certain general came together as a band in late 1980 after meeting in manhattan's east village. before playing their first club date at new york's hurrah, the band had already created a buzz among the downtown manhattan music and art communities. loft parties, art openings, and after-hours shows in lower manhattan served as their springboard and they quickly became one of the darlings of a downtown scene based in the club 57 social club inhabited by such artists, actors, and musicians as keith haring, jean-michel basquiat, john sex, wendy wild, and ann magnuson, among others.