Two Pivotal Delaware Bands Experience Untimely Passings

MARCUS HOOK: born 1987, died 1993

By Chris Dell’Olio
January 1994
In the late ’80s, when punk rock was still the drug of choice for Delaware’s teen party scene, Marcus Hook was a high-profile figure among local dealers. After the evolutionary process that transformed basement band favorites Your Worst Nightmare into a creature known as the Stiffs, and after the Stiffs final skin was shed, the entity that emerged was one of the more mature and creative rock bands to wade through the Delaware music scene. Between 1987 and 1990, Marcus Hook was as essential to a North Delaware party as the necessary keg of beer. Basements, backyards, biker bars, and clothing stores were all fair game for the band and its innate philosophy “drink beer, smoke marijuana, and rock.”The original line up of Kurt Beers on bass, Rob Shelinksy on drums, Rick Hodgson on guitar, and Andy Duvall on the mike, recorded the 1987 seven-song cassette, Hamelmahea’s Letter. This collection’s chorused guitars and lyrical pokes at suburban life was perhaps the cream of the rock for Delaware’s “Hey, we’re a band so let’s sell a demo tape at any record store that will stock it” era. Hamelmahae’s Letter even features a sample-generated string section on one track, a first in the expansion of New Castle County’s punk rock instrumentation.

Hamelmahae’s Letter was followed by the release of the 1988 tape The Tree, a slightly more mysterious-sounding collection, which was recorded with newly-added drummer Brian Golenberg. The songs “Jamocha Island” and “Spiritual” from The Tree were slated to be re-released the same year on seven-inch vinyl. But plans fell through, and the single was never pressed.

It was also in this same year that the band cites the occurrence of their “Low Point.” After traveling to the University of Connecticut to play a gig with The Laughing Hyenas at a renovated fur vault, things went awry. Due to unclear circumstances involving the death of a friend, the Hyenas canceled their spot at the gig. Marcus Hook ended up playing with three local Connecticut straight edge bands. Some skinheads invited our Delaware protagonists to a party that was disappointingly, but predictable, devoid of anything female. Marcus Hook eventually snuck off to their hotel room where the four members, plus one roadie, hung out all night, disgruntled with their experience in Connecticut.

But this negative experience did not in any way color the future success of the band. From 1988 through 1990, Marcus Hook pressed onward to become the first punk band to play venues like the Four & One Club, Union Station, The Buggy Tavern, and Alyson Greer’s Backyard. A high point was reached as the band regularly-packed Newark parties, headlining over then young bands Zen Guerrilla and Smashing Orange. 1988 also saw the release of Marcus Hook’s third demo tape, Health Bongs, which feature a picture of a milk carton on the cover. This was the second and final recording with Golenberg who went on to graduate from the Berkeley School of Music and is currently a professional percussionist.

After Golenberg’s departure, drummer John McInerney stepped up to fill the vacancy. With this new addition the band recorded their final tape the 1990, six-song Ford Ltd cassette. A dirtier, more straight-up rock sound had begun to show through.

The band’s following release was the 1992 seven-inch single Wipe Your Tongue backed with Tool Box. This single marked the birth of local seven-inch label Neck Records — the label that also released Marcus Hook’s 1993 release Clubfoot backed up with Crosseyed.

There is talk of Marcus Hook recording their last, and according to the band, their best material. This may one day be available to the public on a five-song cassette. But, with the band members’ other projects taking precedence (Hodgson is now recording with Smashing Orange for their MCA debut; Duvall is currently drumming with Zen Guerrilla; and McInerney drums for Caterpillar), who knows what the future will bring. All we know is that the past holds a number of Marcus Hook’s accomplishments that have made it easier for the present and future bands to make their marks on the local scene — a scene that has grown substantially since the mid-’80s. Although recognition of this band’s accomplishments may have been lacking in the past, I for one would like to say a sincere thank you to Marcus Hook, and to wish the best of luck to its former members. Rock on.

RAILHED: born 1991, died 1993

By Bob Beefheart
January 1994

Rising from the ashes of a show so disastrous the lead singer left midway through a set, members of the band Lucky — bassist Stu Ebersole and drummer Nick Rotundo — decided to form a new band that became Railhed. Joined by vocalist Darren Walters and guitarist Mark McKinney, the foursome managed to record two seven-inch singles, a CD Tarantella, and toured round the U.S. one and a half times before succumbing themselves — falling apart on tour in June of this year.

So bloody what? Bands fail all the time. Heck, recording a CD isn’t all that unusual anymore. But when a band’s CD is selling better now that the band has gone under, there may be reason for a celebration.

As a celebration of what was, Walters organized a show with his old bandmates on December 18. Promoted as a mock funeral and wake, Railhed performed for the last time in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Newark, DE.

Celebrants were asked to bring canned food as a donation to Emmaus House, and funeral attire was preferred.

“We had broken up in June so I was really out of sync with Railhed stuff, “says Walters. “When I planned this thing, I wanted it to eclipse anything we ever did. I didn’t want to regret anything.”

Starting with the wake that featured an all-vegetarian menu, the crowd passed on the traditional flannel-and-torn-jeans look for the more formal attire of somber suits and ties.

Opening for the deceased was Lean of Newark, DE and Avail from Virginia. Through Railhed is dead, its band members are still happily among the living. However, they nearly did themselves in because of a mildly rickety stage. Once the platform was shored-up, the band raged for more than an hour through material from both their CD and their singles.

“The kids got more enthusiastic than they ever had,” Walters says. Enthusiastic is a mild understatement, with members of the audience singing lead more often than Walters. And the band members felt no overwhelming urge to remain on stage, with bassist Ebersole surfing the crowd for some time.

Thought there were numerous set breaks for thanks to people and bands that have supported Railhed in the last two years, the audience pogoed and slammed throughout the set.

The music was only half of the show; there were booths set up for Jade Tree Records, WVUD, WKDU, and a slew of people peddling their ‘zines.

Through Jade Tree’s catalog sales and local record stores, Tarantella is outselling anything the band had released.

“It took us two years to get to a certain point,” says Walters, co-owner and operator of the label, “and then it happens after we broke up. Railhed really took off after we broke up. It’s kinda hard.”

Walters has kept busy with Jade Tree. Ebersole is teaching in Cincinnati and hoping to form a band called Empire Builder. Rotundo is in another local band called Walleye, and McKinney has returned to the working world.

Despite the success of the show, putting it together almost guaranteed that this would be the last Railhed show.

“It’s really hard to describe what this last show was like, because the whole experience of the show summed it up for me,” says Walters. “It was kind of like getting back with an old relationship. You see the person and think ‘Oh, they were really cool, and they still look good.’ You hook up. And afterwards, you start to remember all the things that were bad.”

Railhed will not be playing live anywhere soon. Tarantella is still available at your local record store or from Jade Tree Records, 2310 Kennwynn Rd., Wilmington, DE 19810 or (302) 475-3701.