Von Beat - Nuke Wave Music

A. Synthetic Environment


B. Of Course I Care


VON BEAT (Fort Worth, TX)
Synthetic Environment b/w Of Course I Care
VVV (008), 1981

Vaughan Bean joined Ralph Williams, Ray Kalvitz and Mike Winter at the start of 1980 to form the Ralphs. The band played many shows, did some recordings and even made it out to the west coast where they were able to get their demo played on the “new music” program on KROQ. But before the band released their sole single, Vaughan and Ray left and formed the Gigolos with Michael Gilbertson and Pat Conley, who had both been playing in a band called the Untouchables. Prior to that, Michael was in Blindate, a band that was featured on the Are We Too Late For The Trend compilation, and Pat had played in both Dot Vaeth Group and Blindate.

Vaughan was the original drummer for the Ralphs and wrote a couple of their songs. Being a multi-instrumentalist, he wished to do a solo project and release a couple of his new songs, “Synthetic Environment” and “Of Course I Care.” Enlisting the help of John Siebman and David Daniels from the Ft Worth Cats, the single was released under the pseudonym, Von Beat. Vaughan played guitar, bass, drums, synthesizers and did backing vocals on the session while John, who used the stage name Monte Cyclops, handled lead vocals and Farfisa organ. David contributed backing vocals and was credited as Kid on the sleeve.

The Fort Worth Cats and Ralphs had releases on VVV Records, a cooperative label formed by NCM’s Neal Caldwell. Vaughan’s association with them assured the Von Beat single a VVV release. The 7”, entitled Nuke Wave Music, was pressed in small numbers in 1981 and housed in a foldover sleeve. The session was recorded quickly at a 24 track studio in Dallas called TRAX and engineered by Bob Hickey, who had toured with many nationally known acts and later worked with Pink Floyd. Vaughan produced the record.

The single made its way into the jukeboxes of local clubs and saw airplay on KZEW, but never saw wide distribution. Vaughan never intended for that project to be an active unit or play shows. Instead, he focused his attention on the Gigolos who built a following around the Dallas and Fort Worth area for the next couple years. By 1984, he started going in a more blues direction. Today he is a member of the Nostradamus Society of America and has three books published under the name Victor Baines.