...and where are they now???

* Peter Prescott...is still playing drums and screaming his head off in Mission of Burma, which he has been doing since 2002. When he isn't doing that, he can be found behind the counter at a fine used record store in Cambridge, MA. He lives in Somerville, MA.

* Jim Siegel...occasionally performs live as dj ningnong, can be heard bettering the airwaves via WZBC-FM, and is the warehouse manager for Forced Exposure Distribution. To quote (as of 07/06): "for those that i haven't talked to in a while I am doing well..." He lives in Boston, MA.

* Pat Lynch...plays the occasional show with his old band Flying Nuns and works for a pharmaceuticals company. To quote (as of 07/06): "I haven't been doing much more than working lately. Drug company. I don't take them...I provide Quality Assurance for those that do. Not doing much music lately, but I did have a band about 6 mos ago that I was singing and playin guitar for." He lives near Wareham, MA, and recently became a father.

* Rich Wentworth...is still a freelance artist as well as an actor and composer. He occasionally DJ's under the name of Sir Richard Wentworth. Visit his blog! He lives in Malden, MA.

* Nick Blakey...by day is the entertainment manager of a rock club in The Fenway and by night is a legal enabler working as a manger at a liquor store in Jamaica Plain, MA. He is also a freelance writer, these days mostly for Peter Davis's Your Flesh. He re-joined The In Out, of whom he had previously been the drummer 1998-2000 (and, ironically enough, was briefly replaced by Jim Siegel), as bass player in September of 2006. He lives in Jamaica Plain, MA.

* Doug Hines...is allegedly studying marine biology in the Pacific Northwest. We hear he is in Seattle, WA.

* Tim Morse...can be found working in accounts at a large and well respected market in Cambridge, MA. He joined The In Out (along with Nick Blakey on bass) as drummer in September of 2006 and stayed until February of 2008. He lives in Cambridge, MA.

* Clint Conley...still works for Channel 5 (WCVB-TV) as a producer for the show Chronicle and when he is not doing that he plays bass and sings in Mission of Burma. Clint is one of the nicest guys in rock and roll. He lives in the Boston, MA area.

Personnel

(in order of longevity)

* Peter Prescott: Vocals/Guitar/Keyboards (Summer 1996-January 2001)
* Jim Siegel: Drums/Percussion (Fall 1996-January 2001)
* Pat Lynch: Guitar/Keyboards/Bass/Vocals (Fall 1996-Fall 2000)
* Rich Wentworth: Keyboards/Guitar/Vocals (Summer 1996-September 1997, Fall 1999-January 2001)
* Nick Blakey: Bass/Vocals (Summer 1996-April 1998)
* Doug Hines: Bass (Summer 1998-Spring 2000)
* Tim Morse: Drums (Summer 1996-Fall 1996)
* Clint Conley: Bass (June 1998, scattered dates in 2000, January 2001)

For the 16/6/98 show, the following gentlemen were added as one time Peers:

*Bob Wilson (guitar)
*Kurt Davis (percussion)
*Ron Ward (percussion)

A Brief History...

The Peer Group began in the Summer of 1996 as Prescott's then-current band Kustomized were playing their last shows. The first line-up consisted of Prescott on guitar and vocals, [[Rich Wentworth]] ([[Bald Guys]]) on guitar and keyboards, [[Nick Blakey]] ([[Pretty Flowers]]/[[The In Out]]/[[The Takers]]) on bass, and [[Tim Morse]] ([[Anal Cunt]]/[[Pretty Flowers]]/[[Invisible]]) on drums (Blakey and Morse had also served as the last rhythm section in Kustomized. [[Ed Yazijian]], the multi-instrumentalist and other member of Kustomized, was moving out of state and thus was not continuing on with Prescott). This line-up did not perform live. Morse soon quit (but not before recording a set of 4 track cassette demos in the band's practice space with Prescott and Blakey), replaced by [[Jim Siegel]] ([[dj ningnong]]), with [[Pat Lynch]] ([[Flying Nuns]]) joining on guitar. The group made it's live debut February 15, 1997 at Coney Island High, St. Mark's Place, NYC, opening for [[The Oblivians]], while making their Boston debut later that month (on the 23rd) with the [[Cosmic Psychos]] at TT The Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA. Jeff "Mono Mann" Conolly of [[The Lyres]] introduced the group.

