by Joe Henderson
I emerged from my 20 year-long exile and arrived in Jawbone Canyon located in the wilds of the Mojave Desert and site of the infamous Flipside Desert Shows in the nineties. Long gone were the hundreds of revelers who came from far and wide to see bands such as Fugazi and The Offspring. Only a handful of grizzled punk rock veterans sitting in folding chairs and sippin’ suds remained. That night, Steve Reed pulled triple duty playing bass for The Probe and The Amadans (featuring Bob Lee and Jon Wahl formerly of Clawhammer) and playing drums for Carnage Asada. Frankly, there couldn’t have been a 2009 desert show revival without Steve Reed. He was the glue that held the whole thing together.
If that isn’t enough, Steve Reed also backs up two of the greatest women in Los Angles punk rock – Kat Arthur and Sylvia Juncosa. Steve has been playing bass in Legal Weapon since 1991 – longer than any other bassist. Steve also fills in on bass and drums for Sylvia Juncosa and will hop in a van for a road trip on a moment’s notice.
I recently chided Steve outside of the Redwood Bar about all of his bands. Steve simply shrugged his shoulders and said nonchalantly , “This is what I do.”
Steve is a member of an elite fraternity of musicians such as Danny Dorman (Circle One, Agression, Dr. Know) and Sean Antillon (Circle One, Skull Control, The Gears) who plug the holes caused by the ravages of time and allow the loyal remnants to enjoy some great vintage live music.
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