Angry Cops
From The Secret History of the Cedar Valley
Contents |
History
Angry Cops was a CF Punk / Slopcore band in the '90s that persisted despite shitty equipment and inability to keep a bass player.
Debut of Anti at National Crapper Day Party
Angry Cops began under the name Anti-, making their live debut at the "National Crapper Day Party" show put on in 1995 (?) by Derek DeVries in his basement bedroom to commemorate the birthday of Sir Thomas Crapper, the apocryphal inventor of the toilet. That show was attended by much the same teenage tribe that would later form the Ragman/Garage scene built around the social scene surrounding Joe Riehle, his mom's house, and the band No Consensus and their various side projects. The National Crapper Day party was headlined by The Showgirls (the one consisting of Jon Grim and Derek DeVries, not the other one from around the same time that included Rob Jenson) and Symphon-E, and also featured performances by Booker And Slappy's Skateboard Band, Nitroglycerine (an early form of Switchstance), Neils's Junkyard Band, and a solo performance by Chuck Hoffman (aka "Ozob") on tapes, effects pedals, and abstract bass guitar.
At that time, Anti- consisted of Mike Hays (vocals) and Ben Echeverria (guitar), with The Showgirls themselves rounding out the lineup on bass and drums. Since Grim and DeVries had only learned half the songs, however, Anti- had planned to perform the remainder of their songs as just guitar and vocals. However, Chuck Hoffman volunteered to improvisationally fill in on drums, and later was asked to join the group, renamed Angry Cops, using a drum kit made up of various pieces rescued from a dumpster, much of it propped up on chairs, and broken cymbals purchased for $5 each from DeVries out of a pile of them he had in his closet.
Birth of Angry Cops, First Shows
After a couple rehearsals in the art studio of Ben's father (well-known local artist frje) which gave rise to the slogan "Angry Cops will rock your artwork" (one of several provocative slogans the band would peddle on their homemade bumper stickers), budding bass guitarist and punk scenester Rob Jenson found his way into the group. While his playing was primitive, he was instrumental in borrowing a PA head and some better drums for the group to use, recording a demo tape, and securing some good early gigs. This lineup debuted in a basement show in the Echeverria home, headlined by Thinner, and featuring the inaugural performance of No Consensus.
Angry Cops then performed a well-received set opening for Falling Sickness at the Cattle Congress Pavilion in Waterloo, and took part in a two-night showcase organized by Chuck Hoffman at Porky's Red Carpet that featured No Consensus, Cowlick, Spork, and Lost Cause, among others. This showcase was not well received by Porkys' management, however, who were not pleased at having a bunch of underage kids hanging around outside smoking cigarettes between sets. An altercation even ensued between a member of Porky's staff and Cowlick frontman J.D.
Bassless Cops
At some point after this, Jenson left the group and began focusing more on organizing shows, eventually becoming one of the most important show-booking people of the period, bringing in several relatively high-profile punk and ska acts and often booking Ragman groups in opening slots. The remaining three Angry Cops soldiered on, at one point auditioning Slughive's Joel Anderson (later of Inbred Jed and The Vidablue/Ten Grand) to fill the bass slot and even performing one gig at The Boat House with Chris Hamilton (at that time also a member of The Fred Savages, and later of The Drag Slicks) on bass, who resigned immediately after. Future realtor Tim Boorom was also courted for the position at one point. Not really clicking with anyone who could fill the position, the group continued performing bass-less, often setting up a bass and amp on stage without anyone manning it, and with Hays introducing sets with a story about how he had shot the bassist just before the show.
Final Days
After meeting up with some Rock Island locals at a Men's Recovery Project show at Sam's Place/The Cavern, they lined up a show there with Rock Island bands Paper Children and Babies With Rabies, which was well-received. A later gig at the University of Northern Iowa, a slot that Hoffman lined up for the group at a benefit show for student radio station KGRK (now KULT) opening for Hi-Fi And The Roadburners, was considerably less so, and Angry Cops gradually disintegrated soon after, with Hays and Hoffman focusing more on No Consensus.
Band Members
- Mike Hays – vocals
- Ben Echeverria – guitar
- Chuck Hoffman – drums
- Rob Jensen – bass (for a while, at least).
- Joe Riehle - bass (during the dissolution)
Live Shows
Played quite a few shows, even trekking as far as Rock Island, IL.
- National Crapper Day Party
- Cattle Congress Pavilion
- Porky's Red Carpet
- Sam's Place/The Cavern - Rock Island IL