The group recorded a set of demos at [[Zippah]] Studio, Brookline, MA in April (with [[Pete Weiss]] engineering) and continued to play around the Boston area. Paul Hilcoff's web site has a photo from this period of the band performing at TT The Bear's Place on August 5, 1997 (left to right: Blakey, Lynch, Siegel, Prescott, and Wentworth).

Wentworth left the group following a September gig at the Green Street Grille in Cambridge, and the group lumbered on as a four piece, recording another set of demos at Zippah in the process (in November). One of the songs from this session, "Peers" (aka "The Peer Group Hate Anthem"), appeared on the CD compilation A Place To Call Home, which remains the only official Peer Group release.

Following two New England shows with the reformed NYC band [[Bush Tetras]], as a return favor The Peer Group was offered one of the support slots to [[The Fall]] with Bush Tetras supporting at Brownie's in NYC on either Tuesday, April 7, or Wednesday April 8, 1998, but turned it down for reasons now best forgotten. The April 7th gig turned out to be the somewhat infamous show that resulted in Mark E. Smith being arrested and barred from the USA for some time. Owing to this, the April 8th show was cancelled.

Blakey left following the April 17, 1998 gig at [[Jacques]] in Boston (at the end of which, in an apparent final moment of fury, he snapped the tuning head off of his bass), and was soon replaced by [[Doug Hines]] (aka Duggy C.), a former bandmate of Rich Wentworth's in Bald Guys. The group started to record tracks in their practice space on 4 track cassette before the group then proceeded to record their debut proper at [[New Alliance Studio]], Boston (the studio was located in the same building as the group's practice space) with [[Marc Schleicher]] and [[Nick Zampiello]] recording, in 1999. It was during these sessions that Rich Wentworth returned to the group's fold, and was able to contribute to some of the album's sessions.

It is here that things get blurry. The album was finished, and copies were given to friends, fans, and music people alike. Doug left, followed by Lynch, but Lynch and [[Clint Conley]], Peter's former bandmate from [[Mission of Burma]], returned occasionally to fill in on bass. A notable gig was played on May 12, 2000 at The Roxy, Boston (opening for [[Wire]]), and it was during this show that saw the first seeds of the Mission of Burma reunion were sowed, with [[Roger Miller]] joining Prescott, Conley, and the rest of The Peer Group on stage during the song "The Sound Is Off". Though it was not an "official" reunion, and no Mission of Burma songs were played, the press touted this occurrence as potential hope for an actual MoB reunion.

The Peer Group kept performing around Boston, playing some notable gigs at [[The Linwood]], Boston (w/Conley) and [[The Abbey Lounge]], Somerville, MA (w/Lynch) before the group performed for the very last time opening for [[Shellac]] at the [[Knitting Factory]] in New York City on January 20, 2001 with Conley filling in on bass.

It was not long after the Peer Group's untimely demise that Mission of Burma decided to get back together, with new shows starting in 2002.

While nothing other than the lone song "Peers" was ever released, the two 1997 demo tapes do circulate on bootleg, as does the unreleased 1999 album. It is a shame that many of the Peer Group songs never saw the light of day, but oddly enough "Let Yourself Go", on the 2006 Mission of Burma album The Obliterati, has its origins in an unfinished and unrecorded Peer Group song. Whether Prescott will revive any other songs from the vast unreleased Peer Group canon remains to be seen.

There are no current plans for a Peer Group retrospective to be released.

