Glen Cummings (musician)

Glen Cummings is an American thrash metal guitarist best known for his guitar work in Ludichrist and Scatterbrain.

Glen Cummings
BornBethpage, New York, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • musician
  • producer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • guitar
Years active1983–1997
Labels
Associated acts

Horror Planet

In 1984 Glen joined local psychedelic-punk ensemble Horror Planet. The group featured Paul Quigley (Party Frank), vocals, congas and maracas; Rick Bruccoleri (Hambone Legbone), bass and kazoo; Dave (Funk Ma Da Goonk El Paso Fungalscreen Xtra-Cheese Eggs On A Platter), Drums; Tony Arena (Weasle Worm Crumb Boy) backing vocals, tenor kazoo, and tambourine; and Glen Cummings (Swami Swami Swami), guitar. The group's influences varied from early psychedelic/acid rock, to bubblegum pop, to novelty albums, to proto-punk acts like the Cramps.

Horror Planet created two releases: "Otis The Frogman", a collection of songs and outtakes on a hand-painted cassette tape and the "Cow Pies from Outer Space", a six-song e.p. on a clear vinyl record with hand-painted covers.

Mike Bullshit of Bullshit Monthly wrote: "I can't describe this record. Every song on the e.p. has something special about it... Bits of hardcore, psychedelia, punk and kazoo mixed in together to achieve god-like potential. They are a complete venture into the completely improbable where anything can happen, and it does..."[1]

Tim Yohannan of Maximumrocknroll wrote "Expand your Mind and Shorten your Life" is one of the six songs, and that typifies the "zany" outlook expressed by this combo. Musically they play a grungy, noisy, but tight garage metal-tinged thrash. Unique."[2]"

Ludichrist

Demos

After multiple rehearsals and performances recorded its second effort: "Ludichrist– The Demo" featuring new arrangements of the songs featured on the 1985 demo plus two new songs "Games Once Played" and "Young, White and Well Behaved".

Christ and Cummings worked together to create the cassette cover, a bumper sticker, and a 16-page illustrated booklet and a half-page ad for Maximum Rock-n-Roll announcing the release. The Ludichrist graphics: a logotype with ransom note letters, and a logo, featuring a found illustration of "Jesus with praying hands" with drawn-on spiky hairdo (ala Johnny Rotten) and fingerless gloves and dog-collar wristband (ala Billy Idol), were created by Christ.

In the October 1985 Maximumrocknroll contributing writer Pushead (aka Brian Schroeder) wrote: "Wild, chaotic, intense and full of different variations, Ludichrist charge outward with a superb sonic flailing"[3]".

The group performed regionally gaining a following in Connecticut and New York City. The group recorded a new version of "God Is Everywhere" for Phanthom Record's "A Method to Their Madness"[4] compilation album.

Immaculate Deception

Ludichrist's 1986 release "Immaculate Deception", features Cummings paired with guitarist Joe Butcher, and was recorded at Platinum Island Sounds in Manhattan with Randy Burns [5] producing. The album featured 19 tracks, 12 of them rearranged versions which had appeared on other releases, and 7 of them appearing for the first time: "Fire at The Firehouse" which begins with a riff inspired by Black Sabbath's "Fairies Wear Boots" and tales a moral fable of a racist who magically wakes up with the tables turned, "Games Once Played" which features a guitar and bass duet written by Chuck Valle and the first of Christ's poetic lyrics, "Green Eggs and Ham" a song with lyrics cribbed directly from Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham, and music lifted wholesale from Rapid Deployment's "No Edge". The song also featured a rap section written by the group's unofficial sixth member Jeff Hubner (aka LL. Cool Jeff) but performed on the album by bassist Chuck Valle. You Can't Have Fun (A lyrical tribute to Glen's mother who at some point had scolded Tommy saying "life was not meant to be fun". The track features guest performances by Roger Miret of Agnostic Front, John Connelly of Nuclear Assault, Eddie Sutton of Leeway (band), and Chris Notaro of the Crumbsuckers. "Legal Murder" a pisstake which alternates between melodic swing and DRI-esque thrash, "Thinking of You" penned by Joe Butcher, inspired by doom rockers Trouble post-Sabbath heaviness, "Last Train to Clarksville" a thrashy but earnest cover of Boyce and Hart's pop hit written for the made-for -TV-band, The Monkees.

People magazine said "Though the ferocious guitar riffs on Immaculate Deception start to sound strangely appealing after a few listens, this record isn't for everybody"[6]

Scatterbrain

Reception

The album was heralded in the music press as an eclectic amalgam of musical styles, for the group's tight musicianship and production, and for the humorous lyrics.

Music critic Mike Gitter writes: “...the musical brilliance Scatterbrain yield, neath girded loins, sets them light years apart from the competition. Ask guitar god Joe Satriani, who reportedly swore up and down that Neider/Cummings tag team churned forth some of the finest finger work he’s heard in a dog’s age.[7]"

In a feature in "Faces" magazine's October 1990 issue staff writer Lee Sherman writes: "Scatterbrain’s musical eclecticism is more than merely gratuitous buffoonery… they have the musical know-how to pull it off." and "Scatterbrain isn’t the first band to make screwball behavior an indispensable part of its persona but they may be the first one where the playing is the only thing that isn’t a joke.”[8]

Music videos

Filmmaker George Seminara created two music videos for the group which portrayed songs as short stories: "Don't Call Me Dude":[9] a jilted lover who goes berserk when he's called Dude and "Down with The Ship":[10] After being shunned by their record company a band sneaks in and auditions to appear in their own music video.

