Geoff Pevere – Gods Of The Hammer: The Story Of Teenage Head

I received this book as a birthday gift from my lovely wife (does she know me?) and, when I found another copy in Toronto, I promptly sent it to Deke, so go read Deke’s much better take RIGHT HERE ON SUPERDEKES. That’s right folks, it’s a Teenage Head post 2-fer in the blogosphere!

This book is an excellent overview of this storied band’s career. Throughout its short (131 pages) text, it makes a few things very clear through repetition:

Teenage Head was the biggest band in Toronto’s nascent punk scene, though they always identified (correctly and proudly) as being from Hamilton. They mattered to a lot of people who would go on to start their own bands not long after. They played original songs when everyone else was playing covers. They SHOULD HAVE BEEN HUGE, but they got screwed over by hustler management and poor timing, plus their records didn’t achieve the sound of their live explosiveness… so it never really happened. Shame, that. Such a cool band. RIP Frankie Venom.

You need this book. Get you some!