Jinx Titanic
Encyclopedia
John Patrick Kamys, better known by his stage name Jinx Titanic is an American composer
, singer, songwriter
, recording artist, and author
, best known for his outrageous stage persona, and image as the beer-swilling, cigar-smoking, sexually-candid, lead singer of the eponymous rock band
. Occasionally he will appear as a stage actor
, movie actor, comedian
, television personality, or host, and is also considered a notable member of the Queercore
and Homocore movements.
resident artistic associate and curator of The Goodman’s Latino Theater Festival played the title role. At the time, Godinez was also scheduled to direct Jose Rivera
’s new play Cloud Tectonics
at the Goodman Theatre and asked Kamys to create the score. Cloud Tectonics was a critical success, considered one of the 10 best productions of 1995 by the both The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun Times, and Kamys went on to receive a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for his score. Though he did not win the award at that time, eventually receiving the "Jeff" in 1998 for his work for El Paso Blue at the Next Theater Company, the success of Cloud Tectonics initiated a longstanding collaborative relationship between Kamys, Godinez. Teatro Vista, and The Goodman Theatre.
In 1999 he released his first solo recording
, a clash of genre
s and pop-forms titled Supremacist. According to the review by author and syndicated columnist Gregg Shapiro, then a writer for the Windy City Times
, and Outlines, the recording was “unabashedly sexy and powerful,” with “moments of dark and unexpected beauty.” Though sales of the recording were considerably small, the work was artistically solid enough to garner two GLAMA (Gay
and Lesbian
American Music Award) nominations for Best New Artist, and Out Song Trade. Trade a blend of alternative rock
and Hip Hop
would also appear in a Heavy Metal
version on both Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II and JINX TITANIC Booted & Cuffed. Also from Supremacist the punk song Your Hearse Is Here would later be re-recorded for Super 8 Cum Shot Volume I, and eventually find its way onto the MTV
show The Real World
. Supremacist is currently out of print.
In 1999, he also wrote and played the lead (Logan John) in the alt-country/Americana
musical
Future City Homosexual Tells All “about a small town boy trying to do the big town thing.” at The Theater Building in Chicago. Though the musical received favorable reviews, “an unforgettable character and some of the best and most memorable songs you are likely to hear for years to come,” stated Chicago’s Outlines, and “His raspy voice evoking Joe Cocker
and his down-home songs recalling John Prine
, Kamys offers a true-blue slice of Americana,” declared Chicago Reader theater critic Lawrence Bommer, low attendance and high production costs would close the show in six weeks. However, his exploration of the Alt-Country/Americana sound and some of the songs from Future City Homosexual Tells All, would inform and inspire his second solo effort Guns (2001) and the single There Just Wont Be a Christmas This Year (2001) recorded by vocalist and actress Catherine Smitko.
.” In keeping with the spirit of the band, each member was asked to choose a pseudonym
. Kamys chose Jinx Titanic for himself. Super 8 Cum Shot Volume I was released July 31, 2002 with a performance and party at the historic Whisky a Go Go
in Los Angeles
, California
. The original members of Super 8 Cum shot, performing on the recording are: John Kamys aka Jinx Titanic vocals, Jeff Kust aka G.I. Tarbaby Barbra guitar
, Mitch Marlow aka Machine Gun Garafalo guitar, Chris Sewell aka Dax Malkovich bass
, Timothy Ford aka Posey (t-mint) Parker drums
.
Super 8 Cum Shot quickly gathered a following among the underground culture
, primarily due to the band's DIY punk aesthetic, and the boisterous, wildly sexual and raucous antics of front-man Titanic. Often cited for their superior musicianship, an early review called the players “dedicated rock n’ rollers, with a commanding stage presence, respectable guitar riffs, and a unique sound all their own.” And adding to the mix, were a plethora of surprising and provocative guests, including porn-stars, burlesque
dancers, transvestites, circus
acts and featured regulars the Lickity Split Radical Cheerleaders, a non-traditional, politically motivated genderfuck
squad.
