Da-History
1985 The band was actually started by the Seage brothers. They were playing music in their parent’s basement while Matt just finished High School and Tony was only 13 years old. This band was call Anti Auto Theft. I forgot the drummers name, someone remind me, Brent?. Matt Saege was in a high school band called Toxic Attitude; they released a 7” record on the Michigan based label called Depression Records. Matt financed this record with his job at Bill Naps Commissary. He and Bill Board split the cost. 300 records were pressed after the band broke up and they (Toxic Attitude) all graduated high school. Matt was also known for dropping his pants during a (Toxic Attitude) performance. Matt was very influenced by Darby Crash of the Germs, yet he was not a drug addict in anyway. Tony was still very young and was known to spend most of his time fishing. The Seage brothers were good kids; family oriented and spent time with their grandparents and family. They have an older brother named Todd Seage. Smelly was known to be very stout in punk social circles around America. He was bored because everyone he had played music with in Michigan either went insane, joined the service, moved away or had kids and started family lives. Smelly came from a band called Eddie and the Wolfgang 1978 to 1983. He also played in a band with one of his hero’s Alan Narmore. Alan’s band was called the Latin Dogs. The Latin Dogs grew apart naturally by age and family growth. Alan stayed true to his loyal ex-band mates and renamed the band the Last Dogs, adopted Smelly as the singer and hired a new drummer. Being thus the last band they would play in together. Smelly enjoyed this band so very much, but all good things come to an end and Alan moved to Los Angeles. With this at hand Smelly was enticed to perform with the Seage brothers. Yet the “Anti Auto Theft” name just was not cutting it. Bobbin an old school local named the band “Boom and The Legion of Doom”. Telling us that Boom most likely need a legion of followers. Hence the band was born.
Matt loved Horror movies and this was very evident in his lyrics. Smelly Mustafa was a butcher/taxidermist and incorporated this into the horror rock that was unleashed. Tom Sullivan of “In the Woods” and “The Evil Dead” films was a fan of the band and vice versa. Michigan was a tight nit scene and the band spread fast. The shows were rambunctious, gross and determined to destroy everything in its path. Matt and Tony started to party hard during shows. Matt like to Drink and Tony well he liked it all. This line up played a lot around Michigan Detroit, Muskegun, Ohio Akron, Kent, Cleveland, and Chicago. They toured to the west and failed miserably, back when touring for punk bands was four shows or less.
Matt and Tony were beginning to get crazy, challenging one another to I am better, can party harder and be crazier than my brother.
Safety was introduced to the band while there was a stint without the 11 year old drummer; I think he was grounded for going on tour to Cleveland to open for Boom's band Plasma Alliance and playing in a bar at the age of 11. Safety came from a band called the “Teen Generates” He was the singer in the Teen Generates. Safety is very talented; he is well read, writes wonderful poetry and lyrics, can sing very well and understands true art. Given all of this you know he must be nuts. And yes he is. Safety actually should have been named danger, because now enters the element of danger to the band. Safety names the band BLOD. Most members call the band the Legion of Doom. Safety quickly learned to play drums and bought a NEW drum set. Safety had just been discharged from the air force and it showed. Like a freight train derailed he was out to seek revenge. Out of all the years of touring I have only met one other person stranger then Safety. The best thing Safety had going is that he was dedicated to the cause of the band. To destroy everything the band came across. He was a survivalist before the term survivalist was brought to public notice. He carried guns and knives with him most often, defecated in strange places and ate C rations by night fall. Safety was also a deer skinner and could sling meat with the best of horror fans. Safety loved to practice and was always offering lyrics to the band. Although he did not communicate well with others his creative output was that of a Genius.
This line up went on for a solid year plus and Bill Board set up a Recording with Paul Mayhern of the Zero Boys in Indianapolis Indiana. Paul had a great reputation and was getting well known in the mid-west. Recording such acts as the zero boys, toxic reasons, raw power, d.o.a. and many more of the first wave of punk and the early second wave which was hardcore that rolled through Indiana. The recording produce 20 songs or more and a Smelly solo song the cost was just about $700 dollars. Expensive for back then. 1 inch tape mixed down to ½ inch tape.
Boom was still not in the band, yet he had a legion; a following and they were getting noticed. Playing shows, touring the nation and placing ads in many of the local and national fanzines. Yet he was not in the band. Boom came from Lansing Michigan where he wrote and edited a killer fan zine called Anti-Social and played drums in a band of that same exact name Anti-Social. Those guys were nuts to, the singer Raphael once crucified himself to a life size cross at a show, the guitar player Steve was a Michigan survivalist with guns he later died in a house fire so much for survival, The bassist was the original bassist for the Crucifucks, and well our leader Boom was just plainly an insane punk rocker. Later on Boom disappeared. We had drove to his house on Cherry street in Lansing, he wrote all over the walls left the house empty and trashed, left an note for the land lord that read, hey land lord don’t let my pet bat bite your neck and then signed it Ozzy. Later we found out he moved to Kent Ohio and started a band called Plasma Alliance. We made our way down there and visited a few times. Later we would play in Kent a lot and tour Ohio and upper state New York with Plasma Alliance. Plasma Alliance released a 7” ep on depression records.
