Effective period / Period of releases: 2013

Members: Mark Fenton (2), Don Lynd, John Robison (2), Jan Gregor (5)

Spokane, Washington"The Inland Empire" -1978

In the dreary musical landscape of redneck country, beer swiggin' boogie and disco bars,
just the basic concept of a band getting up on a stage and performing their own music was
totally unheard of. That lesson was learned the hard way when Sweet Madness was unceremoniously boot-kicked from their first bar gig.

The seed was planted when lead singer/guitarist Jan Gregor and drummer Mark Fenton
bonded in 1975, later joined by bassist Don Lynd. When keyboardist John Robison hooked up in 1978, an original rock band sprouted, proving that a weed can grow anywhere

Unfazed with harsh reality, Sweet Madness pioneered the time-honored concept of "Do It Yourself" to create their own scene. Any scene. Literally. DIY or die. They threw rowdy
parties, dances and staged unorthodox much-talked-about happenings: once performing
outside on Spokane's main drag in minus 7 degree weather and backing up traffic till the soundboard froze; another time hiring an "all-girl band" from Portland and then appearing in drag themselves.

The band built up their own local audience of punks, wavers, artists, misfits and weirdos,
inciting both avid love and extreme loathing. Local press at the time called the group
"bizarre, arty, and satirical", "punk/new wave", "demented Boy Scouts" and "like something out of the Twilight Zone."

Here are the uncommon sounds of geographic and cultural isolation.

Sweet Madness broke up in 1981, barely even heard of outside of the "Inland Empire" . . .
------------------------------------

Sweet Madness
Made in Spokane
1978-1981
Distributed by Light in the Attic

Jan Gregor – guitar, vocals, harmonica
John Robison – keyboards, vocals
Mark Fenton – drums, backing vocals
Don Lynd – bass, backing vocals