M.I.A.

ByLets Go Punk
Las Vegas punk band M.I.A. mixed hardcore and thrash with later melodic turns

M.I.A. were a punk band that started in the Las Vegas Valley at the very beginning of the 1980s, then quickly became tied to the Southern California circuit. Their early sound leaned hardcore and thrash, while later records stretched into more melodic and progressive territory without losing the bite.

How The Band Got Started

The roots go back to 1980, when singer Todd Sampson, bassist Mike Conley, and drummer Chris Moon played together as The Swell. Guitarist Nick Adams joined soon after, the name changed to M.I.A., and the group played an early show on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1980.

Lineups and locations shifted fast. Adams moved to San Diego two weeks later, and by the spring, Moon and Conley had moved to Orange County. In June 1981, Adams also relocated to Orange County, and the band re-formed with Conley moving to vocals and Paul Schwartz joining on bass.

First Demos, Early Shows, and Getting on Compilations

Through 1981, M.I.A. played parties and club shows, including sets at the Cuckoo’s Nest in Costa Mesa and the Cathay de Grande in Hollywood. They recorded a nine-song demo at JEL Studios in Newport Beach that mixed earlier Las Vegas material with newer Orange County songs.

Artist Greg Link began managing the band and helped book a short run through Nevada and Northern California. A demo tape made its way to people connected to punk fanzines and labels, which led to songs landing on compilations. That exposure opened the door to their first major release: a 1982 split LP, with most of the demo material issued as an album.

Alternative Tentacles and Murder in a Foreign Place

Just as records started to circulate, M.I.A. paused activity when Conley returned to Las Vegas for personal reasons. When he came back in 1983, the band resumed shows and began preparing more recordings, with drummer Larry Pearson replacing Moon.

In 1984, M.I.A. linked up with Alternative Tentacles after label founder Jello Biafra saw them play at an illegal punk club in Las Vegas. The band covered the recording, mastering, and pressing costs, and Alternative Tentacles handled distribution. The result was Murder in a Foreign Place, released in June 1984, followed by a summer tour that ran for roughly three months across the United States and Canada.

Notes From the Underground, After the Fact, and the Late Eighties Wrap-Up

In early 1985, the band recorded three songs at Evan Williams Studios with producer Chris Maneckie (of Abecedarians). Conley was not happy with the sound, so the recordings were shelved at the time and later surfaced on a retrospective release.

That same year, M.I.A. took over an East Coast tour after Social Distortion had to cancel. After returning, they recorded new material with producer Thom Wilson, which came out as Notes From the Underground in the summer of 1985. The pace of touring and recording wore the band down, and the lineup fractured, with Adams and Schwartz leaving.

In 1986, Conley brought Moon back on drums and added bassist Frank Daly and guitarist Mark Arnold. This lineup released After the Fact on Flipside Records in 1987. M.I.A. split up in 1988.

Retrospectives, Losses, and Benefit Shows

In 2001, Alternative Tentacles issued Lost Boys, a large retrospective that collected material from across the band’s run, including tracks from earlier releases and additional recordings.

On February 28, 2008, vocalist Mike Conley was found dead in a Chicago hotel parking lot and was pronounced dead at a hospital in Melrose Park, Illinois. In April 2008, M.I.A. played two related benefit events in Southern California, including a warm-up show and a larger benefit show the next night. Those performances included original vocalist Todd Sampson on vocals, with guest vocals from Jello Biafra and Kevin Seconds, alongside original and returning members on instruments.

Todd Sampson died in Las Vegas in July 2010, following a concert.

Reunion Years

The original remaining members re-formed M.I.A. for the 2nd Annual Las Vegas Hardcore reunion on November 8, 2014, at Backstage Bar and Billiards in downtown Las Vegas. In this lineup, Nick Adams handled vocals as well as guitar, with Paul Schwartz on bass and backing vocals, and Chris Moon on drums and backing vocals.

Members

  • Nick Adams – guitar; later vocals and guitar in the reunion lineup
  • Chris Moon – drums
  • Paul Schwartz – bass
  • Larry Pearson – drums

Past Members

  • Todd Sampson – vocals
  • Mike Conley – bass; later vocals
  • Frank Daly – bass
  • Mark Arnold – guitar
  • James Whitesell (Cyborg) – listed as a past member

Discography

  • Last Rites for Genocide / M.I.A. (split LP, 1982, Bomp!/Invasion Records)
  • Murder in a Foreign Place (LP, 1984, Alternative Tentacles)
  • Notes From the Underground (LP, 1985, National Trust Records)
  • After the Fact (LP, 1987, Flipside Records)
  • Lost Boys (CD, 2001, Alternative Tentacles)

    • <

Similar Posts