Detroit’s Algebra Mothers Perform Live at the WDET Studios

This month, Third Man Records will re-release a hard-to-find gem of Detroit’s early punk rock scene.

This month, Third Man Records will re-release a hard-to-find gem of Detroit’s early punk rock scene.

Fueled by the late 1970s burgeoning underground new wave, garage rock, and punk scenes, the Algebra Mothers was formed in Detroit by five artists and musicians from Cass Tech High School.

The band was led by guitarist Gerald Collins, who currently heads up Jeecy and the Jungle, and bassist and songwriter Ralph Valdez, who longtime WDET listeners will remember as an influential and talented music host for more than 20 years. 

In anticipation of Third Man Record’s reissue of the band’s 1979 7″ and archival recordings, the Algebra Mothers performed in the WDET studios along with an interview by Jon Moshier of Modern Music, heard on Saturdays at 3 PM on WDET. 

Author

  • Amanda LeClaire
    Amanda LeClaire is an award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. She’s a founding producer of WDET’s flagship news talk show Detroit Today, and a former host/reporter for Arizona Public Media. Amanda is also an artist, certified intuitive and energy healer, and professional tarot reader.