BEATFOR59 - New Toys

After the demise of Aunt Helen, Alan & Kevin K (Rocky Starr & Kevin Rat, respectively) were in search of a new project, something more outrageous than their previous band...enter Doug Tyler. Doug (aka Mick) had played with the two K brothers back in 1977 with the short lived punk group Grim Reaper. Mick was in his own band (Space Junk) but wanted to get back with Kevin & Alan, so in the Summer of 1979, the most outrageous and influential punk band out of Buffalo, New York was formed. Bringing the bass-master of mayhem (Joel Slazyk who played a fretless bass) with him, they set out to conquer Lake Erie!!
Gig after gig followed along with the momentum, packing clubs in Buffalo, Toronto, Albany, Fredonia and Rochester. It wasn't long after they opened up for Pat Benatar at Stage One that local concert promoter Eddie Tice approached them about being their manager. During 1980/early '81 The Toys opened up for such acts as Split Enz, The Romantics, The Tourists (later known as The Eurythmics), Squeeze and Bauhaus. But by Spring of 1981 the boys were no longer interested in being big fish in a little pond, so they parted from their manager on friendly terms, and set out on the challenge of gaining a following in Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and New York City.
By late '81/early '82 the punk scene was nearly dead, and many of the era's bands along with it. With their following waning they needed to affect a change or they too would be just another forgotten band from the "punk era" -- so the band reinvented itself. The out-of-control antics and sounds of Rocky, Kevin, Meat and Mick matured and adapted to the oncoming "power-pop" era.

Having changed their name, now New Toys, and their sound, they decided to move to the Big Apple. Joel passed on the relocation (his last gig being July 30, 1982) and in stepped Peter Cain of Modern Men (former band mate of Doug's from the "early" days). By December the band relocated to the New York City Borough Of Staten Island, eventually becoming friends with artists like Dirty Looks, Johnny Thunders, Cheetah Chrome and Iggy Pop, and were playing regularly at clubs like CBGBs, Gildersleeve's, the Peppermint Lounge and Zappa's.

With the sudden death of Dirty Looks' manager, who was going to help the band by booking them as the opening act for Dirty Looks, they found themselves struggling to gain a larger audience and find steady gigs. In the fall of 1983 Doug Tyler left the band and returned to Buffalo to join up with Joel to form the band The Layers. Kevin, Alan & Pete continued on as a three piece until early 1984. In July of that year the three would rename the band the Lone Cowboys and perform new material. http://www.13th-street.com/artists/toys/main.html

Rocky Starr (Alan K): Guitar, Vocals
Kevin Starr (Kevin K) : Drums, Vocals
Mick Tyler (Doug Tyler): Guitar, Vocals
Meat Cleaver (Joel Slazyk) : Bass, B. Vocals
Patrick Barnes : Producer, Harmonica & Piano

New Toys – Say It [LP Mark Records 1982]

Thank you for writing a comment -->