Lewd

punk

There are at least three bands named Lewd. Anyone who has heard the Lewd's great late '70s single Kill Yourself can vouch for the raw, crazed energy of this young Seattle punk combo. Their self-released single has commanded high prices based on its rarity, not to mention the fact that it kicks ass. The Lewd were an outgrowth of an earlier band called the Sixteen Year Old Virgins, who changed their name to the Knobs. Lead singer J. Satz Baret was formerly as Satin Sheets, and played in the later, non-cabaret version of Ze Whiz Kids, circa 1975. Ze Whiz Kids, primarily a theater group, also included the late Tomata Du Plenty, of the Screamers. According to Satz, The Knobs never really played. We were going to play, had publicity ahead of us, photo sessions and a flyer than announced that we were coming soon! Yet the Knobs never played an official show, because as Satz says we had no songs. Like that's stopped anyone else? However, the Knobs did play one intimate performance at a Fremont rehearsal space called The Funhole. This A-list evening was written up in a Seattle punk fanzine Twisted. Satz chainsawed a stage monitor during Chain Saw Sex. 'Nuff said. The Lewd’s first show was in the Northwest punk Bethlehem, Vancouver, B.C. The Lewd opened for the Ramones on June 8, 1977 for an evening of pure insanitainment. Johnny Vinyl, a member of a local band that used an unpronounceable symbol for their name (it's commonly pronounced Aaiieee!) remembers the Lewd opening up for...