Insanity (of Athens Ga)
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
The group formed in 1980 at a small college in Toccoa Falls, N. Georgia. They began
just as a way to let off steam during production of a local play. The
three founding members Neill Calabro,
Rick Martin Jr., and Randy Cross, would
improv on a piano. One person yelled out "Insanity." From then on, it
was referred to as "playing Insanity."
They played as a group once at their conservative college, they were then banned.
In 1983, Neill and Rick moved to Athens, GA and purchased a grand piano and other equipment. In 1984, they recorded their first 45 single "Suicide Christmas". With addition of Danny Fullerton on bass, they played their first show at the now-defunct Lunch Paper, an underground club.
Always original, Insanity performed at first with Neill playing piano with a bass drum at his feet (occasionally playing a drum set)and xylophone. Rick sang vocals, played keyboards and also a snare drum... hung from the rafters. Danny played his bass with a small Casio keyboard attached. In later shows, drum machines and programmed midi-keyboards were added.
Ted Kalivoda was eventually added as guitarist. He would swap between it and bass after Danny left.
Other guest Athenians that performed were Bill Mallonee Kemp Jones, Larry Tenner, Will McKinley, and Barry Dillard. In studio, guest musicians were Mark Maxwell, Tony Perry, Christina Stuckey, and Michael Millner.
Throughout the years, the band continued to record; 1 additional 45 single, and 2 12-inch records. They also performed another 6 times from '84 to '89 at either the famous original 40 Watt Club or the Uptown Lounge.
They filmed two 8mm videos for "Wet Camel" and "Plastic Room" respectively. Their records played throughout the U.S. at hundreds of college stations, many of which their songs charted in the top 100, top 40, top 10, and their 45-single "Wet Camel" b/w "All Alone" went to number one at the former WTPS Milwaukee.
Besides their music showing up in a couple of movies, Suicide Christmas in 1988 was part of the bi-annual trivia contest at Williams College in Williamstown, MA., where they ask a question and play a related song while the teams think-it-out. https://wso.williams.edu/orgs/trivia/judo/questions.html question#62
In 1989 the Chicago Tribune, doing a story, Our Christmas Jukebox, listed Suicide Christmas as one of five songs under their subheading The Darker Side of Christmas. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-12-15-8903180212-story.html
"Time Never Stands Still" was being played in a disco in Germany. "Another World" was regularly played before the news at WLSU Baton Rouge. "All Alone" was featured on the Athens compilation "Who's Not Who in Athens, GA." This vinyl LP was released on their own label Instant Tea Records.
The band was mentioned in the national magazine Music Express. At one point, they were contacted by KISS's old manager and asked to move to California and become a freak underground band, (still kicking ourselves on that one for saying no.) The band's first full recording session was at Real to Reel in Stockbridge, GA. The engineer was Collective Soul's Ed Roland.
The band never played outside of Athens, Ga. They sold less than 3 dozen records (in later years a copy of Suicide Christmas went for $10 on eBay). Besides friends, they had no fans that they knew of and their live shows were only sprinkled with watchers/listeners.
Besides being college friends, Rick and Neill worked at five of the same places (including WLOV Washington) and lived at 7 locations together (including the famous plastic room, created in a mechanics warehouse). They argued in 1993 over their pizza business and did not speak to each other for 6 years. After reconciling, Rick had a part in Neill's movie Cultivision (Collapsing Stars) (2002).
In 2001, Rick was diagnosed with stage 4 Bone/Lung cancer. He went into remission eight months later, but a cancerous cell on his brain took his life. In attendance at the funeral was R.E.M.s Bill Berry.
They played as a group once at their conservative college, they were then banned.
In 1983, Neill and Rick moved to Athens, GA and purchased a grand piano and other equipment. In 1984, they recorded their first 45 single "Suicide Christmas". With addition of Danny Fullerton on bass, they played their first show at the now-defunct Lunch Paper, an underground club.
Always original, Insanity performed at first with Neill playing piano with a bass drum at his feet (occasionally playing a drum set)and xylophone. Rick sang vocals, played keyboards and also a snare drum... hung from the rafters. Danny played his bass with a small Casio keyboard attached. In later shows, drum machines and programmed midi-keyboards were added.
Ted Kalivoda was eventually added as guitarist. He would swap between it and bass after Danny left.
Other guest Athenians that performed were Bill Mallonee Kemp Jones, Larry Tenner, Will McKinley, and Barry Dillard. In studio, guest musicians were Mark Maxwell, Tony Perry, Christina Stuckey, and Michael Millner.
Throughout the years, the band continued to record; 1 additional 45 single, and 2 12-inch records. They also performed another 6 times from '84 to '89 at either the famous original 40 Watt Club or the Uptown Lounge.
They filmed two 8mm videos for "Wet Camel" and "Plastic Room" respectively. Their records played throughout the U.S. at hundreds of college stations, many of which their songs charted in the top 100, top 40, top 10, and their 45-single "Wet Camel" b/w "All Alone" went to number one at the former WTPS Milwaukee.
Besides their music showing up in a couple of movies, Suicide Christmas in 1988 was part of the bi-annual trivia contest at Williams College in Williamstown, MA., where they ask a question and play a related song while the teams think-it-out. https://wso.williams.edu/orgs/trivia/judo/questions.html question#62
In 1989 the Chicago Tribune, doing a story, Our Christmas Jukebox, listed Suicide Christmas as one of five songs under their subheading The Darker Side of Christmas. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-12-15-8903180212-story.html
"Time Never Stands Still" was being played in a disco in Germany. "Another World" was regularly played before the news at WLSU Baton Rouge. "All Alone" was featured on the Athens compilation "Who's Not Who in Athens, GA." This vinyl LP was released on their own label Instant Tea Records.
The band was mentioned in the national magazine Music Express. At one point, they were contacted by KISS's old manager and asked to move to California and become a freak underground band, (still kicking ourselves on that one for saying no.) The band's first full recording session was at Real to Reel in Stockbridge, GA. The engineer was Collective Soul's Ed Roland.
The band never played outside of Athens, Ga. They sold less than 3 dozen records (in later years a copy of Suicide Christmas went for $10 on eBay). Besides friends, they had no fans that they knew of and their live shows were only sprinkled with watchers/listeners.
Besides being college friends, Rick and Neill worked at five of the same places (including WLOV Washington) and lived at 7 locations together (including the famous plastic room, created in a mechanics warehouse). They argued in 1993 over their pizza business and did not speak to each other for 6 years. After reconciling, Rick had a part in Neill's movie Cultivision (Collapsing Stars) (2002).
In 2001, Rick was diagnosed with stage 4 Bone/Lung cancer. He went into remission eight months later, but a cancerous cell on his brain took his life. In attendance at the funeral was R.E.M.s Bill Berry.
