Thelma, 1995-1997

Thelma in Trees

In the mid-90’s I was in a band called Thelma. Of all the bands that I have been in Thelma was the one that I was proudest of, therefore the first one I’m going to post about. In hindsight it was clearly the most original, inventive and successful vs. any of the others that I was in. We played some good shows, met some great people and created a little bit of drama. There was something just special about it and I still wonder if we really wanted to push it, how far it could have gone.

Thelma was Avrum Nadigel, Alan Beacom, myself and at first Eric Cohen on drums and then Dan Cyr.

In digging through my computer’s archives I managed to dig up a lot of fun stuff about Thelma.

So, if you remember the band or just want to see what was going on in one little, moderately/locally popular band from Montreal from the mid-90’s that no one would remember, enjoy some of the info & mp3’s posted below.

thelma_4_photos

MP3’s (more to come as I encode them!):

Stuck in Snow
Pretty Pink Spots
Crack Bitch [Early Demo]
The Devil Song
Three Chords [rough mix]
Talents [Live at Isart]
Sunny Days [with some really bad audio glitches, i think I’ve had some data corruption, i’ll re-encode]. It’s also a very, very rough mix.
I don’t like it
In A Town: Scratch Mix

Shows Played:

  • October 19th, 1995: Purple Haze Showbar w/Dark Cave
  • November 23rd, 1995: Annie’s Pub w/Goldfish
  • December 14th, 1995: Purple Haze Showbar w/Willow
  • January 6th, 1996: Stornaway Art Gallery w/Mischima, Mobius Strip & Tiny Green Specks. Invincible Ink Launch
  • January 13th, 1996: Bar Voltaire w/ Slowly Going Deaf
  • January 27th, 1996: Reggie’s Pub w/ Marlowe & Rosebuddy
  • March 23rd, 1996: Cafe Bistro 4, Acoustic @ YAWP! @ Bistro 4
  • March 30th, 1996: Cafe Beenz, Acoustic show
  • April 20th, 1996: Isart Art Gallery w/AdamtoZoe, Grime, Beverly, Frog Machine, Mischima, Cheesecake Circus, Stony, Madison Drive & Joyful Road
  • April 24th, 1996: Bar Foufounes Electrique w/Bandit Queen
  • May 11th, 1996: Cafe Bistro 4 w/Martha Wainright, Khan Saad Zia, Zofin, Christine Deita & Colin MacKenzie
  • May 22nd, 1996: Cafe Choas w/Grime & Bless This Mess
  • September 26th, 1996: Mea Culpa Loft w/Mea Culpa
  • November 14th, 1996: Cabaret Show Bar w/John S. Hall, Sofa, Knurl, Lee Gotham & Rick Trembles, Steve Godin, Heather O’Neill, Jonny Goldstein, She-Man, Los Infernos, Alison Katz, Colin MacKenzie and the Hostess of the Grossest, Jake Brown
  • November 24th, 1996: Theatre Rique
  • November 27th, 1996: Dawson College Cafeteria
  • November 30th, 1996: Kali Gallery
  • December 6th, 1996: Jailhouse Show Bar
  • December 13th, 1996: Bar Foufounes Electrique
  • January 25th, 1997: Reggie’s Pub w/William

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47 responses to “Thelma, 1995-1997”

  1. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    “Thelma was the one that I was proudest of…”

    I hope this doesn’t sound too shlocky Wilansky, but all those jams, discussions in your CSL duplex, the cockroach infested apt in Satmar-land and brunches in the plateau… your influence can be seen in every creative venture I’ve been involved with. Those were golden days.

    Reply
  2. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    Wow, that’s high praise. It’s probably one of the reasons I have been fighting myself to get in playing music seriously again. While at the end of the Thelma run I was proud to get some compliments on my bass playing, it was you who gave me the highest praise.

    You once said to me that, i forget the actual wording, that while I may not bring technically perfection to the table that my sense of melody always won out.

    I still remember my bass lines to the acoustic “Mayor of Banff” performances and I am super proud.

    I will upload those first. I have Cafe Beenz recordings on Cassettes somewhere.

    Reply
  3. Your cousin Jennifer Avatar
    Your cousin Jennifer

    LOL I still have my old Destiny’s Daughter tape… I remember going to see you play with Thelma once, but the only thing I really remember about that show was a man squeezing milk from his nipples.

    Reply
  4. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    Jennifer, guess what? I’ll be posting some Destiny’s Daughter stuff next! I remember that show you went to. They were interesting times….

    Reply
  5. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    “I still remember my bass lines to the acoustic ”Mayor of Banff” performances and I am super proud…”

    I just picked up the guitar and played that tune. God, I haven’t done that in years.

    Reply
  6. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    “a man squeezing milk from his nipples.”

