The Medveds

the Medveds, a byproduct of Boston, Massachusetts USA formed in the summer of 1994 and almost immediately took the New England music scene by storm with their under 3 minute, drunken rants. The band's name, which carried over from earlier garage projects headed up by frontman Ben Hunter, was drunkenly derived from a game of pin the tail on the donkey with a mid-1980s, Cleveland area phonebook. The group landed on the name Keith Medved and it stuck (not to be confused with film critic Michael Medved).

During their brief and lawless stint, the Medveds became notorious for their onstage antics which typically included costumed performances, as well as a volatile blend of booze and banter. The Medveds shaped what would become their addictive nautical punk/power pop/psychobilly/ska/oi sound by opening for legendary acts like England's ''Oi'' pioneers, The Business, at the illustrious Rat in 1997. The band permeated the New England punk scene for nearly a decade and grew a cultish, underground following by headlining shows at staple clubs and neighborhood dives.

In 1996, the band was signed to the indie punk label Pill Party Records and were reluctantly whipped into shape by famed Ohio/West Virginia booking agent "Mean" Russell Taff. Taff was quickly crowned the "meanest manager in music" by a local Boston magazine editor after his surly reputation with club managers and record labels began spreading through the industry. When asked his reason for taking on a group of lazy delinquents like the Medveds, Taff replied, "Hell, I don't know!"

The Medveds released their first 7" single, "Gilded Cock", in 1995 and wasted no time following up with an intense, 4-song highball aptly titled "Your Drinking Ruined Christmas" in 1996 on the Pill Party label. One year later in 1997, the band released their critically acclaimed "My Mom Smoked My Stash" on limited vinyl. In just their first four year's of existence, the band managed to hammer out four releases which culminated with the highly touted "3rd Nipple From The Sun", released in the summer of 1998.

After a grueling two year stint of touring the US and playing many raucous, underpaying shows, the band settled back down in Boston to polish off their first full length studio CD appropriately named "Aging Failures" in the winter of 2000. The 25 song release compiled and re-mastered several of their previous 7? tracks and included an assortment of new additions. In hindsight, this would prove to be the last time the band had a chance to collaborate together and in December of 2000 the Medveds disbanded. In addition to the group's individual releases, the band has also been featured on the FanAttic Records' New England punk compilation "Runt of the Litter 2" alongside Boston hometown heroes, The Dropkick Murphys and Darkbuster, as well as the Legend of Assquatch Reckirds' "Hepcats Took My Baby". Their psycho instrumentals ''Western Pill Party'' and ''Tom Fuckery'' can be heard in the Kennedy Park soundtrack, an independent movie produced by Austin filmmakers "Unknown Artists".

After disappearing into the shadows of their last release Aging Failures, the self-proclaimed pirates of nautical punk have unearthed from the brink of extinction to compile yet another full length CD entitled Boos, Coups & Interviews. BC&I is a sawtoothed collection of previously unreleased recordings from the band's live shows, rehearsals and rare radio appearances. Much of the material had simply been warehoused on a dusty basement shelf and, in many cases, deservedly so. However, these odds and ends were irrevocably compiled to chronicle the band's history, as well as share these virgin gems with those who will listen.