By 1977, Chatham's music was heavily influenced by punk rock, having seen an early Ramones concert. He was particularly intrigued and influenced by the group of artists music critics would label No Wave in 1978. That year, he began performing "Guitar Trio" around downtown Manhattan with an ensemble that included Glenn Branca, as well as Nina Canal of Ut. During this period, he wrote several works for large guitar ensembles, including "Drastic Classicism", a collaboration with dancer Karole Armitage. "Drastic Classicism" was first released in 1982 on the compilation "New Music from Antarctica", put together by Kit Fitzgerald, John Sanborn and Peter Laurence Gordon. It was also included on the 1987 album that also included his 1982 composition "Die Donnergötter" (German for ""The Thundergods"").