The Fleshtones

KEITH STRENG'S RHYTHMIC GARAGE RIFFS KEEP THE PUNK-ERA LEGENDS VITAL AFTER FIVE NON-STOP DECADES

- Jim Beaugez

GUITARIST KEITH STRENG made his CBGB debut with first-wave NYC punks the Fleshtones in 1976, just as the scene was coalescing around young bands like the Ramones, Blondie and Talking Heads, all of which collectively brought a sense of abandon back to rock music. “Everything was new and fresh, and everybody was bringing something to the table; it was exciting and unbroken ground,” Streng says. “That’s what motivated me to become a guitar player, because it wasn’t all about scales and technique. It was just taking it back to what rock ’n’ roll should be — minimal, emotional and simple.”