and a hearty welcome to our friends and fans around the globe. Here you'll find information, images and sounds created by and from the personal files of the band itself. Thanks for coming! And now. our story:
"It was sometime in the late 80's, I was taken to my first real deathrock club. the Krypt on Washington Blvd. The narrow hallway going in was so filled with fog that you could barely see. In the main room, there was a band playing called Screams For Tina. The strobelight was continually flashing through the heavy fog and there was something very real happening on stage, turning out a sound that was like no other I'd ever heard. There was an electricity in the air, the possiblities were all new and limitless. For me that show and that night still largely defines what this whole thing was ever about."
- John Koviac /
LA Musician/Artist/DJ @ Bar Sinister
The above statement is one of the most accurate descriptions to date of the music of a band that was started in mid-1985 Los Angeles amidst a tidal wave of flashy, roots-based glam rock outfits . . . the odds for a piece of the local action were slim, at best. " Screams For Tina," What kinda name is that???" was the usual, twisted-faced response.
But behind the walls of a tiny storefront-sized space in the middle of Hollywood proper, the Virgin Prunes, Alien Sex Fiend & Princess Tiny Meat, were the sounds of choice. The "Seance" club, a small, midnight-to-dawn gathering of the city's dark-minded underground, lent support to the cause.
In early 1986, a self-produced EP "Strobelight Funeral" was released and quickly became a hot item with distributors and on local college radio. The EP was often aired in it's entirety, week . . . after week. Then, with the SFT moniker semi-established, the band made it's live debut to great response and were soon sharing the stage with other up and coming groups such as Human Drama, Ex-Voto and the then recently formed Jane's Addition.
Over the next 4 years, the band played it's ass off, building a sizeable local reputatuion and following at infamous underground clubs like the Krypt, Zombie Zoo, Hapihaus, Scream, White Trash a-go-go. eventually earning the title of "'Deathrock Kingpins" in the prestigious L.A. Weekly entertainment newspaper.
In 1990, differences saw the exit of the original guitarist. Then, a new line-up, (composed primarily of ex-members from the recently defunct Like Wreckage) continued on, eventually catching the attention of the then fledging Cleopatra Records in 1993. The SFT song "Eleven Eleven" was placed on a compilation called "The Whip" amongst many already famous underground and Gothic artists. Subsequent to the release, the label began receiving calls from around the U.S. inquiring who this new band was. The response was overwhelmingly positive, prompting the label to quickly throw the band's demos together and release them as their debut album.
Even in it's raw, unsweetened state, the album received glowing reviews in over 25 international genre-related publications and the band began gathering a solid, worldwide fanbase that is still in place.
Over the next few years, SFT shared stages with Christian Death, Sex Gang Children, Shadow Project, This Ascension, X, Caterwaul, These Immortal Souls and a host of others. Eventually, around 1997, both the local underground scene as well as the record business itself, went into a frustrating slump. Lacking substantial monetary support and places to play, the band felt it was beating it's head against the wall. A last gasp of air. in the form of a gig with Type O Negative, disappeared when the venue location was changed at the last minute. and the band packed it in.
Some recording of basic tracks on some new songs had taken place prior
to the split, but were abandoned, as there seemed no point in
continuing with them at that point. Everyone pretty much went their
separate ways. but, Billy and Warren did stay in touch. Billy joined
forces with some ex-members of AnA Black (whom we'd met at our shared
rehearsal space in the famed Morrison Hotel building in downtown
L.A.), and formed the heavy Industrial unit See Spot Kill; recording
an E.P. with some totally awesome tracks on it. As time passed,
though, the two grew restless at not having SFT to kick around any
longer and picked up with the recording of the new material. Then with
the aid of longtime friends and fans, the track "Life of Sin" ended up
on a newly released compilation and started getting 5 star reviews.
This led to a lengthy interview in NewGrave magazine. At the same time,
we found that our Internet presence had grown by leaps and bounds
over the years since the breakup. Soon, an email contact from our
longtime fans in the Austrian band Kiss the Blade appeared they
were starting a new label. Strobelight Records (affectionately named
after our Strobelight Funeral E.P). We signed an interim deal with
them and the "2003 A.D." E.P. was borne. The reviews were unanimously
positive and within the ensuing year, articles, reviews and interviews
on the band appeared in every top underground fanzine in Europe. all
hailing the rebirth of SFT.
*** UPDATE: It is now 2010 . . . unfortunately, we experienced a major setback late in 2009. A new full length album is almost finished up, but without going into detail, our health and well-being needs to come first. as we're sure you understand. We apologize for the long delay in moving forward in several areas, but life is simply what it is at times and control of it is not within one's grasp. ***
