ROA on Curt Canales / Chain Of Strength in Buffalo

Curtis with Chain Of Strength at CBGB, NYC, Photo: Jon Hiltz

ROA brings us another old story for around the campfire - this time recalling an unlikely Chain Of Strength turn of events. We thought it was worth posting. -Gordo DCXX

This story happened twenty years ago. This is not an endorsement of violence nor is it a present picture of what Curt is like. I saw him for the first time in 15 plus years at the Radio Silence thing in Hollywood and Curt seemed like a genuine happy parent. This is truly far removed from his growing up in 1980s Pomona when it was like the Wild, Wild West.

So this was on the ever-popular Silver Sleeve Chain of Strength tour. Chain was playing with Zero Tolerance at an indoor skate park in Buffalo. It seemed like a good atmosphere was going on. People were skating, hanging out and talking. Chubby Fresh was there and was very nice (and I was in to hardcore waaaay before him, so "don't hate fruits").

Well, some older teenager was drinking beer and an X'd up kid went up to him and starting laying it on thick, "Why are you drinking? That is poison, man." The beer guy ignored him until the kid smacked the beer out of his hand. The beer kid gets justifiably mad and punches the kid. The kid falls and knocks someone else over and that makes that person angry…soon the place starts into a little-mini-old-time-black-and-white-movie-bar-fight. I am watching, having nothing to do with any of it but I get hit in the back of the head and turn around and hit a guy in the face who grabs his head and says, "fuck you, man, sorry, man, sorry" and walks away.

I turn around to see Curt walk up to two males fighting and try to separate them. They both are so engaged that neither of them notices Curt and one of them ends up hitting Curt.

Now, I am not sure if any of you saw "Pee Wee's Great Adventure" where Morgan Fairchild is just about to help James Brolin fight the bad guys but realizes that he needs no help. She then merely crosses her arms and watches. That is exactly what I did as I was going to help him out but instantly I saw Curt headlock one person, hit him twice and then punch the second kid in the head. Curt then releases the headlock and both kids looked dazed and confused - obviously thinking that the person who had hit them so hard must be much bigger than the then ultra-skinny Curt.

Curt did not see me watching him and we made our way back to the stage area as the crowd got back to being under control. We then met up and he did not say one word about the whole incident. I never told anyone about it since I thought if it got out, every person in the world would want to fight him. I knew I did not, and that trip was pretty cool. A Don Fury session was done. GB was recording Start Today and, while on a break, told us about the day's session that included a harmonica. I was pretty intrigued.

Curt from Chain: hard hitter. Good singer. Presently? A nice person.


Chain Of Strength in Boston, Photo: Boiling Point