Band of Susans
Encyclopedia
Band of Susans was a noise rock
band formed in New York City
in 1986. It originally consisted of Robert Poss (guitar/vocals), Susan Stenger (bass/vocals), Ron Spitzer (drums), with Susan Lyall (guitar), Susan Tallman (guitar), and Alva Rogers (vocals). However, the band would undergo several permutations over the years, usually involving guitarists. Poss, Stenger, and Spitzer were the band's core members throughout its duration.
, and played in the bands Tot Rocket and Western Eyes. Taking their name from the number of Susans then in the lineup, Band of Susans released the 12" EP Blessing And Curse on Poss's own Trace Elements label. A record-release party (also said to be the band's first-ever live gig) was held at NYC's The Love Club on January 31, 1987; BoS were the opening act for a band called Das Furlines. They were soon signed to the avant-garde Blast First
imprint of UK record label Mute Records
.
After the release of debut album Hope Against Hope, Rogers, Lyall and Tallman quit, and were replaced by Karen Haglof (guitar) and Page Hamilton
(guitar). This lineup recorded the album Love Agenda and a Peel Sessions
EP, which featured a cover of Gang Of Four
's "I Found That Essence Rare." The two new guitarists then quit, with Hamilton quickly forming the more metal-influenced Helmet
. Anne Husick (guitar) and Mark Lonergan (guitar) then joined BoS, yielding the band's "classic lineup" which made three more albums and one EP, all on Restless Records
.
scene which produced Sonic Youth
, Glenn Branca
, Live Skull
, and Swans
. They generally used G&L
brand guitars (which appear on several of the band's album covers), Fender Jazzmaster
s, and Park (a budget brand made by Marshall) amplifiers. G&L owner Leo Fender
was an avowed fan of the band and later befriended Poss. Musically, BoS organised their three guitarists into providing an overwhelming wall of feedback and guitar noise layered atop more conventional song structures. Due to their love of atmospheric textures, the band is often considered a peripheral member of the shoegaze movement, though they had a more abrasive sound closer to that of their New York contemporaries than most of the primarily-British bands of the shoegaze genre. Like shoegaze bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Band of Susans were notorious for playing live at extremely high volumes in order to recreate the visceral impact of their studio albums. In an interview, guitarist Robert Poss noted the similarity between shoegaze and Band of Susan's hypnotic soundscape, saying "My Bloody Valentine have been contemporaries of ours, and we played shows with them in Europe and in the U.S. in 1989." said Despite BoS's experimental leanings, Poss was a big fan of The Rolling Stones
, which was later manifest in covers of the Stones' songs "Child Of The Moon" and "Paint It Black."
, Wire, Rollins Band, Smegma, Das Furlines, and Lovely http://www.gigposters.com/band/20355_Band_Of_Susans.html. During the band's final U.S. and European tours, Jay Braun (who formed the Negatones
shortly thereafter) filled in for Lonergan and Kelly Burns filled in for Ron Spitzer. Band of Susans also performed, with Rhys Chatham as a warmup "group," at The Kitchen on 19th Street, in the early '80s (perhaps 1981-82) as part of a "performance art" piece. A year or so afterward, they performed at CBGB, although not with the original lineup, with the exception of Susan Stenger, Robert Poss, and possibly Karen Hagloff.
