Early (Early) Heretix
Does anybody remember Heretix? They were a Boston based band who put out a couple albums on Island Records in the early 90's. Some of the guys in the band were actually from this part of Maine here where I live. I remember my friend MATT BOYD was into them when they were in High School. This was around 1984 and we were just kids (see the very first post). I think they played at the Camden High School Prom way back then, but I'm not sure. One thing I am sure about is my oldest sister HOLLY wanted to go see BILLY IDOL in Augusta, Maine around this time. She wanted to go with her friend "Eric", so naturally my parents consented to drive them. Somehow I convinced my parents to let me go for the ride. You see I was too young to go to these concerts, so I did the next best thing by waiting around with my parents outside while my sister did the "Rebel Yell" inside. I remember being able to hear some kind of loud echoey noise in the distance. It was my first concert I guess. It was all in my imagination, but I had the whole show in my head the way I imagined it. So what does this have to do with the band Heretix? Well "Eric" was none other than Eric Hill, bass player for that Fab High School Phenomenon, Heretix!
He was dressed up like Billy Idol with the spiked hair and various tough guy attatchments. My dad kept calling him "Frankenstein" because he had big eyes and was wearing a chain around his neck. I was seated in the 3rd backseat, you know the kind that faces out the back of the stationwagon. I had my battery powered BOOM BOX back there playing THE JACKSONS VICTORY tape over and over. I think I drove him nuts.
There was a cassette tape that MATT BOYD had of them that was recorded in the Mid 1980's. On the tape is written "Meddling Kids EP". Most of the selections found here come from that tape. It's very eighties sounding. I doubt this is available in anyway, EXCEPT NOW! As a bonus I have included two tracks from a VINYL TEST PRESSING of their 1990 album "God's & Gangsters". I remember they played in CAMDEN, MAINE at THE BAYVIEW STREET CINEMA when I worked there around 1989, and they brought some of these TEST PRESSINGS to sell to their hometown fans. Special Note: The guitar player of this band (Brian Hill, Eric's brother) now is the owner/chef of a really high end restaurant in CAMDEN, MAINE called FRANCINE. I used to perform there alot. Before he bought it, he just worked there and he would come out at the end of the night whenever I sang Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby, One More Time". I think he got a real kick out of it. I had to guess a couple of the track names because there was no track listing, but I think I got 'em correct. All Around The World (Version 2)- Heretix
Simple Wish (High School Version)-Heretix
Simple Wish (Gods & Gangsters Version)- Heretix
entire Heretix Meddling Kids EP PASSWORD:chasradio
posted by Tit City at Sunday, January 22, 2006
36 Comments:
I remember Heretix!! I'm a fan from when I was in college 88-92. Saw them a couple times in Boston and was reallly disappointed when they broke up. I really liked Gods and Gangsters and was hoping that would be a hit for them. Oh well. Anyway, very cool of you to post these songs...
hey Charlie--this is Ivan's sister
Erinn. I just found your website! so funny that you have an old Heretix tape--they were the hot shit at CRHS when I was there; just above me a year but dating punk rock girls in my class. Holy god--if I remember correctly, they even played a couple school dances. Ah, those were the good old days... of rednecks beating the shit out of everybody... ha ha
Hey, nice to hear from you! I assume I will see you at Ivan's wedding this fall. I forgot to send my RSVP and I think it's too late. Hopefully they'll let me in.
Hey Charles,
My name is Jeff Moss and I was the original drummer for the Heretix out of Maine and Boston. I ran into our guitarist Brian Hill last week on a vacation back to Maine from Phoenix, AZ and he told me that you may have the original recordings that we did in Augusta. Is this true? If so, I would love to hear them! I have nothing from those years. My email is jeff@agencymma.com.
Thanks Man!
Hey Charles,
My name is Jeff Moss and I was the original drummer for the Heretix out of Maine and Boston. I ran into our guitarist Brian Hill last week on a vacation back to Maine from Phoenix, AZ and he told me that you may have the original recordings that we did in Augusta. Is this true? If so, I would love to hear them! I have nothing from those years. My email is jeff@agencymma.com.
