Doctors' Mob

For a brief moment in the mid-'80s, a style of music dubbed "new sincerity" seemed to be the next big thing. Originating in Austin, Texas, the sound of such bands as Glass Eye, the Reivers, True Believers, the Wild Seeds, and Texas Instruments reflected a new post-punk and new wave attitude. According to Steve Collier, vocalist and principal songwriter of Doctors' Mob, one of the most-promising of the "new sincerity" groups, "The whole idea of the band was to have these really melodic songs that you played really heavy." Formed in the early '80s, Doctors' Mob took its name from an article about the first American riot, "Doctor's Mob of 1728," that the band found in an old almanac. The group was beset by internal problems from the outset. The final four performances of their tour supporting their debut album, Headache Machine, in 1985, were canceled when founding bass player Jimmy Doluisio resigned following a gig. Replacing Doluisio with bass player Tim Swingle, Doctors' Mob signed with the Relativity label and recorded its second album, Sophomore Slump, with Ramones producer Tommy Erdelyi. The album's title proved to be appropriate when the label forced the band to re-record it, delaying its release date for several months. When Sophomore Slump was finally released in 1987, Doctors' Mob was unable to recapture its early momentum. Although they mounted two tours in support of the album, they disbanded. Drummer Glenn Benavides went on to play with Buick MacKane, Collier joined the Sidehackers, and guitarist/vocalist Don Lamb became manager of Waterloo Records. The members of Doctors' Mob reunited to celebrate the release of Last One in the Van Drives, combining tracks from their two albums, in 1999. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi