San Diego band 'The Unknowns'--on the verge of success in 1981

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November 1981

Bridget Asaro profiled the band The Unknowns for a two-part special called Band Success. The members were from around the country, but they formed in San Diego in 1979. This video is from the Spirit Club, and after this performance, they were headed to Los Angeles. Their first LP was to be released in January 1982 and after that, they were going on a European tour. The band had fans in their teens and their 50s. Front man Bruce Joyner told Bridget that they were one of the most eclectic ensembles and their music was not actually rock and roll roots type music—they were a derivative of everything that has been and will be for the next decade or so. They weren’t into drugs and Joyner said he thought that their music was brighter, more full of life, and less apathetic.
In his book 'Getting Nowhere Fast," San Diego rock musician and historian Ray Brandes wrote:
“Anyone who had the opportunity to see the Unknowns play had an unforgettable experience,” says San Diego musician and historian Ray Brandes on the Che Underground website. “Crisp, staccato drumming and the dripping-wet reverberation of Mosrite guitars through Fender amplifiers was punctuated by the yips and howls of the legendary melodramatic lead singer, Bruce Joyner, who sang from a chair or aided by a cane, looking every bit like a down-home Barnabas Collins in search of fresh blood.”