In February 2003 American music critic
Jim DeRogatis
solidified the band’s credibility by inviting Titanic to be a guest on the radio show Sound Opinions
. During the show, DeRogatis described Super 8 Cum Shot’s music as "rip roaring garage rock
but with a sort of show tune
sensibility and these very, very, very funny lyrics
,” adding, “the songs are really wonderful melodically and they kick like the best garage rock should,” and closed with, “you have to see Jinx Titanic live!” The following month, the band received its first national review in Unzipped, and journalist Pat Bonum crowned Titanic “a force to be reckoned with, both on stage, and in the sack.” In May 2003 Super 8 Cum Shot Volume I received an OMA (Outmusic Award) nomination for Outstanding Recording by a Duo or a Group, and in July 2003 Titanic and the band, now a foursome, Jeff Kust having departed late in 2002 to pursue solo efforts, returned to Rax Trax Studios to record Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II.
In the summer of 2003, looking to create a truly alternative venue for live music, Titanic turned to the Chicago leather bar the Cell Block for support. According to book HOMOCORE The Loud and Raucous Rise Of Queer Rock, “They began hosting a monthly rock night: Super 8 Cum Shot kicks off the punk rock
party with a short set before turning the stage over to three or four handpicked local bands.” Titanic is quoted as saying, “though we dislike the labels ‘homocore’ and ‘gay band’ we see to it that bands with LGBT
members are given the opportunity to showcase their material alongside bands with only heterosexual members.” The series was tremendously successful, throughout its run, which ended in summer 2005. Following is a smattering of the bands and artists who have played in the series: Bang! Bang!, The Rotten Fruits, The Redwalls
, Tijuana Hercules, Dead Electric, The Paperbacks, Masters Of The Obvious
, Mommy Can Wait, The Hot Behind You, The Countdown, The Stewed Tomatoes, Three Dollar Bill
, Vortis, The Decibators, Enemy Sun, TAFKAV, The Pages, Johnny Dangerous, Ripley Caine, Scott Free, The Paper Bullets, Baby Kage, Polymer, San Andreas, Reagan National Crash Diet, and The Ike Reilly
Assassination.
Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II was released in October 2003 with a performance and party at Man’s Country, a notable gay bathhouse
owned by Chuck Renslow, founder of International Mister Leather
. The band continued to tour and perform throughout 2003 and into early 2004 as Super 8 Cum Shot but with further personnel changes. In November 2003 original bassist Chris Sewell aka Dax Malkovich left the band to concentrate on playing drums. He was replaced by Josh (Spike) Maguire bassist from the now-defunct metal band Dead Electric. Due to mounting difficulties imposed by the name Super 8 Cum Shot, Titanic decided to change the band name to the eponymous JINX TITANIC. The first performance of the band JINX TIANIC was March 31, 2004 at The Cell Block, Chicago. In June 2004 Titanic won the OMA for Outstanding Production for Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II. Soon after, personality conflicts began to escalate between Maguire and the band and in July 2004 he was replaced by Garrison Latimer formerly of the art-rock band Polymer. In September 2004 guitarist Mitch Marlow aka Machine Gun Garofalo left the band to pursue a career in artist management and was replaced by Jay Bennett aka Whisky Newman. In order to solidify the name change and insure a stable future for the “new” band, Titanic re-released Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II in early 2005 as JINX TITANIC Booted & Cuffed. The recording received the number 8 position in Out
magazine columnist David Ciminelli’s top 10 albums of 2005.
bisexual, was invited to play the Queer Lounge
at the Sundance Film Festival
. This event marked the beginning of his affiliation with the Q Television Network
, and in June 2005 he began working as a guest host and regular correspondent
for the network, continuing to do so until Q Television closed its doors in late 2006. During this period, while retaining a band, Titanic repositioned himself as the solo artist Jinx Titanic. The April 2006 issue of Out magazine named Jinx Titanic one of the top five independent artists in the country. Stuporstardom!, released in April of 2007 marked his first solo release as Jinx Titanic. It was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini
at Electrical Audio
in Chicago, Illinois in December 2006. Musicians performing on the recording are: John Kamys aka Jinx Titanic vocals and keyboard
s, Mitch Marlow aka Machine Gun Garafalo guitar, Jay Bennett aka Whisky Newman guitar, Pat Mallinger alto and tenor saxophone
s, Rob Kassinger aka Tamale Ringwald bass, and Timothy Ford aka Posey (t-mint) Parker drums. Artist/writer/video artist Kevin Evans contributed artwork, website and music videos based on several songs.
