About The Motels
The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. In 1980, The Motels song "Total Control" reached No. 7 on the Australian chart , and their song "Danger" reached No. 15 on the French chart.
Martha Davis, the lead singer, reformed a version of the band called "The Motels featuring Martha Davis" in 1998 and toured under that name with various line-ups of musicians. Since 2013, they have been billed as Martha Davis and The Motels.
The first incarnation of The Motels formed in Berkeley, California in 1971. Lisa Brenneis persuaded Dean Chamberlain , Chuck Wada and Martha Davis to form a band . Hoping for better exposure and seeking a recording contract, the Warfield Foxes moved to Los Angeles in 1975. While in Los Angeles, Lisa Brenneis left and the band first changed its name to Angels of Mercy, then to The Motels. Both Davis and Wada contributed original songs to the band's repertoire. Around this time, bass guitarist Richard D'Andrea and drummer Robert Newman joined The Motels, making the band a quintet .
The Motels and two other local bands, The Pop and The Dogs, participated in a self-produced show titled Radio Free Hollywood at Troupers Hall, a performance space at a home for retired actors. Before this show, few if any unsigned bands played local high-profile clubs like the Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy Theatre. The Motels then appeared on Rodney Bingenheimer's popular radio show on KROQ. The Motels recorded a demo for Warner Bros. Records, but the record label turned it down. Capitol Records offered the band a recording contract. At this point, The Motels rejected the Capitol offer and disbanded, citing musical differences among the band members. One song from their Warner Bros. demo, "Counting", was included on the Rhino Records compilation Saturday Night Pogo, released in 1978. Another demo from this line-up, "Every Day Star", was released on their compilation CD Anthologyland.
Chamberlain created the band Code Blue, which signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records. D'Andrea joined the Pits and later the Know. Newman became an art director and designer and Wada a financial advisor. Brenneis wrote a series of books on Final Cut Pro editing software .
In March 1978, Davis and lead guitarist Jeff Jourard decided to reform The Motels. Extensive auditions resulted in a new line-up of the band, consisting of Jourard's brother Marty, who played both the saxophone and keyboards, Michael Goodroe on bass, and Brian Glascock on drums.
Short on funds, The Motels shared rehearsal space with The Go-Go's at The Masque in Hollywood. They played in Chinatown, Los Angeles, at Madame Wong's restaurant/nightclub. The Motels began to draw crowds and in May 1979 the band signed a contract with Capitol Records. Four months later, Capitol released The Motels' debut album, The Motels. Their first single, "Closets and Bullets", made no impact on the charts, but their second single release, "Total Control", reached the Top 20 in France and the Top 10 in Australia.
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