Iconic group the Standells have just announced that they’ll play Cleveland on May 10. They’ll start with a visit to the Rock Hall at noon and then they’ll play the Beachland later that night. They’ve just kicked off their first major U.S. tour since the 1960s and will be playing their signature snotty garage punk with both old classics and new stuff off their latest release, BUMP. They are best known for their 1966 hit “Dirty Water,” which reached #11 on the Billboard charts and they have been dubbed “the godfathers of punk rock.” The Rock Hall also lists “Dirty Water” among the 500 songs that have shaped rock ’n’ roll. Other popular tracks include “Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White,” “Why Pick on Me” and “Riot On Sunset Strip.” They’ve been covered by nearly everyone, ranging from the Cramps to Spacemen 3 to Bruce Springsteen to Minor Threat.
Formed in 1962, Larry Tamblyn named the band after having found himself “standing” around waiting for calls to book shows. Original members Tamblyn on lead vocals and keyboards, John Fleck on bass and Mark Adrian on guitars and vocals, along with veteran drummer Greg Burnham make up the band today. A biography was even written about these guys. Love that Dirty Water: The Standells and the Improbable Red Sox Victory Anthem talks about the way their song became a tradition to played after every Red Sox victory, as well as the history of the various members over the years (with one even being a Mickey Mouse Club cast member), and their connection to West Side Story among other interesting oddities.
