The Last (band)
| The Last | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, United States |
| Genres | Power pop, rock, Surf rock |
| Labels | Bomp!, SST, End Sounds |
| Associated acts |
Descendents Trotsky Icepick Wednesday Week Lucky Chemical People |
| Past members | Joe Nolte Mike Nolte David Nolte Dave Harbison Danny Winter Sean Doherty Mike Clarke Vitus Mataré Jack Reynolds Luke Lohnes Missy Buettner Robbie Rist John Frank Dave Nazworthy Larry P. Manke Ed Urlik Steve Andrews John Rosewall Karl Alvarez Bill Stevenson |
The Last is an American, Los Angeles-based power pop band, formed in the 1970s around three brothers: Joe (guitar, vocals), Mike (vocals), and David Nolte (bass guitar). They released several albums on SST Records and Bomp! Records.
The Nolte brothers formed the band in 1976, and the band's sound was influenced by garage rock, surf rock, folk rock and psychedelic rock. The first settled line-up also included Vitus Mataré (keyboards, flute) and Jack Reynolds (drums). After three self-financed singles, the band was signed by Bomp! Records, who issued the debut album L.A. Explosion! in 1979 (described by Trouser Press as "a near-perfect debut"). It was also issued in the UK by London Records. They reverted to their own Backlash label for second album Look Again (1980), and split up in the mid-1980s with David Nolte joining Wednesday Week and later Lucky, and Mataré forming Trotsky Icepick. The band were considered a major influence on the psychedelia-influenced LA bands of the mid-1980s, including The Bangles and The Three O'Clock.
A collection of tracks from the band's demos and singles was issued by French label Lolita in 1985 under the title Painting Smiles On A Dead Man. The band was reformed in 1988 by Joe and Mike Nolte along with Luke Lohnes (guitar, vocals), Larry P. Manke (bass guitar), and Dave Nazworthy (of Chemical People) (drums). The new line-up signed to SST Records, releasing two albums in 1988 and 1989. The band went on hiatus in 1990, with Joe Nolte feeling "sort of disheartened" after the band's first national US tour (they had previously only played in California). Joe reformed the band in 1994 and another album, Gin & Innuendoes, was released in 1996, with Robbie Rist replacing Nazworthy and Missy Buettner replacing Manke shortly after the album's release. The early '80s lineup of the band, featuring Vitus Mataré and John Frank, still performs occasionally in Southern California. The Last are working on a new album for the label End Sounds. The bassist and drummer for the sessions were Karl Alvarez and Bill Stevenson, respectively. Alvarez and Stevenson form the rhythm sections for the bands ALL and the Descendents as well.
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