of Wire
as gilbertpossstenger; one album was released under this moniker. Stenger and Poss have also worked extensively with composer Phill Niblock. Poss has concentrated on production and solo work, whilst Stenger played live with The Creatures
for a period, and worked with Nick Cave
, John Cale
and Alan Vega
(Suicide
) among others. She has an electric bass ensemble, Big Bottom, and has collaborated with choreographer Michael Clark, author Iain Sinclair and visual artist Cerith Wyn Evans. Her 96-day musical installation, Soundtrack For An Exhibition, opened at Le Musée d'Art Contemporain in Lyon, France on March 7, 2006, and includes contributions from Robert Poss, Alan Vega, Alexander Hacke, Kim Gordon, Mika Vainio, Ulrich Krieger and Jennifer Hoyston among others. Poss released a pair of solo albums, "Distortion Is Truth" and "Crossing Casco Bay" in 2002, has done music for choreographers Alexandra Beller, Sally Gross and Gerald Casel and has engineered CDs by Seth Josel and Phill Niblock; he has also worked in collaboration with Ben Neill and David Dramm. In April 2009 he performed as part of Rhys Chatham's ensemble at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibit "Downtown Comes Uptown: The Pictures Generation, 1974–1984"
s were released for:
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
band formed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1986. It originally consisted of Robert Poss (guitar/vocals), Susan Stenger (bass/vocals), Ron Spitzer (drums), with Susan Lyall (guitar), Susan Tallman (guitar), and Alva Rogers (vocals). However, the band would undergo several permutations over the years, usually involving guitarists. Poss, Stenger, and Spitzer were the band's core members throughout its duration.
History
In the early to mid 1980s, Poss studied under the tutelage of avant-garde guitar ensemble composer Rhys ChathamRhys Chatham
Rhys Chatham is an American composer, guitarist, and trumpet player, primarily active in avant-garde and minimalist music. He is best known for his "guitar orchestra" compositions...
, and played in the bands Tot Rocket and Western Eyes. Taking their name from the number of Susans then in the lineup, Band of Susans released the 12" EP Blessing And Curse on Poss's own Trace Elements label. A record-release party (also said to be the band's first-ever live gig) was held at NYC's The Love Club on January 31, 1987; BoS were the opening act for a band called Das Furlines. They were soon signed to the avant-garde Blast First
Blast First
Blast First is a sub label of one-time independent record label, Mute Records, founded in approximately 1985. It was named after a phrase taken from the first number of the radical Vorticist journal Blast, published by Wyndham Lewis in 1914...
imprint of UK record label Mute Records
Mute Records
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...
.
After the release of debut album Hope Against Hope, Rogers, Lyall and Tallman quit, and were replaced by Karen Haglof (guitar) and Page Hamilton
Page Hamilton
Page Hamilton is a guitarist, singer and record producer, mostly noted for his work with alternative metal band Helmet...
(guitar). This lineup recorded the album Love Agenda and a Peel Sessions
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
EP, which featured a cover of Gang Of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
's "I Found That Essence Rare." The two new guitarists then quit, with Hamilton quickly forming the more metal-influenced Helmet
Helmet (band)
Helmet is an alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member....
. Anne Husick (guitar) and Mark Lonergan (guitar) then joined BoS, yielding the band's "classic lineup" which made three more albums and one EP, all on Restless Records
Restless Records
Restless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records...
.
Sonic characteristics
As their history of having eight guitarists in all (and never less than three at any given time) attests, Band of Susans were a heavily guitar-centric outfit. They are generally included in New York City's abrasive post-No WaveNo Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
scene which produced Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
, Live Skull
Live Skull
-Overview:Live Skull created abrasive no wave music not unlike their 1980s contemporaries Sonic Youth, Swans, Rat at Rat R, The Chameleons, Mars, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and Band of Susans. Their music featured angular guitar parts interspersed with bleak, quieter passages, for a haunting...
, and Swans
Swans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
. They generally used G&L
G&L
G&L is a guitar design and production company founded by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Dale Hyatt in the late 1970s. Fender sold his company named Fender in 1965. He designed and produced instruments for Music Man in the 1970s through his company CLF Research. When relations with Music Man...
brand guitars (which appear on several of the band's album covers), Fender Jazzmaster
Fender Jazzmaster
The Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as an upmarket sibling to the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed at jazz guitarists, but found favor among surf rock guitarists in the early 1960s...
s, and Park (a budget brand made by Marshall) amplifiers. G&L owner Leo Fender
Leo Fender
Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender was an American inventor who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, or "Fender" for short...
