Bags (Los Angeles band)
| Industry | Music |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 in Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Defunct | 1981 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
| Products | Punk rock music |
Bags—also referred to as the Bags or the Alice Bag Band—were a pioneering American punk rock group originating in 1977, counted among the earliest punk ensembles emerging from Los Angeles, California.
Biography
The formation of the Bags traces back to Alicia Armendariz and Patricia Morrison, who first crossed paths while waiting to attend an Elton John appearance on Cher. Their initial collaboration resulted in a band named Femme Fatale.
Producer Kim Fowley later invited them to try out for his project Venus and the Razorblades.
Transitioning from Femme Fatale, they adopted the name Bags and embraced the stage identities "Alice Bag" and "Pat Bag," inspired by early performances where they wore grocery bags over their heads—a concept abandoned following an incident involving Darby Crash of the Germs. The ensemble consisted of Alice Bag on vocals, Pat Bag handling bass duties, guitarists Craig Lee and Rob Ritter, and drummer Terry Graham.
Their inaugural live show occurred at The Masque on September 10, 1977. Their performances occasionally incited confrontations, notably an altercation between vocalist Tom Waits and drummer Nickey Beat at The Troubadour.
In 1978, Bags issued their only single, featuring "Survive" with the B-side "Babylonian Gorgon," released through the independent label Dangerhouse Records. Additionally, their song "We Don't Need The English" was included on Dangerhouse's Yes L.A. compilation.
After Pat Bag exited the group, Ritter transitioned to bass. In 1980, the band appeared in Penelope Spheeris' documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, sharing the spotlight with major LA punk bands such as the Germs and Black Flag. By the time the film debuted in 1981—when they were credited as the "Alice Bag Band" to prevent confusion with Morrison—the group had already dissolved.
Post break-up
Craig Lee contributed to Catholic Discipline and occasionally collaborated with fellow member Phranc during her solo endeavors. Nevertheless, Lee is principally recognized for his work as a writer and critic for outlets like Flipside and as co-author of Hardcore California: A History Of Punk and New Wave. He passed away from complications related to AIDS in 1991.
Drummer Terry Graham went on to join The Gun Club, shortly followed by Patricia Morrison (formerly Pat), who also became part of The Gun Club before moving on to play bass for The Sisters of Mercy and later The Damned. She married Dave Vanian, lead vocalist of The Damned.
Rob Ritter likewise joined The Gun Club, contributing to their debut album Fire Of Love prior to departing. He then adopted the name Rob Graves and founded the influential death rock group 45 Grave, alongside Dinah Cancer, Don Bolles (previously of the Germs and Nervous Gender), Paul Roessler (The Screamers, Nervous Gender), and Paul Cutler. 45 Grave played a significant role in shaping goth rock. Graves died from a heroin overdose in 1990.
Alice Bag became part of Castration Squad, a death rock outfit featuring Phranc and Dinah Cancer. During the 1990s, she formed Cholita! with punk drag performer Vaginal Davis, producing various video releases. Later projects included performing with Las Tres and founding Stay at Home Bomb. In light of Lee’s and Ritter’s deaths and her estrangement from Morrison, she regards Bags as permanently disbanded and has refrained from publicly performing their material.
The band's recordings have been compiled and issued by Artifix Records, which also re-released their original Dangerhouse single.
At the 2008 exhibition "Vexing: Female Voices From East L.A. Punk" held at the Claremont Museum of Art, Armendariz performed punk-infused interpretations of both mariachi music and select Bags songs.
In 2011, Alice Bag authored her memoir titled Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage, A Chicana Punk Story, followed by a national tour combining readings with musical performances.
Discography
- 7" single "Survive"/"Babylonian Gorgon" (Dangerhouse Records, early to mid-1978)
- All Bagged Up... The Collected Works 1977-1980 (released 2007)
- "Survive" – 2:48
- "Babylonian Gorgon" – 2:35
- "We Don't Need the English" – 1:14
- "We Will Bury You" – 1:52
- "TV Dinner" – 1:49
- "Violent Girl" – 2:17
- "Animal Call" – 2:21
- "Chainsaw" – 1:16
- "7 and 7 Is (composed by Arthur Lee)" – 1:52
- "1,2,3" – 1:26
- "Gluttony" – 2:23
- "In Love With Romance" – 1:35
- "Car Hell" – 2:52
- "Real Emotions" – 1:57
- "Bag Bondage" – 1:20
- "Disco's Dead" – 2:11
- "Prowlers in the Night" – 2:57
- "Nothing's Going on in Here" – 2:33
- "We Don't Need the English" featured on Yes L.A. compilation (Dangerhouse Records, 1979)
- "Gluttony" included in The Decline of Western Civilization soundtrack (Slash Records, 1980)
- "We Will Bury You" appeared on Life is Beautiful, So Why Not Eat Health Foods compilation (New Underground Records, 1983)
- "Survive" part of the We're Desperate: The L.A. Scene (1976-79) compilation (Rhino Records, 1993)