In April 2008, on the eve of embarking on trip to Haiti
, Titanic gave a farewell concert in his native Chicago. Promoted as “The Last Jinx Titanic Show Ever,” the concert did not so much signify an end to Kamys performing as Jinx Titanic as much as it did a period of career expansion.
The trip to Haiti, originally planned as a short get-away, inspired a second trip in May and laid the foundation for Kamys’ foray into microcinema
and multimedia
- culminating in the experimental documentary Stirring Water, its title derived from the Haitian proverb "I stir water to make butter." Despite a severe bout of dengue fever
, contracted while shooting in Haiti, the effects of which debilitated Kamys for several months, Stirring Water was completed in late 2008. It received its world premiere
as a documentary
finalist in March 2009 at the 11th annual Washington DC Independent Film Festival
in a themed program created to explore the African Diaspora
. Shot in and around Port Au Prince, Stirring Water employed elements of classic newsreel
style documentation, silent era intertitling, and a soundscape
of field recording
s and original music.
In June 2009 Kamys stepped out of the Jinx Titanic persona to release I Want Some Sun - a gospel tinged roots rock
album. This marked a return to an earlier sound and the completion of several songs that had been started prior to the advent of Super 8 Cum Shot.
Band, and formerly Verbow
and Jason & Allison and drummer Larry Beers.
was chosen randomly, using a facebook
meme
for designing an album cover. In order to first establish a band-name, individuals were directed to go to Wikipedia.org and select “random article” - the title of which would become the name of the band. Several singles, in a variety of genres, have been released under the Alpine Skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics moniker, including the full-length We Welcome You to Elevate, a venture into electronica
, which includes songs featuring Jinx Titanic.
, Folsom Street Fair
, Gay Games VII
- Closing Ceremonies, Knitting Factory
, North Halsted Market Days
, NXNE, PrideFest (Milwaukee)
, Pride Week (Toronto)
, Sundance Film Festival
- Queer Lounge, Troma Films - Tromathon, Whisky A Go Go, Willamette Week
– MusicFest NW
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, recording artist, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, best known for his outrageous stage persona, and image as the beer-swilling, cigar-smoking, sexually-candid, lead singer of the eponymous rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. Occasionally he will appear as a stage actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, movie actor, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, television personality, or host, and is also considered a notable member of the Queercore
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
and Homocore movements.
Pre Jinx Titanic
Before taking on the persona and public life of Jinx Titanic, Kamys worked regularly in Chicago as a composer and songwriter. His first score for theater was written in 1994 for Teatro Vista’s production of Romulus Linney’s play Ambrosio. Henry Godinez, Goodman TheatreGoodman Theatre
The Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization...
resident artistic associate and curator of The Goodman’s Latino Theater Festival played the title role. At the time, Godinez was also scheduled to direct Jose Rivera
Jose Rivera
Jose Rivera may refer to:*José Antonio Primo de Rivera , Spanish politician*José Eustasio Rivera , Colombian politician and writer*José Rivera , American playwright...
’s new play Cloud Tectonics
Cloud Tectonics
-Overview:Cloud Tectonics is a one-act play by José Rivera, a dreamlike love story about its two protagonists, Aníbal de la Luna and Celestina del Sol. It is set in Los Angeles, with most of the action taking place in Aníbal's house...
at the Goodman Theatre and asked Kamys to create the score. Cloud Tectonics was a critical success, considered one of the 10 best productions of 1995 by the both The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun Times, and Kamys went on to receive a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for his score. Though he did not win the award at that time, eventually receiving the "Jeff" in 1998 for his work for El Paso Blue at the Next Theater Company, the success of Cloud Tectonics initiated a longstanding collaborative relationship between Kamys, Godinez. Teatro Vista, and The Goodman Theatre.
