Authored by Dale Nickey:

Wet Picnic (Balls Up) 1982

I was alerted to this band by friends who saw them play in the clubs. “A must see”, they said. “Hippest band in town”, they said. This was no lie. Every musician who saw this group wanted to be in it or form a group just like it. Led by South American guitarist/singer Gus Samtaolalla, their pan-cultural approach to pop music was sweaty, authentic and sophisticated. Their 5 song vinyl EP, Balls Up was perhaps too good for it’s own good.

The greatest band to never break out of the shitty LA club circuit; their best stuff remains lost in the ether, a masterpiece unpainted. Balls Up was a common sighting in the mark-down bins in L.A record stores during the 80’s, it is now an exceedingly rare find.

***Note: Gus Samtaolalla would later go on to win an Oscar for best Original Music Score for the 2005 film “Brokeback Mountain”

