IMSC Ep 53 - Song 4: "Voodoo Guitar" by The Law

"The Law were an early punk band from Des Moines, Iowa founded in the early 1980s. Members went on play in Scuffy the Cat and the Fastbacks...

"Tim Johnson and Charlie Chesterman were in a 50s cover band know as the Flashbacks that didn't really go anywhere. They discovered this "new" British music called punk and decided to form a punk band. After going through a few member changes and a few name changes they became White Lunch. (Tim Johnson-Guitar/vocals, Charlie Chesterman-Guitar/vocals, Aaron Johnson-guitar/vocals, Eric Coleman - Drums) Played out a bit had member problems and broke up. Then became the Law. From what little information I could find this was around 79/80.

"They put out a single and moved to Boston to hit the big time. Boston didn't work out and they moved back to Des Moines and split up shortly after that. Charlie Chesterman and Mac Stanfield went back to Boston and formed Scuffy the Cat. Tad Hutchinson headed off to college and on to play with the Fastbacks, Young Fresh Fellows and a number of other Seattle bands."
- from the entry for The Law in The Underground Archives

IMSC Ep 44 - Song 1: "King Size Cigarette" by The Law

"Well, The Law was, like, Des Moines’ big pop-punk band, and they decided that, since nothing was going on in Des Moines, they would move to Boston."
- from an interview with Scruffy the Cat's Stephen Fredette on the New, Reviews, and Interviews website

"(Charlie Chesterman) brought punk rock to the plains, way back when such a thing just wasn't done. His band the Law plowed that sound into the heartland underground and it's never been the same."
- from the liner notes of Chorus Vs. Solos: A Tribute To Charlie Chesterman

"When I was still in high school, a long, long time ago, the only radio station I listened to regularly was WPRB, operated by students at Princeton University. I first heard a lot of great bands through the station, including some that eventually became standard-bearers--R.E.M., the Violent Femmes, the Minutemen, the Feelies, Mission of Burma--but to be honest I know I've forgotten the great majority. I learned about groups like the Neats and the Dream Syndicate, who didn't quite get canonized but still mean just as much to me now as they did nearly two and a half decades ago. And I remember a handful of songs that earned a special place in the station's rotation but were by bands that nobody really knew much about, even at the time.

"One was called "King Size Cigarette," a fantastic, ultracatchy garage tune by a band from Des Moines, Iowa, called the Law, reputedly the state's first punk act. It'd been released as a single in 1980, but WPRB had transferred it to a cart--a bulky cartridge containing a tape loop, usually used for commercials or public service announcements (I know this because I eventually got to DJ on the station one evening in 1986). Another fine song from the single, "Reason for Treason," also got some airplay. The Law's front man, Charlie Chesterman, later moved to Boston, where he started Scruffy the Cat. A great holiday song by the Law called "What Did Santa Claus Bring You for Christmas?," cut in 1981, eventually turned up on the My Pal God Holiday Record, a compilation released by WPRB alum and former Chicagoan Jon Solomon."
- from a post by Peter Magasak on the Chicago Reader website

IMSC Ep 34 - Song 6: "Death after Death" by The Law

"The Law were an early punk band from Des Moines, Iowa founded in the early 1980s. Members went on play in Scuffy the Cat and the Fastbacks...

"Tim Johnson and Charlie Chesterman were in a 50s cover band know as the Flashbacks that didn't really go anywhere. They discovered this "new" British music called punk and decided to form a punk band. After going through a few member changes and a few name changes they became White Lunch. (Tim Johnson-Guitar/vocals, Charlie Chesterman-Guitar/vocals, Aaron Johnson-guitar/vocals, Eric Coleman - Drums) Played out a bit had member problems and broke up. Then became the Law. From what little information I could find this was around 79/80.

"They put out a single and moved to Boston to hit the big time. Boston didn't work out and they moved back to Des Moines and split up shortly after that. Charlie Chesterman and Mac Stanfield went back to Boston and formed Scuffy the Cat. Tad Hutchinson headed off to college and on to play with the Fastbacks, Young Fresh Fellows and a number of other Seattle bands."
- from the entry for The Law in The Underground Archives

Lineup:
Tim Johnson - Guitar/vocals
Charlie Chesterman - Guitar/vocals
Mac Stanfield - bassist
Tad Hutchinson - Drums
Kevin Hensley - Organ, sax

Underground Archives entry on The Law:
http://underground-archives.com/content/law

To download the podcast (right click and hit "Save as..."):
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode34/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2034_.mp3

Labels: 1980s, alternative rock, Charlie Chesterman, Death after Death (band), Des Moines, Des Moines area,Ep 034, Halloween, Halloween 2016, Kevin Hensley, Law (band), Mac Stanfield, punk, Tad Hutchinson, Tim Johnson