The Toiling Midgets? If memory serves well, I have a 1992 album entitled Son (issued through Matador) by that band. I'm not certain (I should check my data banks on that, I guess – and then perhaps dish out the album and listen to it again – if it is not one of a shit-list of albums I still have to listen to, to begin with – because I really like what I hear on this here live album!), but the cover artwork I saw while researching info on the band sure looks familiar!
A funny thing about this band, is that in spite of the fact that they were already formed in 1979, their official discography is limited to one single (1991's Golden Frog, issued by Matador) and 3 full-length albums (1982's Sea Of Unrest, Instant Records – re-released in 1994 on Fistpuppet Records; 1985's Dead Beats, Theremidor Records; and the aforementioned Son). That, of course, is due to the fact that the band has had two lengthy periods of inactivity during their career, one from late 1983 to 1989, the second from somewhere in 1997 to somewhere in 2007. Actually, the band's activities were occasionally on-and-off even in between those latent periods. Perhaps some more details will illuminate the reasons for those hiatuses, eh?! (For a far more comprehensive story of the band, check out the 4-page reminiscences of Hook, posted at the band's website (www.) grifterrec.com/midgets/toiling.html)
Founded as an instrumental Punk band experimenting with Dub and Post-Punk elements (they were among a few few first to do so in the greater San Francisco area) by drummer Tim Mooney (then also of Sleeper), guitarist Craig Gray (of San Francisco's Negative Trend), guitarist Paul Hood (originally a bassist for Seattle Punk bands Meyce and The Enemy), and bassist Jonathan “Nosmo King” Henrickson, the band added singer Ricky Williams (who at that time had already left devastation to the bands Crime, and had been thrown out of an early version of Flipper, before also fronting Sleeper) to its fold in 1981. The original band however had already released the 7-track (13 minutes long) Do The Incendiary demo during 1980. Williams was somewhat of an eccentric type of vocalist, both in his singing style (a wacky hybrid of the ugliest David Bowie and Iggy Pop type of vocals) as in his life habits and feelings of obligations towards the band, and insisted that Henrickson leave the band, just after their debut album was released. In his stead (later in 1982) came one Aaron Gregory (of Maggots), and Annie Ungar (of Gun Club) joined the outfit as third guitarist, and that incarnation of the band recorded the Dead Beats album. The band still put out the 4 Track Mind cassette broke up in late 1983, and Hood returned to Seattle, whereas Gray moved to the UK. As you might've noticed, the album Dead Beats was actually released “posthumously”!
The band returned in 1989 as an instrumental outfit including Gray, Hood, and Mooney from the original line-up (which now also included bassist Lisa Davis, and cellist Carla Fabrizio), and then recruited American Music Club singer Mark Eitzel as their vocalist. This line-up recorded the Son album during 1990 and 1991 (with added contributions by producer Tom Mallon on guitar & keyboards). As they were embarking for a pre-release tour in support of the album, Eizel however opted out, and quite the band on the eve itself of the tour. Now without a singer, the band (no idea whether bassist Joe Goldring had already joined by then) played an instrumental tour, and again enlisted Williams (whom from his side had been active in a Midget side-project which recorded an unreleased album in 1991) as their singer later in the year. However, shortly after (Nov. 21) he died due to respiratory complications because of his mixed abuse of alcohol and drugs. Shortly after the tour, both the drummer (whom went on to join American Music Club, still fronted by Eitzel) and bassist left, to be replaced by long-time producer Tom Mallon and Erich Werner (had been in Seattle acts Telepaths and The Blackouts) respectively. Along with Gray and Hood, these latter two are still part of the band today. Along the way, the band picked up keyboardist Mark Sullivan (of Lucky and Motorcade repute), and were for a short time joined by Hood's sister Joanna on violin. The band went on an indefinite hiatus in 1997, but reformed ten year later.
Since then, the band has apparently founded a label of its own under the Toiling Midgets Media monicker, and have been re-releasing both their old demos, as well as some live recordings and even an album of rough demo mixes recorded late 1989, early 1990. At the same time Mallon also unearthed some home recordings by the band, with as a result that some 3 TM albums are waiting to be released (one untitled, with material recorded last year) on his Grifter imprint (who will also be releasing an album of live material with Ricky Williams, including an acoustic session with Joe Goldring and Mary Redfield – the latter was also involved in his unreleased 1991 studio album).
The live recording at hand has somewhat of an odd history of its own. A couple of weeks before the show, Gray had driven (in a borrowed car) his then girlfriend and her mother to a meeting with a Persian prince, whom (but he didn't know that at that time) the ladies were actually planning to extort money from. The women were caught by undercover cops, and then a search for the vehicle which had brought 'em to the scene ensued. Gray himself, whom was still driving around the car, didn't know that the trunk was chuck-ful of stolen goods, and in fact narrowly escaped being arrested himself. The eve of the show at the Old Waldorf was quite eventful in its own right, as TM was to play in support of Nico, and their show was to be recorded for airing on the KFJC radio station. Nico, whom was waiting for her drug dealer to show up with a delivery of goodies, first arrived at the venue, and left it for anyone in earshot to pay the taxicab she'd come over in with. She then engaged Gray in a game of pool and extorted him from his money until said dealer came in...and she disappeared into her own dressing room. Meanwhile, TM's time to go on stage had arrived, and still no Ricky Williams in sight. So, on stage the musicians went, and got into the previously unheard “India” to open the show, when halfway the track Williams finally shows up, crawls onto stage, and starts stealing the show!
Well, not quite on his own, of course, because the guitarists themselves were rather important too, with their for that time awkward type of play. The band went on to play 7 tracks of their then recently released debut album, brought an early version of the track “Before Trust” (which would be featured on their 1985 album), and finished the show with a remake of “Aaron Son” (off the band's 4 Track Mind demo), re-titled “Walk On Jesus”, and the never studio-recorded “General Echo” (a weird but strangely attractive track with delays). An album full of wacky psychedelic feelings, which should appeal to any music lover into that genre, and to people generally into things “Progressive”! To hear a couple of tracks (“Destiny” and the aforementioned “Walk On Jesus”) off the album, surf to the label's website, and scroll down the page until you come at the album's posting! To me, this is simply an essential album, worthy of a nomination for those coveted year-lists...and you can be sure, that I am looking forward with some anticipation to any of the albums by this band which are still be come, whether they be of older material, or of more recent composing/fabrication.