The Urinals

The Urinals were a three-piece formed in 1978 in Los Angeles. They had a severely pared-down, frenetic sound, sometimes opting for no more than two chords in a song (e.g. "Hologram" and "Ack Ack Ack Ack"). They played shows with proto-hardcore luminaries such as Black Flag and Middle Class, and became a singular inspiration for the very influential Minutemen.

They released three 7-inch records on their own Happy Squid label over the next two years, which remained rarely heard but often bootlegged gems until the re-release of this material on 1996's "Negative Capability" CD retrospective on Happy Squid/Amphetamine? Reptile. In 1981, they changed their name to 100 Flowers, but continued to play music in the minimalist vein of their early songs. In the late 1990s, The Urinals regrouped to play shows and record new material.

The Urinals were: John Talley-Jones - vocals, bass; Kevin Barrett - drums, vocals; Kjehl Johansen - guitar, vocals