was an avowed fan of the band and later befriended Poss. Musically, BoS organised their three guitarists into providing an overwhelming wall of feedback and guitar noise layered atop more conventional song structures. Due to their love of atmospheric textures, the band is often considered a peripheral member of the shoegaze movement, though they had a more abrasive sound closer to that of their New York contemporaries than most of the primarily-British bands of the shoegaze genre. Like shoegaze bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Band of Susans were notorious for playing live at extremely high volumes in order to recreate the visceral impact of their studio albums. In an interview, guitarist Robert Poss noted the similarity between shoegaze and Band of Susan's hypnotic soundscape, saying "My Bloody Valentine have been contemporaries of ours, and we played shows with them in Europe and in the U.S. in 1989." said Despite BoS's experimental leanings, Poss was a big fan of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, which was later manifest in covers of the Stones' songs "Child Of The Moon" and "Paint It Black."
Live performances
Band of Susans toured the U.S. and Europe sporadically. They are known to have played with bands such as Live Skull, My Bloody Valentine, Butthole SurfersButthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
, Wire, Rollins Band, Smegma, Das Furlines, and Lovely http://www.gigposters.com/band/20355_Band_Of_Susans.html. During the band's final U.S. and European tours, Jay Braun (who formed the Negatones
The Negatones
The Negatones is a Brooklyn, New York based band, founded by siblings Jay Braun and Justin Braun with Jun Takeshta and Jesse Wallace .-Sound:The Negatones have developed a unique, genre-crossing style that often features frenetic...
shortly thereafter) filled in for Lonergan and Kelly Burns filled in for Ron Spitzer. Band of Susans also performed, with Rhys Chatham as a warmup "group," at The Kitchen on 19th Street, in the early '80s (perhaps 1981-82) as part of a "performance art" piece. A year or so afterward, they performed at CBGB, although not with the original lineup, with the exception of Susan Stenger, Robert Poss, and possibly Karen Hagloff.
Post-breakup
After the dissolution of the band in late 1996, Poss and Stenger performed with Bruce GilbertBruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert is an English musician. One of the founding members of the influential and experimental art-punk band Wire, Gilbert branched out into electronic music, performance art, music production, and DJing during the band's extended periods of inactivity...
of Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
as gilbertpossstenger; one album was released under this moniker. Stenger and Poss have also worked extensively with composer Phill Niblock. Poss has concentrated on production and solo work, whilst Stenger played live with The Creatures
The Creatures
The Creatures were a musical act formed in 1981 as a side-project for Siouxsie and the Banshees members Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie. The Times described their music as "adventurous art rock built around Siouxsie's extraordinary voice and drummer Budgie's battery of percussion".With the dissolution of...
for a period, and worked with Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
and Alan Vega
Alan Vega
Alan Vega For several years other sources stated that he was born in 1948 – see 'Myth' section is an American vocalist, primarily known for his work with electronic protopunk duo, Suicide...
(Suicide
Suicide (band)
Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....
) among others. She has an electric bass ensemble, Big Bottom, and has collaborated with choreographer Michael Clark, author Iain Sinclair and visual artist Cerith Wyn Evans. Her 96-day musical installation, Soundtrack For An Exhibition, opened at Le Musée d'Art Contemporain in Lyon, France on March 7, 2006, and includes contributions from Robert Poss, Alan Vega, Alexander Hacke, Kim Gordon, Mika Vainio, Ulrich Krieger and Jennifer Hoyston among others. Poss released a pair of solo albums, "Distortion Is Truth" and "Crossing Casco Bay" in 2002, has done music for choreographers Alexandra Beller, Sally Gross and Gerald Casel and has engineered CDs by Seth Josel and Phill Niblock; he has also worked in collaboration with Ben Neill and David Dramm. In April 2009 he performed as part of Rhys Chatham's ensemble at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibit "Downtown Comes Uptown: The Pictures Generation, 1974–1984"
Music videos
Music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s were released for:
- "The Pursuit Of Happiness" (1989)
- "Now Is Now" (1991)
- "Blind" (1993)
- "The Last Temptation Of Susan" (1993) (experimental video collage by Leah SingerLeah SingerLeah Singer is a photographer and multimedia artist. She is the long-time artistic collaborator and wife of Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. Singer performs with multiple modified film projectors that allow her to improvise and manipulate the film projections by adjusting the frame rate...
