Pierced Arrows

Last May, at the Ash Street Saloon in Portland, Ore., Toody Cole and her husband, Fred, unveiled their new band, Pierced Arrows, marking the first time they had played live since the breakup of their legendary band, Dead Moon. "We were hearing what everybody was saying: 'Oh, they're gonna retire,' or, 'Yeah, the next band's gonna be a country-and-western thing,'" says Toody. "But Mom and Dad aren't ready to mellow out just yet." For 20 years, the Coles and drummer Andrew Loomis slogged through the underground, delivering unparalleled sets of ragged Northwest garage punk. And their strict DIY ethic and age (the Coles are nearing 60) made them role models to any-one disillusioned with mainstream standards. But in November 2006, when Fred announced that Dead Moon were calling it quits, it felt like a huge defeat (Toody had been quoted as saying death would have to intervene to break the band up). In the months after, the Coles, who run Tombstone General Store in Clackamas, Ore., to supplement their modest music-generated income, also immersed themselves in renovating an apartment building they own in Portland. Meanwhile, Loomis joined a new band called the Shiny Things. Bu... more...