JAB
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1976 in Adelaide, Australia |
| Founder | Johnny Crash, Ash Wednesday, Bohdan X, Boris |
| Defunct | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Adelaide , Australia |
| Products | Punk rock music, experimental rock music |
JAB was an Australian punk rock ensemble that originated in Adelaide in 1976. The founding members consisted of Johnny Crash (Janis Friedenfelds) handling drums and vocals, Ash Wednesday on bass guitar, synthesiser, and tape manipulation, alongside Bohdan X (Bodhan Kubiakowski) who played guitar and provided vocals. Johnny Crash passed away on 24 January 2014.
History
The band’s name, JAB, derives from the initials of its original members: Johnny Crash, Ash Wednesday, Bohdan X, and Boris on guitar. Initially, they were an experimental outfit influenced by artists such as Eno, David Bowie, Kraftwerk, Neu!, Faust, and Can.
In 1977, Bob Stopa took over from Boris as the second guitarist. JAB’s intense sound resisted easy classification; Adelaide’s music media labeled it "synthetic shock rock" and "experimental, confrontational synthpunk." According to musicologist Ian McFarlane, their approach represented a "brasher punk stance" within the emerging new wave movement.
The group moved to Melbourne in August 1977 and integrated into the local punk scene alongside bands like the Boys Next Door and X-Ray-Z. Bohdan reminisced about the lively community centered around venues such as the Tiger Lounge, Bombay Rock, and Bananas in St Kilda.
In January 1978, JAB signed with Suicide Records; two of their songs, "Blonde and Bombed" and "Let's Go," were featured on the label’s compilation Lethal Weapons. By May that year, Pierre Voltaire (Peter Sutcliffe) joined as bassist, enabling Wednesday to concentrate exclusively on keyboards. Their concluding performance took place in August 1978 at the Crystal Ballroom (known then as Seaview Ballroom), which was the venue’s inaugural gig. JAB is acknowledged for pioneering the fusion of electronic music elements with punk’s raw energy and aggressive guitar tones.
Following JAB’s disbandment, Bohdan X established Bohdan and the Instigators with members from the Chosen Few and released solo works including the EP Fear of Flying (1983) and the mini-album Kingsnake (1988). He also hosted a program on community radio station 3RRR-FM.
Wednesday, Crash, and Sutcliffe collaborated with Sean Kelly to form the initial lineup of Models. Sutcliffe departed after six months; he later won $503,000 on Australian television quiz show Million Dollar Minute in 2014. Wednesday remained with Models for one year before joining Metronomes, Modern Jazz, Crashland, releasing a solo single in 1980 and touring with German group Einstürzende Neubauten. Crash exited Models in 1981 and subsequently played with Sacred Cowboys (1982–85), Beasts of Bourbon (1983), Slaughtermen (1984), and Tombstone Hands.