The Obvious - Surf’s Up, Gang!

A Saint Louis-based band from the early ’80s, The Obvious was among the first bands to play the New Wave/Punk styles of the late ’70s in St. Louis, a city a little behind the times. Drums: Kevin Brueseke, lead guitar: Alex Mutrux, bass: Jim Saltsider, vocals: Tony Patti, synth: Sally Barnes.

This video comes courtesy of Lo-Fi Saint Louis. Bill Streeter wrote:

This is a video sent to me by Tony Patti. In 1981 he and his band, The Obvious, made this video (shot on Super 8mm film) on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis under the famous Eads Bridge. In it you can see many young St. Louis scenesters of the time, including Steve Pick and the famous (or some might say infamous) Beatle Bob. I really love this piece. Thanks, Tony, for submitting this one!

One of the really interesting things about this video is that it was made before the days of MTV, yet is interestingly enough done in true early ’80s MTV style. So in that respect, The Obvious was slightly ahead of the times.

For a lot more info on the early days of the St. Louis punk/new wave scene, please visit Tony Patti’s excellent St. Louis New Wave Nostalgia site.