Würm (band)

Würm was a sludge metal band started in 1973 by bass player Chuck Dukowski, who would later join Black Flag. They released one LP on Greg Ginn's SST Records and some tracks on compilations. They were active from 1973 to 1977 and from 1982 to 1983.[1][2]

Würm
OriginHermosa Beach
GenresSludge Metal
Years active1973-1977, 1982-1983
LabelsSST Records
Past membersChuck Dukowski
Ed Danky
Lou Hinzo
Simon Smallwood

History

Würm began in Hermosa Beach in 1973 when Gary McDaniel, who would later be known as Chuck Dukowski, and guitar player Ed Danky decided to start a band. They shared the vocal duties [3] and came up with the name Würm in 1974.[2] They played parties and went on tour.[2][4][5]

At the Würmhole, their practice place, they became friends with Keith Morris and Greg Ginn of the band Panic, who became regulars at the Würmhole parties before beginning to live there and practice there too.[5] Lou Hinzo (Loud Lou) joined the band after answering an ad lookng for an animalistic drummer. Würm also made money by buying and selling musical equipment.[6]

Würm recorded an album in 1977 but the tapes were scrapped after the studio wasn't paid. That event, health problems among band members, and their growing dislike for each other caused Würm to split. One year later, Panic changed its name to Black Flag to avoid confusion with another band of the same name and Gary, who had joined Panic, rechristened himself Chuck the Duke or Chuck Dukowski.[4][6]

During a Black Flag hiatus, in 1982, Chuck brought back Würm to release a 3-song 7", We're Off/I'm Dead/Time has come Today on SST Records. They again reunited in 1983, adding vocalist Simon Smallwood of the band Dead Hippie. This line up recorded the Feast LP, but split for good during the recording. The LP wasn't released until 1985 on SST Records.[7]

After Würm, Ed Danky played in the bands Reign of Terror, Powertrip and The Mentors before dying of a cocaine overdose in 1991 and Loud Lou also played in bands with Ed Danky (The Mentors and Reign of Terror). Loud Lou performed with his band Lou's Crew, Tobacco Road and Kyndryd, formally No Boundaries, and drumming for the Oklahoma Ollie Blues Stand Band and The Deacon Jones Blues Band. Simon Smallwood played vocals acts for TuTu Band before dying from presumably alcohol poisoning in 2006.[2][4][8][9] Danky and Dukowski also wrote the song "Modern Man" which appeared on Black Flag's 1985 Loose Nut LP.

In 2018, ORG Music released a compilation double album entitled Exhumed which consists of Feast along with unreleased tracks and demos.[1] In January 2020, the band reunited to play a show to benefit music education at Castelar Elementary school.[10] After reuniting, the band recorded new material for a 7" album, Poison b/w Zero Sum, which will be released in September 2020 for Record Store Day.[11]

Members
  • Chuck Dukowski - Bass, Vocals
  • Ed Danky - Guitar, Vocals
  • Loud Lou Hinzo - Drums
  • Simon Smallwood - Vocals

Discography

[4]

Albums
Singles
  • "We're Off" b/w "I'm Dead/Time Has Come Today" 7" (SST Records, 1982)
Compilations
  • The Blasting Concept LP (SST Records, 1983) - features the track "I'm Dead"
  • The Sound of Hollywood 3-Copulation LP (Mystic Records, 1984) - features the track "I'm Taking Over"
  • Program: Annihilator LP (SST Records, 1986) - features the tracks "Feast" and "Bad Habit"
  • The 7 Inch Wonders of the World LP (SST Records, 1986) - features the tracks "We're Off", "I'm Dead" and "Time Has Come Today"
  • The Blasting Concept Volume II LP (SST Records, 1986) - features the track "Death Ride"
  • Punk Anderson's Favourites 2XCD (Starving Missile, 1995) - features the track "We're Off"
  • Exhumed 2XLP (ORG Music, 2018[1])

References
  1. Sacher, Andrew (October 9, 2018). "Wurm (Chuck Dukowski's pre-Black Flag metal band) releasing new compilation". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  2. "Chuck Dukowski interview on Furious.com".
  3. "Mark Prindle interview with Chuck Dukowski".
  4. "Würm bio on discogs.com". Discogs.
  5. Carducci, Joe (2007). Enter Naomi: SST, L.A. and all that.... Redoubt Press. pp. 79, 80. ISBN 978-0-9627612-3-2.
  6. Chick, Steve (2009). Spray Paint the Walls: The Story of Black Flag. Omnibus Press. pp. 37, 38, 40, 41. ISBN 978-1-84772-620-9.
  7. Davidson, Eric (December 17, 2018). "Exhumed: Before Black Flag, There Was Wurm". Please Kill Me. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  8. "Reign of Terror articles on wordpress".
  9. "Ed Danky interview in F-Fanzeen 1983".
  10. Gentile, John. "Chuck Dukowski's Wurm to reunite for benefit show". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  11. "Record Store Day 2020: The List". ORG Music. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
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