Niagara, born in Detroit, Michigan, is a painter and musician. She was the lead vocalist of the proto-punk rock bands Destroy All Monsters (DAM) and Dark Carnival. Her painting derives principally from the Lowbrow art movement.
Destroy All Monsters was a band started in 1974 by University of Michigan art students Niagara on vocals; Mike Kelley on drums and vocals; Jim Shaw on vocals and squeeze toys; and Cary Loren on guitar and vocals. This proto-noise-band was the first pure noise-band according to music historian and Sonic Youth band member, Thurston Moore, who said, "I can find no earlier example of such primitive playing with the use of non-instruments." In 1994, drawing from early rehearsal and performance tapes, Moore released a three disc box set of these seminal basement recordings, "DAM 1974-1976" on his music label Ecstatic Peace. The original line up of musicians was not around long. In 1977, Niagara met ex-Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, and he became her paramour. Ron thought the band's music had potential. To realize that potential, he recruited Michael Davis (ex-MC5 bassist), a real powerhouse crucial for rock bottom percussive bass. Davis, recently released from prison, was available and agreed to be part of the band. Next hired was Rob King on drums. King's drums were precise, fast and powerful, an unusual combination. Next the Miller brothers were added, Ben on saxophone, and Larry on guitar, both accomplished musicians with a punk-jazz pedigree.
The local media, including the Detroit Free Press, and The Detroit News attended early shows and gave prominent coverage to the "events," as the press referred to them. Lester Bangs wrote about "Destroy All Monsters" affectionately in CREEM magazine . Even Rolling Stone took notice with articles and interviews about the new punk phenomenon, "Niagara is strange on stage, almost like she was awakened from a deep slumber and is surprised to find herself on stage." Spin Magazine described Niagara's stage presence as, "A thrift store Nico in a bloody gown." Accounts of Niagara falling off stage were numerous. Yet, Niagara seemed blessed with nine lives, and someone always caught her, including the MC5's Rob Tyner at the Kramer Theater, "I saved Niagara's life!" After a brief European tour four singles were produced in this early Punk era: "Bored," "You're Gonna Die," "What Do I Get?" and "Nobody Knows." The Monsters soon hooked up with the Ramones and The Dead Boys. The band members became fast friends and touring buddies. When in New York, The Dead Boys or Ramones would open, In Cleveland or Detroit, DAM got top billing. This led to many famous pairings with shows at Max's Kansas City and CBGB's in New York, The Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Bookies in Detroit and Second Chance in Ann Arbor. The punk incarnation of the band lasted from 1977 to 1985.
In 1984, Niagara met Detroit music promoter and impresario Colonel Galaxy. The Colonel's ambitious project, Dark Carnival, had the original concept of a performance art troop that borrowed heavily from the Stooges, MC5, Velvet Underground blueprint. Bootsey X from the Lovemasters was the first member signed, then Mark Norton from the RamRods, Gary Adams from The Cubes, Mike McFeaters from What Jane Shared, Jerry Vile from The Boners, Sarana VerLin from Natasha, Greasy Carlisi from Motor City Bad Boys, Robert Gordon and Art Lyzak from The Mutants, Joe Hayden from Bugs Bedow, Pete Bankert from Weapons, Larry Steel from The Cult Heroes. Later Dark Carnival saw some turnover, with the "big" names signing on: Niagara from Destroy All Monsters, Ron and Scott Asheton from the Stooges, Cheetah Chrome from the Dead Boys, Jim Carroll even came in from New York. The revolving Vaudeville-like assembly evolved into a battle-hardened, proto-punk outfit, which included Niagara, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, and Greasy Carlisi. This band toured the US, Canada, and Australia twice between the years 1984-2000. John Holstrom of Punk Magazine says, "Dark Carnival produced some of the best pure Punk music I've ever heard and did it longer than anyone".
When Niagara and Dark Carnival toured Australia in 1991 she befriended members of Dark Carnival's infamous opening band, The Hitmen. Based in Sydney Australia, The Hitmen were fixtures of the Australian musical landscape. Their elite membership read like a Who's Who in the Australian punk rock community. With members such as Deniz Tek from Radio Birdman, The New Christs, and Screaming Tribesmen, The Hitmen knew well the elusive Detroit sound Niagara was after. Other members of The Hitmen included world-famous guitarist Chris Masuak, Tony Jukic on rhythm guitar, Tony Robertson on bass, and Murray Shepherd on drums. Murray's brother Brad Shepherd, lead guitarist of the Hoodoo Gurus, also played on the tour's final show. Later, when Niagara decided to form a band and tour Australia, nobody was better than The Hitmen to back her, since these music veterans really knew how to rally an audience with their unique mixture of high-octane punk and "airborne Oz" guitar playing. Two tours resulted from this pairing. Twenty shows were played in 2008 and 2010. The CD "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre," on Steel Cage Records is a powerhouse recording of these sessions.
