Old Scratch - We Sold Our Hole For Rock & Roll

Old Scratch consisted of bassist Justin Maloney, guitarist Mike Turley, drummer Martin Fitzpatrick and vocalist and harmonica maestro Darren "Wassie" Walsh. They started as four scumbags from the dregs of society (Thanks, Louie T) and eventually became the living embodiment of all things Rock n’ Roll.

As a band, they never rehearsed once. They never wrote a song. Their music was totally improvised, pure and uncompromised by structure and they never sold out just to be more popular. To appreciate Old Scratch fully, you had to give yourself to the music. While they may have had a very casual idea how a particular song may sound, every note was improvised from start to finish. Every show started with a set list, which Wassie was never allowed see until he took to the stage. When a new song was introduced it would be made up on stage, on the spot. Often special guests would be brought onstage to add their own thumbprint to the creative process with a variety of instruments. Obviously, this audacious approach in a then grunge-dominated world would not appeal to the majority, but commercial appeal has never been an adjudicator of quality.

Their first gig was as support to a little known yet highly unpopular band by the name of FF. FF were totally insignificant but for the presence of drummer and spoofer extraordinaire Peter Russell, who was destined for bigger, if not better things. Under the guise of a Black Sabbath tribute band (Wassie would not perform under any other circumstance) Old Scratch's unique blend of Heavy Metal and freeform jazz was born in The Attic, Dublin, on 25th November 1993. Playing to an audience too stupid to comprehend the majesty of what was happening before them, Old Scratch had their first taste of crowd hostility. It was a flavour they would come to know all too well. Bouyed by the result of this show and riding on the goodwill generated by Martin and Justin's time in Edible, Wassie booked another show a month later.

Their second gig almost didn't happen, due to an unfortunate drunken incident. However, God himself could not stop the gathering momentum of these intrepid musical vanguards at this stage. Old Scratch performed a set every bit as legendary as Hendrix at Woodstock, The Who at the Isle Of Wight or Ozzy at McGonagles that fateful night, 21st December 1993 in the Rock Garden, Dublin. The "Old Scratch Christmas Special", as it would come to be known, kicked down every known musical barrier and shot it’s load in the face of the closed-minded. So fantastic was the show, that highlights from it made their way onto the b-side of the legendary demo, earning praise of their own by critics. Immediately after this gig, Old Scratch were asked to support The Glam Tarts, early in the new year. Always keen to bring their music to sheltered new audiences, the band were delighted to accept, however, they didn't know that Aidan Walsh would be there too.

The ill-fated support slot to The Glam Tarts / The Joshua Trio / Tony St. James happened in the Rock Garden on 22nd January 1994. Not since the Titanic slipped under the cold waves of the Atlantic have a so many people been so upset. Playing to an audience more suited to a cattle mart than a rock show Old Scratch endured indifference, ignorance and even a small riot to emerge the moral victor of the evening. Long before the Amerikkkans used the term to describe killing arabs, "shock and awe" could be seen on every face in the sell-out crowd that night. Thinking they were just going to see some cover band nonsense, the audience were taken places they never thought they'd ever go, musically, and many never wanted to go there in the first place.

Having entirely alienated themselves from covers band audiences, the lads knew that they were now on a mission to deliver new music to the masses and they were definitely on the right path. They knew they'd need new songs too, but remained firm in their resolve never to write a song before performing it. They figured that one new title was needed for the next gig. After accidentally meeting each other on Grafton street, Mike, Big Al and Justin retired to Mike's place to listen to the newly released Cross Purposes CD by Black Sabbath. Though the CD was a great disappointment, they came up with a great, new song title - Mystical Wizard Of The Unknown Information Transformation Formation Proves His Point - yes, Wassie would have a terrible time reading that off a set list... but it didn't seem entirely right until Mike added Yet Again, and so there would be a new improvised piece for the next gig, though only the baby Jesus knew what it would sound like.

