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Mass Extension

Archive spelling note: period public sources use Mass Extension. Our large collector list repeatedly labels the band Mass Extinction. The website preserves that spelling discrepancy as a research issue instead of silently “correcting” historical labels.
Family bandT.T.E.D. / Island eraHappy FeetGood to Go periodArchive spelling issue
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Artist overview

Mass Extension belongs squarely in the mid-1980s Go-Go industry story. A 1985 Washington Post feature described the act as a family band, while Billboard reported Mass Extension as one of the T.T.E.D. artists included in Maxx Kidd’s Island/4th & B’Way distribution push. “Happy Feet” became the group’s best-known commercial title and remains a useful bridge between the live circuit and the record-business campaign to take Go-Go national.

Family bandThe Washington Post described Mass Extension as coming to Go-Go as a family band.
T.T.E.D. / IslandBillboard included Mass Extension in the 1985 label/distribution campaign.
Two spellingsPublic record: Mass Extension. Collector list: Mass Extinction. Kept visible until provenance is resolved.

Music

Happy Feet1985 T.T.E.D.-era single; the title appears in period press, current Go-Go catalogs and surviving record listings.
RELEASE VERIFIED
HeartbeatCurrent DC Go-Go catalog preserves a 1981 Mass Extension performance/title under this name.
ARCHIVE CATALOG
Live / block-party repertoireCurrent public archive listings include Otis Street, Kennedy Street, Sidwell Friends and other early-1980s material.
ARCHIVE CATALOG

Live & PA archive

The collector list contains a separate “MASS EXTINCTION” section with dates from 1980 through 1986 and a 2004 reunion. Because period press uses Mass Extension, those entries are treated as probable but not automatically merged without provenance review.

Otis Street — 1980/81Collector labels preserve early block-party material under “Mass Extinction.”
8th & Kennedy — 1982Collector label.
Sidwell Friends — 1983Collector label; a current public Go-Go catalog also carries a Sidwell Friends item.
Reston, Virginia — 1983Working collector label pairs Shady Groove with “Mass Extinction”; exact room and date remain open.
Coolidge H.S. — 1985Collector entry.
Metro — 1986Collector entry.
Reunion — 3/12/2004Later collector label under the Mass Extinction spelling.

Timeline

Early live/block-party trail
Collector and current public Go-Go catalogs preserve Otis Street, Kennedy Street and Sidwell Friends material.
“Happy Feet” + major-label push
Period trade coverage places Mass Extension in the T.T.E.D./Island campaign.
Good to Go era
Washington press describes Island releases/singles by Mass Extension during the national Go-Go push.
Community anti-drug recording
Mass Extension is named among the participating Go-Go bands.
Reunion label in collector archive
Preserved under “Mass Extinction”; needs artifact-level confirmation.

People

Family lineupPeriod press says the act was a family band; a stronger personnel source is still needed before listing every member.
Darrell / Gerald WestModern metadata for “Happy Feet” credits Darrell West and Gerald West as composers; personnel roles still need primary-source confirmation.
Maxx Kidd / T.T.E.D.The band’s commercial story intersects the label’s mid-1980s national Go-Go campaign.

Connections

Mass Extension is a perfect example of the website’s “music + evidence” approach. A visitor can discover “Happy Feet,” then immediately see the label campaign, the live-circuit evidence and even the spelling problem in the surviving tape culture. That is more historically useful than a clean but oversimplified biography.

Source trail

Billboard — Go-Go Music Ready to Go GlobalNames Mass Extension among T.T.E.D. acts in the Island distribution campaign.Trade press
Washington Post — GO-GOPeriod overview describes Mass Extension as a family band.Contemporary press
Washington Post — RecordingsDiscusses Island’s Go-Go output and Mass Extension singles.Contemporary press
DC Go-Go MusicCurrent catalog includes Mass Extension live/classic entries including “Happy Feet” and “Heartbeat.”Current music archive
I AM GO-GO working PA/live catalogContains a “Mass Extinction” trail from 1980–1986 plus a 2004 reunion label; spelling/provenance remains under review.Internal archive lead

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