Host of MTV's Headbanger's Ball, Riki Rachtman the videos and band and can be credited for single-handedly popularizing the group on MTV. On his birthday episode, June 16, 1990, Rachtman held a live interview the band and on February 8, 1992 he hosted Headbanger's Ball live from a Scatterbrain concert at The Scrap Bar.[11] In interviews Rachtman still lists "Don't Call Me Dude" at #5 on his ideal playlist.[12]

Australia

"Don't Call Me Dude" spent 15 weeks on Australia's national ARIA Charts [13] (Australian Recording Industry Association) peaking at #14 for three non-consecutive weeks in January and February 1991.

Music journalist Ian McFarland explains “Its not hard to figure out how a cult metal outfit from the U.S. can become stars virtually overnight here in Australia [...] the likes of ABC TV’s late night video show Rage ad JJJ FM regularly aired the track last year, which set a groundswell in motion that led to more commercial FM stations like MMM adding it to their playlists."[14]

Scatterbrain performed a month-long series of dates in Australia promoted by TripleJ and Virgin Australia. To promote the tour a video for "Sonata #9" was produced in which an Alistair Cook-like TV host cries after mistakenly presenting the group's take on Mozart's Sonata 3.[15]

Stone Deep

In 1993 Cummings relocated to Nashville, Tennessee where he founded the rap/rock act Stone Deep together with Ronzo Cartwright (vocals), Terry Hayes (vocals and turntable), Kelly Butler (Bass) and Kenny Owens (Drums). Cartwright, Hayes, Butler and Owens were previously members of The Hard Corps who's hit album "Def Before Dishonor"[16](Atlantic Records, 1991) was produced by Run DMC's Jam Master Jay. The Hard Corps had been the opening act for Ice-T on his "Cop Killer Tour".

Stone Deep recorded and released six albums: "Stone Deep" cassette 1993, "Gangs and The Government/Mr. Sunray" single 1995; "Kung Fu Grip" cassette 1996; "Stone Deep" CD 1997, "Hump n Hum" CD 1999, "Engage" CD 2000.

Stone Deep was featured or profiled in NY Daily News,[17] USA Today,[18] The Tennessean,[19] The Nashville Banner,[20] The Nashville Scene,[21] Music Row,[22] and Ripple.[23]

Being lauded 1996 with its second Nashville Music Award for "Best Independent Act"[24] and being voted Best Unsigned Act in the United States[25] by the NARAS (The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences)/The National Grammy Award Showcase.

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References
  1. Bromberg, Mike. "Horror Planet", Record Reviews, Bullshit Monthly, September 1985. (accessed June 8, 2018)
  2. Yohannan, Tim. "Horror Planet – Cow Pies from Outer Space – EEP, Reviews, Maximumrocknroll, October 1985. (accessed June 10, 2018)
  3. Pushead. "Ludachrist – Cassette , Reviews, Maximumrocknroll, October 1985. (accessed June 9, 2018)
  4. Ludichrist. “God is Everywhere”. “There’s A Method To Our Madness”. Phantom Records, 1986. LP. Track 1. 00:00:00
  5. https://www.guitarworld.com/gw-archive/thrash-producers-sound-and-fury
  6. Small, Michael. “Immaculate Deception, Ludichrist”, Pick & Pans, People Weekly, May 11, 1987.
  7. Gitter, Mike. "Scatter Brain" Metal Mania, November 1990
  8. Sherman, Lee. “Here Comes Scatterbrain”, Faces, October 1990
  9. ""Scatterbrain – 'Don't Call Me Dude.'"". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbLhHtaVIO4. Jul 30, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2018)
  10. "Scatterbrain – 'Down With The Ship.'". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXBrLMeDCyQ. Apr 12, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2018)
  11. Frost, Christopher. "Headbangers Ball Unofficial Tribute Site" http://www.headbangersballunofficialtributesite.com/episode-database (accessed June 6, 2018)
  12. Staff. "Former Headbangers Ball Host Riki Rachtman to Launch New Hard Rockmetal Video Show" http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/former-headbangers-ball-host-riki-rachtman-to-launch-new-hard-rockmetal-video-show/ (accessed June 11, 2018)
  13. "Australian-charts.com – Scatterbrain – Don't Call Me Dude".. "ARIA Top 50 Singles".
  14. McFarland, Ian. “Scatterbrain: Here Comes Trouble!” Hot Metal, March 1991
  15. "Scatterbrain – Mozart Sonata # 3" YouTube. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2018
  16. ""Hard Corps – Def before Dishonor – 1991 Album (Rap-Rock Fusion)"". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vITtzdm5tE. August 10, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2018)
  17. Darwen, Wayne (2 June 1996), "Cummings Attraction: New Yorker brings it on home after his band hits big in Nashville", New York Daily News.
  18. Zimmerman, David (14 May 1996), "New Sounds from Nashville: Gritty rappers Stone Deep flourish in country's mecca", USA Today.
  19. Staff (16 January 1994), "Hear Rock City: Music City Ain't Just Country" The Tennessean, Cover, Showcase Section
  20. Orr, Jay. "Rock rolls with fuel by 'fusion'". Music City, Nashville Banner, October 19, 1994
  21. Murray, Noel (1 June 1995), "Summer Lights: Lightning Up", Nashville Scene.
  22. Hight, Michael. "Extra Extra" Music Row, February 8, 1993
  23. Staff (January 1994), "Stone Deep: Focus on Local talent Nashville metal-rap band Stone Deep combines two genres of music for a unique sound", Ripple Weekly
  24. Staff (21 February 1996), The Nashville Music Awards program, "Best Independent Recording p42, "Best Unsigned Artist" p51
  25. Oermann, Robert K. (January 1995) "Rock'n'Roll Rap: Nashville Band Slices Big Apple, Dices L.A.", The Tennessean
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