Grand Mal (San Francisco band)

Negative Trend
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1977
Defunct	1979
Headquarters	San Francisco, United States
Products	Punk rock music, EPs, singles

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Grand Mal (San Francisco band), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 29 November 2025

Negative Trend was a punk rock group from the United States that operated between 1977 and 1979. Prior to their dissolution, they issued a single self-titled EP in September 1978.

Several ex-members of Negative Trend went on to establish key punk bands in the western US. After the group's end, bassist Will Shatter and early drummer Steve DePace co-founded Flipper, while guitarist Craig Gray and drummer Tim Mooney contributed to the formation of the Toiling Midgets. Vocalists Rozz Rezabek and Rik L Rik also emerged as prominent figures within the punk scene.

Grand Mal (1977)

Grand Mal was created in July 1977, consisting of Don Vinil on vocals, Craig Gray on guitar, V. Vale handling bass, and Todd Robertson on drums. Shortly after, Vale departed due to commitments with his magazine, leading to Will Shatter stepping in as bassist despite lacking previous musical background. The band performed only three shows alongside acts such as the Avengers, the Dils, and the Dead Boys. At their concluding performance on November 7, 1977, at San Francisco’s Mabuhay Gardens, Rozz Rezabek interrupted Vinil’s set and took over vocal duties. Following this, Vinil exited to start the Offs, and Grand Mal transitioned into what became Negative Trend.

Negative Trend One (1977-1978)

Negative Trend debuted under their new name on December 14, 1977, at Mabuhay Gardens with Rozz Rezabek as lead vocalist while retaining the rest of the lineup.

Sandy Pearlman attended one of their shows at Iguana Studios primarily to see the Avengers perform. During this event, Rezabek suffered a broken arm after tripping over a microphone cable. Known for his dynamic stage presence, Rezabek often engaged in energetic antics like climbing on tables and tossing drinks during performances.

On January 14, 1978, the Sex Pistols played their final concert at Winterland Arena in San Francisco after completing six shows across the southern United States. The night before, “Negative Trend” had been spray-painted on Winterland’s walls. Malcolm McLaren demanded that Bill Graham permit Negative Trend to open for the Sex Pistols. When asked about the worst band in San Francisco, Howie Klein named Negative Trend. McLaren threatened that without Negative Trend’s inclusion, the Sex Pistols would refuse to perform. Graham consented to let Negative Trend play after the Sex Pistols; however, by that time most of the audience had departed, and Negative Trend never took the stage.

Negative Trend Two (1978)

In March 1978, Rezabek left the group. Following missed performances by Robertson, Shatter and Gray sought a new drummer. After auditions at Iguana Studios, Mikal Waters became the new vocalist while Steve DePace joined on drums. This lineup made its first appearance on June 1, 1978.

This formation recorded Negative Trend’s initial studio material. The Negative Trend 7-inch EP was produced by Debbie Dub and released in September 1978 via Heavy Manners. It featured "Mercenaries" and "Meathouse" on side one, with "Black and Red" and "How Ya Feelin" on side two. Though distribution was initially limited, the EP eventually gained acclaim and was reissued twice: first in December 1983 by Subterranean Records and again in April 2006 by 2.13.61.

Negative Trend Three (1978–1979)

In November 1978, Rik L Rik, previously with F-Word, took over vocal duties from Waters. Gray and Shatter brought in drummer Tim Mooney from The Sleepers to replace DePace. This formation recorded five demo tracks for Posh Boy Records in Los Angeles. Of these, only "Mercenaries" and "I Got Power" were issued under the Negative Trend name on the 1979 Tooth and Nail compilation released by Upsetter Records. The entire collection of five songs was later featured on the Beach Blvd compilation, credited to Rik L Rik.

Negative Trend 3.5 and Break-up (1979)

Shortly after a handful of performances, Shatter exited the group and was succeeded by 16-year-old Jonathan Henrickson on bass. After completing two shows in Austin, Texas, Rik departed from the band. Their final three concerts included guest vocalists, with Ricky Williams providing most of the singing at their concluding appearance on April 27, 1979, at Mills College in Oakland, sharing the bill with The Queer and Dead Kennedys. Following the group's dissolution, Mooney, Williams, and Gray went on to form Toiling Midgets.

Reformation (2008–2010)

In July 2008, DePace reassembled Negative Trend featuring himself on drums, Gray handling guitar duties, Paul Hood playing bass, and Paul Casteel as vocalist; Rezabek was not part of this lineup. After their debut show, Tom Mallon replaced Hood on bass. Shortly after the second performance, DePace left due to obligations with Flipper, with Tony Sales stepping in as drummer. The band played a limited number of additional gigs before disbanding once more in 2010.

Former band members

Craig Gray – guitar
Will Shatter – bass; passed away at age 31 from an accidental heroin overdose in 1987
Todd Robertson – drums
Rozz Rezabek – vocals
Mikal Waters – vocals
Steve DePace – drums
Rik L Rik – vocals; died at age 39 from brain cancer in 2000
Tim Mooney – drums
Jonathan Henrickson – bass
Ricky Williams – vocals; succumbed to a heroin overdose in 1992
Paul Casteel – vocals
Paul Hood – bass
Toby Dick – vocals
Tom Mallon – bass
Tony Sales – drums

Singles & EPs

Negative Trend (also known as We Don’t Play, We Riot) (1978, Heavy Manners)
Meat House/I Got Power (credited to Rik L Rik) (1979, Posh Boy)
Atomic Lawn (credited to Rik L Rik) (1989, Gift of Life)

Various artists compilation appearances

"I Got Power" and "Mercenaries" featured on Tooth and Nail (1979, Upsetter)
Beach Blvd compilation (credited to Rik L Rik) (1979, Posh Boy)
Miners Benefit (2003, White Noise Records)

External links

Official site