Gnarly Beast started out as a typical late 1960s garage band, frequently holding practices on the UCSD campus. The quartet eventually relocated to L.A. and morphed into a sort of early female-fronted glam group later known as Madame Beast. "I guess the Madame part seemed more appropriate when the band added an attractive female singer named Leslie Lyon," says Duane Decker (Lois Lane).
Madame Beast featured Lyon and Decker, with Roger Nemour (Panther, Tokyo Rose), Amado Santos, and Clark Stanton. Tours were exciting but chaotic. "The Madame Beast equipment truck was totaled while most of us watched helplessly from the van that was trailing it," recalls Decker on his website. "But no one was hurt and we were actually able to salvage all of our equipment because everything was in road cases. The PA cabinets had a few gaping holes in them, but we were able to play the gig that night."
Decker went on to compose and produce original production music for television, film, and video games, including for Las Vegas slot machines.