BLOD was getting known in the Midwest. Boom had several arrest and problems in Ohio. Most famously for kicking over the four tomb stones of the May Fourth protestors who were shot dead by the police in 1964. Plasma Alliance was falling apart. Boom was asked to play in the Crucifucks who had a record out on Alternative Tentacles and was a national touring act. Doc and Boom were old friends from Lansing. Doc being more insane then Boom. Boom made the move back to Lansing. Boom had a short career in the Crucifucks and I believe to this day that the legion of doom ruined his career with the Crucifucks. Physical fights, acid, booze and real fireworks went off in Docs front yard. Boom was out of the Crucifucks and moved to his throne in the Legion of Doom. Boom hung out in Battle Creek until he could not take it any longer and he kicked Safety out of the band and took over the drumming position. Yes Boom is a radical drummer! With Boom behind the throne the band was stronger the ever. Boom as well known nationally for his work with other bands and his Anti-Social fanzine. Shows were coming more often than ever and good shows. The Band became the official house band at the grey stone in Detroit ran By Scary Sefarian. We played a lot of private parties in Detroit and Ann Arbor for our close friends. Detroit scene loved Boom and The Legion of Doom. Bob of Detroit’s Slaughter House band was now our official number one fan followed closely by Hard Core Joe. The Skin Heads loved our band to. This line up recorded with Paul Mayhern again. This time producing a strong hard core record with a huge drum sound. The 45 released was Detroit / Skate Thrash Grind. The prelude to the album. Detroit was a solid song that everyone knew and skate thrash grind was Booms song from a band called Hyper as Hell out of Kent Ohio. The rest of the recording never hit vinyl because of money issues. The band shopped the demo around yet there were no label supporters besides Depression records.
Boom set up an East coast tour and it went well, broke even that is. The band had fun. They even took their number one fan Bob Slaughter House on tour with them as a roadie. They had bought a bag of pot from Buy Our Records and tried to shop the demo, with no success. Boom had driven his 1963 dodge van on this tour and of course it broke down a couple of times, they always do. Boom made some wise ass move out of a gas station and got pulled over by New Jersey state cops. Everyone was high on pot and the cops knew it. No one could talk except Smelly. The cops found, guns, knives, deer hides, animal bones, pot, hand cuffs, pipes, night sticks and various other weapons like brass knuckles. We were all going to jail. Tony Fish Only was smart or maybe not and ate all of his LSD, 5 or 6 hits. He was flying high by time this ordeal was over. Somehow Smelly talked the cops out of the arrest by saying that they were going hunting and would leave the state of New Jersey this minute if we were set free. Well maybe they just didn’t want to do the paper work. The police kept the handcuffs, night sticks and returned all the other weapons, told us to get our Satan worshiping asses out of the state of New Jersey. We finished the tour and headed back to Michigan.
After the east coast tour something happened between Matt and Boom. I still don’t know exactly what had happened something to do with drinking, hot air balloons and cops, Boom goes to jail; Boom has prior arrest and several warrants in several different states. Matt wants Boom out of the band and Safety back in. Smelly waited until Boom was free from jail to see what would happen. The band played a couple of Michigan shows and gave the money to Boom he was leaving for New Jersey to live with some love of his. His arrest was heavy and we aren’t sure what really happened in his past. Smelly was not happy about all the dysfunction and the fact Matt wanted Safety back in the band.
Boom moves east; Smelly and Boom keep in touch by postal mail and phone, the band try out several drummers yet no one could understand the horror and violence. Safety was back in the band within six months and Matt was happy. The element of surprise was back and anything could now happen.
Matt grew tired of performing, by now he ranked as one of the most self-destructive singers of all time. If he didn’t quit soon he would die. Matt was having a romance with a high school sweetheart. Matt held his job this entire time of touring and torture. Both Tony and Matt began to consume more drugs and alcohol than ever before. Matt’s stage presence was that of death, zombies, torture and wrestling. He would destroy his body, knees, arms, elbows and bash his head open every night. Several times Matt was taken to the hospital before or after the performance. For Matt the show started as soon as the van door opened up. He was by far the most intense singer I have ever met. Tony Fish Only was wasted on LSD and pot all the time, played at volume 11 and loved to fish. He was just 15 now and spent the last two years playing in a destructo punk band, touring and partying before his 16th birthday. Both of these kids were the heart and soul of the band, both had the passion of rock and roll. This is something you are born with. You cannot learn rock and roll; it is the inner feeling of expression, rebellion and destruction. The Seage brothers were born with a rock and roll soul.
