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Howard Wuelfing

Howard Wuelfing

Howard Wuelfing is a veteran of many different aspects of the music industry, having worked as a musician, a writer, and a publicist. 

Howard was an active musician in the 1970/80s, playing with bands such as Half Japanese and The Slickee Boys, as well as leading local DC twisted-pop micro-legends the Nurses, Underheaven (featuring Don Zientara of Inner Ear Studio renown) and New Jersey's Love Pushers (featuring Jersey Beat fanzine editor Jim Testa, future Chicago Sun Times writer/author Jim DeRogatis and Crocodile Shop's Mick Hale). 

Playing music led to decades of independent music journalism, where he contributed to the Washington Post, Creem, Spin, Your Flesh, Forced Exposure, Boston Rock and the Village Voice over the years. Early in his career, Howard succeeded in publishing D.C. based fanzines DesCenes and DisCords, which helped the early punk scene in that region get recognition.

As a working writer, it was natural that Howard would then move into publicity. His first stint as a publicist was at legendary indie label JEM, supporting acts such as Robert Fripp and Brian Eno, before spending 12 years at Columbia Records, and then his own firm Howlin’ Wuelf Media.  Over the years, Howard has worked with legends like the late Jeff Buckley, the Afghan Whigs/Twilight Singers, and the Feelies, as well as avant acts like Swans, Einsturdzende Neubauten and Devendra Banhardt.

He currently resides in Bucks County, PA, with his wife and several cats. 

Article on Howard's DeScenes fanzine

23 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

ABBA, Blondie, Lisa Burns, The Heaters, Ronnie Spector: Albums by Abba, Blondie et al

Review by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, October 1978

Girl Group Sound Filters Back into Rock Scene ...

The B-52s: On Target with the B-52s

Interview by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, December 1979

Setting their sights beyond Athens, Georgia ...

The Big Boys, Minor Threat, Trouble Funk: Trouble Funk, Minor Threat, the Big Boys: Lansburgh Cultural Center, Washington DC

Live Review by Howard Wuelfing, The Washington Post, 26 September 1983

Punk & Funk ...

Blondie, Shaun Cassidy, Iggy Pop, Suicide, The Vibrators: New Albums: Best at the Theft — Suicide Outclasses Blondie

Review by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, March 1978

AMONG OUTSIDERS, the paramount issues of the punk/new wave movement revolve around stuff like clothing styles, politics, and the effect of massive success on a ...

Can: Ege Bamyasi (United Artists UA LA 063-F)

Review by Howard Wuelfing, Zoo World, 13 September 1973

AH! FINALLY another platter full of stuff to sear the audial nerves clean of all the CS&N/America/Eagles slush that's been fed to them almost without ...

Shaun Cassidy, The Damned, The Dictators, Eddie & The Hot Rods, The Hollywood Stars, The Sex Pistols, Snatch, Ultravox, Venus & the Razorblades: New Releases: The Kids Err Alright

Review by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, July 1977

REMEMBER "PUNK ROCK?" For a while there it was the supreme hip misconception — a much abused catch-all referring in general to any sort of ...

Devo, The Only Ones, The Ramones, Talking Heads: Don't Step On My Gray Canvas Shoes: New Albums from Talking Heads, Ramones, Devo et al

Review by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, November 1978

IN EXAMINING Talking Heads' latest release, More Songs About Buildings and Food (Sire, SRK 6058), we encounter a disturbing new twist upon several crucial new ...

Einstürzende Neubauten: Fünf Auf Der Nach Oben Offenen Richterskala (Some Bizzare/Relativity)

Review by Howard Wuelfing, Spin, November 1987

AT THE CORE of the Neubies' schtick is a knee-jerk rejection of every last element considered essential to rock music: guitars, drums, blues-based chord changes, ...

Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt: Oblique Strategies

Review by Howard Wuelfing, New York Rocker, August 1979

DON'T BE AFRAID OF CLICHÉS ...

Grin, Nils Lofgren: Nils Lofgren

Interview by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, September 1975

ON THE EVE of his upcoming nationwide tour, Nils Lofgren returned to his home turf August 16th, to preview his new band treating a small ...

Howlin' Wolf, Larry Johnson: Howlin' Wolf: Max's Kansas City, New York NY

Live Review by Howard Wuelfing, The Village Voice, 7 June 1973

WELL, IT'S OFFICIAL now. New York is the glitter capital of the rock world and Max's is its major stronghold. That's what an article in ...

Garland Jeffreys, Tom Waits: Tom Waits, Garland Jeffreys: The Cellar Door, Washington DC

Live Review by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, October 1975

THE NIGHTHAWK SOARS ...

Minor Threat: 9:30 Club, Washington DC

Live Review by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, June 1982

THEY RAGED; they soared; they conquered. In fact, the reformed Minor Threat very nearly surpassed the grotesquely high expectations everybody held for them on this, ...

Pere Ubu: Punching the Music Time Clock

Interview by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, May 1978

IF A TELEPHONE pole gets toppled by lightning and no one hears it hit pavement, was there indeed any sound of "thud?" Yeah, don't be ...

Pigbag: Horny Boars Or Funky Hambones?

Profile and Interview by Howard Wuelfing, New York Rocker, December 1981

STILL RECOVERING from last night's celebration of the end of my first cold of the season. Ooch! Where was I? Oh yeah, I'm supposed to ...

Raging Slab Wants A Place In The Mall Of Fame

Profile and Interview by Howard Wuelfing, Spin, August 1987

RAGING SLAB is arguably the heppest metal-referent band in all of Manhattan, and among the reetest drinking buds you'll find anywhere in these United States. ...

The Ramones, The Sex Pistols: The Ramones: Rocket to Russia (Sire); The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (Virgin/Warner Bros.)

Review by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, December 1977

The Life-Affirming, Entropy-Baiting Ramones and Sex Pistols ...

Swans Song

Retrospective and Interview by Howard Wuelfing, Addicted To Noise, 6 January 1997

Michael Gira, leader of the influential but little-known band Swans, isn't just floating along with the current. He's controlling it. ...

Swans: Children of God (Caroline)

Review by Howard Wuelfing, Spin, November 1987

CHILDREN OF God is a great Swans album and, possibly, an outstanding record by any standards. And it's the dreaded double set to boot! At times, ...

Talking Heads Approach Art Rock from the Right Direction

Interview by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, January 1978

TALKING HEADS are certainly not the only rock group ever to be designated "intellectuals." They are, however, the first to wear that description gracefully; they ...

Peter Tosh, The Wailers: Peter Tosh: The Bush Doctor is in

Interview by Howard Wuelfing, Unicorn Times, August 1979

  FIRST TACTICAL error: having arranged earlier in the day to meet with a long admired reggae legend at a given place and hour, I trust ...

The Undertones

Interview by Howard Wuelfing, New York Rocker, October 1980

SINCE THEIR performing debut here last year supporting the Clash, the Undertones have cleared a whole mess of professional and personal hurdles. ...

Wire: State-of-the-Art Return to Action

Profile and Interview by Howard Wuelfing, Musician, July 1987

WIRE IS back. After a "sabbatical" of some seven years, the British group released a four-song EP of new material titled Snakedrill, and The Ideal ...

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