The Fugs: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary Year of Their First Concert

The Fugs was one of the leaders of the underground scene of the 1960s and became an important part of the American counterculture of that decade. The group is known for its comedic, even lewd, nature but also earned fame through its persistent anti-Vietnam War sentiment during the 1960s.

Ed Sanders came up with the idea that became the Fugs in late 1964.He has led the Fugs in the years since, through 58 years of albums and performances. The Fugs have had their current line-up since 1985.

About the band:

Steven Taylor collaborated on poetry and music works with Allen Ginsberg for 20 years. Other long-time collaborators include Kenward Elmslie, Anne Waldman, Ed Sanders, and Tuli Kupferberg, as well as choreographer Douglas Dunn (Bessie Award nomination for best sound design 2015). He joined the Fugs in 1984. His poems, essays, reviews, and songs have been published via magazines, anthologies, and albums. He holds a PhD in music from Brown University. His book False Prophet: Field Notes from the Punk Underground was published by Welseyan UP in 2003. His most recent publications are Don’t Hide the Madness: William S. Burroughs in Conversation with Allen Ginsberg (Three Rooms Press), and William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Ace Records).

Ed Sanders — founder and singer-songwriter — invents musical instruments such as the Talking Tie and the microtonal Microlyre. One of Sanders recent books, illustrated by Rick Veitch, is Broken Glory, the Final Years of Robert F. Kennedy. Sanders is primarily a poet whose collected poems, Thirsting for Peace in a Raging Century won an American Book Award in 1988.  He has written biographies in verse of Charles Olson, Allen Ginsberg, and Anton Chekhov.  He is the author of a 9-volume America, a History in Verse, and a investigative history of the Manson group, The Family, which is in print in a number of countries.

Steve Taylor— vocals and guitars — his beautiful voice gives the Fugs outstanding vocal qualities on tunes set to the poems of William Blake and classics such as “Crystal Liaison,” “Slum Goddess,” and “Morning Morning.” Taylor is a professor of writing at Naropa University in Boulder Colorado, and a noted composer who performed with Allen Ginsberg for many years. His string quartet setting to Allen Ginsberg’s poem “White Shroud” is an important 20th century poetry composition.

Coby Batty— drums, percussion and vocals. Coby is a well known musician and song- writer with his own band in Richmond, Virginia. Batty has performed with Don Cherry, John Zorn, Eugene Chadbourne and many others. He has a powerful singing voice, and is a renowned actor in movie and television productions

Scott Petito — bass and keyboards — is a well-known record producer who operates NRS Recording studios in Catskill, NY, where many groups have recorded such as The Band, The Fugs, and a number of others. Petito performs with the singer Leslie Ritter, and with numerous other important musicians. He has developed an outstanding career as a recording artist, producing a sequence of acclaimed records.