In 1999 he released his first solo recording
Recording
Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
, a clash of genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s and pop-forms titled Supremacist. According to the review by author and syndicated columnist Gregg Shapiro, then a writer for the Windy City Times
Windy City Times
Windy City Times is Chicago's oldest LGBT newspaper, and the only Chicago gay publication with an independent circulation audit current as of 2008....
, and Outlines, the recording was “unabashedly sexy and powerful,” with “moments of dark and unexpected beauty.” Though sales of the recording were considerably small, the work was artistically solid enough to garner two GLAMA (Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and Lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
American Music Award) nominations for Best New Artist, and Out Song Trade. Trade a blend of alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and Hip Hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
would also appear in a Heavy Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
version on both Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II and JINX TITANIC Booted & Cuffed. Also from Supremacist the punk song Your Hearse Is Here would later be re-recorded for Super 8 Cum Shot Volume I, and eventually find its way onto the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
show The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
. Supremacist is currently out of print.
In 1999, he also wrote and played the lead (Logan John) in the alt-country/Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Future City Homosexual Tells All “about a small town boy trying to do the big town thing.” at The Theater Building in Chicago. Though the musical received favorable reviews, “an unforgettable character and some of the best and most memorable songs you are likely to hear for years to come,” stated Chicago’s Outlines, and “His raspy voice evoking Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
and his down-home songs recalling John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
, Kamys offers a true-blue slice of Americana,” declared Chicago Reader theater critic Lawrence Bommer, low attendance and high production costs would close the show in six weeks. However, his exploration of the Alt-Country/Americana sound and some of the songs from Future City Homosexual Tells All, would inform and inspire his second solo effort Guns (2001) and the single There Just Wont Be a Christmas This Year (2001) recorded by vocalist and actress Catherine Smitko.
Super 8 Cum Shot
Jinx Titanic, was born in May of 2002 at a recording session at Chicago’s Rax Trax Studios. Kamys had assembled four musicians to record under the band name Super 8 Cum Shot. He described the band as a “good-natured, bawdy and unforgettable punk/party/porno/pop experience,” and dubbed its members, “the beer-swilling ambassadors of the orgasmOrgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
.” In keeping with the spirit of the band, each member was asked to choose a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
. Kamys chose Jinx Titanic for himself. Super 8 Cum Shot Volume I was released July 31, 2002 with a performance and party at the historic Whisky a Go Go
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The original members of Super 8 Cum shot, performing on the recording are: John Kamys aka Jinx Titanic vocals, Jeff Kust aka G.I. Tarbaby Barbra guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Mitch Marlow aka Machine Gun Garafalo guitar, Chris Sewell aka Dax Malkovich bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Timothy Ford aka Posey (t-mint) Parker drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
.
Super 8 Cum Shot quickly gathered a following among the underground culture
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
, primarily due to the band's DIY punk aesthetic, and the boisterous, wildly sexual and raucous antics of front-man Titanic. Often cited for their superior musicianship, an early review called the players “dedicated rock n’ rollers, with a commanding stage presence, respectable guitar riffs, and a unique sound all their own.” And adding to the mix, were a plethora of surprising and provocative guests, including porn-stars, burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
dancers, transvestites, circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
acts and featured regulars the Lickity Split Radical Cheerleaders, a non-traditional, politically motivated genderfuck
Genderfuck
Genderfuck refers to the conscious effort to mock or "fuck with" traditional notions of gender identity, gender roles, and gender presentation. It falls under the umbrella of the transgender spectrum.-Genderfucking:...
squad.
In February 2003 American music critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
Jim DeRogatis
Jim DeRogatis
James "Jim" DeRogatis is an American music critic and co-host of Sound Opinions. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as Spin, Guitar World and Modern Drummer, and for fifteen years was the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.He joined Columbia College Chicago as a full-time...
solidified the band’s credibility by inviting Titanic to be a guest on the radio show Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions is a radio talk show focusing on rock music. It airs Friday night at 8 PM CST and Saturday morning at 11 AM CST on Chicago Public Radio. The show is hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot and features interviews with musicians and industry figures as well as featuring current music...
