Head On (band)
| Head On | |
|---|---|
| Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genres | Rock and roll, glam rock, protopunk |
| Years active | 1980–1984 |
| Labels | Demon Doll Records |
| Past members | Mark Berglund James Ray Howard Teman Frank Wilsey Rick Tweed Daniel 'DJ' Nicholson |
Head On was a San Francisco rock band of the early 1980s. Although only putting out independent releases, their influence has worked its way into such diverse bands as Guns N' Roses and The Mars Volta.
Head On was started by James Ray, a guitar player transplanted from New Mexico to the San Francisco Bay Area. He soon recruited Mark Berglund, a Bay Area native, as lead vocalist and song writer. Together with Ray, Mark wrote a majority of Head On's material. Rick Tweed and Howard Teman (bass guitar and drums respectively) were soon added as was lead guitarist Frank Wilsey.
Working their way through and eventually dominating the San Francisco club scene, Head On went on to support such bands as Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Joe Perry, Y&T, Motörhead, Aldo Nova, Kix, Shooting Star, Mötley Crüe and others. Noted for their lively and outrageous shows, Head On was likened to such bands as the New York Dolls and Aerosmith.
During its brief career (1980–1984) Head On released several independent collections that were sold at local retailers in the San Francisco Bay Area. They were featured and landed covers on local underground publications as well as being reviewed in the well-known British rock magazine Kerrang!. Their music was played on local radio stations and the band made guest appearances on local TV.
As San Francisco became a hot bed for underground metal, Head On often found themselves mismatched and headlining metal shows with openers like Anvil Chorus, Lääz Rockit and Trauma (which featured future Metallica bass player, Cliff Burton). As a result of the rise in metal popularity, bookings began to slow and Los Angeles soon emerged as the mecca for the glam revival music Head On had championed in the Bay Area. Head On soon discovered however that Los Angeles at the time had little appreciation for San Francisco bands to the point that club owners refused to book them. On one notable occasion while attempting to secure a show at LA's Madame Wong's West they were told, “I don’t care if you are the Beatles, if you are from San Francisco, no one in LA will come to your show.”
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