The band gets tighter, new equipment is bought, Safety improves tremendously on drums, and Matt wants to add another guitar player. Johnny Draket the Seage brother’s lifelong friend. This guy is stranger then all of the rest. Reclusive bedroom idiot who plays guitar all day. Bearded hunter who drinks smokes and mumbles. J.D joins the band. Johnny’s motto “Salvation of Salamanders”, "destruction of frogs." He soon proves he lives by this motto. A few practices and the band sounds better the ever. But there is an underlining burn waiting to ignite.
Matt had wanted to destroy the band and quit; yet he never ever quits anything. Instead he decided to fire his brother on Christmas Eve. Now if that wouldn’t destroy the band, nothing would have. Tony had been sleeping with a woman of the neighborhood who Mattitude and John Mead the roadie had been tossing it with. Everyone told him she was bad news but he never listened, remember he is only 16 years old. She was committing statutory rape of a minor. This was Matt’s chance to get rid of Tony and break the band up. Once again violence erupted, the police were called, guns were drawn and Tony makes a choice of groupie over his brother and the band. Matt kicks Tony Fish Only out.
JD takes stage, like he had been waiting his entire life to join this one band. JD being a better musician then the rest added a metal sound to the sloppy punk band. This was at time that everyone was crossing over from punk to metal. JD was the wackiest of all, no words can describe how he acted. His personality is all of his own. JD made his first appearance at Slaughter House Roi’s birthday party. JD geek’s frog, in the middle of the set he screams some nonsense; pulls a very large bull frog from his pocket and bites it’s head off, the head of the frog hangs loose with its veins and strands still attached to the body, JD screams and mumbles some more. I remember the sound of this still today. JD Gets laid this night by a Detroit punk girl. JD is officially a punk rock star now. JD often bites frogs in half at home, at practice, at the lake, a true serial killer instinct. Sick and wild he is. He also collected dead animals and kept live salamanders. This was the beginning of Matt wanting to quit. It was the burning reality that he was going to kill himself drinking or bust his head open and never recover.
JJ joins the band upon Smelly's request. A local young heavy metal punk enthusiast who came from a band called Domestic Violence. JJ is a fun kid to hang out with. He played with passion and has a rock and roll soul. JD and JJ hated each other. But metal guitarists are like this. They threw fist often and JJ always won the toss.
Matt starts a heavy romance with a very educated woman named Robin. They have a good time she starts to attempt control Matt’s drinking and ask him to quit the band. Matt begins to miss practices and when he does show up he drinks more and passes out. The band continues to practice without him. He started to miss shows and Smelly would step up to the mic and sing. Eventually Matt quits the band.
Smelly starts singing all the time. The band has a good momentum and is making decent money at shows and with products. The band continues to play Muskegon, Ann Arbor, and a few others but would not play Detroit ever again without Matt. One summer show in Kent Ohio would be Booms First appearance on stage as the singer. Boom was on tour with a New Jersey based band that he played drums in. Matt missed the van and we left without him. So when we arrived in Kent; Smelly asked boom to sing this night. This was by far one of the best shows they ever played. Boom was very impressive as a front man. And his legion had been waiting a long time now.
1988 A California band comes to tour with Boom and the Legion of Doom and Smelly moves to San Francisco. The rest of the band returned to Battle Creek Michigan. Smelly did not want to go, yet his girlfriend packed his bag and basically kicked him out. So with Matt out of the band. His girlfriend wanting him to leave, the rest was history and the Michigan chapter closed with Tony and Matt out of the band. The rest of the Michigan punks stay back.
JJ comes to Oakland California after Matt’s wedding; he doesn’t last and moves back to Michigan. JD moves to Oakland California and begins a long drama of drinking, stalking, death and mayhem. Even the worst nightmares in the rock and roll punk scene of the bay area were afraid of JD.
After several try's a line is based out of Oakland and the band begins again. These line ups were fun and nasty, but lacked the intensity of the Seage brothers. Playing SF, Oakland and Berkeley.
Boom leaves New Jersey moves to San Francisco. Again something went wrong with the police and he is moving around. Boom brings the vocals alive again, he is passionate and understands where the band came from, because after all it is his legion of followers who devoted their brand of horror to him. Boom looks good, sings well and the fight to rock continues.
1989 saw the recording of the Detroit LP. Razors Edge studio Divisadero street San Francisco, engineered by Billy Anderson.
Smelly tires of the whole thing.
Plainfield is born.
Boom takes over BOOM and the Legion of Doom.
Physical fights erupted all the time if not with other bands, fans, girlfriends or strangers; then among themselves. Blood, Animal parts, abusive behavior, fights, violence, sex, drugs, horror, violence and more violence was a typical show with Boom and The Legion of Doom.
Boom continues to play and support underground music, he has become a recording engineer and he has now for a decade continue to have a Boomfest on his birthday September 27th with multiple bands from around the world.