Backstage Pass (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Marina Muhlfriedel, Joanna Spock Dean, Genny Schorr |
| Defunct | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
| Products | Music recordings, live performances |
Backstage Pass was a pop-punk ensemble originating from Los Angeles, active between 1976 and 1979. Recognized as one of the pioneering punk groups in the city, they played an instrumental role in establishing The Masque (venue), a foundational punk rock venue in Hollywood.
History
Backstage Pass came together in 1976 as a predominantly female pop-punk outfit, founded by Marina Muhlfriedel (known as Marina del Rey), bassist Joanna Spock Dean, and guitarist Genny Schorr (also known as Genny Body). Their initial rehearsals took place upstairs at Cherokee Studios in West Hollywood, California, where they shared space with notable artists such as Alice Cooper and David Bowie.
After participating in a showcase organized by Stiff Records founder Jake Riviera, Backstage Pass began building momentum through numerous performances throughout both Southern and Northern California. They shared stages with bands and artists including Devo, The Mumps, Wall of Voodoo, Elvis Costello, and The Weirdos. Early acclaim was garnered via coverage in British music publications Melody Maker and Sounds, along with features in Rodney Bingenheimer’s Phonograph Record Magazine.
Prominent members comprised Holly Beth Vincent and Ché Zuro. The band primarily consisted of female musicians, supplemented occasionally by male drummers; Rod "The Perve" Mitchell held the longest tenure as drummer. Additional contributors featured Hilly Michaels and Mike Ruiz from Milk n' Cookies.
Dissolution
The group disbanded in 1979. Marina went on to co-found Vivabeat, a techno-pop band that was signed by Peter Gabriel to Charisma Records. In 1978, Holly Beth Vincent launched Holly and The Italians. Ché Zuro became a member of The Orchids, a band created by Kim Fowley. Prior to joining Backstage Pass, Genny Schorr had been considered for the Runaways but declined an opportunity with The Go-Go's to co-own Strait Jacket, a punk fashion boutique. She later performed with the cowpunk group Screamin' Sirens alongside Pleasant Gehman. Spock remained active in the local music scene as a bassist and percussionist; by November 1999, she was appointed senior director of video promotion at Virgin Records America in New York.
Reunion
On November 11, 2018, nearly four decades after their breakup, Backstage Pass reunited for the Radio Free Hollywood Reunion event alongside other late '70s Los Angeles bands. The lineup featured original members Marina del Rey (Marina Muhlfriedel) and Genny Schorr, joined by bassist Gwynne Kahn, guitarist Jessie Jacobson, drummer Chris Bailey, and keyboardist/vocalist Karen Benjamin—all seasoned participants in the L.A. music circuit. Since this reunion, the band has performed intermittently and has been working on new songs.
In 2019, East Nashville’s independent label Semi-Pro Records issued a limited-edition pink cassette titled Backstage Pass '77, compiling live and studio recordings from the late 1970s. In 2021, Genny and Marina appeared in a Dr. Martens documentary chronicling the History of Women in L.A. Punk, alongside artists such as Exene Cervenka, Patty Schemel of Hole, The Linda Lindas, and L.A. Witch.
In popular culture
The band’s impact on the formative Los Angeles punk movement is highlighted in several publications, including Hit Girls: Women of Punk in the USA, Jen B Larson’s 1975-1983, John Doe of X’s works More Fun in the New World and Under the Big Black Sky, as well as Richard Balls' Be Stiff: The Stiff Records Story. Backstage Pass also gained recognition through prominent punk outlets such as Backdoor Man, Slash Magazine, and Flipside.
Their track “Legend (Come on Up to Me)” was featured on the 1978 Rhino Records compilation Saturday Night Pogo and was later covered by Redd Kross for the movie Desperate Teenage Lovedolls, with lead vocals by Joanna Spock Dean.
In 2020, Heavy Soul Records included Backstage Pass on their compilation CD It's a Youth Explosion Volume 1, showcasing the song "Let Me Show You Love."