DESTROY ALL MONSTERS
Art Garage Punk
[spring 1977 - fall 1978]
Influences: Velvet Underground, Stooges, Marc Bolan, Free-Form Jazz
"While not as well known as the Stooges or the MC5, Destroy All Monsters were another Ann Arbor band whose influence
far outstretched its life as an active band. Combining art punk, free jazz, garage rock and lead singer Niagara's histrionics,
Destroy All Monsters were the hidden link between the Velvet Underground and no-wave bands like Sonic Youth."
Josh Steichmann ANN ARBOR CURRENT Sept. 2004
BRIEF HISTORY
Destroy All Monsters as the Miller Twins experienced it was an unlikely merging of two local bands in spring 1977.
Laurence's psych-noise band EMPOOL, and the remains of Cary & Niagara's DESTROY ALL MONSTER'S.
What started as an inventive noise-music song collage collaboration quickly became motor city's new punk rock.
Pure party hardy mentality didn't help matters any. What really brought the band into the limelight was
after guitarist Ron Asheton (X-Stooges) and bassist Michael Davis (X-MC-5) joined. At that
point the band found it's 'monster sound' and success began to unfold. Laurence & Ben can be
found on the band's first two 45rpm singles, but left shortly there after due to creative
differences. Two or their songs recorded with the band - Taken For Granite
and Broken Mirrors - remain buried in the can to this day.
NOTE: Two "reunion shows" at Ann Arbor's 2nd Chance took place in 1983 and that was it.
'Photo shoot' for CREAM MAGAZINE June 1978
Niagara Ron Asheton Rob King Michael Davis Ben Miller Laurence Miller
Re-released here on Cherry Red Records in 1979
Interview w/Cary Loren
December 2014
Cary Loren's kind response to this Interview regarding a chunk of D.A.M. history, clarifying
items overlooked in the interview which the interviewer chose not to include
Laurence Miller had a band called Empool, playing free-psychedelic music -- very experimental ‘out there’ space jazz,
and worked with a revolving group of musicians. This was the only band we knew of doing anything similar to D.A.M.
in 1976. Niagara & I essentially merged our songs into that scene in 1977 which was a short-lived middle phase of
D.A.M. Our only gig was at the Underground bar in Ypsilanti, a kind of set up for getting Asheton out to see the
band. Everything written by the Miller brothers for D.A.M. still holds up well. 'Broken Mirrors, Taken for
Granite, Tab Machine, Destroy A.M., and You’re My Every Page'. Studio versions exist of two have never
been released —a great mystery to me. They’ve been held by David Keeps, the bands manager who
financed the recording sessions and he seems unlikely to release them. The Millers deserve to
have their material returned and heard by the public. It's unfortunate their contributions
are not given equal weight in the new 'Hot Box' set— and I feel they were also unjustly
mixed down on many of the tracks they play on. This is a large creative chunk
of D.A.M.'s history that still remains unrecognized.
Ron Asheton: The Stooges, Destroy All Monsters & Beyond
John Wombat Blog "From EMPOOL to D.A.M. to EMPOOL" / Ben & Laurence Miller
Part One: 17th March 2019 Part Two: 19th March 2019 Part Three: 20th March 2019
'BROKEN MIRRORS'
Destroy All Monsters CD
FarFetched Records © 2003
$15.00
Postage & handling FREE within the U.S.A.
BROKEN MIRRORS CD Collection consists of rehearsals and "live" material from 1977 thru 1978, focusing mainly on the music of the Miller Brother's original songs, which have never been released. Rehearsal versions of the
two studio recordings of their songs with D.A.M. [TAKEN FOR GRANITE and DESTROY A.M.] which haven't
been released to this day are on this collection. This particular CD Collection was in fact boot-legged
immediately, found to be selling on Amazon. Paperwork was filed to get 'them' off.
is a revelation. Again, I like all incarnations of DAM, but in particular, the 70s line-ups, and this CD certainly represents the "missing link"
to what had gone before and what was to come. Contrary to what I have would expected, and no disrespect meant, but Ron Asheton
(and to a certain extent, Michael Davis) sounds a bit out of place on most of the tracks, and that includes The Stooges track. It's as if
he was playing something different to what the rest of the band was trying to achieve. The only place where he sounded good were
the October 1978 rehearsals. It's too bad about the "lost" studio tracks... they are such good tracks in their rehearsal incarnations that it
would be revelatory to hear them "properly" recorded. I agree with your stating this particular incarnation "has gone almost entirely
unnoticed'. What a shame. No disrespect meant, but I think such might not have been the case with a different vocalist and
Asheton as a band-member, versus band-leader. Thank you again for this... it gets a treasured place on my CD rack.
RON ASHETON
July 1948 ~ January 2009
He will always be missed
MICHAEL DAVIS
June 1943 ~ February 2012
He will always be missed
D.A.M. Performing @ KRAMER THEATRE in Detroit, fall 1977
Laurence on guitar, Ben on alto sax
D.A.M. opening up for DEVO in Cleveland, Ohio 1978
Ben and Laurence Miller seen here playing the freakout noise
ending to Laurence's song, TURN YOUR EVERY PAGE
Niagara
Michael Davis
Laurence Miller
Ron Asheton ... Niagara ... Benjamin
BELOW ~ Benjamin Miller speaks about his experience in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS
and his current music projects, for DSI Records. Interviewed by Shaun
and videotaped by Clay Harris at the 2008 benefit for 'The Sonic
Circuits Festival' at Pyramid Atlantic, MD.