In short, Johnny, Sylvia Juncosa is the kind of rock persona that Courtney Love has spent her entire career trying to become. A Los Angeles-based keyboardist, guitarist, and singer, Juncosa has combined a rumored (but unsubstantiated) affinity for foreign substances with a ballsy rock attitude to create such memorable ditties as the infamous “Lick My Pussy, Eddie Van Halen,” from her 1988 solo debut, Nature (SST). Her voice has been described as “Onoesque,” which, from these quarters, sounds like a compliment but which was probably not intended as such. Her music ranges from guitar-God musings (read: metal) to more subtle and subdued styles. Your best bet is to listen before purchasing.
Long before she stepped out on her own, Juncosa began paying her proverbial dues in a series of well-known West Coast bands. She was briefly a member of the Leaving Trains sometime around 1983 or ’84, when it was a pleasant West Coast roots-rock band, though lead singer Falling James would soon lead the band into the kind of short, scabrous punk songs for which it ultimately achieved infamy. After leaving the Trains, Juncosa toured as a keyboardist with a band called Clay Allison, featuring former Rain Parade guitarist David Roback and former Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith. Though Juncosa departed after the tour, Smith and Roback ultimately began calling themselves Opal, garnering a deserved reputation for wistful, vaguely psychedelic pop. When Smith departed the group in 1988 for a solo career (her albums can be found on 4AD Records), Roback re-grouped with ex-Going Home singer Hope Sandoval to form Mazzy Star, whose new album, Among My Swan, proves conclusively that Roback hasn’t had any new ideas in over a decade.
But that’s neither here nor there. Juncosa ditched her keyboard for a guitar and formed her own trio, To Damascus, which debuted in 1986 with Succumb (Regent). Around this time, Juncosa also joined SWA, the band led by former Black Flag bassist Chuck Dukowski. She was in the latter long enough to appear on one studio album (1987’s XCIII) before quitting. To Damascus didn’t last much longer, splitting after 1987’s Come to Your Senses (generally considered to contain some of Juncosa’s best work).
With both of her band commitments gone, Juncosa began a solo career that, to this point, has spawned two albums: the above-mentioned Nature and One Thing (1989). Rock voyeur Joe Carducci, in his book Rock and the Pop Narcotic, offered this advice about Juncosa’s solo work: “If lead guitar is what you’re looking for, you want Sylvia Juncosa; she played more in the James Williamson [Stooges] style in SWA, but here in the Sylvia Juncosa Band she goes heels over ass soloing on a pretty sharp rhythm section.”
After Thing, Juncosa’s career seems to have fallen off the map. The only thing the Guru could find from Juncosa this decade was a brief appearance with Sharon Stoned, a band with one self-titled album on Snoop/Breakout that features guest appearances from Juncosa (who played guitar on one song), Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Folk Implosion), Evan Dando (Lemonheads), Schneider (Hip Young Things, Locust Fudge), and Micha and Markus Archer (Notwist). With such an active career in the ’80s, it’s hard to believe that she hasn’t done anything else, so the Guru is anxiously awaiting responses to the contrary from the throngs of naysayers.
[this was taken from http://themet.net/themet/mu-guru.htm]
... index... lyrics... discography... pictures... newstand... email me...