The Thing

Formed in the mid 1980s continuing into the early 1990s, one of the first original founders of the early east coast Stoner Rock scene, along with Monster Magnet, Bench, Hed, The Blood Farmers, and others. Back in the mid and late 1980s, The Thing were known for the totally original sounding music and intense wild live shows in NYC and UK with strobe lights, smoke, nude vampire go-go girls, split-screen films, fireworks, buckets of pigs blood, live worms, horror film sound samples, and more! Their shows later inspired White Zombie, fellow friends, to go into this visual direction for their live shows. The band grew hugely popular in NYC and Europe and toured the UK, where they recorded a John Peel Session for the BBC. The Thing is mentioned in the book 'Space Daze' (about Hawkwind) and also in the book about the John Peel Sessions. While when they first formed in the mid 1980s, they were part of the thriving NYC Noise Rock art scene (Live Skull, Unsane, Sonic Youth, etc.), later morphing into a more progressive acid rock sounding band over the years. The Thing are written about in various rock books as being one of the very first bands from the 1980s to emerge out of the Noise Rock scene to develop the style later known as Stoner Rock. Originally the band called their music "Psychedelic Punk" and later "Acid Core". Back in the mid to late 80's, The Thing was doing a different type of post-punk music, while most bands at the time were still doing either Cro-mags / Agnostic Front styled hardcore punk or Sonic Youth influenced experimental/weird music. The Thing mixed no wave noise, acid rock, metal, 70s rock, psychedelic, progressive rock, and Gothic Rock. (Members of The Thing were friends with the original Christian Death featuring Rozz, The Super Heroines, The Shadow Project, and Fields of the Nephilim, amongst other Gothic Rock bands.) Back then it was just called weird music. But in the last decade or so, it has become known as STONER ROCK. A year or two after they started playing live, fellow NJ artists Monster Magnet (and NY bands: Bench, Blood Farmers, Hed, and others) also began playing a similar style of music, which later influenced Kyuss (leading to Fu Manchu and Queens of the Stone Age). Groups such as White Zombie and Tool also later became very popular as they went on to further develop a sound that The Thing has helped develop. Even one of My Bloody Valentine 's guitarists cited The Thing's "texture guitar" as a major influence, after meeting up, the day before his successful audtion,with The Thing guitarist, Sal Canzonieri. The Thing played live shows in NYC at CBGBs and the Continental with White Zombie, Angel Rot, The Blood Farmers, The Unsane, Von Lmo, Royal Trux, Honeymoon Killers, Railroad Jerk, Nice Strong Arm, Cop Shoot Cop, Core, Daisycutter, Bench, and many others. The Thing is most known for their amazing John Peel session, produced by Dale Griffin (drummer from Mott the Hoople), which was released on vinyl by Dutch East India Records - Peel Sessions series. John Peel said this was one of his favorite sessions and one of the very few that he has attended. One of only 2-3 bands that have had their Peel Session played more than twice on his radio show. Their live shows were attended by many well known bands, such as The Pixies (who wrote a song about hearing their music called "The Thing", which they released on the album Complete 'B' Sides), Lemmy from Motorhead, Milk, Th' Faith Healers, Silverfish, and Von Lmo (The Thing guitarist Sal Canzonieri later played with Von Lmo in an updated version of Red Transistor), and others. The Thing opened for Happy Mondays at CBGB and outdrew them!