Thanks Man!
Ah, something from Continuous Soft Hits On The Head just came on. I love these guys, honestly, though it was a self released record, it is just brilliant. Definately in my top ten records. I was so sad to see them go. Thanks for posting.
Hello there, I was wondering if you could reseed these links. I was trying to check the band out on the suggestion of someone I met the other day. Thanks!
Ben Sisto
I caught The Heretix a few times when I first moved to Boston in the late 80s. I got into them very quickly. they had it all. Catchy tunes, a unique sound, great musicians, and a look. I still listen to Gods and Soft Hits all the time. I'd love to get copies od these tunes. If you caould email me at dzeitlin2@yahoo.com, I'd greatly appreciate it.
I still listen to Heretix all the time, AD with Season of the witch to Gods and Gangsters....I think Ray (lead singer) runs a resturant in Boston near Fenway park but Im not sure, that was back in 2000. My first Heretix show was in Beverly, 1986, I got up on stage towards the end of the show and the drummer hit me in the butt with his sticks to get me off the stage.they were a great live band.
Joe from Nottingham
Hey, I just stumbled across this blog and would love to hear those versions of Heretix songs. My 1st use of a fake ID was to see those guys at Edible Rex in Billerica. The dude in the photo looked nothing like me, he was already in the club, and I was the 3rd guy to use the ID to get in, but it worked! Great show from what I remember. I went on to see them multiple times over the years. If you can repost those links or send me the direct files, that would be awesome. Thanks. dumbanddumberrules@gmail.com
I was in the studio, Squid Hell in Jamica Plain, while they recorded Super Devil as an assitant for Dicky Spears. Man those guys where awesome. Ray was a very cool guy as well as Mikey D.(went on the play with Weezer and then to the funny farm)and the others. My current Boss actually lives next to Ray now in Belmont Mass. He cut his hair and looks totally different. I saw them maybe 30 times from the Gods and Gangsters stuff through Superdevil and was just dumbfounded when they closed down shop.
I was just sitting here listening to SuperDevil and decided to Google HERETIX, and stumbled across your site. Is it possible to get a copy of these songs posted again, or some other way? If email is available, my address is monahanks@yahoo.com. Thanks!
i would love these files as well!
let me know if you re-post
great live band
Heretix were awesome... I asw thm a number of times in Boston, I think at Grover's in Beverly at one point, and remember them playing outdoors next to The Safe (cool bar at the time) in Lowell, Mass in 1990/91... I remember WFNX being there (Julile Kramer) and it was a great show. I have 3 pirated (sorry guys!) CDs and still isten to them quite a bit.Aside from Heretix, I used to go to see Tribe as often as I could and even bumped into tthem in a last second trip to Paris... they played at a club called Pigall's in teh red light section of northern Pris, not too far from teh Moulin Rouge. Ah, the memories! Those are 2 bands I would pay good money to see again with my old college roommates in tow!
Was just Googling Heretix as I have been a long time fan and in fact was trying to find info on the date they covered Deep Purple's "Hush" but not as the Heretix, but as alter-ego "Sand Dollar Tree Tops". Would ***LOVE*** to get copies of those vinyl pressings. Email to westford97-google2@yahoo.com if you can help me out with those or anyone else with oddball Heretix stuff not on the albums (which I have all of them). Thanks! Patrick
I would be interested to please repost or let me know if I could trade for them joeoconnell1@JUNO.COM
Anyone know what happened to Eric Hill, the bass player? I used to be good friends with him online, then one day he just disappeared. Never knew why or what happened to him. I'd love to get back in contact
i totally loved heretix, ray was the man i remember one time i found his phone number through informationa and called him up hoping to get some help promoting my band and he was so cool and down to earth. when i asked if he was a member of the heretix he responded "you mean the world famous heretix?" a line i still quote and utilize to this day. he was so cool about helping me. when i saw their show supporting a cherrydisc release party i realized how ray lemuiex was one of those who "had it" there's no way to define who has rockstar ability exactly, you just know when someone does and he does and did. the best show was one i saw at babson where me and a female friend accidently caught them while promoting soft hits and we loved them, especially how ray kept contending with the crowd that they were not a cover band and just kept persevering through. ray rocks! ill gatto (found on purevolume) will be covering one of the heretix songs that has completely shaped my life. thanks for the music, sorry the music business sucks, which i understood to be a factor in disbandment....
