Scene Point Blank: Have you approached most bands you have recorded to see if there is an interest in releasing these recordings? Seems these days they are unearthing more and more material and pressing on vinyl. Given you have a treasure trove of recordings, I would figure you might have a permanent hole in your door from all the interest. Knock knock, is Terry there?
Terry Hammer: I tried approaching bands and it was very time-consuming and hard to do since I was back in Ohio. I left San Francisco in August '81 to return to Ohio because I had developed a bleeding ulcer that was misdiagnosed by the V.A. hospital in San Francisco.
I released two shows by The Lewd and the OFFS on my own indie label, Vampir Records. The Lewd is on vinyl and the OFFS is on CD. I did do a second release of The Lewd as a co-release on 220-gram vinyl with Subterranean Records, with actual cover art and liner notes. We added three studio songs from the Subterranean Underground 2x7 inch sessions as a bonus.
Last year I sold my complete archive of live recordings to Liberation Hall and they own the rights to them now. They have been releasing them mostly as digital-only albums, but they are doing a few on LP and CD. So far, they’ve done digital releases from No Sisters, the OFFS, Impostors, Sudden Fun and Times 5. They also did a Record Store Day release from Romeo Void on blue vinyl, CD and digital. Recently, they put out albums from the Kingsnakes and No Alternative on CD and digital. I’ve also been told that the previous digital-only titles by No Sisters and the OFFS will be out on CD shortly.
Scene Point Blank: How did you become involved in managing Toxic Reasons? Any memories of recording their classic LP, Independence?
Terry Hammer: I was a fan of Toxic Reasons. I liked the rough Ghost Town EP they put out and the first single, “War Hero,” and I moved back to Ohio and contacted them about becoming their manager. When we went to finish the LP over a weekend, they already had most of the basics recorded. On Friday afternoon, it was very hot and the equipment in the studio wasn't working right, so we didn't do anything until Saturday. I had Rob Lucjak re-do the bass tracks with the exception of “Ghost Town,” he couldn't get that one. J.J. said he could do it and he nailed it in one take. We did retakes and overdubs on Ed's vocals -- that was quite a chore due to his heavy smoking -- and we did some guitar overdubs. Sunday night was mostly mixdown, we were up all night until about 7am Monday morning when we had to quit and finish. All in all, we did a pretty good job when you consider that we had equipment breaking down and other problems.
Scene Point Blank: It has been cited that you were one of the first to get the Dead Kennedys airplay. What did you see in them prior to others?
Terry Hammer: The DKs were a great live band. Only their first single, “California Über Alles,” was out at the time I recorded them at the Old Waldorf opening for the Members on October 25, 1979. I recorded and broadcast that English group as well. I chose “Holiday in Cambodia” for radio play on KALX and a couple of other songs. It turned out that “Holiday in Cambodia” was picked as their next single, so by the time other stations finally got it, KALX had already played the crap out of it. This DK’s show was so popular that it was released by three or four bootleg labels over the years, with Interference being the most aggressive. I was amazed Interference actually credited me on the back. So far, they have bootlegged no less than five of my live shows with the Dead Kennedys, Pere Ubu, SVT, Pearl Harbor & The Explosions, and Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band. I believe there are about 30 of my live shows available as official releases or bootlegs. I'm flattered there's that much attention being paid to my recordings.
Scene Point Blank: Seems you recorded a large number of Canadian bands like The Diodes, Modernettes, Pointed Sticks, and Young Canadians. Any memories of any of these shows? (Vested interest as I am Canadian!)
Terry Hammer: The Canadian bands were all fantastic. I recorded D.O.A. many times, Subhumans the last show with Wimpy before he joined D.O.A., the Pointed Sticks, the Diodes twice, and the Modernettes.
Scene Point Blank: Jim Carroll was recorded three times by yourself. Is there any communication with his estate to release this material?
Terry Hammer: Jim Carroll was fantastic. Yes, I recorded him three times, twice at the Old Waldorf in '79 opening for Shakin' Street, and two more times at the Fab Mab. Liberation Hall has been in contact with Rosemary Carroll, Jim’s ex-wife, who happens to be a high-end lawyer in NYC. They sent her a proposal and the shows to check out, but she has not responded. It’s unfortunate for the fans but they can still enjoy all the shows on YouTube.
Scene Point Blank: Were there any bands you regret not having recorded?
Terry Hammer: Yes, unfortunately, too many to list, but certainly The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, Dictators, Ramones, and the Bags. An even bigger regret is losing more than 100 recordings in a warehouse fire. Those are gone forever. That stash included all my D.O.A., Subhumans, Crime, Mission of Burma, Angry Samoans, Black Flag, Impatient Youth, and Rubber City Rebels, to name a few.
Scene Point Blank: What are you currently doing now? Are you still involved with being a DJ or mixing music?
Terry Hammer: I'm not doing anything. I'm retired, getting older, and I’m disabled.
Scene Point Blank: Do you still have a love for reggae? Who are your favourite artists?
Terry Hammer: I will always have a love for reggae, but I'm saddened to see what it’s turned into these days. The modern version is too often ruined by rapping. Once again, there are too many great artists to list, but my favourites are Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Culture, the Melodians, Soul Syndicate, Earl Zero, the Meditations, Black Uhuru, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, and Prince Far-I.
Scene Point Blank: Is there anything current you are digging?
Terry Hammer: Not enjoying or listening to new artists of late. Nothing I can think of after Arcade Fire.
Scene Point Blank: Do you still run your record label? Vampir Records?
Terry Hammer: No, Vampir was finished after I released the Offs CD. It was just too difficult to try to keep my indie label running. That's why I kept searching for record labels to release my shows. Fortunately, after all these years Liberation Hall stepped up to the plate. All the others, like Cherry Red, turned me down citing that most people weren't interested in the old punk live shows of bands that aren't playing anymore.
Scene Point Blank: How would you like to be remembered?
Terry Hammer: I'd like to be remembered as a guy who saw something great happening and tried to preserve it for future generations.
Scene Point Blank: Parting thoughts?
Terry Hammer: I'm old and in the way and nobody really cares about my life anyway. It’s funny how some 40 years later people are finally curious about me.
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Check out Terry's work in the following places:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/vampirrecs/videos
- Live Tapes: https://www.angelfire.com/oh/liveperformances/livetapes.html
- BANDCAMP: https://liberationhall.bandcamp.com
- FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/LiberationHallRecords
- TWITTER: https://twitter.com/libhallgroup
- INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/liberationhall4u/
