Pearl Harbor and the Explosions

Pearl E. Gates has had extraordinary career, even before she adopted the nickname Pearl Harbor while fronting the pioneering Bay Area punk band, the Explosions. In the mid-1970s, Gates was a backup singer and dancer with the Tubes, one of the most innovative (and controversial) rock acts to emerge from the Bay Area.

By 1977, Gates had left to join an up-and-coming group called Leila and the Snakes. That band would essentially go nowhere, but as the punk movement grew and became more commercially viable, Gates felt she had the wherewithal to develop her own project. With guitarist Peter Bilt and the Stench brothers, John and Hilary, on drums and bass respectively, she re-emerged as Pearl Harbor and the Explosions.

The group cut a single, "Drivin'" which became a radio staple in the Bay Area and sold an astonishing 10,000 copies. Warner Brothers quickly scooped the band up in 1978, and that is the time period from which this performance was recorded.

Pearl has spent the last 25 years doing sporadic shows and recordings. In 1998, she revamped the Explosions with all new members (including guitarist Stinky Le Pew and Dead Kennedy guitarist, East Bay Ray). They headlined the Psychobilly Festival, and perform on occasion to this day.