The famous "Bass Surprise" show followed in the Rock Garden on 7th of March 1994. Featuring a special guest appearance by Big Ken from Edible and fretless bass for the first time, Old Scratch developed their live show into a veritable extravaganza of audio and visual sweetness. Expanding their set, their sound and even their fan-base, one could imagine getting the same feeling in seeing this show as in seeing a Black Sabbath matinee in the Star Club. Maestro, please! Again, the band were asked to perform at another concert, this time a Punk/Alternative night featuring the likes of Splatterpillar and their dreary ilk. Old Scratch were only too happy to make their day... cloudier.

The Baggot Inn was a famous live venue for many, many years and it seemed somehow fitting Old Scratch were one of the last bands to play there on the 16th of March 1994, before that old sprout, Jack Charlton, ruined the place. Like a beautiful flower in a field of poisonous weeds, Old Scratch seemed somewhat out of place in a line up dominated by distinctly sub-average, mono-dimensional punk bands. Featuring a surprise and ill-conceived appearance by the drunkest ever version of Alan Ryan, Old Scratch alienated themselves like Romper Stomper at a black Rabbi's convention and made enemies out of friends. Such was the price of a never selling out.

Sgt. Peppers. Pet Sounds. Beggars Banquet. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: classic recordings by legendary bands at the height of their creativity. The Old Scratch Demo, recorded in STC on 21st March 1994, is a landmark in the art of recording. On a budget of £30 and even despite the presence of Ronan Dempsey and Peter Russell, the magic was committed to 16-track tape for all to enjoy, any time they wanted. Mixed by the band themselves, due to engineers more suited to mixing their own spunk into special sauce on a burger, they proved they were more than a great live band. Allowing the clarity of the studio to enable the listener to appreciate Old Scratch's mastery of mellow jazz subtlety and freaked out heavy metal, it showcased the tunes Traffic Jam, Mystical Wizard Of The Unknown Information Transformation Formation Proves His Point Yet Again, Jazz Stew Community and Manifestation Of Intelligent Extra-Terrestrial Lifeforms. Criminally ignored by critics in Ireland despite nationwide radio play, it received the acclaim and respect it deserved on foreign soil and is now a highly sought after collectors item.

Then it was back to the Rock Garden on 26th of April 1994 to celebrate the triumphant release of the demo in a gig that netted Old Scratch their largest pay-day yet. Typically, they donated it all to charity, refusing to allow the influence of money to corrupt their sound in any way at all. Those guys!

There followed a period of intense promotion resulting in a lot of radio airplay and a variety of positive reviews from all over the world. Thanks, in no small part, due to the efforts of The Young Weasel, who harassed and berated one particular radio show for sixteen straight weeks, resulting in the demo receiving even more airplay. An intense and innovative poster campaign also raised the profile of the band to new heights. Justin, Mike and Wassie also took time out to make a series of guest appearances with the fledgling Frank Mammoth outfit featuring their good friends Swag and Big Al, Justin making his live debut on drums at Frank’s crushing performance on July 18th in the Rock Garden. They also fended off interest from “major” labels Sire and Island. There would be no sell out, though.