    I do not remember that. I’m assuming that was Jake.

    Reply
  7. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    I have the proof…
    “Locals At Large” – Jamie O’Meara
    The Hour Magazine – 11.07.96

    You said…

    “We’re getting shows like crazy,” he continues, “and they’re all on the periphery of the music scene, in the arts. We’re staying right at the edges – I’d much rather play with some guy who spits milk out of his nipples than another Seattle-sounding Montreal band. We all need a new way to approach playing music in Montreal and I’d like to think that we’ve found it.”

    Reply
  8. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Wilansky upload some rare live stuff.

    Reply
  9. eric Avatar
    eric

    wow. this is amazing!!!! I just dug up our demo and listened to it right through! What a band! Warren do you have a recording of that song we did with the violin?

    Reply
  10. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    Eric! I do somewhere. We never did a final mix of it but i think I have a few rough ones somewhere. I’ll get them up!

    Reply
  11. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Oh man, I’d love to hear that song (violin) again. Is that the one about my Zaddie? If so, I’ve been recording his brother (my Great Uncle) for the past 4 years or so (he’s 94). Most of the interviews are about Swalki, Poland and the shit they went through. How cool would it be if we remixed the tune with some of his comments?

    Reply
  12. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Anyone know where Beacom is doing?

    Reply
  13. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    If anyone has access to an 8-track 1/2 inch reel to reel and a decent board, we could definitely remix it! I have one reel (were there 2?) in my house.

    Reply
  14. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Three Chords… did I play on that? Didn’t Alan play every string instrument on that piece? F’ing great song.

    Reply
  15. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    Av, you played bass on 3 Chords. 🙂

    Reply
  16. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    re: Sunnydays

    I whine like an Ashkenaz bitch. And to make things worse, my gushing for Perry Farrell is all over that song. Ugh.

    I played bass on 3 Chords… so that means you played guitar. Ha. I remember that.

    Reply
  17. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    I barely played guitar. I strummed as loud as i could.

    Reply
  18. alan Avatar
    alan

    3 chords?!! I had completely forgotten that one…This is Great!Thanks, Meat!

    Reply
  19. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Holy Crap… It’s Alan… It’s Alan!!

    Religions all over the world are awaiting their resurrected one’s, yet Warren, with a simple blog, resurrected Alan. A miracle has been witnessed on March 8, 2008.

    Reply
  20. alan Avatar
    alan

    Thelma remains the most visceral moment in my humble life of music.It was bloody and it smelled some and taught me alot about the joy of letting go and being a spectacle.Av certainly led the charge on that front,I’m never going to be very good at being large, but you all made me feel part of something that was unapologetically itself.It was a really good time and at the center of the carnival a really great band.Stuck in Snow is a gorgeous piece of work…

    Reply
  21. alan Avatar
    alan

    I tried Friending you on the crackbook a few months back.Where you at Av?

    Reply
  22. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Damn Alan, you’re still quite a wordsmith, huh?

    I’m on facebook… look me up and we’ll trade war stories.

    Reply
  23. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    Alan. Wow, those are some really deep words, and ones I would agree with completely. Thelma holds a very strange place for me that is different for all of you as that was the last “band” I was in. I still play and I’m trying to get something together again, but I haven’t had a “real band” since then. This company of mine thankfully has kept a good lot of other creative juices flowing.

    Reply
  24. eric Avatar
    eric

    more songs, more songs!!!!

    Reply
  25. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    This weekend! I’ll pull out the cassette player and encode those babies!

    Reply
  26. Stevey.com → Bookmarks for March 6th through March 11th

    […] Warren’s Thoughts » Blog Archive » Thelma, 1995-1997“In the mid-90’s I was in a band called Thelma. Of all the bands that I have been in Thelma was the one that I was proudest of, therefore the first one I’m going to post about. In hindsight it was clearly the most original, inventive and successful vs.” […]

    Reply
  27. Luke Avatar
    Luke

    Damn! I was in a band called “Louise”! We totally should have taken the show on the road;)

    Reply
  28. eric Avatar
    eric

    wow. i just re-listened to stuck in now, and I must agree that it is a gorgeous piece of work… on everybody’s part!!! I also re-affirmed my love for Devil’s Song. We were an amazingly unique band! Re-union time!!!!

    if you want to hear some of the music I have been making lately… check out my noise band (actually it is very melodic drums n’ frequencies) called Interceiving:
    http://www.myspace.com/interceiving.
    I am also in a band called Balboa – we do exclusively the music from Rocky movies:
    http://www.balboaband.com

    Reply
  29. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    “we do exclusively the music from Rocky movies:”

    Now that’s odd.

    Reply
  30. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    “We were an amazingly unique band!”