, wife of Lee RanaldoLee RanaldoLee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
)
Albums
- Hope Against HopeHope Against HopeHope Against Hope is the 1988 debut album by Band of Susans, released in 1988 on Blast First. The CD version includes their debut EP Blessing and Curse, which contains "Sometimes" and "Where Have All The Flowers Gone"...
(Blast First, 1988) - Love AgendaLove AgendaLove Agenda is the second album by Band of Susans, released in 1989. Page Hamilton, later much more famous than any of the band's core members because of his work as frontman for Helmet, plays guitar on this album and some of the subsequent Peel Sessions that followed the tour to support it...
(Blast First/ Restless, 1989) - The Word and the FleshThe Word and the FleshThe Word and the Flesh is the fourth album by Band of Susans. For the first time, they were able to find a settled lineup to back up Robert Poss, Susan Stenger and drummer Ron Spitzer, after Karen Haglof departed to attend medical school...
(Restless, 1991) - VeilVeil (album)Veil is the fifth of six albums by Band of Susans, released in 1993. The last track, a remix of a song completely different from the Blue Öyster Cult song "The Red and the Black", is not listed on copies of the album.-Track listing:...
(Restless/ Enigma, 1993) - Here Comes Success (Restless/ Blast First/ World Service, 1995)
EPs, Singles
- Blessing and Curse 12" (Trace Elements, 1987)
- Hard Light 12" (Blast First) UK; promo-only
- The Peel SessionsThe Peel Sessions (Band of Susans)The Peel Sessions is an EP by Band of Susans, recorded in 1988 and 1989 from sessions with John Peel but not released until 1992.The first four tracks feature the same line-up as Love Agenda but the latter two feature a line-up that never recorded any other material."Child of the Moon" The Peel...
(Strange Fruit/ Dutch East India, 1992) - Now (Restless/ Enigma, 1992)
- "Mood Swing" b/w "The Last Temptation Of Susan (edit)" 7" single (1993) (on maroon vinyl)
Compilation
- Wired For Sound (Double CD spanning 1986 to 1993; one disc has only songs with vocals, the other has only instrumental songs) (Blast First, 1995)
Robert Poss
- Sometimes (cassette) (Trace Elements, 1986)
- Inverse Guitar (w/ Nicholas Collins) (cassette) (Trace Elements, 1988)
- Crossing Casco Bay (Trace Elements, 2002)
- Distortion Is Truth (Trace Elements, 2002)
External links
- Watch Band of Susans' four music videos
- Trouser Press entry
- Some BoS concert flyers
- Robert Poss' 2009 appearance at a Tribute/Benefit Concert
- "Stosspeng" on Phill Niblock's Touch Strings
- Susan Stenger's "Soundtrack For An Exhibition" at 8 Mar - 11 Jun 06, Musée Art Contemporain Lyon, France
- Albert Maysles/Kisten Nutile's film "The Pleasure Of Stillness" Music by Robert Poss
- Alexandra Beller/Dances
- Frieze Magazine review of Susan Stenger's "Soundtrack"
- Composer Phill Niblock
- Phill Niblock WikiPhill NiblockPhill Niblock is a composer, filmmaker, videographer, and director of Experimental Intermedia, a foundation for avant-garde music based in New York with a parallel branch in Ghent, Belgium.-Biography:...
- Pitchfork review of Phill Niblock's “G2, 44/x2,” Robert Poss and Susan Stenger, guitar
- Susan Stenger
- Big Bottom (Susan Stenger's electric bass ensemble)
- Rhys Chatham WikiRhys ChathamRhys Chatham is an American composer, guitarist, and trumpet player, primarily active in avant-garde and minimalist music. He is best known for his "guitar orchestra" compositions...
- Early Robert Poss music trivia
- Phill Niblock CD “Touch Works” engineered by Robert Poss
- Phill Niblock’s Four Full Flutes, which features Susan Stenger
- Seth Josel discography