The History of Latex Generation
(taken directly from the Official Latex Generation Wiki)
Latex Generation is a New York, USA punk rock band formed in the early 1990s. The name was inspired by a news report heard on the radio by bassist Tom Mikulik (aka Tommy Rockstar) that spoke of the current generation of teens and the threat of STDs, especially the AIDS epidemic. The band of young high-schoolers (at that time) agreed to the name "Latex Generation" instead of "Dead Cat Lickers". They are also referred to as "L8XG" or just "LG". They went on to release 2 full-length CD's, 3 7" records, a number of compilation album contributions and toured around the world. They are currently disbanded.
The Early Years (1990-1992)
The founding members were:
•Paul Fort (guitar)
•Mike Hobbs (drums)
•Tom Mikulik (bass)
Their first performances were at high school functions at Wheatley High in East Williston, NY (where Paul & Hobbs attended). The band was in it's infancy at this point. To make up for the lack of a front-man, the high schoolers turned to Hobbs' sister Allison and their good friend Alison Redmond. The band added James Simpson on guitar to fill out the sound during a few shows. Simpson's role with the band was short-lived due to personality clashes with the founding members.
Soon after this, vocalist Matt Smalls was recruited to present a more professional sound. Early shows at Long Island's HammerHedz & Wheatley High School's Battle of the Bands were successful. The Wheatley High School battle of the band's show included a mosh pit that brought the show to a halt twice and lead to the school principal ejecting the band's fans. However, the band soon realized that Matt's singing style didn't mesh with the band's raw punk style so his stint as lead singer was short-lived.
After several unsuccessful auditions, the band approached Joseph Nienstedt, the guitarist for another local band called "Old Motor Parkway". It only took one practice session in Hobbs' basement to realize the band was now complete. Joe became the new singer for the band and they immediately began working on original songs. Among the early originals were titles such as: "Out on the Run", "Bitch Factory", and "Edicius". The band started to play regular shows throughout Long Island and Queens and even won the Herricks High School battle of the bands.
Although the band endured growing pains during the first two years, the following lineup solidified the band and allowed it to grow quickly into a force on the local scene:
•Paul Fort (guitar)
•Mike Hobbs (drums)
•Tom Mikulik (bass)
•Joseph Nienstedt (vocals)
====Recording Session #1====
The band's first demo entitled Loser was recorded by Steve Ronsen. The six song demo included:
1.Myself
2.Funky Green Carpet
3.Not a Crime
4.Whore
5.Grow
6.FCC
The Middle Years (1993-1996)
The band became actively involved in the Long Island Punk/Hardcore scene which was centered around the club "The Angle" (Mineola, New York). They also regularly participated in the Queens/Manhatten Punk scene. After playing the local clubs for a while they signed with indie label Motherbox Records and recorded their first 7" record entitled "Bored" in 1993. This was a huge milestone for the band.
====Recording Session #2====
The Bored 7" was recorded by Steve Ronsen at Buzz Productions. Songs Included:
1.PB&J
2.Home
3.Bored
4.Two Faces
The song "Two Faces" featured Joe playing guitar alongside Paul for the first time. The band soon realized that a role reversal would benefit the music. So, Joe took on the lead guitar role allowing Paul to concentrate on lead vocals and his eclectic live performances. In an attempt to broaden their fan base, the young band expanded their home base to include New Jersey and Pennsylvania playing countless shows with bands such as Weston, Bouncing Souls, & Plow United. During this time, the band developed a raw energy that radiated from the stage during each performance. To capitalize on the success of it's live performances, Latex G headed back to the studio to record some new songs.
====Recording Session #3====
The I Killed the President 7" was recorded by Steve Ronsen at Buzz Productions. Songs Included:
1.Fuck Me, I'm a Rockstar
2.Delivery Boy
3.I Killed the President
(Fuck Me, I’m a Rockstar and I Killed The President both appeared on a limited edition promotional cassette as well)
With two 7" records to their credit, the band grew more ambitious. Longer tours were now being organized throughout the Northeast and larger groups of fans were attending shows. However, L8XG continued it's DIY philosophy by silk screening T-Shirts, Buttons, and Patches in Tom's Basement. The band's buzz grew louder with each month so Latex G hit the studio once again to record songs for upcoming compilations.
====Recording Session #4====
Although the band was satisfied with the DIY recordings done at Buzz Studios, they felt it was time to record in a more professional environment. They were introduced to Producer Steve Meyer by friend Patrick Walsh in 1995 and recorded two new songs and two covers for upcoming record label compilations.
The Steve Meyer sessions included the following songs:
1.Daddy Was a Communist
2.I'm Not You
3.The Theme from TV's The Jeffersons (Cover)
4.Runaround Sue (Cover)
After playing a sold out show with No Use For a Name at NYC's Wetlands, the band was approached by a New Zealand based record label called "Onefoot Records". Latex G soon signed a contract with Onefoot and went back to Steve Meyer's studio to record the first Full Length CD entitled "360". During the recording of 360, they met future band member Hugo Gasc, who worked at a deli across the street from the recording studio.
