DESCRIPTION:
Laughing Soup Dish, Acidland, '87
The Laughing Soup Dish was formed in the winter of 1981 in West Long Branch NJ, the first lineup being a three piece group. The first original songs were left overs from the bands Solitary Mind and the Agents. We also did two sets worth of Velvet Underground covers and songs by the Red Crayola, Kinks, 13th Floor Elevators, etc. Our first gig was at the Brighton bar in 1982. The band kept developing new originals and experimentations. On New Years Day 1984 Marc Saxton was asked to join the band and Kyle Zimmerman took over drumming. The first recordings made were on a cassette 4 track. Demos were sent to Bomp records who signed us in the spring of that year. The band gained momentum and played a lot of gigs, at that time the Jersey shore psych scene consisted main of the Secret Syde and Laughing Soup Dish. These were heady times, the early Brighton bar scene were a closely knit bunch and everybody knew everbody. We also backed Jon Davies as "The Secret Syde" for a couple of gigs before his departure to Germany. Shortly after the release of the "Teen age Limabean" single, the 2nd line up of the group played CBGBs and split up due to internal tensions. Marc and Elena went on to form the Watch Childern. With encouragement from Greg Shaw to continue, the third line up was formed during the completion of the first LP which was recorded on a 4 track reel to reel with 2 more tracks added after the instrumental stereo "dump". Sound Effects were added during the transfer to 2 track master, Greg Shaw provided the album cover art by R.K. Sloan. During the years 1987 and 1989 the band played many shows to pomote the lp. Particularly enjoyable were the Mind's Eye shows in NYC put on by Ivy Vale ( daughter of the Dunkin' Doughnuts man). Light shows were by west coast legend Captian Wizzo notable for his lighting of Big Brother and the Holding Co.and other SF Groups in the 60's. A Voxx compilation including Laughing Soup Dish, " the Secret Team" was released around this time. Money was provided by Shaw for the band to enter Joey DiMaio's Wild Sound studio and began recording the "Underthrow the Overground" LP in 1989. Again internal tensions plagued the group and the third line up splintered. Dave DeSantis left to join the X-Men, he was replaced by Scott Angely and Terry Rupple was brough in to drum. Curtis Kile had moved to Philidelphia and had to travel back to Long Branch for shows. After the release of the 2nd LP a fourth lineup was formed to promote the new album in 1990. A third albums worth of material was written and recorded at a friend's studio but was never released. By 1992, after playing numerous shows the band played it's final gig at the oceanside Cafe Bar, the last song played was the Velvets "Ride Into The Sun". It was the end of the original neo psych movement....... a few final notes: William "Leadman" Bennet plays lead on the Song "Siamese Cat" . the last recordings were done at the "Tin Squid House", Z-Man and Siamese cat plus another 10 songs. unreleased