The Maneaters on public access! From left: Tara McMunn, Linda Lutz, Shari Mirojnik, Andrea Kusten, and Ellen O’NeillHere’s a group I didn’t know personally, but a friend designed a gig flyer for one of my DJ nights using the image above. I asked him about the band and he kindly transferred a demo tape with four songs, and a live tape at the Southern Funk Cafe in October 12, 1986:

The live tape is eleven songs, with all the tuning and between-song chatter.

In addition, former WFMU DJ the Hound hosted an acoustic in-studio session with the band on October 4, 1986, link here.

from left: Tara, Andrea, Linda, Shari and EllenNY photographer Jeff Cuyubamba writes:

They got their name from a Hershell Gordon Lewis movie about biker chicks that isn’t really that good but its main claim to fame is that it showed a decapitation (fake) in like ’67 or so. Which was pretty wild for a drive-in flick. The main gang in the movie was called The Maneaters.

The lead singer was Shari from The Outta Place. The bass guitarist was Tara who also played bass in this NYC psych/garage band called The Ultra V. The drummer was Ellen O’Neill who was formerly the drummer for the Tryfles. She was really nice and also ended up in a short lived NYC garage band called The Shambles. Eventually Ellen quit music, married and moved away. Unfortunately I had heard she passed away a few years ago. On lead guitar was Linda Lutz. Except for another spinoff NYC garage band called The Pods, this was the only other band I recall seeing Linda in.

The Maneaters played only for about a year or so. Often on bills that Gary Balaban promoted at The Southern Funk Cafe (now a pharmacy I think in the Port Authority), The Strip on 14th or The New Theater on 4th St. In fact he made a dupe of their demo for me which I still have on cassette. He used to get tons of cassette demos from touring garage bands at the time. After I first heard the Maneaters play I asked Gary to make me a copy as they didn’t have any singles or LPs out. In fact, that cassette turned out to be the only thing that ever came out from them. Unless there’s some tapes somewhere which one of the band members might know about.

I listened to the demo tape recently. You can hear the potential for an awesome live show but in the sterile environs of a studio, it didn’t translate very well. They had this really grinding, sleazy approach to covering blues classics which made them very unique at the time. Shame nothing ever came out of it.

Southern Funk Cafe:

The person who does the intro [to the first song, “I’m Ready”] is Deb Parker who at that time was partnering with Gary as Endsville Enterprises. The impresarios behind the Strip shows. Later on she went to great success and fame opening Beauty Bar, Barmacy, No-Tell Motel and I think Babyland.

Besides the members Jeff lists there was also Andrea Matthews (Andrea Kusten), the group’s rhythm and slide guitarist, formerly of the Outta Place and Blacklight Chameleons and later the Fuzztones.

From the Dreamdate show, from left: Shari, Tara, Linda, Andrea and Ellen
From the Dreamdate show, from left: Andrea, Ellen, Shari, Linda and TaraPeter Holsapple wrote to me about producing the demo:

We recorded four songs, including “High Temperature” by Little Walter, at Coyote Studios in the Music Building in Manhattan (8th Avenue between 38th and 39th Streets), with Albert Caiati engineering; his brother is Manny Caiati from the Del Lords, whose rehearsal room doubled as the studio’s space. The dB’s space was across the hall from the Del Lords. I was paid my production ‘fee’ in pot!

The girls were inspired amateurs; Shari Mirojnik played harmonica, and tried to do the hand/vibrato thing, but ended up looking more like she was waving at it. She’s also responsible for having noted, on a funny trip to Boston we all made, that she had to sit in front because she was “allergic” to the back of the van. The Boston trip was was the only time in my life I’ve run live sound for a band (they played at TT the Bear’s). Afterward, we went to Fort Apache studio and tried to do some recording with Joe Harvard, but the ingested psychedelic substances took their toll and we just ended up bagging it.

Thanks to Jeff for the transfers of the demo and live tapes and the Dream Date flyer. Check out his site ShakeSomeAction.

Thanks to Donna for the b&w photos from Dreamdate and additional background. Donna writes about Linda Lutz on her blog, Lethal Dose.

Also thanks to Tara McMunn for all the photos except the b&w Dream Date shots. Dream Date and candid photos taken by Tony Gliozzo. Studio shots by Martin.

Updated Nov. 2009 and Jan. 2010.

Flyer for my March 24, 2006 DJ night at the Tainted Lady (another Deb Parker creation)