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from RIP magazine, August 1994 (Fresh Blood)
[A quick read through this brief article shows that Surgery had exactly what it took to become one of "my" bands. Shimmer was one of my favorite albums of 1994. Unfortunately, my association with these guys was all-too brief. I interviewed them on the phone, and met them in person just once, when they played the Whiskey on tour. In January, 1995 singer Sean McDonnell fell into an asthmatic coma and died a few days later — a sad and tragic end to a really sharp band.]
Ignore the facts. The guys in Surgery are really sleazy rock 'n' roll scumbags. Listen to their Atlantic release, Shimmer, and there's no doubt about that. The primal raunch of "Bootywhack," untamed rhythms of "D-Nice," lewd humor of "Gulf Coast Score," oozing mysterioso vibe of "Low Cut Blues" — these songs must have been the evil progeny of dyed-in-the-wool outlaws. So what if Surgery's members are middle-class dudes who met at college in Syracuse?
"Figure it out — parents pay for beer for four years, you know," remarks singer Sean McDonnell. See? Rock 'n' roll isn't about social strata and it can rise above good breeding. Real rock is about taking what isn't yours, scamming and down-and-dirty fun.
Sean, guitarist Scott Kleber, bassist John LaChapelle and drummer John Leamy were all born with hearts of soot and shifty minds. Scott was the only city boy — his family shipped him up to Syracuse from the Big Apple. "My parents wouldn't let me stay in New York, 'cause I was already going out to clubs three or four nights a week, staying with friends in bands," he explains. "The first year I went up there, I was dying! It seemed like summer camp for some of these kids."
Scott's only choice was to find a few kindred spirits — "anybody who had Clash albums in their collection." He hooked up with Sean, and John and Leamy, who were a year behind them, came in shortly thereafter. They put together a band, even though Leamy was the only one who really knew how to play. Shrugs Scott, "It was just a reason to get together, throw a party and, you know, to meet girls and whatever."
Eventually, they got better, decided to bail on school — Scott was the only one who got a diploma — and made the streets of New York City their home. Amphetamine Reptile took them on, and the result was two critically-acclaimed records — the LP, Nationwide and the EP, Trim, 9th Ward High Roller. Much touring followed, along with various hijinks, adventures and the inevitable run-ins with the cops. Finally, Scott relates, "We started toning down a little, 'cause we couldn't function from cellblock one."
By this time, Atlantic Records couldn't resist signing these wildmen, but the label probably didn't know what it was getting into. Surgery was sent to L.A. to record Shimmer — less distractions than the familiar environment of New York, they figured. They were wrong. "Within about a week, I must say, we had the whole circuit conquered," Scott boasts. Nightly, the studio was packed with newfound friends and it was party time. "Our producer got kind of bummed on that," Sean admits. But the resulting product was well worth it.
The beauty of Shimmer is that it takes both punk and rock cliches and plays them up to the max. "A lot of it's tongue-in-cheek and you're supposed to get that by reference," Scott explains. "It's not supposed to be that simple, where we're not conscious of it. We are and we do that anyway. And we put our own ingredients in there as well. Our drummer says it's 'stupid music for smart people.'"
That's the best part of Surgery — they're rock 'n' roll rogues with brains.
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