11/08/2025
🎤 Mic On, Filter Off! 🍺
Stephen Craig, of Eonian Records recently asked Craig Stegall, drummer of GASTEM about some of the legendary venues in their region, as well as ones they had played. Also, one unforgettable memory. See what Craig says below.👇
There was nothing else on the East Coast quite like HAMMERJACKS! Hands-down, the most legendary rock club the 1980s East Coast scene ever saw! All the big-name bands played there just as they were breaking, and Kix was royalty every time they hit that stage. GASTEM never got the chance to play that amazing venue, but we caught plenty of unforgettable shows from the crowd!
Here are some of the big rock joints from our era that we did play:
The Iroquois (Hampton Beach, NH) - Rumored to have been a spot Steven Tyler and Joe Perry would frequent because it was close to Massachusetts, where they lived. People left them alone there. We never saw them ourselves, but our buddies in Wrathchild did.
The Empire Rock Club (Philadelphia, PA) - Famous as the place where Bon Jovi discovered Cinderella.
The Bayou (Georgetown, DC)
The Network (Pasadena, MD) - Formerly known as The Sandbar back in the late ’70s.
The Seagull (Baltimore, MD)
The Rabbit’s Foot (Frederick, MD) - This was GASTEM’s crowd! We packed this place every time!
The Copa (Springfield, VA) - Later became the famed JAXX, where national acts always played while touring the East Coast.
The Mountain View (Smithsburg, MD)
Just a few of the national acts we shared the stage with: Kix, Wrathchild America, Child's Play, and Exodus …YES, THE gods of thrash - Exodus! That night… we were almost f*cking killed. I’m only about 25% kidding.
It happened in York, PA, at a club called Swizzles. Exodus had just lost Kirk to Metallica, and they were brutal, amazing, and all the rest. But whoever thought it was a good idea to have us open that night? Wow…
We got booed. Spit on. This was a club - they could literally reach me… and they did! They turned their f*cking backs on us. We left the stage after maybe four songs. And we even pulled out our heaviest material, just trying to win them over.
Yeah… big “NO” from the Exodus crowd.
We had f*cking lipstick and hairspray all over us - that’s their KRYPTONITE! 😂😂😂
But hey, on a positive note… they felt bad afterward. Gary Holt came up to me and said, “It happens to everyone who opens for us, man. Don’t take it personally.” Then he bought us a case of Heineken, which we used to dull the wounds! 😂😂😂
It was the ’80s… you can’t make that sh*t up!
We graduated pretty quickly from being just “an opening band.” After a solid year of shows opening for KIX, Wrathchild, and Monarch, we signed with James Turner Productions and started headlining not long after.
And don’t forget - our album Catch The Flame came out before most people had even seen us live. We created a vibe like we were already famous… before we ever hit the stage.
Eonian Records is thrilled to announce that PRE-SALES are NOW open for Maryland hard rock veterans, GASTEM, as the band celebrates its 40th anniversary. To mark the milestone, Eonian Records has reissued GASTEM’S long out-of-print albums, Catch the Flame (1985) and Do It Like Wild (1986), in newly remixed and remastered editions.
THESE will be limited pressings, so 🫵 will NOT want to 😴 💤 on these! 🛒
Visit the Eonian Rockshop TODAY!
🌐 www.eonianrecords.com
Glam Rock City Melodic Mafia Melodic Rock Forever!