Hey Charles!
What a friggin' hoot to read all these references to Sand Dollar Tree Tops, Edible Rex, our past gigs & albums, etc. etc. I can't believe you've had these old relics posted for 2 years and I'm just now hearing about it! Please get them to me somehow (rplemieux@comcast.net) as I have lots of old recordings but not this one. Thanks to all for the nice words. I have many a good memory thanks to all of you, too!
Anyone interested in hearing some other relics from live WMBR shows, studio duds & diamonds, etc. let me know. I have multiple recordings transferred to CD thanks to an old friend of Marvin's, Tony. Have a great '08 everybody,
Ray
Hello Everyone!
It's 'that' Eric.
It is fun recalling those years. It was an exciting time for fashion and music and we certainly went for it! Sure, it took a lot of effort finding time and places to rehearse, but it really was playing and fun.
Recording the Meddling Kids at the lake cottage was a great experience. The four track recording came together quickly and got us a lot of mileage. We sold a good number of cassettes in high school and Duane Bruce played it often on WTOS. I'd be happy to host the files if I could get a copy.
I'd also like to get a copy of the recordings from Augusta. I'll never forget driving with Jeff from Camden to Augusta in a snowstorm with no windshield. We figured we could put the wipers on if we saw a cop, of course they just ran across the dashboard.
Please give my best regards to your sister and your parents. They were always so kind, even to an unusual looking 80's child.
Charles, I like your blog, here's a nod to your radio.
A.D.
Gods & Gangsters
Continuous Soft Hits On The Head
Eric Hill
hill . eric @ gmail . com
Wow...a nice trip down memory lane. Although I post as Dr. Bobo, I am Duane Bruce, former DJ at Both WTOS and WFNX. Man, could I tell you some stories about Heretix. I remember them showing up on a late Wednesday night for WTOS's local music show 'Down Home'. They were young and some what intimidated by the whole thing. I had contacted them to come on the air based on the demo's that they had sent me. I especially like a p-furs-ish number called "I laugh at the president". Since I too laughed at Reagan, I thought what a good job.
They were nervous, so I did what came natural to me....I lit up a fattie and brought the room into focus. All went well. Next thing you know, we all wind up in Boston through seperate circumstances. Although Heretix were already on FNX's playlist, I did my best to amp them up a bit with airplay every show that I did or in a club where I was spinning. I always thought that they got the short end of the stick with their deal with Island. Things were different then. Labels were signing Boston bands like Bullet LaVolta, Tribe, The Cavedogs and Heretix. All likeable bands with a strong local following, but somehow they all fell through the cracks in the music industry, except for the Bosstones. Most all were signed on the strength of the Pixies, hoping to duplicate that success. No matter what, it was an amazing time to be in the Boston music scene. Many great shows, laughs, dinners et al. A couple of stories do stick out. One night at Axis, I snuck around the side of the stage, hiding behind an amp yelling "I laugh at the president'! The look on Brian Hill's face was priceless. You could visualize his thought process. "Who the hell would know about that song and why would they want to hear that when we have a new album out?" I yelled it a few more times before Brian caught me. In between gigs, Ray worked at Bill's Bar on Lansdowne making some very tasty cocktails...he loved to send them my way. And Marvin! Heretix second drummer...getting roughed up by Bowie's henchmen for making a negative comment about Bowie's endorsement of a certain soft drink, or Ray telling me that he saw Paul Stanley of Kiss next to the pool at the Beverly Hills Hilton, being spray misted with Evian water and only Evian water. Ooh la la. I also hosted a late night free format show on FNX called "Radio Free Boston". I had many visits with the boys there. One night they showed up at 1AM wearing bathrobes and drinking Jaagermeister. They thought it would be funny to stand on the chairs during the interview. The chairs had wheels, so you do the math. Musicians they were, surfers they were not! I stumbled upon this site by fluke and am so glad that I did. Good times, Good times. DB
I remember them fondly, many shows actually. I was there at the WBCN rumble final when they pulled out all the stops to beat the heavily hyped and favored Tribe. It was great though to see both of those bands share the same bill several other times. When Brian broke into Fire Inside, it was always eerily good. Ray always had that gallon bottle of water that he would spray into the crowd. They were so good and so tight. Marvin was such a non rock looking guy but was so much fun to watch play. This was truly my favorite era of Boston music. Heretix, Tribe, Dogzilla, O Positive, Vow of Silence all were great bands of the day.
