The Nuns

Bass – Pat Ryan, Drums – Jeff Raphae, Guitar – Alejandro Escovedo
Piano, Vocals – Jennifer Miro, Vocals – Jeff Olener, Richie Detrick

The Nuns like Crime, were punks before their time and had formed in 1975 by Jeff Olener and Alejandro Escovedo. The addition of Jennifer Miro on keyboards and occasional vocals was an extra magic ingredient. Jennifer Miro was like Cervene Evenka from X and Alice Bag; strong independent women that found their voice in the punk scene and Jennifer was a personality with style and panache.

Also in the band was Alejandro Escovedo from a musical family. His brother formed The Zeros and other relations were in Santana and Sheila E was the talented drummer who played with Prince. Add in drummer Richie Detrick and bassist Jeff Olener and you have The Nuns.

The Nuns backstage at the Mabuhay Gardens in 1977. Photo © by Chester Simpson.

As far removed from The Ramones and ramalama punk rock by numbers, they left their own indelible mark on punk and in style, arguably ruled the San Francisco punk scene in the late ’70s. They were the first band to open the famous Mahubay Gardens punk nights in late 1976 and with The Avengers, though the bigger band, opened first for the Sex Pistols on their last ill fated Winterland US date in January 1978. They were also big enough to headline venues like The Winterland themselves.

The Nuns live 1978 at Winterland, San Francisco

It sems hard to believe that out of those American bands we feature we here, none were picked up by a major and made it big. The Nuns supposedly had labels like CBS sniffing around them but it all came to nothing and they split in 1978 not long after the release of their first single Savage/Decadent Jew/ Suicide Child (415 Records) which in itself came out in 1978 and the tracks were recorded live from a gig supporting Blondie in early 1977.

At their peak with their image and sound, the band was considered a West Coast version of Blondie, but their music was far too brooding and gothic and lyrical themes and song titles too dark (Decadent Jew and Child Molester for example) to achieve mass acceptance like their New York City counterparts.

However Jeff Olener persuaded Posh Boy Records to fund an album and the the band reunited for a single week in April 1980 without Escovedo. They recorded The Nuns, in supposedly less than 24 hours, and it was released in late 1980.

The Nuns reformed in various guises and personnel over the years (always without Esvcovedo) releasing records but always with Jeff Olener and Jennifer Miro. The latter who went into a fetish and bondage direction till her premature death in 2011.

Alejandro Escovedo, went on to later success as an Americana & alternative country musician.

At the Mahubay – Photo Credit?



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