Squirrel ground zero
Cape Fear Foundation - Downtown Wilmington
Late spring afternoons after work, Peter, Paul, and Danny met up in the 2nd floor loft of 9 S. Front St. (later to become Front St. News, and the Caffe Phoenix). It had an urban-ness that fit their intent perfectly. It was a step up from the bedroom jams, as they honed musically in the expanse for a few weeks. P&P had new cheap guitars, a couple effects pedals each, and were ready for the world. Danny joined them, playing synth bass, locked in step with an original Boss Dr. Rhythm drum machine.
Tonight - 1982
What they were honing in on initially was a punk-tinged power-pop, inspired by then current English bands like The Records, The Motors, The Hitmen, and Fingerprintz, or Americans The Brains, The Rings, 20/20, and Shoes. “Tonight” was recorded with Danny’s GE portable cassette recorder sitting on a windowsill.
They decided the drum machine wasn’t going to cut it - they required something that breathed. Skateboard champ and drummer Reggie Barnes came up to jam. As he left he passed young Matt Fann on the stairs who was also trying out. The rest is, as they say, history.
It was a bummer when they had to leave the loft, but they only wound up migrating to the Squirrel Hut.