    And you abandoned us… f***er 🙂

    Reply
  31. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Here’s a few of my most recent clips (a hodge podge of doc/indie scores and pop tunes):
    http://www.striemel.com/myspace/player.html

    Reply
  32. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Warren, you promised… WE WANT MORE MUSIC!!

    Reply
  33. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    Av… ask and you will receive. Here’s the first of much more to come. I think this will be a real treat…

    Last song. Cafe Beenz. Singing, Playing and Banter. March 31st, 1996.

    See above!!!

    Reply
  34. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Holy crap… I completely forgot about that one. Very Weezer-esque.

    Reply
  35. Alan Avatar
    Alan

    I totally forgot about “I Don’t Like It”…funny stuff(and dead on
    about the Weezer-ness,Av.)
    What was the name of that tune that we had the violist who played violin join us on?What was here name?Christie,was it?She’s was nice people.But what was the SONG called?It’s been driving me nuts since this page was set up?Help!!
    Also does anyone have Thelma photos? Just curious.And finally,Av,do you still have the hat with the flower on the front that gave something of a “Blossom” feel?You guys remember that show,”Blossom”?When Av wore the flower hat and the lipstick?Man,that was “Blossom” on acid.
    Ciao from Macau

    Reply
  36. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    Alan….

    I just posted up the song In A Town. Sorry for the rough mix but I think it was an earlier one and I can’t find a version that was more polished.

    BTW, I do have some Thelma photos (where do you think I got the one above from!). I’ll dig some up. Does anyone else have any?

    Reply
  37. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    Also does anyone have Thelma photos?
    I wish. My wife doesn’t believe my eyeliner and lipstick stories.

    Av,do you still have the hat with the flower on the front that gave something of a “Blossom” feel?”

    Un, in one word…no.

    I just posted up the song In A Town.

    A little hard to listen to as it jogs up memories of how badly I wanted to be Perry Farrell a la:
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=XOlwXZFpMBQ

    I can’t find a version that was more polished.

    We did a few live versions, no?

    Thanks for the uploads Warren.

    Reply
  38. alex :-) Avatar
    alex 🙂

    heh heh. awesome. just found this. brings back memories. i listened back to ‘stuck in snow’ awhile ago and was totally digging it. that mbv sound.
    😉

    Reply
  39. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    Alex!

    So cool of you to drop by and find this. I hope things are good with you and if I remember correctly I heard you had recently released something? I’m I right?

    WW

    Reply
  40. Avrum Nadigel Avatar
    Avrum Nadigel

    I bumped into Alex at an Art show last years. She hasn’t aged a bit.

    Reply
  41. Jon Stein Avatar
    Jon Stein

    Hey Warren,

    Remember me? Merlin, Stony, Adamtozoe, It’s Alive!… I mixed some of the songs on “the sun shines from our behinds”.
    This is so funny. I was working on a song the other day and I realized it had the same chord progression as “Stuck In Snow”. I dug up your demo cassette to listen to it. I always loved that song. Then I googled Thelma just for fun, and there you were! It also got me wondering about what Avrum was up to. I haven’t seen or spoken to him in years.
    I like your musical history site. I actually made one for myself a few years back. Here is the link if you want to check it out:
    http://jonsmusicalpast.blogspot.com/
    I just added some stuff that coming to your site made me remember. Avrum and I had a project called Gingee for a very short while in ’98 with a singer named Tiff. We played one show at Isart and recorded one song.
    Anyways, hey to Eric and Alan as well (if you happen to read this). Hope you guys are all well.

    Reply
  42. Warren Avatar
    Warren

    Jon!

    So great to hear from you and I’m excited to go through your website.

    I have lots of good memories from the Thelma days and I think the It’s Alive recording one the only live recording that really captured what we were all about. I still have Talents but I was wondering if you had any of the other recordings of us from that show? I would love to hear them.

    Reply
  43. Jon Stein Avatar
    Jon Stein

    I think that the It’s Alive stuff is on a DAT somewhere. I’ll see If I can dig it up.

    Reply
  44. Jon Stein Avatar
    Jon Stein

    I don’t seem to have it. I guess Rob Denton must have kept it.

    Reply
  45. Film review : “My Reincarnation” | Full Contact Enlightenment

    […] few weeks ago, Plank’s owner Warren Wilansky (burger lover, musician and all around awesome guy) attended Hot Docs, a Canadian International documentary film festival […]

    Reply
  46. Destiny’s Daughter | Warren

    […] to be found online about the only local, moderately successful band I was every a member of, Thelma. I vowed at the time to put together archives of the other bands I was in and upload some old […]

    Reply
  47. Lina Avatar
    Lina

    So glad I found this! I found an old cassette tape with the song Stuck in Snow and I really wanted to hear it again. It was always one of my favorite songs.

    Reply

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