People are always shocked when I tell them I’m in a punk band. I don’t know if it’s my age or that I don’t fit the stereotypical look of a punk rocker. When I tell them that we do all Ramones songs, I get this look like “Who are the Ramones?” I thought I dedicate a page on the site telling a little about the band that nobody has ever heard of but is called the 2^nd most influential band in the history of Rock-n-Roll.

The Ramones were 4 high school buddies who grew up in the sixties in New York City.  They tried very hard to play songs by other bands but the songs “never sounded right.” So they decided to write their own material. Tired of the long guitar solos and the over blown sound of the early seventies rock, they set out to take rock back to it’s roots. They played fast and hard! Songs lasted only about 2 minutes and dealt with things the guys knew about such as mental health, boredom, and horror pictures.  The songs reflected their influence of sixties pop music. I have always compared them to the Archies being played at 100 mph! The Ramones never had a number one hit and they had only one gold record, but they influenced some of today’s greatest bands including U2! For more information about the history of the Ramones check out this link. http://www.ramones.com/indexframes.html

The Ramones had a great influence on me. I remember the first time I was introduced to the Ramones. I was 16 and the only thing I wanted for my birthday was HBO. We only had HBO for one month, but during that month they played “Rock-n-Roll High School” starring the Ramones. It was a “B” picture by Roger Corman, but I remember watching in awe. The humor was sophomoric, but I loved it. The film built up to a concert at the end. The Ramones came out and played with fire and fury. Fast songs highlighted by Dee Dee yelling “1-2-3-4” to start each song. I watched intently and thought “I can play this!!!! Look at those guys! They rock and you don’t have to be a model to be in a band! I love these guys.”

I rushed out and bought my first Ramones album, “Rocket to Russia.” I was blown away! Great songs like Teenage Lobotomy, Cretin Hop, Rockaway Beach and Sheena is Punk Rocker. For the next eight years I seemed to only play Ramones and other punk bands. I must have driven everyone crazy.

I had the opportunity to see the Ramones 4 times. Each one was incredible in its own way. I met Joey once, CJ bummed a cigarette from me and I managed to make Dee Dee mad at me.

The Ramones sound isn’t for everyone, but if you like one or two of the songs, you’ll probably like most of them. Sometimes it takes a while to get used to Joey’s voice and the pure rock sound of the band. It took my wife 16 years, but on November 18, 2004 she looked at me and said “I like the Ramones!” She has even requested we learn some of her favorite songs.

Thank you Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, Tommy, Marky, Ritchie, CJ , Monte and the guys in Shock Treatment for giving me the music and a chance to play it!

Shrimpy Ramone