Salem 66, the groundbreaking Boston trio formed in 1982 by Judy Grunwald, Beth Kaplan, and Susan Merriam, were true pioneers—an all-women band boldly navigating the male-dominated post-punk scene. Blending angular art-rock with lush pop hooks (and even covering Wire’s “Fragile”), they stood toe-to-toe with icons like Mission of Burma and Dinosaur Jr—who opened for them at their first NYC show.
Releasing four stellar albums on the legendary Homestead Records between 1984 and 1990, Salem 66 earned praise from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and CREEM, and shared stages with The Replacements, The Raincoats, and The Go-Betweens. Yet for decades, their catalog remained criminally out of print—until now.
Don Giovanni Records has finally brought their music to streaming with SALT, a brand-new compilation that reintroduces this cult favorite to a new generation. To celebrate, a freshly unearthed video for their shimmering track “Lucky Penny” gives fans a long-overdue look at a band that was always ahead of the curve.