Units/Fear of Strangers Reunion Show Highlights Albany’s Lark Street Heroes

They’re ba-a-a-a-ack…

It’s the Units (or Fear of Strangers, or both) Friday, June 2, at Lark Hall.

The Units – which became Fear of Strangers when they found a San Francisco band was already using that name – and Blotto ruled area stages in the late 1970s/early 1980s. At the dawn of MTV, as underground New Age punk blurred into more sophisticated power pop, the Units/FoS never lost their edge, packing QE2, the Chateau Lounge, and J.B. Scott’s and outdoor festivals across the region.

The original lineup of singer “Lonesome Val” Haynes, bassist Steve Cohen, guitarist Doug White, and drummer Al Kash changed over time as Todd Nelson replaced White and Mark Foster (also a percussionist with the Albany Symphony and a respected jazz player) came in as Kash returned to his native Australia. 

In addition to headlining club shows hereabouts, at their early 80s peak, they opened area shows for R.E.M., the Police, Squeeze, XTC, the Specials, B-52s, and other national touring acts. Their 11-song 1982 self-named album – vinyl, of course! – on Miles Copeland’s Faulty Products label, early mixed singles, including “Volts” and “Shopping for a Dog,” with newer songs.

However, the band soon splintered with members moving in their mostly separate ways. Haynes and Cohen went to New York, where Haynes recorded a poignant country/folk-flavored album (Lonesome Val) produced by her friend Suzzy Roche of the Roches. She has since created chiefly as a writer.

While working mainly in managing other artists, North Carolina-based Cohen has also continued playing, often with his management clients.

Nelson has stayed VERY busy with Squareone, The Newports, Donnybrook Fair, Tornado Bait, the Hottentots, Smith & Bakken, and more, most recently with instrumental combos TN3 and NEQ.

Kash, like Nelson, has played everywhere with everybody, including the Last Conspirators, Billy C. Farlow, the Lustre Kings, and Rick Bedrosian. 

The Units/Fear of Strangers reunited for one-off shows in 2012 and 2016, as I reported in the Daily Gazette – https://dailygazette.com/2016/09/22/fear-strangers-reunites-local-show/

I wrote then: “Even when not playing together, FoS remains close, “more like some kind of mutant family than a group of friends,” said Cohen. “We got together a year ago just to have dinner; I think that whet our appetites a little to do this show.”

As before 2012’s JB Scott’s reunion, FoS is practicing separately, with a full rehearsal planned before Friday. In addition to Units/FoS songs, they’ll play Lonesome Val tunes and newer songs by Cohen and Nelson. “We don’t look as cool as we used to,” Cohen acknowledged, “but we’re all better musicians.” He said, “I can’t believe some of the weird bass parts I wrote when I was in my early 20s. Now I have to re-learn them!” On the up-side, “That communication among the four of us (playing in the same room), it’s like we were never apart.”

Cohen said, “We miss our (now deceased) old friend and Unit Doug White. He was a genius musician who taught us all a lot about music.” Fear of Strangers adds keyboardist Mike Kelley (who joined Blotto in 1995 as Hammerhead Blotto) to fill out their sound on Friday.

Will Fear of Strangers continue? Will they record?

“Who the heck knows?” said Cohen.

More comprehensively, the late, great Greg Haymes, all-purpose culture hero and cofounder of this publication with wife Sara Ayers, compiled a deep oral history of the band here: https://nippertown.com/2016/09/21/fear-of-strangers-1978-1983-and-beyond-an-oral-history/

The Units/Fear of Strangers Reunion show on June 2 at Lark Hall (351 Hudson Ave., Albany) features Haynes, vocals; Cohen, bass; Nelson, guitar; and Kash, drums. The Lost Radio Rounders – guitarist/singer Tom Lindsay, banjoist/singer Paul “Bowtie” Jossman, and multi-instrumentalist/singer Michael Eck – open. 

In addition to recalling their own glorious musical history on every stage hereabouts, they are dedicating the show to the recently deceased DJ Lin Brehmer, who played their music, and everyone else’s, on WQBK-FM at the height of the Lark Street/J.B. Scott’s scene. 

Brehmer became such a big deal on 93XRT in Chicago that his beloved Cubs displayed his face on their stadium scoreboard on opening day.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show (doors 7 p.m.) are $20 advance general admission ($25 day of show)/$30 advance mezzanine ($35 day of show), 518-599-5804 – www.larkhallalbany.com, guthriebellproductions.com or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fear-of-strangersthe-units-reunion-show-wsg-lost-radio-rounders-tickets-602510764917.