11.21.2011

HEATHER HARRIS: NIAGARA DESTROY ALL MONSTERS RETROSPECTIVE

Guest Post by Photographer Heather Harris: Read Her Story Here



See Story Featuring DAM DRUMMER ROB KING...

From November 19, 2011 through Jan. 7, 2011, Prism Gallery presents RETURN OF THE REPRESSED: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS presents a retrospective of Destroy All Monsters, the art collective who became the beloved Detroit band (which also boasted Ron Asheton of The Stooges and Mike Davis of the MC5.)

Niagara

The 1973-77 art work of Niagara, Jim Shaw, Cary Loren and Mike Kelley is featured in a show curated by the latter and Dan Nadel, with hundreds of fascinating offerings influenced by Japanese monster films, dada assemblage, xerography and pop art which in turn influenced the oncoming onslaught of punk rock graphics.


The ever intriguing and beautiful Niagara seemed especially ebullient at the well-attended art opening on the 19th,seen here photographed by Heather Harris who commented, "Jack Black was there but I was enjoying the show too much to go headhunting."


Read More on RK

Destroy All Monsters Featuring Guest Writer Niagara Detroit
Detroit's Killer Artist: Niagara Detroit
Niagara on Tour with The Hitmen



Biography on the Miller twins with DAM


DESTROY ALL MONSTERS as the Miller Brothers experienced it was an odd merging of two local Ann Arbor bands. In the spring of 1977, original founders of DAM, Cary Loren and Niagara, began dropping in on EMPOOL rehearsals and request we work on their own songs -- garage punk.

NOTE: EMPOOL was a psychedelic free improvisation band I lead. Eventually this imposition took hold and a loose knit hybrid group began to form. My use of various FX pedals gave me the slightly embarrassing tag as"space guitar", which soon developed into straight-ahead rhythm guitar as Cary left the group -- having left due to personal differences -- in summer 1977.

Ben’s free-form alto sax playing, also run thru various electronics, became more traditional as well. By the time Cary left, both Michael Davis and Ron Asheton had joined the band, honing a heavier metal-punk sound. We began opening up for the likes of Pere Ubu, The Ramones, and Devo to name a few.


Essentially it was one big party. In fact, the difference between a rehearsal and a party was marginal. Due to creative differences, Ben and I chose to leave the band shortly after completing DAM's second single in October 1978.

There were two other songs recorded during that last session, ones both Ben and I penned, which remain in “the can” to this day. BROKEN MIRRORS and TAKEN FOR GRANITE. Ben and I were asked back into the band in 1983 for two reunion shows with the group at Second Chance, in Ann Arbor. It didn't stick for us, and that was it. Laurence Miller

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