New Math Walks Among Us Again (Part 1 of 2)

A newly reissued and expanded set from goth rockers New Math is a reminder that in the early ‘80s, there was more good music being made than could possibly get a proper hearing or even distribution. New Math was such a group. I researched and interviewed New Math for my second book, 2021’s Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave. On the occasion of the reissue, herewith is that chapter, with an addendum that brings things up to date – bk

Most every band associated with 415 Records had its roots in – or at least connections to – the Bay Area. Even Texas’ Roky Erickson and New Orleans-based Red Rockers would make San Francisco their base of operations for a time. But New Math, a band from Rochester in upstate New York, had no ties to the Bay Area. Their 1981 EP for the label, They Walk Among You was a slice of goth rock that represented the group’s latest stylistic metamorphosis.

“In every little town like Rochester, there was a scene of a bunch of people who would go to the import [record] shop, and the guy who bought the records would save them for all of us,” explains lead singer Kevin Patrick. “Every week we’d go in and get whatever: The Damned or The Vibrators or The Cramps or whoever had released.” And many of those same people formed bands. “There was this culture where you would make [gig] fliers and put them on telephone poles, and everybody of that age who liked anything other than the Lee Abrams-forced radio” would be interested, he says.

Patrick believes that most every place like Rochester had two or three bands that became popular. Big fishes in small ponds, bands like his did it “because it was a fun thing to do,” he says. When a new local bar called Scorgie’s opened, Patrick convinced the owner to let him fill the jukebox with punk and new wave singles. The music caught on, and when the club started booking live music, Patrick’s band New Math was a logical choice. “We would get 300 to 500 people a showing,” says guitarist and songwriter Gary Trainer.

New Math’s music wasn’t without its local detractors; fans of more established corporate rock often outnumbered those who enjoyed the moody, new wave-flavored sounds of the five-piece group. Drummer Roy Stein remembers a gig at a Rochester club called the Penny Arcade. “I walk in, and I notice the bartenders are all wearing ‘Punk Sucks’ T-shirts. I couldn’t believe it; they were insulting the style of music that has just packed their bar on a Tuesday night!” When the band took the stage, several people in the audience started pelting them with raw eggs. “They hated our music so much” he laughs. “They loved bands like Journey, Styx and Kansas.”

Today, the former members of the band aren’t even clear how they ended up on 415 Records. “A lot of it,” surmises Trainer, “had to do with Kevin Patrick.” Patrick demurs. “No idea,” he says. “I literally don’t have an answer to that.” Asked for his perspective, drummer Roy Stein says, “I have no idea. I just played drums.”

The connection was likely helped along through the efforts of Howard Thompson. UK-based Thompson was an established producer with credits including John Cale’s Guts and The Psychedelic Furs’ debut album. A serious record collector, Kevin Patrick first got to know Thompson through record trading.

Using the pseudonym Howard leCanard, Thompson produced a 1979 New Math single (“Die Trying” backed with “Angela”) and saw to its release in England on the CBS label. That single was very much in a power pop style. “Anything you could get released on a major label – good, bad or indifferent – was a thumbs-up at the time,” says guitarist Chris Yockel.

Thompson was also involved in the UK release of the new album from Roky Erickson and the Aliens. When Howie Klein looked into a stateside release of material from those sessions on 415 as The Evil One he connected with Thompson. And that professional relationship gave Thompson an opportunity to tell Howie about his latest production project, New Math’s They Walk Among You. And he had an additional reason to do so: songwriter Gary Trainer was a serious Roky fan. “I got The Evil One early on,” he says. “I was totally blown away by it; you can tell that I just ripped him off.”

That lines up with Howie’s recollection as well. “Once we put out the Roky Erickson record, [the guys in New Math] thought, ‘Any label that would put out Roky Erickson might be interested in us, too!’” he says. “So they sent me the music, we started playing their demo on our radio show, and we got such a good reaction. People liked it so much that we then made a deal with them to put out a mini LP.”

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