The Stick Men

Another band from Philly's 80s new wave scene I fondly remember was the Stickmen. Formed during the late 70's amongst the local avant-art crowd and fronted by singer and guitarist Peter L. Baker, they played a frentic mix of hyper-avant demented-funk, sort of in the same style as James Chance and the Contortions. They released their debut LP This Is The Master Brew in 1982, and the next year they followed it up with the Get on Board The Stick Men EP. They had a good following but they broke up in the mid-80s. (Peter L. Back would die in 1994.) In 2001 a CD compilation, Insatiable, was released. In addition to all the tracks from the two records, it also featured three additional live radio broadcast tracks. The enhanced CD also featured 22 minutes of live footage perfomed at places like the East Side Club. They defintely laid dowm some wild and hyper-active tracks live "Duraflame Dog" and "Level Head." May they not be forgotten.

Philadelphia City Paper 2001 article about the Stick Men