Rick Ballard hung on to a tape by The Factory for 25 years (given to him by Robbie Limon at the 930 Club in Washington, D.C.), which eventually led to its remastering and this CD. The Factory, released on Acetate Records/MVD on 9-7-10. The Factory was in the tradition of the Rolling Stones, and in the tradition of The Rolling Stones’s Tattoo You and Some Girls. The Factory also took on the flavor of the New York Dolls, The Stooges and the Dead Boys, in their especial blend of punk, rock, and rhythm and blues in the late 80′s. At that time they opened for Iggy Pop, The Ramones, and Public Image.

This CD contains ten songs and the band is: Vance Bockis (very capable vocals!), Robbie Limon on guitar and vocals, Bruce Katsu, also guitar and vocals, Bill Massey on sax, Scott Sartorius on bass and Mark Kermanj on drums – and these guys knew how to play their instruments, starting with a bang and continuing it throughout! Notably, on the song Ecstasy sax player Bill Massey shows his great talents after some opening riffs by Robbie Limon, and in the song True Romance the harmonica trades with the guitar in an unusual manner. The sound is never crowded, each instrument coming through strongly in time and place and fitting together in a highly finished way. The band is also gracious in giving thanks to “families, friends & fans and everyone else who helped us out (morally and financially) over the years.”

As to the song content, in Self-Submission the lead singer is just treated “like a tramp, like a good ole tramp”; in Where The People All Go To “I stand alone, waiting for you”; in Love You Forever the singer gives his vow to do so; in Misfortunate Son “I’m living an unfortunate life…..with my hand behind a loaded gun; in True Romance “I saw you just the other day looking out of your limousine/You left me in misery,” and so on. Six Feet down is a warning about a life lived too hard and too fully.

The band has energy and is fun, and once you’ve heard them you’ll wish that they had continued on together. Evidently at performances they dressed part Prince, part Glimmer, and part Biker. The work is highly charged and has an “unrestrained rhythmic drive.” Their current enthusiast Rick Ballard writes “Growing up outside D.C., I caught every show that I could and it was clear The Factory were destined for a larger audience……The Factory meant it, they lived it, they bled it.”

Tracklist 1. Self-Submission 2. Where The People All Come To 3. Love You Forever 4. Misfortunate Son 5. True Romance 6. Ecstasy 7. Girl That I Want 8. Love To Dance 9. Puerto Rican Street Fight 10. Six Feet Down

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