KASPAR HAUSER -Live at Zone Art Center 1982 (Post punk/psych/ garage ) CD

The Pioneer Valley of Western Mass. had a thriving punk scene in the early 1980s with a diverse selection of bands that included The Scientific Americans, The Foreign Objects, The Time Beings, Pajama Slave Dancers, Deep Wound and many more. One band that didn't fall neatly into any genre was Kaspar Hauser, a band that combined post-punk and early synth pop influences for a unique sound that picked up where bands like Gary Numan's Tubeway Army left off. Kaspar Hauser released a three song 7" EP on Tekno-Tunes in 1982, produced by David Minehan of The Neighborhoods and The Replacements. An early live set from The Zone in Springfield, Mass. was recently discovered and released by Mesh Art Records in 2026.

PRAISE FOR KASPAR HAUSER:

Comprised of Ted Selke on drums, Steve Traiger on guitar, Tim Power on bass, what sets Kaspar Hauser a bit apart from their many peers is lead vocalist David Wildman adding synthesizer to what is quite a rhythmically driving post-punk band. The bass and drums hold down the framework of each song with lots of low-end heft and hi-hat and tom work, leaving plenty of space for Traiger's chiming, slashing guitar and Wildman's urgent vocalizing and synth accents... If you're a fan of the post-punk side of the early '80s American underground, you'll want to add this newly unearthed little gem to your collection. John Mulhouse in Ugly Things

"The appropriate opener 'Mysteries Of The Organism' (a reference, perhaps to Serbian director Dušan Makavejev's controversial film about Wilhelm Reich - these lads are acknowledged fans of underground films and Makavejev coincidentally died seven years ago this week!) catapults the audience into a frenetic blast of keyboard-driven "garage art punk rock"/new wave with a catchy B-52's vibe." Jeff Penczak in Terrascope Online

"Amid the shifting shadows of early-1980s American underground culture, where post-punk urgency met the strange allure of synthesized atmospheres, emerges a long-buried live document: “Live At The Zone Art Center – Springfield, Mass. – April 24, 1982” by Kaspar Hauser – issued in 2025 by Mesh Art Records on CD. It is a testimony not only to what might have been, but to what was: a band poised on the edge, capturing a moment of subterranean energy, unpolished, immediate, and beautifully human. For those drawn to the liminal zones of psychedelic, post-punk, and underground rock, this release offers both a time capsule and a rediscovery." Timelord Michalis in TimeMachine Productions

"The album suggests that Kaspar Hauser had a lot to offer 43 years ago and the emergence of this recording will give those who like me, delve into the hidden margins of New Wave and Post-Punk something new and valid to investigate... If I had been living in Springfield, Massachusetts back in 1982, this would have been my favorite local band back then. That much is clear." Jim Donato in Post-Punk Monk