Würm (band)

Würm

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

History

Würm began in Hermosa Beach in 1973 when Gary McDaniel, who would later be known as Chuck Dukowski, and guitar player Ed Danky, who were high school friends decided to start a band. They shared the vocal duties and came up with the name Würm in 1974 . Drummer Lou Hinzo joined the band in 1976. The group's sound mixed elements of hard rock and what would later be known as punk. Würm played parties at their practice place and elsewhere. Their practice place was also the place where they lived, an abandoned beach bathouse they nicknamed "The Würmhole" on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. They also went on tour.

At the Würmhole, they became friends with Keith Morris and Greg Ginn of the band Panic, who became regulars at the Würmhole parties. They rented space there and started to practice and party there too. The band made money by buying and selling musical equipment.

Würm recorded an album in 1977 but the tapes were scrapped after the studio bills weren't paid by the record label. That event, health problems to band members, the hard time they had at keeping their drummers and their growing dislike for each other caused Würm to split and Gary soon joined Panic in mid-1977. Panic changed their name to Black Flag and Gary began calling himself Chuck Dukowski.

In 1982, while Black Flag was inactive after being sued for breach of contract by Unicorn Records over the Damaged album, Chuck reunited with Danky and Hinzo as Würm to released a 3-song 7", We're Off/I'm Dead/Time has come Today on SST Records. The group split up again shortly after but got back together again in 1983, adding vocalist Simon Smallwood of the band Dead Hippie. This line up recorded an LP, Feast, but split for good during the recording. The LP wasn't released until 1985 on SST Records.

After Würm, Ed Danky played in the bands Reign of Terror, Powertrip and The Mentors before dying of a cocaine overdose in 1991 and Lou Hinzo also played in the bands Slam and No Boundaries. Simon Smallwood died from undisclosed causes in the 2000s Danky and Dukowski also wrote the song Modern Man which appeared on Black Flag's 1986 Loose Nut LP.

Members

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

Discography

• Albums
  • Feast LP (SST Records, 1985)

• 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