During this period Mike, Justin and Wassie were having serious trouble locating Martin, leaving them unable to perform live. They did make a substantial recording in his absence, however. Before that frantic, drunken eveing in the Attic in November 93, the real feotus of Old Scratch was germinated when Justin and Mike recorded a series of jazz pieces under the name of Old Scratch as a birthday gift to Alan Lee, who would go on to play bass for Skindive and Turn. On this basic, mono recording (amazingly recorded in Big Al's house under Swag's supervision during the summer of 1992) they laid down the basis of Old Scratch. The recording featured embryonic versions of Jazz Stew Community and Traffic Jam and three other nuggets, lost in time - Preponderating Amplitude, Welcome To Hell (featuring Swag on vocals) and Inspiration Formation (possibly the basis of Mystical Wizard Of The Unknown Information Transformation Formation Proves His Point Yet Again - though the music on both is entirely different). These were simple jams, with just bass and guitar and formed the basis of what Old Scratch would eventually become. After this historic recording Justin went on to form Edible before returning to fully establish Old Scratch with Mike. So when Swag's birthday was drawing near, the lads enlisted the help of Peter Russell and Big Al to lay down seven tracks, in mono, recorded in Mike's bedroom. The track list was Intro Of Swag, Jazz Stew Community, Bread Of Idleness, Half-Seas-Over, Nr.4: Tescos, Manifestation Of Intelligent Extra-Terrestrial Lifeforms, (Traffic) Jam and a 22 minute long magnum opus called Frank Mammoth Theme. Should these incredible recordings ever see the light of day, the listener will be marvelled at how Old Scratch easily integrated instruments such as piano with broken keys, bongos and biscuit tins into the Old Scratch sound. To this day, only two copies exist. Swag has one and guards it with his life. Still, the lads knew that, despite their recording prowess, it was the live environment which was their real home and they needed to gig, so they needed to find their drummer.

After many frustrated attempts to locate their errant drum master, they flirted briefly with the idea of recruiting Dave Shorten, the former Edible drummer but luckily (as Ken and Justin found out while trying to reform Edible years later) Dave never got to within a mile of the Old Scratch drum stool, Martin was found and, his commitment refreshed, the band regrouped themselves for Phase II. However, Old Scratch returned to the live arena late in the year in somewhat erratic form.

The Attic was the venue for Old Scratch's first and last headlining show on 29th November 1994. A show featuring Frank Mammoth as support and influenced by mind-altering narcotics, this could have been either a new chapter in performance art or music’s darkest day. As it turns out it was neither and, yet, both. Reports are sketchy, at best, but this show proved to be the beginning of the end. Wassie walked out on the band halfway through the show. Tension and paranoia proved to be in abundance as the animosity of a frightened and hostile audience finally got the better of the band members.

Enlisting two new vocalists to replace the errant Wassie, Little Mal and Dilly helped Old Scratch to easily defeat allcomers in the qualifying round of the Trinity College Battles Of The Bands on 1st December 1994. Something of a rebirth after the disaster in the Attic, the band recovered to play a blinder of a show, among their best and, therefore, among the best ever played. Ever. The final awaited, in more ways than one.

Everything looked rosy as Wassie returned when Old Scratch supported the Down Undertones in the Buttery on the 27th Of January 1995. Again, a great time was had by all as Old Scratch played a selection of their absolute finest tracks, old and new, to their largest crowd to date, winning legions of new followers.

Little Mal returned for the final of the battle of the bands, joining Wassie, while Dilly worked security in the Buttery. Sadly it was an average, somewhat distracted performance, resulting in Old Scratch being branded Nazi skinheads by one “judge” who totally missed Old Scratch’s peace, love and unity ethos. Alan Ryan was in the audience…

It proved to be Old Scratch's final public performance. Differing creative interests forced the band apart. Martin disappeared again. The remaining three toyed with the idea of carrying on with a new drummer but NO ! It would have been like The Who carrying on without Keith Moon: Shite! Old Scratch was laid to rest. The world would never know what it had missed out on, as boy-band shite and other rubbidge started to dominate the charts. Could things have been different if it hadn’t fallen asunder? Would the people have turned their back on the bland, manufactured puppet pop which is a pox in all our ears, given the chance to feast their ears on Old Scratch? All I know is we’re all sorry now. Who's to blame? Some would say Big Al and Swag. Others maintain it was the curse of Diamond Dave. There are many who say it's all Mike's fault and won’t have it any other way. Well, let's be honest, the real losers here are you and me, the music loving punter, who have missed out on some great tunes, some great times and have to suffer through the steaming turd that is modern music, desperately hoping for something better in the future, lest living become worthless altogether. At least we know, thanks to Old Scratch, that there are bands out there who are ready to turn their backs on verse-chorus-verse-chorus and give the world something good, something honest, something worth living for...