. During the show, DeRogatis described Super 8 Cum Shot’s music as "rip roaring garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
but with a sort of show tune
Show tune
A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" , especially if the piece in question has become a "standard", more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context...
sensibility and these very, very, very funny lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
,” adding, “the songs are really wonderful melodically and they kick like the best garage rock should,” and closed with, “you have to see Jinx Titanic live!” The following month, the band received its first national review in Unzipped, and journalist Pat Bonum crowned Titanic “a force to be reckoned with, both on stage, and in the sack.” In May 2003 Super 8 Cum Shot Volume I received an OMA (Outmusic Award) nomination for Outstanding Recording by a Duo or a Group, and in July 2003 Titanic and the band, now a foursome, Jeff Kust having departed late in 2002 to pursue solo efforts, returned to Rax Trax Studios to record Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II.
In the summer of 2003, looking to create a truly alternative venue for live music, Titanic turned to the Chicago leather bar the Cell Block for support. According to book HOMOCORE The Loud and Raucous Rise Of Queer Rock, “They began hosting a monthly rock night: Super 8 Cum Shot kicks off the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
party with a short set before turning the stage over to three or four handpicked local bands.” Titanic is quoted as saying, “though we dislike the labels ‘homocore’ and ‘gay band’ we see to it that bands with LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
members are given the opportunity to showcase their material alongside bands with only heterosexual members.” The series was tremendously successful, throughout its run, which ended in summer 2005. Following is a smattering of the bands and artists who have played in the series: Bang! Bang!, The Rotten Fruits, The Redwalls
The Redwalls
The Redwalls are a two-member rock band from Deerfield, Illinois, in suburban Chicago.-History:Nearly two years after Universal Blues the band would release their second studio album , titled De Nova, on June 21, 2005...
, Tijuana Hercules, Dead Electric, The Paperbacks, Masters Of The Obvious
Masters Of The Obvious
Masters of the Obvious , is a New Orleans-based garage punk band. Formed in 1981 by Paul Caporino, the lineup of the band has seen many changes over the years, with Caporino being the only consistent member...
, Mommy Can Wait, The Hot Behind You, The Countdown, The Stewed Tomatoes, Three Dollar Bill
Three Dollar Bill
Three Dollar Bill is a band founded by Jane Danger and Chris Piss, in Chicago, Illinois in 1998. The name comes from the expression "Queer as a three dollar bill". The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has never been authorized to print a $3 note. However, before the Civil War, banks operating...
, Vortis, The Decibators, Enemy Sun, TAFKAV, The Pages, Johnny Dangerous, Ripley Caine, Scott Free, The Paper Bullets, Baby Kage, Polymer, San Andreas, Reagan National Crash Diet, and The Ike Reilly
Ike Reilly
Ike Reilly is a musician from Libertyville, Illinois.In 2003 Reilly and bandmates Tommy O'Donnell, Ed Tinley, Dave Cottini, Phil Karnats assumed the name The Ike Reilly Assassination and released "Sparkle in the Finish."The band is well-known by fans of TJ & Dave, an improv duo that performs...
Assassination.
Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II was released in October 2003 with a performance and party at Man’s Country, a notable gay bathhouse
Gay bathhouse
Gay bathhouses, also known as gay saunas or steam baths, are commercial bathhouses for men to have sex with other men. In gay slang in some regions these venues are also known colloquially as "the baths" or "the tubs," and should not be confused with public bathing.Not all men who visit gay...
owned by Chuck Renslow, founder of International Mister Leather
International Mister Leather
International Mister Leather is an international conference and contest of leathermen held annually in May since 1979 in Chicago, Illinois....
