The Way Back: Patio Boys & Birds on Drugs
Photos and memories courtesy of John Murray
Hi, John Murray here. I was the lead singer for the band Patio Boys. Before that, I was a member of Birds on Drugs, a conceptual art-rock band known for improvisational music and its unique brand of surrealistic lyrics.
Patio Boys was an 80's Norfolk band that evolved from the band Birds On Drugs and played mostly at The Corner, Cogan's, and King's Head Inn. Chris Hite and I were lucky that Scott Carlisle, Kim Berdick Rubin, and Rusty Floyd were all in between bands at the time and were up to having some fun! All of them are great talents and some went on to become founding members of Waxing Poetics, Left Wing Fascists, and The M-80s. We had a blast playing in front of some great crowds between 1987 and 1989 which we couldn't have done without Donald "Mole" Gwin, "TV Dave" Dearborn, and Marc Yevlove who provided us with some seriously needed artistic guidance and babysitting! I'm sharing some pictures of us live at The Corner, our business card (Gril Management by Leslie Quinn Rawls!), and a promo photo taken by Jeff Miller. Unfortunately, only one promo photo exists of Birds on Drugs. Birds On Drugs existed from 1981 to 1987.
As for where we all are now in life, Kim and I still live in Norfolk, Scott lives in Kinston NC, Chris lives in Germany, and Rusty lives in England.
Great Chris Hite quote: "We couldn't decide whether we wanted to be Pere Ubu or The Replacements."
On behalf of Patio Boys, we appreciate the recognition! The band had serious chops, mostly due to Scott Carlisle, Chris Hite, and Rusty Floyd. Immediately after Patio Boys, they were founding members of Left Wing Fascists, Waxing Poetics, and The M-80S, respectively. Wow!
Update from John: Forgot to mention Kim Rubin in the last part of the article along with Scott, Chris and Rusty going on to form other bands Kim came up to Norfolk from Florida in the late '70s with Scott Carlisle in a band called "The Irritations". A truly gifted guitar player who went on to become a founding member of Female Trouble along with Walter W Wright, Chris Hite and Pam Shelby. She and I along with Missy Meerkats and Dina Bauer also had a band called "Estronaut" in 2005. Kim is easily the most original local guitar player I ever heard, incorporating jazz chords and unique rhythms in her playing. She's capable of playing a multitude of string instruments as well. In Patio Boys she primarily played pedal steel! Those who remember Kim and her playing know what a great player she truly is! It was a blast to share the stage with her.
Note from Deb: Kim’s son Josh and my son James were in the House Band at Norfolk School of Rock together for a few years, and Josh is an amazing guitarist, just like his mom!
Note: click the thumbnails and the little white dot at the bottom of the photos to view larger photos and full captions.
