The Qax Pistols formed in Bloomington in 1979 by WQAX volunteers, primarily to play at street dances. The name was a play on “Sex Pistols” crossed with WQAX, the Bloomington free form cable FM radio station (predecessor to community station WFHB) which operated from 1973 to 1993.  They had a handful of original songs, but their specialty was garage-band-styled mashups of everything from The Doors and The Monkees to Pink Floyd and Yes (often at the same time). In addition to street dances, they played often at Bullwinkle’s/Second Story.

QAX Pistols members all played under fake names, and included Jim Manion (Amos N. Anarchee), Rick Heinsohn (Dash Rip Rock), Roscoe Medlock, Frankie Camaro, Neil Sharrow (Bint Rastage Jr.), Jim Stikeleather (J’m Babwe) and Charles Frommer (Humlock Runstler).  Some of these members were in other Bloomington bands, noted below in related artists.  

The Qax Pistols were included on Sirius Music’s Segments cassette compilation, released in 1981, with their original track “Chemical Stew”.

For a brief period the band switched its name to Sitting Dux, but then reverted back to Qax Pistols.