Raybeats
| Industry | Music |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | George Scott III, Don Christensen, Jody Harris, Pat Irwin |
| Defunct | 1984 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Music albums, EPs |
The Raybeats were a New York City-based American instrumental neo-surf rock group that originated from the No Wave movement. The founding members were Don Christensen on drums, Jody Harris and Pat Irwin on guitars (with Irwin also playing saxophone and Acetone organ), and George Scott III handling bass duties.
History
Established in 1979 by George Scott III, who had previously worked alongside Harris and Christensen in James Chance and the Contortions and collaborated with Irwin in 8-Eyed Spy. Following Scott's passing in 1980, bassist Danny Amis joined the band. Amis departed in 1982, after which the group enlisted various session bass players such as David Hofstra, Bobby Albertson, and Gene Holder. Amis went on to create Los Straitjackets.
During Amis's tenure, the Raybeats released the EP Roping Wild Bears in 1981, succeeded by their album Guitar Beat, produced by Martin Rushent. This record comprised ten original tracks along with a rendition of Jan Berry’s "B-Gas Rickshaw." Post-Amis's exit, the band recorded It's Only A Movie!, which was issued by Shanachie Records in 1983. The ensemble dissolved in 1984.
In 1990, Christensen, Harris, and Irwin reunited for a benefit event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, featuring Jared Nickerson on bass.
On August 21, 2010, Irwin, Harris, and Christensen performed with bassist Gail Ann Dorsey supporting Adele Bertei at Joe's Pub located in Greenwich Village. They returned to perform on August 25 at Bowery Electric alongside Command V—a group including Irwin. On June 29, 2011, the Raybeats headlined a benefit concert at Maxwell's in Hoboken to raise funds for former bassist Amis’s medical care; Steve Almaas took over bass responsibilities.
Discography
- Roping Wild Bears EP (Don't Fall Off the Mountain \ Beggars Banquet 1981)
- Guitar Beat (Don't Fall Off the Mountain [UK] \ PVC/Passport Records [US] 1981)
- It's Only A Movie! (Shanachie 1983)
- The Lost Philip Glass Sessions (Orange Mountain Music 2013)
Compilations
- Start Swimming (Stiff Records 1981) (live performance at the Rainbow (London) on February 20, 1981)
- Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era, 1976-1995 (Rhino 2005)