Here are eleven video clips from Parousia’s performance at Club 88 not long before the club closed it’s doors for good.

From a Buffalo Musician’s perspective, Club 88 was “the McVan’s of Los Angeles,” and like McVan’s, by the time PAROUSIA played there, the club had already seen its hey-day.  Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, Club 88 was a launching-pad for bands like the Go Go’s, Berlin, Missing Persons… a cornucopia of punk and new wave bands.  Just about any style of music you can think of was okay at Club 88.

Club 88 was the second Los Angeles club that Parousia performed in.  We played at Club 88 a total of seven times between 1988-1990.  I guess it was no surprise when we were asked to play the “farewell” show before Club 88 closed it doors for good.

We have a lot of fond memories from Club 88 and although the bar smelled like cat pee and the drinks were watered down, the back room was nice and roomy and the sound system was good.  That’s the cool thing about L.A. clubs; every rock venue has its own P.A. and a sound engineer to run it.  You didn’t have to lug around massive speaker cabinets, treble horns, power amps, EQ’s and Crossovers.

Someone in our entourage video taped this show on March 2, 1990.  It features popular Blues Guitarist Dudley Taft* from Seattle, (before his hat and goatee became a permanent affectation) and Keyboardist Marty Leggett from Reno Nevada.

Marty started playing keyboards with us in December of 1988 and Dudley started playing lead guitar with us in October of 1989.  This was his sixth show with Parousia.  Dudley always had high intensity in his playing and that motivated all of us to join in and notch it up a level.

Please excuse the sound quality on the video, but the tiny condenser microphone on the camera could only handle so much and our band always liked to turn it up to 11!  Especially with Dudley, he liked it LOUD.  Anyway, I feel this recording adequately captures the sights, sounds and fortunately not the smells of our last show at Club 88, 11784 Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA.

*Dudley Taft is currently touring in support of his third album, ‘Screaming in the Wind’. (2014). The official video for the title track off the album can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hceIChr4sw