By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

ATOY's volatile mix still 'punk' enough after all these years

Though their art-rock owed more to Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Birthday Party and The Stooges, and less to the Sex Pistols, ATOY's rebellious attitude and progressive sound made them a staple of Des Moines' underground punk scene during the early '80s. And 22 years later, it reverberates with fans old and new alike.

"Their sound was brittle, angular, aggressive, yet stately," says 47-year-old Eric Coleman, a longtime satirical singer-songwriter from Ames who claims to have seen nearly every show the band played during its lifespan from 1981 to 1983. "They had one of the best frontmen I've ever seen, and they didn't sound like anyone, which was unusual for a local band."

Formed by guitarists Dave Edwards and Paul Stanard (who later was replaced by Greg Owen), bassist Mark Penner, singer Brad Roth and drummer Lonnie Urich, ATOY played mostly original music and was known for its outlandish live performances where Roth would strip down to his underwear and set his clothes on fire. Because they didn't sound or look like anyone else, they were cast as punk rockers, though they opened for national touring bands as diverse as Husker Du, The Phones and the Flamin' Ohs.

"Back then, if you weren't into Journey or REO [Speedwagon] you were lumped together in punk," says the 40-year-old Penner, a librarian in Madison, Wis., who occasionally reunites with his former bandmates scattered across the country. "We all came from different styles of music but found a way to make it work, which is why people still have a hard time describing our music."

Though their eclectic tastes and influences in music helped create ATOY's unique sound, Penner says "artistic differences" ultimately proved to be the band's downfall. Despite building a loyal fan base throughout the Midwest, they decided to call it quits with a farewell performance on April 27, 1983, at So's Your Mother.

"It was a strange mŽlange of things," he says. "But we were a volatile mix of individuals. By the time we broke up each of us was already in another band."
Despite their breakup, Penner says they've remained friends over the years. Penner and Owen (who resides in Minneapolis) stopped playing music during the late '80s, while Roth and Urich became stalwarts on Des Moines' rock music scene.

They decided to regroup in May when they were invited to participate in the Iowa Rage Reunion held at the Vaudeville Mews. The event, which is chronicled online at www.iowareunion.net, was a gathering of Des Moines' early '80s punks and alt-rockers and their longtime fans, though it also attracted a number of young curiosity seekers.

"We got together to practice a number of times, and much to our surprise, we turned out to be a better band 22 years later," Penner says. "The gig at the Mews went better than any of expected, which led us to write some new material and booking the show there for New Year's Eve. The great thing is we didn't sound like anyone back then, so we don't sound dated now."

For their May show at the Mews, the band issued limited copies of its 1983 farewell performance, an independent lo-fi effort entitled "The Last Show." Coleman, who wrote the liner notes for the album, agrees with Penner's assessment of the group today.

"They're much more aggressive now," he says. "For a bunch of old men they can still tear the roof off."

Penner says he doesn't know how long the reunion will last. He says plans for recording a new album are in the works, but he takes them in stride.

"We love each dearly even though it's sometimes hard to work together," he says. "Rock is a young man's game and each show could potentially be our last." CV

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