History

Target Earth was formed out of the ashes of East Egg and The Cloth, in Orlando, Florida, in the spring of 1986 by Charles Aceto and Mark Massaro. Initially, Mark and Charles were going to form two separate bands; Mark, a heavy goth band; and Charles, a heavy rock band. Charles hired drummer Rick Thomas, and after an awkward gig with a drum machine at Below Zero, Mark and Charles decided to join forces, and bring Mark’s heavy goth vibe in to form Target Earth.

Bringing back former Cloth drummer Jeff Ashmead solidified their sound , a blend of goth, punk, new wave, metal, and psychedelic rock. Mark’s lyrics dealt in isolation, depression, and self acceptance; while Charles’ lyrics were more centered around the paranoia of communist takeover, going to war, fascism, and polluting the earth. Both meshed well to join a tapestry of wailing guitars, throbbing bass, and expressive drumming not heard in Orlando before or since.

"...a tapestry of wailing guitars, throbbing bass, and expressive drumming not heard in Orlando before or since."

In 1988, Mark moved to Boston and Target Earth took a more punk, and then death metal turn, with bassist vocalist Clint Bailiff, drummer Greg Ramsay, and guitarist Tom Carr. They had the opportunity to open for the Dead Milkmen, Raging Slab, and the Flaming Lips, among others; as well as playing several Club Spacefish events.

Reunion

Charles, Clint, and Jeff will be reuniting for one night only, playing songs of early Target Earth as well as The Cloth. There will be several surprises and a very limited amount of Target Earth merchandise, so come early, and stay late for Club Spacefish, Saturday May 16, at Conduit in Orlando. See you there!