older LR punk rockers by helping to put on a show? She said she'd ask Alan if he thought he could get some people together to play a small get-together. Alan was friends with Dustin & Soophie & we both knew John Pugh & Theo Witsell from childhood. Michael McDonald happened to share a table with us in art class & said that he'd ask a few people if they'd be interested. It ... (More) // 1993, I took my (soon to be) wife and her best friend up to Clarksville to tour the college up there. We took the family car (an Oldsmobile - what else?) and listened to a demo tape recorded by Surge (who later morphed into Fuse of Ire.) My road-trip companions were friends with The Fuse of Ire guys, helping them with local promotion in Hot Springs. They talked me into detouring through Little Rock for the big Governor's Mansion shindig after hitting Clarksville.
Man, my parents were pissed that we didn't just come right home! I tried to explain that we went to listen to a Christian band, but to no avail. Those were the days! Clay Simmons // This festival-style, outdoor event replete with stage and rented sound system was a hallmark moment for me in a lot of ways. If I'm not mistaken, and I very well may be, it was the brainchild of Jim Guy's then teenage daughter, Anna, who wanted some kind of 16th birthday party. Given the fact that her dad was governor of Arkansas, it effectively turned into this full-blown punk rock garden party behind the governor's mansion. At the time I was playing bass in the pre-William Martyr 17 abomination called Otherwise. I think it was only my second or third time playing in front of anyone and definitely my first time amplified through any kind of sound system. There were a lot of other firsts that day. It was the first time I was exposed to Soophie Nun Squad and all of their raisin-tossing mayhem. It was also the first time I ever saw Chris Wilson play the drums. He played in this Christian straight-edge band from Hot Springs called Fuse of Ire. I think there was some tension around the fact that their fans liked to "mosh" and hurt people. I believe I opted for the safe way out and ... (More) // The Governor's Mansion show was great. I had come with my friend Tim Freeman and his girlfriend at the time Amiee. Otherwise/William Martyr 17 was playing by the time we got there and there were a lot of bands that were from out of town and some locals. Fuse Of Ire from Hot Springs played as well (they were a pretty funny band). I also remember this was Soophie Nun Squad's first show too. I went to high school with half of the guys in the band. I remember Mark Lierly was so nervous before going on he was pacing around and practicing his drum stuff. They had these boxes of raisons that the threw out to the crowd and of course they got some thrown back. But I remember they opened with a song called "Shoe Song." I don't think anyone really knew at this point what to make of the band. But I could tell they were all really nervous...especially Mark. // How cool was it that we had a governor named "Jim Guy"? // Formerly The Schwa Sound, Soophie Nun Squad is renamed in 1993 and plays their first show on the back lawn.  Trouble submitting your story? E-mail towncraft@matsonfilms.com Matson Films reserves the right to edit all responses. Please be courteous to your community. |
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Andrew Moore
Drain
Governor's Mansion
