Ed Hall (band)

Ed Hall

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1985
Headquarters	Austin, Texas , United States
Products	Studio albums, singles

Ed Hall emerged as a noise rock ensemble originating from Austin, Texas, United States, in 1985. Their music fused elements of post-hardcore and psychedelic rock, earning them the description by Trouser Press as "Austin's inheritors of the Butthole Surfers' eccentric rock legacy." The group consisted of Gary Chester handling guitar duties and Larry Strub on bass. Kevin Whitley performed drums on their initial two albums before Lyman Hardy took over until the band's eventual breakup.

Formation and Early Phase (1985–1988)

The inception of Ed Hall dates back to 1985, when John Buron, Gary Chester, Andy Colvin, and Larry Strub came together to form the band. Strub relocated to Austin in the early 1980s to study at the University of Texas at Austin, where he encountered drummer John Buron. Motivated by Buron, Strub picked up the bass guitar. Chester, who shared botany classes with Strub, soon joined the lineup. The band’s name was inspired by a character Buron devised during an Exquisite Corpse game; Chester described it as "completely mundane," deliberately contrasting with more unconventional names like Butthole Surfers.

Initially, Ed Hall performed at events organized by the Art Student's Association at UT before transitioning to gigs at Dong Huong, a Vietnamese restaurant on North Loop known for supporting local punk bands such as Pocket FishRmen, ST-37, and Thanatopsis. Their live contribution to the compilation The Polyp Explodes attracted the attention of Tom Flynn from Boner Records, a Berkeley-based label focused on underground music. Flynn extended an offer of $500 to record their debut album. Andy Colvin, who was originally the lead vocalist, departed due to personal reasons. Ed Hall tracks featuring Colvin appeared on Charlie Manson Street, a 1989 compilation showcasing his performances with various groups.

Boner Records Era (1988–1991)

Following their six-song contribution to Mind Drum Records’ compilation Charlie Manson Street, Ed Hall launched their debut album Albert under the Boner label in 1988. The song "Candy House" hinted at their ongoing fusion of quirky and comedic elements that would continue on 1990's Love Poke Here. Their visibility increased after featuring in Richard Linklater's 1991 independent film Slacker. Subsequently, they signed with Trance Syndicate, a label owned by Butthole Surfer drummer King Coffey, and toured across North America opening for Butthole Surfers.

Trance Syndicate Period (1991–1996)

The release of Gloryhole in 1992 marked Ed Hall’s first record on Trance Syndicate and demonstrated a progression in their sound while retaining their trademark loose rhythms and pop sensibilities influenced by Butthole Surfers. Recorded at Butch Vig's Smart Studios, standout tracks included "Buster Enamel," the instrumental "Bernie Sticky," and a cello-accompanied rendition of Kiss's "Beth," which was also issued as a 7-inch single.

In 1993, Motherscratcher debuted with "White House Girls," featuring Gary Chester’s sharp guitar riffs alongside bassist Larry Strub and new drummer Lyman Hardy—who had replaced Kevin Whitley prior to the Gloryhole tour. Their musical approach incorporated inspiration from Flipper, with whom they toured in 1994.

The 1995 album La La Land expanded upon the sonic direction established in Motherscratcher, cementing their status within the alternative rock landscape.

Post-breakup period and subsequent activities (1996–present)

Although their sixth studio album, Permission to Rock... Denied, was completed, it never saw an official release. In a 2013 interview, Larry Strub characterized the album as familiar yet clearly differentiated from their earlier productions.

Ed Hall officially dissolved in 1996. Following the breakup, bassist Larry Strub moved to Thailand where he pursued a career teaching English. Guitarist Gary Chester became involved with Moist Fist and Gold (which later evolved into Pong), while drummer Lyman Hardy collaborated with multiple groups including Goin' Along Feelin' Just Fines. Presently, all three musicians perform together in the retro-futuristic cosmic dance-rock ensemble known as Pong. The band reunited for performances in Austin, Texas, during 2003, November 2012 (sharing the stage with Crust and Pain Teens), July 2014, and again on August 2, 2014, when Ed Hall played alongside Pong at Fred's Texas Cafe in Fort Worth, TX.

Andy Colvin & Ed Hall (2015)

In 2015, vocalist Andy Colvin released an extensive collection of outtakes, B-sides, and alternate takes from Ed Hall’s early recordings under the banner "Andy Colvin & Ed Hall."

Ed Hall: The Unauthorized Story

The short documentary Ed Hall: The Unauthorized Story (2016), directed by Benjamin Camp and produced by Andy Colvin, had its world premiere on September 28, 2017, at the Local Sightings Film Festival held in Seattle.

Band members

Final lineup

• Gary Chester – electric guitar (1985–1996), vocals (1987–1996)
• Lyman Hardy – drums (1991–1996)
• Larry Strub – bass guitar (1985–1996), vocals (1987–1996)

Previous members

• John Buron – drums (1985)
• Andy Colvin – vocals (1985–1987)
• Kevin Whitley – drums (1985–1991)

Timeline

<timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:30 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1996 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors =

 id:Vocal               value:red        legend:Lead_vocals
 id:Guitar              value:green      legend:Guitar
 id:Bass                value:blue       legend:Bass
 id:Drums               value:orange     legend:Drums
 id:Lines               value:black      legend:Studio_albums

Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom

ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1986 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1987

LineData =

 at:01/01/1988 color:black layer:back
 at:01/01/1990 color:black layer:back
 at:12/31/1991 color:black layer:back
 at:10/18/1993 color:black layer:back
 at:05/23/1995 color:black layer:back

BarData =

 bar:Andy text:"Andy Colvin"
 bar:Gary text:"Gary Chester"
 bar:Larry text:"Larry Strub"
 bar:John text:"John Buron"
 bar:Lyman text:"Kevin Whitley"
 bar:Kevin text:"Lyman Hardy"

PlotData=

 width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:Gary from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1996 color:Guitar
 bar:Gary from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1996 color:Vocal width:3
 bar:Larry from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1996 color:Bass
 bar:Larry from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1996 color:Vocal width:3
 bar:Lyman from:06/01/1985 till:06/01/1992 color:Drums
 bar:Lyman from:01/01/1987 till:06/01/1992 color:Vocal width:3
 bar:Kevin from:06/01/1992 till:01/01/1996 color:Drums
 bar:Andy from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1987 color:Vocal
 bar:John from:01/01/1985 till:06/01/1985 color:Drums

</timeline>

Discography

Studio albums

• Albert (1988, Boner Records)
• Love Poke Here (1990, Boner Records)
• Gloryhole (1991, Trance Syndicate)
• Motherscratcher (1993, Trance Syndicate)
• La La Land (1995, Trance Syndicate)
• Permission to Rock... Denied (1996, Unreleased)

Singles

• "Deth" (1991, Trance Syndicate)

Compilation contributions

• The Polyp Explodes (1988, Deadline Records)
• Charlie Manson Street Comp (1988, Mind Drum)
• Love and Napalm Volume 1 (1990, Trance Syndicate)
• Love and Napalm Volume 2 (1991, Trance Syndicate)
• Love and Napalm, The Album (1993, Trance Syndicate)
• ¡Cinco Años! (1995, Trance Syndicate)

External links

• Austin Chronicle