A Collection Of Peer Group Set Lists

Coney Island High, St. Mark's Place, New York, NY, 15 February 1997
Hit That Nerve
Battle For Space
Black Alley
The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To (announced as "The Lifestyle To Which I Am Accustomed")
Ascension To Virginity
Brand Of Shame
What's In Store
The Decal

TT The Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA, 23 February 1997
Battle For Space
Hit That Nerve
Black Alley
The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To
Ascension To Virginity
Brand Of Shame
What's In Store
The Decal

The Call, Providence, RI, 14 April 1997
What's In Store
Brand of Shame
Black Alley
The Sound Is Off
Drunken Invitation
Hit That Nerve
Wit's End
The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To
One Liner
Battle For Space
The Decal

TT The Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA, 25 April 1997
The Sound Is Off
Battle For Space
Brand Of Shame
Black Alley
What's In Store
Ascension to Virginity
Wit's End
The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To
One Liner
Drunken Invitation
Hit That Nerve
The Decal
5 Minutes (Encore)

?? - from mid 1997
Hit That Nerve
The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To
Battle For Space
Drunken Invitation
Black Alley
Wit's End
The Sound Is Off
Candy For The Rich
Mondo Hollywood
The Decal
What's In Store

?? - another from mid 1997
One Liner
The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To
The Sound Is Off
Candy For The Rich
Wit's End
Mondo Hollywood
Brand Of Shame
Drunken Invitation
What's In Store
Black Alley
The Decal

The Kirkland Cafe, Somerville, MA, 6 September 1997
Whatever Turns You On
The Sound Is Off
Drunken Invitation
The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To
Wit's End
Candy For The Rich
Brand of Shame
Black Alley
Mondo Hollywood
High Life
The Decal

Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge, MA, 19 December 1997
Peers
Perfect Company
High Life
The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To
Black Alley
Wit's End
Candy For The Rich
Hit That Nerve
Drunken Invitation
Whatever Turns You On
What's In Store

Abbey Lounge, Somerville, MA, ?? 2000
With Me You're Never Alone
I Just Sit There ->
Spirit Of The Age
Go Stag
(+ more)

To be continued...

Gigography 1997-2001

(All shows were in Massachusetts unless otherwise noted)

1997:
15 February: *Coney Island High, St. Mark's Place, New York, NY w/Oblivians (headliner) + 2 (Debut)
23 February: *T.T. The Bear's Place, Cambridge w/Cosmic Psychos (headliner),Buzzard, Philth Shack
01 April: *The Call, Providence, RI w/Thee Hydrogen Terrors (headliner), The Conquistadors
25 April: *T.T. The Bear's Place w/The In Out, Baboon Hearts, 3XL 08 May: *The Attic, Newton w/Jack Frosting (headliner) 06 June: *O'Brien's, Allston w/Cul De Sac + 1
28 June: Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge w/Speedball Baby (headliner), Measles,Cyclones
01 July: *"Pipeline", WMBR-FM, Cambridge (radio show: set + intv.)
05 August: T.T. The Bear's Place, Cambridge w/deus (headliner), Regurgitator
20 August: Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge w/Oblivians (headliner) , Bratface
06 September: *The Kirkland Cafe, Somerville w/The Lyres (headliner), Noisey Le Grand, Hank Susskind
15 September: Green Street Grill, Cambridge (2 sets) (last gig w/Rich Wentworth until 13/10/99)
30 October: Middle East (Downstairs), Cambridge w/Mike Watt (headliner), Lockgroove
10 November Middle East (Downstairs), Cambridge "Middle East 10th Anniversary Party" w/Green Magnet School, Buffalo Tom, The Gravel Pit, Tugboat Annie, Keith Bownice, + many others
20 December: *Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge w/Unnatural Axe (headliner), Sexpod, + 1

1998:
04 February: The Met Cafe, Providence, RI w/Bush Tetras (headliner), Shanghai Tang
05 February: T.T. The Bear's Place, Cambridge w/Bush Tetras (headliner), Shanghai Tang
21 March: @Middle East (Downstairs), Cambridge w/The Damned (headliner), Absolute Bloom
17 April: @Jacque's, Boston w/Viejo (last gig w/Nick Blakey)
16 June: Middle East (Downstairs), Cambridge w/Pere Ubu (headliner)
21 October: Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge w/Lisa "Suckdog" Carver (headliner), The Hangovers
'''(NB: Peer Group support unconfirmed. The Peer Group did support Lisa "Suckdog" Carver at the Middle East but it has not been confirmed if it was at this particular show. If it was indeed this date then this would have been Doug's first gig with The Peer Group.)'''
24 October: 84 Kingston Street, Boston (2nd Show) w/Shellac (headliner) (first gig w/Doug?-see previous listing)
15 November: Mama Kin Music Hall, Boston "A Place To Call Home" CD Release w/Mishima (USA), Seks Bomba, Baby Ray, Charlie Chesterman, Pete Weiss & The Rock Band, + ?
19 December: T.T. The Bear's Place, Cambridge "The Noise Holiday Invitational" w/Silver Star & the Jukebox Angels, The Red Telephone, New Jersey Guitar Army (Gigolo Aunts), Sugar Twins, Max, Big Ray & the Futuras

