W-2 existed for mere months between 1979 and 1980, leaving behind just five tracks that capture the raw, spiky essence of New York’s underground music scene. Founded by Robin Hall (formerly of proto-punk band Jack Ruby) and Russell Berke, and named after a wage statement tax form, the band blazed through a handful of shows at legendary venues like CBGB and Hurrah in their short-lived career. Their songs like Dancing on the Head of a Pin and Toxic Love were raw, jagged expressions of a moment, performed in the cramped, sweat-soaked clubs of New York’s most creative era.

W-2 never officially released music but recorded five songs on a tape as a promotional tool to secure shows. Four decades later, one of these tapes was found in the archive of Jim Fouratt, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Front, and quickly snapped up by Hall’s nephew Rob Miller (of Blues Lawyer fame) for his DIY label Vacant Stare.

Pretty cool story, and one hell of a document saved from obscurity. The W-2 Demo Tape (1980) is now available as a tape via the link below.

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