Punk rock band formed in Ashton community of Montgomery County. Led by lead vocalist Jeff Mentges aka ‘Jefferson Scott’ aka Cliff ‘Babe’ Ontego, with band members including Eric Leifert aka ‘Leif’ (guitar), Bob Strasser aka Robert ‘Smokeman’ Marymont (guitar), Frank Price aka ‘Jim Jones’ aka ‘Frankenberry’ (guitar), Dean Evangelista (guitar 1984-85), Jack Anderson aka ‘Ozob’ (bass 1983-84), Buck Parr aka ‘Fishman’ (guitar 1985-86), James Peachey aka ‘Fuzz’ (drums 1986-88), Paula Cole (backing vocals), Brian Nelson aka Johnny ‘Bubba’ Ontego (sax)…
“Never has a single group confused, irritated and challenged the small-minded punk-rock cognoscenti with so much vigor and imagination” according to Jordan N. Mamone in a 2002 interview with the band at the time of their posthumous 1988 CD release on Morphius Archives. “No Trend didn’t just go against the grain; they shoved it in the faces of the pretentious hardcore fans.”
“Mentges’ revolving lineups evolved constantly and unapologetically; the brave few who embraced the trudging fuzz-scrape of “Too Many Humans” (1984) were vexed by the insane horn charts and lounge-metal histrionics of “Tritonian Nash–Vegas Polyester Complex” (1987).
“I do think that the later, Vegas-style sound was at least as offensive and deliberately provocative as the early stuff,” says Buck Parr. “By the time I was in the band, No Trend was a known entity, and people came to our shows looking to hear something angry, noisy and abrasive. What they got instead was lounge music, polkas and muzak. You come out to see the band that wrote the song “Cancer,” and they’re all dressed in uniforms doing a tightly choreographed dance routine. There’s a horn section. [In the mid-80s] bands like Sonic Youth were really starting to get national attention. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that No Trend changed its sound around this time.”
“We didn’t even listen to the type of music we played,” says Mentges. “When hardcore first came out, it was fun and interesting, but after a while, it just turned into everything it was against. I remember pulling up to [NYC venue] Danceteria with a big wad of Redman chewing tobacco in my mouth and Hank Williams Sr. blaring out of the van. People were like, ‘Well you’re not No Trend.’ ‘You bet your ass we are!’
Parr sums it up best: “So few people comprehended the band because it was the band’s intention to fuck with its audience’s expectations. No Trend, regardless of what anyone is telling you now, was not about making music that people would actually enjoy. The band was more about alienating and confusing people, including whatever limited fan base it was able to gain. We wanted a freak show. [No Trend] was more than the music they put out–they were almost like theater, some terrifying experiment in mass psychology or crowd manipulation. But the music was insanely great, as well. There was no one else like them.”
Group manager Steve Blush founded Seconds magazine.
Based on interview with Jordan N. Mamone.
1984(12”EP) No Trend 003 Teen Love
2002(CD) Morphius Archives More