Tuesday, May 8, 2012
12 O'Clock Track / Music / Post No Bills 12 O'Clock Track: Ruin, "Dionysian"
Posted by Peter Margasak on 05.08.12 at 12:00 PM
Their front man, Vosco (born Tom Adams), was both a powerful presence and a strong singer, a guy who could scream along to warp-speed riffs without losing the thread as well as bring melodic grace and gravity to Ruin's flirtations with ballads. In addition to Cohen, Ruin also covered the Rolling Stones' "Play With Fire," and today's 12 O'Clock Track seems to nick a bit of "Paint It Black"—but once the song gets going, it's all Ruin, from the chugging verses to the frenzied chorus. None of the band's recordings are in print, which is pretty sad, but you can find bits and pieces on the Internet. Rich Hutchins, Ruin's original drummer—who plays here—is the only member who moved on to other groups of note. He later joined the New York band Live Skull (with Thalia Zedek), who were once considered peers of Sonic Youth and Swans. And one of Ruin's guitarists went by Cordy Swope, which is one of the coolest names of all time.
Ruin, "Dionysian"
