Here's something you might be interested in.
"I am in hospital and had my first major surgery," said Penetrators singer/guitarist Gary Heffern this morning. "There was a hole in my appendix and and they had to open it about six or seven inches by knife. Hopefully they got it all out and it is not infected, I will know in a few days."
A July Penetrators show will likely be cancelled. "The doctors have already said to plan six to eight weeks recovery time," says Heffern. "Drag."
Heffern made his local mark in the 1970s with Monotone and the Nucleoids, before rising to prominence during his stint with proto-punkers the Penetrators, a band that included several future Beat Farmers, including drummer Country Dick Montana.
The Penetrators got their first big break opening for the Ramones at SDSU’s Montezuma Hall. “During that period,” says Heffern, “we racked up a number of concert disasters all over San Diego. There was the time we played at the San Dieguito High School gym, and someone in the band got caught either smoking pot or drinking. The principal stopped the show, and the kids went crazy and had a teenage riot. One of those kids reminded me of that show years later; his name was Eddie Vedder.”
The future Pearl Jam vocalist eventually appeared on Heffern’s second solo album Painful Days, as did REM’s Peter Buck. Heffern later moved to Finland, near the Arctic Circle, where he still resides. There, he formed the Beautiful People with guitarist Timo Rautio, aka Luke Whitten.
Heffern’s 2008 solo album Consolation, with guest players Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Alejandro Escovedo, and Peter Case, includes a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song “Growin’ Up.” Heffern returned to San Diego in January 2009, to do a Penetrators reunion show, during the Casbah’s month-long 20th anniversary celebration.
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/27/25047/
He visited San Diego again in April 2011, to perform with a Penetrators (and partial-Injections) reunion on the 3rd. The Casbah also hosted his April 6 release party for Gary Heffern and Beautiful People with his one-time all-star backup band (Blood on Fire) including hometown heroes from Tell-Tale Hearts, the Shambles, Mystery Machine, Gravedigger V, Crawdaddys, the Loons, and others.
Gary Heffern and Beautiful People was recorded with his Finnish backing band. A new video for “Hand of the Devil” and related article was posted at cheunderground.com/blog/?p=7636.
On July 13, 2011, he jammed onstage with Mudhoney during an encore of The MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams” at Tavastia, Helsinki, in Finland. “They were on fire,” says Heffern. “Packed house. It was like a sauna onstage.”
"I am in hospital and had my first major surgery," said Penetrators singer/guitarist Gary Heffern this morning. "There was a hole in my appendix and and they had to open it about six or seven inches by knife. Hopefully they got it all out and it is not infected, I will know in a few days."
A July Penetrators show will likely be cancelled. "The doctors have already said to plan six to eight weeks recovery time," says Heffern. "Drag."
Heffern made his local mark in the 1970s with Monotone and the Nucleoids, before rising to prominence during his stint with proto-punkers the Penetrators, a band that included several future Beat Farmers, including drummer Country Dick Montana.
The Penetrators got their first big break opening for the Ramones at SDSU’s Montezuma Hall. “During that period,” says Heffern, “we racked up a number of concert disasters all over San Diego. There was the time we played at the San Dieguito High School gym, and someone in the band got caught either smoking pot or drinking. The principal stopped the show, and the kids went crazy and had a teenage riot. One of those kids reminded me of that show years later; his name was Eddie Vedder.”
The future Pearl Jam vocalist eventually appeared on Heffern’s second solo album Painful Days, as did REM’s Peter Buck. Heffern later moved to Finland, near the Arctic Circle, where he still resides. There, he formed the Beautiful People with guitarist Timo Rautio, aka Luke Whitten.
Heffern’s 2008 solo album Consolation, with guest players Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Alejandro Escovedo, and Peter Case, includes a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song “Growin’ Up.” Heffern returned to San Diego in January 2009, to do a Penetrators reunion show, during the Casbah’s month-long 20th anniversary celebration.
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/27/25047/
He visited San Diego again in April 2011, to perform with a Penetrators (and partial-Injections) reunion on the 3rd. The Casbah also hosted his April 6 release party for Gary Heffern and Beautiful People with his one-time all-star backup band (Blood on Fire) including hometown heroes from Tell-Tale Hearts, the Shambles, Mystery Machine, Gravedigger V, Crawdaddys, the Loons, and others.
Gary Heffern and Beautiful People was recorded with his Finnish backing band. A new video for “Hand of the Devil” and related article was posted at cheunderground.com/blog/?p=7636.
On July 13, 2011, he jammed onstage with Mudhoney during an encore of The MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams” at Tavastia, Helsinki, in Finland. “They were on fire,” says Heffern. “Packed house. It was like a sauna onstage.”