====Recording Session #5====
The 360 CD & LP was recorded by Steve Meyer and included all new recordings of the following songs:
1.Central America
2.Daddy Was a Communist
3.They Killed the Radio
4.360
5.Delivery Boy
6.PB&J
7.3 Years After
8.Fuck Me, I'm a Rockstar
9.I'm Not You
10.I Killed the President
11.Bazooka
12.Fallen Angel (with bonus track "Sgt. Thrasher hidden afterwards)
Latex then organized it's most ambitious tour to date. With a new CD to promote, the band embarked on a seven week nationwide tour. The band continued its DIY work ethic by making almost all of their own merchandise, booking shows, advertising, and managing the band themselves. Bassist Tom Mikulik became the band's driving force behind bookings and merchandise.
The Later Years (1997-1999)
After they returned from the tour supporting 360, the band brought on Hugo Gasc as another guitar player. This setup did not last long, as tensions were growing between the band. Drummer Mike Hobbs & Lead Singer Paulie Latex were busy finishing college and the pressure of touring/school/promotion was too much for the band to overcome. The band replaced Hobbs with Hugo Gasc as the new drummer. Soon after, Paul Fort left the band as well. The remaining members tried out new front-men, but no one suitable was found. Eventually Joseph Nienstedt reclaimed the lead singer position he occupied when the band was first formed. Only this time, around he was also expected to handle the lead guitar role.
The band continued touring with the following members:
•Joseph Nienstedt: Vocals/Guitar
•Tom Mikulik: Bass
•Hugo Gasc: Drums
With a full catalog of music and a renewed spirit, the band got back on the road to support Florida's Ska/Punk kings Less Than Jake on an east coast tour. They soon recorded some new material for a 7" single, as well as a few tracks for their follow up record to 360. The band members had changed, and so did their sound. To accommodate this, Latex G changed studios again. The band decided to work with engineer Eric Rachel at Tracks East Studios in NJ.
====Recording Session #6====
During the Eric Rachel sessions they recorded the following songs:
For the Whatever Happened to PJ Soles? 7"
1.Whatever Happened to PJ Soles?
2.Come Along Sorry Ass, We're Going Places (which also appeared on "Boysrock")
For compilation records:
1.21 (of age) (which also appeared on "Boysrock" and the "Boysrock Sampler" cassette)
2.Cycle (which also appeared on "Boysrock" and the "Boysrock Sampler" cassette)
3.Holiday Road (which was never released commercially)
The band then made their first international tour with Florida's "Radio Baghdad" to Eastern Europe. The band was featured in video documentary filmed during that tour as well, which was not available in the US. Some material recorded appeared in a short video clip on the "Boysrock" CD.
Upon returning from the European tour, L8XG parted ways with Hugo Gasc (who remained a close friend and played an occasional show with them as a guitarist and participated in future recordings) due to his commitment to his own band Desperosity. L8XG began to audition new drummers and found a drummer named Jay who played their first Vans Warped Tour shows as well as a nationwide tour with the band Whatever?. However, the band did not have the same energy achieved with earlier drummers Hobbs & Hugo, so they parted ways with Jay (who is still a talented drummer). Ensuing auditions produced drummer Brian Alien. To make up for lost time, the band immediately began writing for a new record and went back to Tracks East in NJ to lay down what would be "Boysrock", their sophomore CD.
The lineup for Boysrock was as follows:
•Joseph Nienstedt (Vocals/Guitar)
•Tom Mikulik (Bass)
•Brian Alien (Drums)
Latex Generation was a completely different band when they recorded Boysrock. They had been through numerous line-up changes and had matured since the early days. The end result was a record that sounded nothing like their previous recordings. Fans of the older material had mixed reactions to the shift in style demonstrated on Boysrock and the band found themselves playing less and less of the old material live.
====Recording Session #7====
The songs that appeared on Boysrock Latex Generation's 2nd CD, which was recorded by Eric Rachel in 1998 at Tracks East in NJ were:
1.Laugh It Off
2.6th Sense
3.21 (of age) (recorded with Hugo on drums from the previous session)
4.Cycle (recorded with Hugo on drums from the previous session)
5.Tank Stellar
6.One For the Bastards
7.Come Along Sorry Ass, We're Going Places (recorded with Hugo on drums from the previous session)
8.Ilona Stanley's Response
9.Inspiration on TV
10.Desperosity ( with Jessica on Saxaphone - formally of Less than Jake)
11.Mac ( with Jessica on Saxaphone - formally of Less than Jake, this song was written by Patrick Walsh)
12.Campsite 54
Other songs recorded during that session include:
1.Closed Casket (which was pulled from Boysrock at the last minute and never commercially released)
2.Trash (with Hugo Gasc on lead vocals and rythym guitar)
After they recorded Boysrock, the band did a lot of short tours in the US, including a slot on a tour with The Bouncing Souls, a tour with Pennsylvania's Digger, and a string of dates on the Vans Warped Tour in the US. They headed to a studio in South Carolina to record 2 songs for the record label Fast Music that were to appear on a split 7" record with the band Digger. The 7" never came to fruition, but one of the songs was used on a Fast Music compilation.
====Recording Session #8====
The Columbia, SC sessions included the following songs:
1.Undependant (released on the Fast Music Compilation)
2.The Best Revenge (never commercially released)
L8XG landed a slot on the Australian leg of the '98 Van's Warped Tour. When they returned from that tour, Joseph Nienstedt got married. The band was having difficulties with Brian Alien who had substance abuse issues and was not reliable enough anymore to play live shows, often dropping sticks or forgetting which song he was playing. They went on one last tour opening for the California punk band Lagwagon and then Brian left the band shortly after. At that time Joseph Nienstedt was expecting his first child decided with Tom Mikulik to put the band on hold indefinitely.