1999:
29 January: Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge w/Railroad Jerk (headliner), The Good Furies, Mr. Airplane Man
?? (May?): Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge w/Compulsvie Gamblers (headliner) + ?
30 July: Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge w/The Frogs (headliner), The In Out, Fat Day
17 August: Middle East (Downstairs), Cambridge w/Colin Newman's SWIM
20 August: Jacque's, Boston w/The In Out, Bratface
13 October: *Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge w/Jonathan Richman (headliner), Banjo Spiders (first gig with Rich Wentworth since 15/9/97)

2000:
10 February: Middle East (Upstairs), Cambridge w/Half Japanese (headliner), The Forty-Fives
?? (March?): Jacque's, Boston w/Cracktorch + 1 (NB: Peer Group cancelled at the last moment, though the other two bands still played the show)
12 May: *The Roxy, Boston w/Wire (headliner)
18 May: The Linwood, Boston w/eX-Girl (headliner) + ?
?? (September?): *The Abbey Lounge, Somerville w/?
30 September: Gallery Bershad, Somerville w/J. Mascis, Wharton Tiers

2001:
20 January: @The Knitting Factory, New York, NY w/Shellac (headliner) (last gig)

Key:
* = audio recording exists
@ = video recording exists

The Peer Group's Recording Sessions

Date: September-October 1996
Recorded at: The Peer Group practice space, Boylston Street, The Fenway, Boston, MA
Engineering: Peter Prescott
Method: 4-track cassette
Personelle: Peter Prescott (V/G), Nick Blakey (B/V), Tim Morse (D)
Notes: This is the only Peer Group recording with Tim Morse on drums and although Rich was in the band at this time, he does not appear on this recording. Several of the versions presented here are in their earliest incarnation, and feature different arrangements and/or lyrics. This tape has never circulated.

1. "Intro" (Instrumental)
2. What's In Store
3. Brand Of Shame
4. The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To (Instrumental)
5. Hit That Nerve
6. The Sound Is Off
7. "(Untitled)"
8. Get Well Soon
9. Black Alley
10. The Decal

Song Notes: The "Intro" is nothing more than a warm-up. "The Lifestyle..." and "The Sound Is Off" are very different arrangements than he versions recorded at Zippah in 1997. "What's In Store" and "Hit That Nerve" feature different lyrics to the Zippah versions. "(Untitled)" and "Get Well Soon" (which is very reminiscent of the Volcano Suns tune "Bumper Crop") never made it much past this stage.

Date: April 8, 1997
Recorded at: Zippah Studios, Brookline, MA
Engineering: Pete Weiss with Brian Charles
Method: 16 Track Reel To Reel
Personlle: Peter Prescott (V/G), Rich Wentworth (K/G/V), Pat Lynch (G), Nick Blakey (B/V), Jim Siegel (D)
Notes: Rough mixes were made and taken away on cassette by the band, which is the source of the circulating bootlegs.

1. Black Alley
2. Brand Of Shame
3. Drunken Invitation
4. Wit's End
5. What's In Store
6. Hit That Nerve
7. One Liner
8. The Sound Is Off
9. The Lifestyle That I'm Accustomed To
10. The Battle For Space
11. The Decal

Song Notes: Contrary to some rumours, "Battle For Space" was not, in fact, a leftover Kustomized tune.