I was living in Boston in 1988-1989 going to college. I was friends with Julie Seigal who's sister was good friends with the band. We would see all the shows, I even remember traveling to some college with them for a night gig Ray covered the Led Zeplin song what is & what should never be. He was in love with this girl Carmina Rendedo but she had a boyfriend. We both were in love with Brian & Ray. I kept all the newspaper clippings from that time. They were voted best new band etc...I still have them! It was a great time in music and they defiantly steered me in the right direction regarding musical tastes and bands. Julie and I were regulars at Axis where they all worked. it was so much fun.
oh my god, this is some funny shit!
ray, brian, eric, jeff moss, all my very good friends from childhood - still today. it's so funny the guy who saw the show in beverly - that was your prom right?
i chose going to that b/c our good friend lorri - was going from rockport high and so I came too - missed the beasties at spit to attend! I think it's so amazing to read all these posts! even the one about carmina (one of my oldest and best pals....)
who does not love the heretix? ray is a dad now! incredible.
thanks charlie.
kate donovan
man, I wish I had something profound to add. Ray was tending bar at the Paradise around the time I was spinning at M80 out front, and he was, indeed, the most down to earth frontman in rock. I became friends with a girl who was friends with Eric (Althea/Susan)so I came to know that they were all just as down to earth. That's probably why they didn't get huge nationally: not nearly assholish enough. That being signed by Island and playing the whole country was as close as they got, but man, were they great. As much as I loved all their originals, they had the coolest taste in songs to cover.
The things my buds and I used to do to see Heretix - I remember one friend borrowing his dad's suburu outback so we could drive into cambridge in the middle of a northeaster to see the band...I still think I have my Heretix T shirt... We chatted with a cute woman who said she was the manager...I still have gods & gangsters, continuous soft hits on the head and superdevil on my ipod :-)
To me, they were THE best. Not just in Boston, either. They were amazing to see live. I would love to see them perform again.
I think we should find Ray and convince the Heretix to have another reunion show. I'm only 24 years old and love everything about the Heretix.
I worked for Marvin back at the old Bread and Circus just outside of Coolidge Corner in Brookline. I remember him making tuned drum kits out of different sized containers and playing said kit with celery stalks. He was at my wedding. Lost touch a very long while ago..
I still have Gods and Gangsters and Continuous Soft Hits on the Head on my Ipod. Great band even better live! Would be great if they would do a reunion show..
I say we get them to tour !!! My sister was their lawyer
Hi Ray and everyone. I am a fan from Boston and caught you guys a few times. Got a chance to meet you when I worked at East Coast Music. Anyway, always been a big fan, and in my opinion you were an influential band in Boston music. It really was too bad to see the disbandment and I always hope to see you resurface for a reunion. I also would be psyched to put together a web page to host all of the stuff mentioned here. It is a shame to see not much being posted about one of the greatest Boston bands. No YouTube videos, no bootlegs. There have got to be some out there! Anyway, please get together for a reunion!
I heard the news about Mikey Welsh dying in Chicago. He was a bad ass. I remember Heretix playing a Halloween show at the Rat in Kenmore Square. Mikey was wearing a Marsha Brady mini dress.
Hey great to hear you guys are playing pipeline!
the lead singer use to hang out at venus de milo on landsdowne street, good times....the neighborhoods were another great local band, they both use to play venus de milo....
Any chance of re-upping these? Huge Heretix fan, would love to hear these.
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