Photos of The Misfit Toys 1987 and 1988
at CBGBs-OMFUG NYC
Below Fort Reno 'Summer under the Moon' Concert Washington D.C.
We played Fort Reno in 1986 when we were just beginning to have name recognition throughout the D,C. area. We had fun and the audience appeared to enjoy our concert.
In 1988 I got word they were about to take bands for the series so I phoned them. The Series of concerts under the stars had gone on for many years.The local government made the arrangements and publicized the event. When needed the DC Police department handled security.
It was almost volunteer as they paid each band a small amount of money to play but like many of the bands volunteering to play there exposure was the main reason for doing it. High above the stage were microwave towers that provided terrible feedback type noises. For our second time there we were prepared with extra shielding, better quality cords and even rolls of foil paper to wrap around the instruments and cables to insolate them from the microwaves.
The extra preparations paid off. Personally I was flattered that as soon as I mentioned our band's name the booking agent gave us our own night and actually offered any day we wanted. The crow began arriving an hour early even though there were no seats or tickets involved. We could see from the sides of the stage that there was a large crowd there anxious to see and hear us. The sun was going down as we took the stage and in no time all around us was dark. The responded quite well to a set list that was primarily songs they had never heard. After the show we had a number of people come to the stage to ask to buy anything we had with our music on it. We did have a mailing list or fan club through which they could receive our concert schedule or purchase a cassette with around 7 songs, tee shirts, badges and more. As far as the Misfit Toys went I suddenly believed we had name recognition and were viewed favorably by the people in the tri-state region. When 1988 rolled around we took advantage of our apparent name recognition and began courting record labels. The way the business worked in 1988 a band made a good or maybe professional recording of a few songs and then waited for a record company's A&R agent to notify your band they were interested in hearing more. They may interview you, show up unexpectedly at a show or go as far as booking your band to a showcase along with a dozen other bands they found interesting. Since our very first gig we had a very professional press kit that I used to send along with a promotional cassette to clubs where we wanted to get booked. I frequently was complimented on our kit and it's wealth of information without the usual exaggerated nonsense, In 1987 a few record labels were showing interest in The Misfit Toys along with a few music periodicals I believed we were ready.
I escalated my promotion of the band and expanded it to a greater portion of the country .I frequently received invitations from clubs and collages that came from far away from our home base in Maryland .I was working full time six days a week as an auto mechanic and over extending myself like that stretched me thin. Dennis and Mike were still in school and had plans for collage at University of Maryland. Elizabeth had her hands full running our house and tending to our infant son. It was my income as a mechanic that financed every move the band made. I even paid my band mates and took nothing for myself a few times just to keep them happy. The band kept me so busy I had little time for anything else, but the world waited on me to get everything organized and running before moving on. A good friend of mine was a disc jockey and music director at a popular local FM radio station. I'd helped him over come a few automotive problems and he gave me sound advice on releasing music. He certainly paid attention to the music he played.and so was able to give us wisdom from a wise old sage. We had written some excellent songs that he believed could propel our music to a national level. I was once told to listen with my mouth closed if I wanted to learn. When my friend Bob spoke I went as far as to take notes on what he was saying. His advice on song writing is invaluable as were his words on the mix of the master recording. His ear seemed to catch every little thing we did and then we removed or repaired what he heard. If Dennis were to steal a guitar riff for a song, chances are Bob would have heard it and set out to correct the problem part. Bob gave us some stern observations on how radio stations sift threw stacks of albums and determine what to play. Something as simple as an unattractive record jacket might prevent the station's music director or manager from even opening the record and giving it a test spin. Yes, cover art matters. The first and last song on each album side is where the material goes that will determine whether the record fits in on their station. Bob worked at an " open format" radio station where the DJ's could play anything during their shift. They might begin with Punk, heavy metal or 1960's folk music and end their shift playing The Greatful Dead, New Wave, or 1970's pop music. It was all a matter of whatever they wanted to hear that night. They were one of the last radio stations who took requests and actually played the song. During day and weekends things were pretty much the same. A friend of the station owner's son sent him a cassette from New York to check out. He liked what he heard and even played it on air. He told his friend that he believed in this young vocalist and that in no time she would be signed and release an album. The woman was Susanne Vega and his prediction held true. In a matter of months her song 'Luka' was a top hit and requests for her to sing came from all across the country. She was booked in a few radio stations across the country and as her song rose in the charts her her label wanted more and more from her. The station was one of three that broadcast a live concert along side a contest to win a date with the band's singer. The band was "Blue Angel" and the singer would be a world wide sensation in a few years under her own name Cyndi Lauper. In the long run Bob mixed one song of ours on his own. In the last months of 1988 The Misfit Toys released a 12 inch single. They had released a cassette to people on the band's mailing list in 1987 and then self released a CD titles "Too Short". Years later fans were treated to a CD of a studio rehearsal titled "Noises from The Basement". 2020 will see the first release of an album world wide on vinyl and a more than a dozen songs to streaming services. One music video is completed and another in the works. Their release will coinside with the release of the record.
1990 to Current
Unfortunately there are no band photos from 1990 until 1995 when this promo photo was taken of Elizabeth in Florida to coinside with a new lineup.
Elizabeth 1996 Victoria Vizhanska Dennis Center, Mike in Distance
The vocalist for the current line up
of The Misfit Toys Victory
More photos of Victoria at https://www.facebook.com/groups/victoryvizhanskafangroup