Date: November 19, 1997
Recorded at: Zippah Studios, Brookline
Engineering: Pete Weiss with Peter Linnane
Method: 16 Track Reel To Reel
Personelle: Peter Prescott (V/G), Pat Lynch (G/K/V), Nick Blakey (B/V), Jim Siegel (D/V)
Notes: Rough mixes were made and taken away on cassette by the band, which is one of the sources of the circulating bootlegs. Further percussion overdubs and some new/additional vocals were done later in November or possibly December, along with new mixes. These are the source of the tapes sent to various record labels. in the hopes of securing a deal which never happened. It is not known if these versions circulate on bootleg or not. The version of "Peers" on the A Place To Call Home CD comes from these sessions, though that particular version is an exclusive mix and edit.

A. Rough Mixes (No Overdubs):
1. Candy For The Rich
2. Perfect Company
3. Whatever Turns You On
4. Peers (aka The Peer Group Hate Anthem)
5. Go Stag
6. More Power
7. High Life
8. Mondo Hollywood

B. Final Mixes (With Overdubs):
1. Candy For The Rich
2. Peers
3. High Life
4. Perfect Company
5. Whatever Turns You On

Song Notes: "More Power" was never performed live. "High Life" is a re-worked version of the Pretty Flowers tune "New Atlantic States". "Mondo Hollywood" is a cover off the Mondo Hollywood soundtrack.

Date: 1999
Recorded at: New Alliance Studios, Boylston Street, Boston
Engineering: Marc Schleicher & Nick Zampiello
Method: 16 Track Reel To Reel
Personelle: Peter Prescott (V/G/K/P), Pat Lynch (G/V), Doug Hines (B), Jim Siegel (D/P), Rich Wentworth (K/G/V)
Notes: Circulates on bootleg. The cover of the debut album by the (now defunct) Boston band The Faux bears an uncanny resemblance to the proposed cover of the "New Alliance" CD being that both groups took the cover imagery from the same book. It is not known whether or not The Faux were aware of The Peer Group's cover.

1. You Are Surrounded
2. The Birth of Hypno
3. Twist In 1/2
4. After That
5. Pompadour
6. Stagger and Lurch
7. Wit's End
8. You're Not From Around Here (Are You?)
9. Wild Guess
10. The Sound Is Off
11. The Party Crashers
12. Go Stag

Song Notes: Rich Wentworth did not participate in the first part of the sessions (he had yet to re-join), but stated that he does at least appear on "You Are Surrounded" and "The Sound Is Off". "Pompadour" and "The Birth Of Hypno" actually date back to early 1998 when Blakey was still in the band, and the songs were performed live in and around that time. "Wild Guess" was first attempted during the same time period, but was never performed live by that line-up.

An Introduction, Of Sorts, To The Peer Group

The Peer Group was a Boston band that existed from 1996 until early 2001, releasing only one song on a compilation despite several recording sessions proper. Best known as the last band that Peter Prescott was in before the Mission of Burma "Inexplicable" reunion (still going as of 2006), I participated in the group from its inception in 1996 until I quit in 1998. Yes, I did snap the tuning head off of my Electra Rickenbacher 4001 copy bass, but no it was not 100% intentional (though I do believe fate played its heavy hand that night).

What follows here is (was) The Peer Group's entry on Wikipedia, that online resource that can be both wonderful and frustrating, since anyone but anyone can write anything but anything on anything at all whatsoever. There is a gang of marauding members who patrol the site looking for lost clues, blown facts, and subjects they deem unworthy. On the morning of july 29, 2006, they deemed the Peer Group entry as "unworthy" and ripe for deletion because:

"Seems to fail WP:BAND. The article admits they only ever released one song. Quite happy to be corrected on this though. -Viridae"

and

"Delete. Horribly fails WP:BAND (look at their "Gigography"). -Coredesat"

Fine and so be it. What I thought was an endless melting pot of resources is just like any other exclusive club patrolled by former D&D players and small dicked motherfuckers. Forgive me, but, since the band never had a "hit", they have somehow deemed The Peer Group as not worth keeping. Read the rules for bands, becuase it's there. Ah well...

Anyhow, please enjoy. I plan on updating the site as more facts, flyers, photois, and info come in from my archives (located and sorted), as well as those of former members Jim Siegel, Rich Wentworth, and Patrick Lynch. If you have anything you'd like to add or contribute, please, feel free to contact me. I don't bite (promise).

Cheers-

Nick Blakey