The Gizmos

The Gizmos – Punk band. Formed in Bloomington in 1976, the Gizmos was a well-known local punk band when punk rock was in its infancy. In the first two years, the group recorded three EPs before founding members Ken Highland and Eddie Flowers relocated to California. Left behind was vocalist Ted Niemiec, who reorganized the band and signed with Gulcher Records. Shortly thereafter, Dale Lawrence took over as lead vocalist, and he was backed by Billy Knightshade (bass), Tim Carroll (guitar), and Shadow Myers (drums). With that line-up, the Gizmos recorded Never Mind the Six Pistols, Here’s the Gizmos (1978) and Hoosier Hysteria, an LP recorded jointly with Dow Jones and the Industrials (their Purdue counterpart). In hopes of pushing their career forward, The Gizmos set out for New York City in 1981 and recorded a handful of songs in Hoboken, New Jersey. Feeling lost and out of place in the East Coast punk scene, the band soon dissolved after the move. In retrospect, the Gizmos deserve credit as being a pioneering Midwest punk band and for providing an early outlet for punk-oriented musicians including a young John Mellencamp, who appeared with them as a guest artist. Lastly, their reputation was good enough to get them booked as the opening act for the Ramones. After the demise of the Gizmos, Dale Lawrence became part of a 1980s band in Gainesville, Florida, called the Vulgar Boatman, which he left to form his own group of the same name. Lawrence’s Vulgar Boatman is still together and is based in Indiana.