Witch welcomes Michael Olivieri on
bass filling in for the retired Jim Warmon.
OC Weekly has named WITCH one of the Top Ten
"Greatest
Orange County Heavy Metal Bands Of All Time"!
WELCOME
Hello!
Welcome to WITCHTHEBAND.COM, the only web
site dedicated to the infamous 1980's Southern California Heavy Metal band
WITCH. If you're looking for J Mascis and his newer band also called Witch, this ain't it.
This site details WITCH's concert
history, from their first show in June of 1983, to their final performance in November, 1991 and beyond. It will also give you some
history of the band's inception, some touching and funny stories (including
some stories about touching), tales of triumph and woe, and better insight into
a band you've probably never heard of. As a fan,
photographer, roadie, and friend of the band's from 1984 to the bitter end,
much of the information here is taken from my extensive gig notes, newspapers,
magazines and fanzines, flyers and handbills, and, more importantly, my memory
(which is pretty good because I stayed away--for the most part--from the
memory-reducing indulgences of drugs and alcohol). Plus, I've
recently been in touch with a couple of the band members themselves and they
have been extremely helpful with providing
much-needed information.
It's safe to say that WITCH were my
favorite band in the 1980s, and this is my way of paying tribute to the band
that I loved. From the moment I saw their picture in BAM Magazine I knew
they were the band for me, and seeing them live only solidified that feeling.
As a fan I began to photograph their shows, then I
would go to the next show and give them the pictures. Pretty
soon they were putting me on the guest list, and soon after that we were
hanging out. As the years rolled on I did everything I could to help the
band who were now my friends, but the main reason I was there was because they
were such a great live band.
And because they were such a
great live band, I feel it's important to chronicle, as best I can, their gig
history. I love gig histories. I'm fascinated by
'em. I have purchased gig history books about
Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, KISS, Ramones, The Who, The Beatles, and others.
You might be saying: "Well, I've heard of all
those bands, but I've never heard of WITCH. So why should I care about
the shows they played?" The answer is you probably won't
care at all. Unless, of course, you're interested in Heavy Metal
music from the 1980's and, to be more specific, about the Metal scene in
Southern California at that time.
It really was a lot of fun.
And WITCH was, for a time, a
very big player in that scene. They hung out with
Motley Crue, opened for WASP, let an unknown Guns n
Roses close a show for them, spent "quality time" with the likes of Lita Ford and porn stars and famous D.Js, set the Stardust
Ballroom on fire, set crosses on fire, set themselves on fire, lived in their
cars, got into fist fights on stage, broke up on stage, tattooed their
genitalia, beat soundmen with microphone stands, and generally caused havoc
wherever they played. Not bad for four guys
from Orange County. So some of you may find this information useful and a
little entertaining, while others may find it a colossal waste of time. Either
way, it didn't cost ya nothin'.
I am always updating this site, and I
welcome any information you may have about WITCH. Maybe your band played
with WITCH and you have a story to tell, maybe you have a print ad for a WITCH
show that does not appear on this list, or maybe.....who
knows? You can always leave this information in the guest book.
All photographs on this site were taken by
me
unless noted otherwise.
Click on any song title in yellow to listen to
it!
Now, let's boogie. (please click on "In the beginning..." at top)