Rat Bastard (Frank Falestra) is a transgressive guitarist, bassist and audio engineer who was a founding member in numerous psych, noise music, and performance art rock bands of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Rat Bastard played guitar in the noted Miami, Florida New Wave group Myrin and the 2 Wotz. Also in the early 1980s he co-founded a recording studio in North Miami Beach, Florida which existed under different names and locations for nearly twenty years. He currently runs his own studio in the South Beach section of Miami Beach, Florida. Among his most famous studio credits are recording Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids first demo cassette, and serving as second engineer and studio coordinator on Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids' After School Special in 1991. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rat Bastard was involved in the South Florida Industrial Music scene. In addition to fronting his own project known as Quayle, he also ran the Esync Records label, which was distributed by Dossier Records in Germany. In 1991 he co-founded the avant-garde/noise collective To Live and Shave in L.A. with Tom Smith and Ben Wolcott, and later To Live and Shave in L.A. 2 with Nondor Nevai, Weasel Walter, and Misty Martinez. In 1990 his band Scraping Teeth won Spin Magazine's Worst Band in America contest. Later he continued in the same vein with his band The Laundryroom Squelchers (also known as The Squelchers or LRS). Throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s Rat Bastard has booked and promoted experimental and rock music in Miami, most frequently at Churchill's Pub in Little Haiti. In addition to his annual "Bored Shitless" and "International Noise Conference" festivals, he has booked hundreds -- if not thousands -- of bands from around the world including Babes in Toyland, Mr. Quintron, Melt-Banana, Costes and Cock E.S.P.. Despite being known for producing, recording and promoting loud and raucous music, Rat Bastard also has the distinction of once being named "Best Acoustic Artist" by the Miami New Times.
External links
- Laundryroom Squelchers official site
