Another band, another time: Ten Ten

Kelly Miltier of the X-Raves fame recently posted a link to this video on Facebook. It caught my attention because Ten Ten used to play in the Triangle area of N.C. when I was in school there. I never got to see them, so this YouTube clip is my first exposure, twenty years after the fact.

Judging from this power ballad, Ten Ten was a melodic hard rock band -- sort of like a Southern version of The Cult.

Re-Offending

(The Offenders photo from MySpace)

Through the magic of MySpace (yes, some of us still spend time on ye olde MySpace) I learned tonight about The Offenders, a band from the 1980s that -- based on the few tracks I've heard so far -- seem to have been Richmond's answer to the Del Fuegos. That means they were a rootsy New Wave band that took its cues from the blues and R&B in the same way that bands like The Sonics and The Seeds did way back in the 1960s.

The group includes Terry Garland, who I'm familiar with as a fine acoustic blues man.

It looks like the band fizzled after the 1980s, but has been reuniting recently. I saw a Sept. 26 Canal Club date on the group's MySpace page.

Here's the group's posted bio:


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The Offenders were a top local draw in central Virginia in the early 1980s. Terry Garland, Chris Link and Richard Cowles were members of the rock band "Bull" in the late seventies. They met songwriter/singer Bruce Olsen in Richmond during 1978 and became friends with him right from the start. Bruce did a few demo recordings with Chris and Richard in late 1978 and early 1979. The following year, they would become Offenders. In August of 1980, Bruce contacted Chris and Richard who were both currently out of the band scene. They began rehearsing some of Bruces' original tunes. The drinking age was 18, Watch Out..."10 songs and we play in a week!" Instant gradification. Immediate Relief! Knocked Off Of My Feet! Lovin the Time Away! They played a few times and the kids were lovin' it. "Life is good, we're sellin' it!" In October, Terry joined them on guitar and Dr. Payne became their manager and sound man. The Offenders were born. "Pulsate", a song from their 1st studio demo, appeared on XL-102's Statutory Rock album in early 1981. Offenders got a good push from regular radio air play and an increase in their audience was immediately seen. "Going Bananas"and "Hard Times" became regular show spots for The Offenders that summer. They recorded a 12 song album in Philadelphia during the Fall. They built an admirable following in the Richmond and Charlottesville areas during 1981. The Offenders saw a lot of audience excitement as their LP, "The Offenders Record"was issued in the Winter of 1982. They enjoyed large turnouts at their many Virginia College concerts that year and appeared on a Cox Cablevision video production recorded at The Kings Head Inn in Norfolk Virginia. 1982 was a great year for The Offenders and their popularity continued into 1983. Bruce opened a recording studio at The Floodzone in early 1983. Offenders played dates for the remainder of the year and paused after a final show at the Cellar Door in December. Bruce spent most of 1984 working in his studio. At the end of 1984 The Offenders got together and recorded fifteen new originals at Floodzone with the idea of releasing a second LP. The decision was made to play some more dates for the love of it. A second Offenders LP was never released but still the group played a dozen or more shows during the Spring and Summer of '85. They also made a trip to Hollywood in September and appeared on the TV show "Star Search". This marked the end of an era for The Offenders. In 1987, The Offenders played a reunion show at The Floodzone. After that, there was a 19 year absence by this band. In 2006, Bruce, Terry, Chris and Richard got together again after almost 20 years and discussed a renewed Offenders project. Offenders have done four reunion shows since 2007, the latest being February 15, 2009 at Canal Club. Still got room for the Offenders!

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