Forgotten Records: The Band Without The Face, Part 1: The Heads – No Talking, Just Head
It’s a story older than Rock ‘n’ Roll itself. A band makes their bones around a charismatic frontman. Maybe he writes the songs. Maybe he just sings them. In either case, he’s the face of the group, the one the people come to see. Then, something happens. Maybe the frontman dies. Maybe there’s an argument over money. Maybe his own inflated ego causes him to start a potentially ill-fated solo career. Whatever happens, the band decides they don’t need their charismatic frontman any longer, and they’ll go on without him. Sometimes, this works. After Buddy Holly died, The Crickets went on with different frontmen for years. Joy Division lost the iconic Ian Curtis, and went on with a name change to become even more popular and successful as New Order. AC/DC had more success with replacement vocalist Brian Johnson than they did with Bon Scott. Yet, for every band that goes on with their new frontman and succeeds, many more fail. These are some of their stories.
was Concrete Blonde’s final album (the band retired two years later), and Johnette has been prolifically making her own brand of music since then, and working on various collaborations, such as with the band Catfish Scar. 2007 brought the release of her solo album 
, and 2009 promises the release of Sketchbook 3, the third in a series of limited-edition albums. Some early tracks from Sketchbook 3 are now available to preview on her