(and Marty Friedman)

Fueled by the desire to play punk/hard rock and the hatred of the corporate pop of the day, in the late 70's Marty Friedman and Tom Gattis picked up guitars and formed Deuce. At ages 15 and 14, they played Ramones, Generation X and Kiss songs together. For being so young and in such a remote part of the Washington area, they both had a strong rock 'n' roll sensibility and also exceptional talent; Gattis, besides having the ability to crank out a buzz-saw rhythm at warp speed, could read music fluently from years of flute study. Friedman could play every Kiss guitar solo note-for-note. They recruited Chris Tinto (drums) and Steve Leter (Bass) and immediately started writing and playing original aggressive rock songs. Gattis' mother (!) built an enormous barn complete with a 2-level stage and drum riser for them to practice in. From the sheer decibels, people from all around flocked to the barn and subsequently these 'practices' almost always turned into full scale concerts/parties/happenings. Often there were more than a few hundred people at these rehearsals. The band never rehearsed without an idolizing audience. Although Gattis and Friedman thrived on all this attention (and free beer and weed!), Tinto and Leter had to be replaced by more musically rounded albeit slightly over-confident Billy Giddings (drums) and the technically limited but instantly likable Mike Davis (bass). Eddie Day got the gig as lead vocalist because he could imitate Cheap Trick's vocalist and he looked like he could get chicks. Deuce was the youngest band around and these nights 'concerts' became the talk of the DC. area. They exuded a raw teenage sexual energy, a rebellious image and a belligerent, go-for-the-throat attitude that the older bands in the area despised. Where most bands practiced their little set lists in their cubby-hole studios by themselves, Deuce took on the responsibility of doing an intense, ASS-KICKING, MIND NUMBING SHOW night after night. The songs were written and secretly worked on in the late afternoons before anyone would show up and by the time night came the barn would start filling up with frenzied Deuce fans and other derelicts who wanted to see what the buzz around town about these teenage GODS OF ROCK was all about.

With all the women that constantly surrounded the band, vocalist Eddie Day had developed quite an ego. He was let go because it was discovered that Gattis, despite never really trying before, could actually sing even better than Day - and with half the ego. This transaction created the truly legendary line-up of Deuce.

Much to the chagrin of the frustrated musicians in top-40 bands playing Dan Fogelberg and Fleetwood Mac covers, Deuce's popularity skyrocketed locally as they displayed their adolescent rage and rough- edged original music in every night club that would have them. They then spread the Deuce disease to New York, Delaware, and all over Maryland and Virginia. The band collected a legion of fans who would travel hundreds of miles to join in the debauchery and decadence that was a typical Deuce show at the barn.

The members had by this time truly developed individual personas that the fans worshipped. Davis, with his Pete Townshend windmill attack of his bass, to his buffoonery and unpredictable stage costumes - one night a complete monk's outfit, the next a farmer's overalls - really kept the fans guessing and the band in stitches. Giddings was becoming a drum prodigy at age 16, and his drum solos were way flashier and even more technically impressive than any drum solo you could see in an arena at that time. Friedman, who was usually in a stupor, would slither around shamelessly making eye contact with every girl in the audience and at the same time would make sure that every guy in the place paid attention to the fact that he was blazing on the guitar despite his being highly intoxicated. Slinging his Les Paul low, Gattis was the tall brooding frontman that the kids came to see. Walking the line between sex-god and punk rocker, he had enough sheer snarling attitude to make up for the other 3 derelicts in the band. As a foursome, they stalked the stage waiting to pounce on a riff and grind it into the skulls of all within earshot.

The album that they subsequently recorded captures a moment in time. A moment when the Michelob was flowing, bongs were bubbling and Barbital was brewing. It was the first recording experience for the members of Deuce, individually and collectively. This innocence could never be mistaken for naivete'; these kids had way too much to prove. The session was done in 2 days. The majority of the basic tracks were cut the first day and the remainder was cut 3 days later. Since the band had most of the serious work done the first day, the second day the kids took over the studio and turned it into a massive party similar to a typical chemical and gin-soaked night at the 'barn'. And from these sessions, we have the self-titled album of the definitive Deuce!

"Growing up in Maryland, as far as music goes, wasn't the best place to be for fans of underground metal in the early 80's. Import stores were few and far between, Kerrang! magazine was like a bible in those days, keeping us informed of all the great bands that were part of the NWOBHM movement that was going on overseas. Other than that, there were few sources to find out about bands, what was going on, and the whole scene in general. Yes, real metal was so spread out, so underground, so obscure, that seeking good music became such a task day in and day out in the area. Little did I know that right in my area, there was a band that was churning and grinding out riffs and melody lines in a style that was similar to the great NWOBHM sounds that I had become so infatuated with and craved so much. I caught wind of this band, Deuce, tracked them down, and decided to check out one of their gigs. I went to the club expecting, if I was lucky, maybe this band doing covers of AC/DC, Van Halen, Nugent, Ozzy, etc ..., but they were actually playing originals, which were completely overwhelming and could easily rival and coincide with the whole metal movement that was sweeping across Europe by storm. Deuce was an explosive unit, full of energy, with brilliant riffs, hooks, and song structures, which sadly was passed by and overlooked by most involved in the metal scene at that time. I believe that being based in Maryland was probably one of the main reasons that they never had the opportunity to achieve worldwide success, due to the fact that there was little support, nor much of a metal scene in the town.

Throughout the years past, a lot of decent bands have evolved in Maryland, but none really captured the impact, freshness, and innovativeness that Deuce did so well. They were true purveyors of metal in this part of the east coast at that time. To this day, their demo tapes and single have reached the level of a legendary cult status scale on the collectable metal scene.

To briefly sum up this thought Deuce, I'd have to say that being exposed to and introduced to this band's music and gigs, has made a huge impact and strong memorable times during the early days of when I was getting into metal. Not only myself, but all fans in this area, and worldwide who were familiar with Deuce, can surely appreciate and comprehend the music that was produced by this very underrated and talented band."--Jm Powell