Rare archival music, photos and video footage of the legendary LA synth-punk band the Screamers.

Craig Leonard's project "Gift for the Screamers" sets out to locate the former members of the Screamers in order to give them copies of "lost" demo recordings, uncovered in a Canadian audio archive, which he then hand-pressed into vinyl records within the gallery space. During their active years (1977-81) the Screamers played several electrifying live shows but never released an official record. Craig's sculptural installation will include multiples of the handmade albums as well as remnants of the record-making process. "Gift for the Screamers" is a continuation of Craig's research-based gift projects.

Seminal punk photographer Jenny Lens created a DVD for this event, comprised of hundreds of her classic and never-seen Screamers photos, from their first to last shows. Parties at the Screamers Wilton Hilton for the Ramones, Blondie, Damned, Fayette Houser, Surreal Valentine’s Day and more. Hanging with Germs — Darby, Lorna and Pat, Bomp Records Store opening, parties at X’s La Jolla apartment with X — Exene, John, Farrah Faucet-Minor, Joan Jett, Black Randy, Pleasant Gehman and more. Other notables include Go-Go Jane Weidlin and Terry Graham (drummer for Bags and Gun Club), producer Geza X and Dangerhouse Records, Slash Magazine, Lobotomy fanzine and the Screamers Fan Club personnel.

“The Screamers were the rarest of all bands: perfect. They appeared out of nowhere, although I realized many years later, they knew everyone who counted in NY: Ramones and Blondie. They were always mysterious, ethereal but worldly. They looked like no one else, gave the best parties I’ll ever attend, were the best to photograph, no matter the circumstance, and best of all, they delivered. The most transcendent theatre: rock, Broadway, cabaret, with no guitars but timeless, prescient lyrics and music that once heard/seen, was never forgotten. Their talent was the kind that comes once in a lifetime. Genius is too simple a word.”

“What happened? They were in LA, land of the Eagles and coke, not punk, speed, and surrealism. Their tragedy is ours. The Screamers influenced many, such as Trent Reznor of NIN. I count myself blessed I took so many photos at shows, parties, on the streets — they were everywhere. They filled my eyes, ears and soul with the beauty of their beings, their art, their music. Buy the bootlegs, both the DVD and soundtracks from it. And find me a publisher, cos this is the book I was born to do!”
[Jenny Lens]



Craig Leonard is a multidisciplinary artist. His recent projects have relied on research and community partnerships including: an underwater investigation of Ontario's flooded ghost towns; an examination of Cuba's underground libraries; a compilation of obsolete concepts from the Oxford English Dictionary; and a proposal for an anti-canon of Canadian literature. Craig teaches at NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
http://giftforthescreamers.blogspot.com

Click here to view Craig Leonard's AIR page

Jenny Lens immortalized the legendary early punk scene from 1976-1980. Her classic, iconic shots of the Ramones, Iggy, Patti Smith, Blondie, Germs, X, Devo, Clash, etc define that era from a decidedly LA female POV. Her photos have been in continual usage since 1976 and found in every major punk project. First solo book: “Punk Pioneers,” (Rizzoli 2008). Anthologies include "Punk 365," (Abrams 2007), “Live at the Masque,” “Bomp,” "Lexicon Devil" and "Neutron Bomb." Docs include “Punk: Attitude,” “Punk’s Not Dead,” Ramones “Too Tough to Die” and EOTC, “American Hardcore,” Germs “WWDIS,” and “Treasures of Long Gone John.”
http://www.jennylens.com