Sybil (band)
Sybil | |
|---|---|
| Origin | San Francisco, CA |
| Years active | 1985 - 1987 |
Sybil was a San Francisco-based American rock band. They achieved success on the '80s California club circuit before disbanding in little over a year, but not before recording their debut LP, Every Parent's Dream. Although they were relative unknowns at the time, Sybil are now recognized as one of the forefathers of '80s glam rock and hair metal.
Formation and Career
Sybil was formed in San Mateo in 1985 by Michael Marqueson (Roxy), Mark McLeod (Syd Tybil) and Bill Dellara (Pat Pend). The trio enlisted former Head On guitarist James Ray (Cookie Chunks) and Los Angeles-based guitarist Billy Wood (Willie Orwonee), who briefly played with members of Hollywood Rose. Together they formed an artistic vision consisting of high-energy pop rock combined with raunchy and at times X-rated stage antics.
The band rose quickly through the Bay Area club scene, mainly due to their provocative stage show, which included smoke bombs, inflatable sex toys and pelting the audience with dogfood. Their onstage antics led to confrontations with other artists as well as being banned from several prominent San Francisco venues, including Wolfgangs and the Old Waldorf.
Sybil recorded an independent LP, Every Parent's Dream.[1], while searching for a record deal. This unconventional approach led to their music being unreleased for over two decades, when it was finally released by Fervor Records[2]. A single, "I Wanna Forget You (Just The Way You Are)," was also released on Renown Records[3].
A 40th anniversary reissue of Every Parent's Dream was announced for a January 2026 release, with audio remastering by guitarist James Ray.
Influences
The band drew musical inspiration from several hard rock and punk acts of the '70s and '80s, including the New York Dolls, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. Their musical style is defined as power pop with hard rock, punk and goth influences. While stylistically similar to hair metal, Sybil distanced themselves from their contemporaries by writing darker material such as "Murder On My Mind" and "I Need A Gun."
Fashion
Along with Jetboy, Sybil were at the forefront of Bay Area glam rock fashion, drawing crowds to the Keystone San Francisco, Mabuhay Gardens and Rock On Broadway. Glam bands of the era wore heavy makeup and teased hair, but Sybil took it a step further by performing in full drag for most of their career before eventually ditching the cross-dressing in favor of traditional hard rock attire[4]
Discography
- Main article: Sybil (band)/Discography
Sybil's full-length LP, Every Parent's Dream, has been released on a variety of record labels, including Retrospect Records and Fervor Records.
- Every Parent's Dream (1985)
- I Wanna Forget You (Just The Way You Are) (single) (2019)
Members
- Roxy (Michael Marqueson) - vocals
- Cookie Chunks (James Ray) - guitar, vocals
- Willie Orwonee (Billy Wood) - guitar
- Syd Tybil (Mark McLeod) - bass
- Pat Pend (Bill Dellara) - drums
References
- ↑ "Sybil - Every Parent's Dream". Discogs. 2007.
- ↑ "Fervor Records Artists Roster".
- ↑ "SYBIL – "I Wanna Forget You (Just the Way You Are)" – RENOWN RECORDS".
- ↑ "Tales from a Former Fanzine Journalist: Sybil: The Boys Ditch Their Trashy Lingerie for Pants. But Will They be Taken Seriously Now?". 26 September 2017.
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