One thing that Lookout had not done thus far in it's first decade was reach back into the punk history books in search of a project with some pre-label history. That would happen next when a legendary punk pioneer Penelope Houston would come together with some members of the Lookout fraternity to create something new and old.
With punk rock in it’s infancy in 1977, four young musicians would come together to make a new exciting group that would tear through live performances in the earliest days of Californian punk rock. Drummer Danny Furious, guitarist Greg Ingraham and Penelope Houston were the initial nucleus that would create ‘The Avengers’ – a strikingly visual classic female fronted punk band with attitude. Jimmy Wilsey quickly replaced Jonathon Postal on bass, solidifying the line up. Quickly making it’s mark the band would release the 3 track ‘We Are The One’ single on ‘Dangerhouse Records’, the first of a sparse spate of output over the years. The second self titled EP released in 1979 featured Steve Jones produced recordings – a session that had materialized after The Avengers had opened for The Sex Pistols on their final live date, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The EP had followed The Avengers break up, and would mark the bands very short, yet talked about existence. A collection was released in 1983, featuring sessions from the bands early recordings, and nothing else was forthcoming aside from a 1995 single release on Sweden’s ‘Really Fast Records’. Almost 20 years after the bands split, a new band was put together with a spin on the original Avengers. With Danny Furious located in Sweden and Jimmy Wilsey essentially unheard of, Penelope Houston and Greg Ingraham reunited with MTX’s Joel Reader and Lookout regular Danny Panic to form the scAvengers – a ‘mark II’ version of the original band. The scAvengers would go onto some reunion shows with Pansy Division, ripping up the bands tunes penned by Houston 20 years previously, along with entering the studio with Kevin Army to record three new tracks – ‘I Want In’, ‘Crazy Homocide’ and ‘The End Of The World’ – all previously finished but unrecorded songs from the bands original days. These new recordings along with 14 other live and rehearsal tracks and 1 1978 studio track would make up The Avengers ‘Died For Your Sins’ (LK 217) full length.
Fans of early American punk were truly let in for a treat with the new release, even if some of the recordings weren’t of the highest caliber, Penelope’s attitude crackled an all the bands edgy early material. The three new recordings absolutely shine as songs worthy of documentation – especially the mid paced street ready ‘ The End Of The World’. The classic image that adorned the sleeve dripped with vintage punk swagger, but the most impressive inclusion was that of the bands show list circa 1977-1979. What The Avenger has lacked in recorded output certainly was made up in live performances, with over 100 shows alongside such other bands as Devo, Crime (of which Lookout also had planned an anthology collection that never came to fruition), The Dils, The Go-Go’s, X, The Flesheaters, Talking Heads among many more. The band was then inactive until 2004 – although a live album ‘Zero Hour’ was released in 2003 on Italy based ‘Get Back Records’ – when a new line up of the band emerged featuring Pansy Division’s Luis Illades as a drum replacement for Danny Panic, who had also replaced Panic in Joel Readers ‘The Plus Ones’.
Luis Illades (Pansy Division, The Avengers) : “Pansy Division had played with The Avengers on their first reunion show which is where I first met Penelope. When it came time to find a drummer for further Avengers shows, it seemed like a good fit, and Penelope and I became fast friends as if it had been meant to be that way. We toured Europe 3 times, which I didn't think would happen, and ended up playing many shows with contemporaries rather than doing the reunion circuit - Turbonegro, X, David Cross, Mudhoney, I was surprised that the band remained so relevant. I think the whole Avengers experience has been phenomenal, seeing the reactions of people at the shows be it in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York or even the Midwest or Europe was very timely and vital. You’re talking about a time when we had Bush and a Gulf war and lyrics reflecting Reaganomics and restless youth might as well have been written that day. People were feeling it!!! “
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