Complete Control

Joe Sib

The founder SideOneDummy Records and host of 101X’s Complete Control, Joe Sib hits the Cap City Comedy Club tonight (Wed., Jan. 19), with locals JT Habersaat and Jake Flores. OTR asked the former Wax frontman to share his top five memories of Austin or favorite albums. Here’s what came back.

"Austin 'has' and 'had' so many great bands. Where do I start? Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmy Vaughn. For old school punk rock you gotta go with MDC or the Dicks. RIP Biscuit! I love The Riverboat Gamblers, and I wish Mike would grow his hair long again. The Krum Bums play punk the way it was suppose to be played: “FAST.” Lower Class Brats make we want to drink a 40 and start a riot. So many great musicians, so many great clubs, friends and memories.

"The best memory I have of Austin is my first is the first time in the city. It was 1986, and I was on my first tour opening for Verbal Abuse at the Ritz on Sixth Street. Talk about a tough night. Verbal Abuse was a band originally out of Texas, (Houston, I believe), and they had moved to San Francisco and taken up residency there. The original sound of the band was like straight ahead punk rock with a skin head following. Well, fast forward to this particular night in Austin when Verbal Abuse showed up for the first time since leaving Texas and moving west.

"I had just turned 21 and was on my first tour ever with my band from Northern California called Front Line. We were five kids from the suburbs of San Jose with bleached hair that only wore shorts, shirts with the sleeves cut off and skateboarded anything and everything we could find. We loved bands like 7 Seconds, Aggression, Sham 69, the Clash, Circle Jerks and the Adolescents. We were so blown away by the city of Austin and Sixth Street. I remember I bought a beer from a street vendor on the street, and I drank it right there on the street. I think that was the exact moment I knew Austin, Texas was the place to be.  

"We played our set that night to mixed reactions. A combination of people yelling insults and the words “Play faster!” or 'We want Verbal Abuse!!!' All that mattered to me was some kid did a stage dive during our set, and we thought, 'Mission accomplished!'  Next up, Verbal Abuse. All five members of V.A. had long ass hair and a ton of face acne to match, plus new a new member on vocals, Scotty Wilkins. Imagine Metallica's Kill ‘Em All” era with way more alcohol involved! I just remember the look on every punker and skinhead's face when V.A., their hometown skinhead band, took the stage that night at the Ritz. It was a look of confusion and the question of, 'Where did all the bald guys go?' That lasted for about 2 songs and then the place just went into a complete frenzy as Scotty snarled, 'Here is some new shit for all you fuckers, It’s called, V.A. Rocks your Liver!' That was all she wrote. Verbal Abuse was back long hair and all!"

For old time’s sake, here’s Spike Jonze classic video for Wax’s “California.”