Once a thriving dairy community, Cerritos was a constantly changing environment. It was a place where you could drunkenly ride a cow through an abandoned dairy at midnight, only to find the field covered with yet another 7-11 the following week. The heavy smell of hot asphalt, ever devouring the landscape, clashed with the bitter perfume of cowshit; the asphalt always won. Here was a perfect place for punk rock to take hold, the endless tracts supplying a new house to be destroyed every weekend, the frantic rhythms providing a natural soundtrack for boredom and outrageous alcohol abuse. Friends since the third grade, Mike Magrann and Kimm Gardener soon found the inevitable guitars in their hands, though with no real idea of what to do with them. However, with their shared appreciation of a wide range of music (along with their endless quest for free beer), it wasn't long before an early version of CH3 was blasting out Blitzkrieg Bop at a kegger. They were soon playing Clash and 999 covers on the Cerritos party circuit, covering more suburban backyards than a team of Salvadoran landscapers.
After learning how to write a song (and perfecting the sublime art of kicking out drummers), Kimm and Mike finally settled on the original recording lineup of CH3, with Larry Kelley on Bass and Mike Burton on Drums. The first Demo recording found its circuitous way to Robbie Fields, founder of the legendary Posh Boy Label, and a deal was hastily made. This was before the band had played a single club. The CH3 EP was released early Summer, 1981. The record received good critical notices, but the band's limited exposure kept it a modest success. This began a campaign to play every show possible, in any location that would have the band. Interest began growing, the band got better, and by the time Fear of Life was released Summer 1982, the band was ready for its first extensive U.S. tour.
At the time, touring the punk club circuit was a shaky proposition at best. There were lots of cancellations, lots of fights, and wherever exists a squatter's living room with an American Flag nailed to the wall, chances are CH3 slept under it! The band's constant travel probably contributed to its healthy turnover rate, and the 1983 tour in support of After the Lights Go Out saw Posh Boy Veteran Jay Lansford joining the band. Jay, a former member of the Simpletones and Stepmothers (as well as in-house producer of many Posh hits), brought to the band a new professionalism, not to mention many new hair care products. The band was at the peak of its popularity, playing to large crowds, and enjoying chart success in Europe with the I Got A Gun UK release.
By the mid eighties, the band was spending more time in the rehearsal studio, experimenting with a five man lineup and stretching out creatively. Airborne , the first release on Enigma records, was a stylistic departure for CH3. Many fans refer to this as the definitive dawn of the "You guys Suck!" phase in the band's history. That record's emphasis on song over speed (and the outrageous use of the much feared harmonica!) alienated some fans, but allowed the band to begin playing more high profile shows, supporting acts such as X, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Midnight Oil. Empowered by a new sense of artistic freedom (or maybe it was the superior backstage deli trays), CH3 then delivered Last Time I Drank in 1985, a record that many hardcore punk fans found not only a shocking display of musicianship, but also a blatant display of disrespect of all things bald, broke, and smelling of clove cigarettes. This one even had a saxophone on it for God's sake! Never fond of the strict conformity of Punk Rock's non-conformist manifesto, the band continued to explore musically. The final release of the 1980's was the aptly named Rejected, a curious mix of studio projects that sounds like a weary Amen! after a long and desperate prayer…
The band kept a low profile through the 90's. Besides the annual Doll Hut benefit show and the rare late night television appearance, the band had all but vanished. Oddly, the band emerged in Europe for a brief tour in 1994, with the live release How Do You Open the Damn Thing serving as a reminder of the band's powerful live performance. But the band was not done; CH3 had simply retreated to the basement lab, plotting for the inevitable return with a maniacal laugh!
Today, CH3 finds itself back on the road, curiously playing to bigger crowds than ever. With the addition of Anthony Thompson on Bass, and the long suffering Fredo Silva pounding the skins (not to mention drumming) the band is back to the classic 4 man assault. The new self titled release on Dr Strange Records is 14 songs, all new, that ring with the original reckless spirit of classic CH3. We thank you for taking the time to catch up with us! And regardless of where it may lead us, we hope you stay along for the ride.