. The band continued to tour and perform throughout 2003 and into early 2004 as Super 8 Cum Shot but with further personnel changes. In November 2003 original bassist Chris Sewell aka Dax Malkovich left the band to concentrate on playing drums. He was replaced by Josh (Spike) Maguire bassist from the now-defunct metal band Dead Electric. Due to mounting difficulties imposed by the name Super 8 Cum Shot, Titanic decided to change the band name to the eponymous JINX TITANIC. The first performance of the band JINX TIANIC was March 31, 2004 at The Cell Block, Chicago. In June 2004 Titanic won the OMA for Outstanding Production for Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II. Soon after, personality conflicts began to escalate between Maguire and the band and in July 2004 he was replaced by Garrison Latimer formerly of the art-rock band Polymer. In September 2004 guitarist Mitch Marlow aka Machine Gun Garofalo left the band to pursue a career in artist management and was replaced by Jay Bennett aka Whisky Newman. In order to solidify the name change and insure a stable future for the “new” band, Titanic re-released Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II in early 2005 as JINX TITANIC Booted & Cuffed. The recording received the number 8 position in Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
magazine columnist David Ciminelli’s top 10 albums of 2005.
Solo
In January 2005, Titanic, who is openlyComing out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
bisexual, was invited to play the Queer Lounge
Queer Lounge
The Queer Lounge is a 501 non-profit organization that establishes hospitality suites at the top film festivals in the world. Its primary function is to provide information and to educate those attending the film festival about the films with gay content or created by gay filmmakers.They do this...
at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. This event marked the beginning of his affiliation with the Q Television Network
Q Television Network
Q Television Network was an American cable television channel which aired programming targeted to the lesbian, gay, and bisexual audiences. It was owned by Triangle Multimedia. The channel aired a mix of film, documentary and music programming, along with a number of original talk and information...
, and in June 2005 he began working as a guest host and regular correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
for the network, continuing to do so until Q Television closed its doors in late 2006. During this period, while retaining a band, Titanic repositioned himself as the solo artist Jinx Titanic. The April 2006 issue of Out magazine named Jinx Titanic one of the top five independent artists in the country. Stuporstardom!, released in April of 2007 marked his first solo release as Jinx Titanic. It was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
at Electrical Audio
Electrical Audio
Electrical Audio is a recording facility founded in Chicago, Illinois by musician and recording engineer Steve Albini in 1997. Hundreds of independent music projects have been recorded there....
in Chicago, Illinois in December 2006. Musicians performing on the recording are: John Kamys aka Jinx Titanic vocals and keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s, Mitch Marlow aka Machine Gun Garafalo guitar, Jay Bennett aka Whisky Newman guitar, Pat Mallinger alto and tenor saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, Rob Kassinger aka Tamale Ringwald bass, and Timothy Ford aka Posey (t-mint) Parker drums. Artist/writer/video artist Kevin Evans contributed artwork, website and music videos based on several songs.
In April 2008, on the eve of embarking on trip to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Titanic gave a farewell concert in his native Chicago. Promoted as “The Last Jinx Titanic Show Ever,” the concert did not so much signify an end to Kamys performing as Jinx Titanic as much as it did a period of career expansion.
The trip to Haiti, originally planned as a short get-away, inspired a second trip in May and laid the foundation for Kamys’ foray into microcinema
Microcinema
The term Microcinema can have two meanings. It can describe low-budget or amateur films shot mostly on digital video, edited on a computer, and then distributed via videotape, disc or over the Internet...
and multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
- culminating in the experimental documentary Stirring Water, its title derived from the Haitian proverb "I stir water to make butter." Despite a severe bout of dengue fever
Dengue fever
Dengue fever , also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles...
, contracted while shooting in Haiti, the effects of which debilitated Kamys for several months, Stirring Water was completed in late 2008. It received its world premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
as a documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
finalist in March 2009 at the 11th annual Washington DC Independent Film Festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
in a themed program created to explore the African Diaspora
African diaspora
The African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
. Shot in and around Port Au Prince, Stirring Water employed elements of classic newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
style documentation, silent era intertitling, and a soundscape
Soundscape
A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology...
of field recording
Field recording
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside of a recording studio. The recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product...
s and original music.
In June 2009 Kamys stepped out of the Jinx Titanic persona to release I Want Some Sun - a gospel tinged roots rock
Roots rock
Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...
album. This marked a return to an earlier sound and the completion of several songs that had been started prior to the advent of Super 8 Cum Shot.
Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot
In 2009 Big Dixie released the recordings 100% Pure Class, The Very Best of Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot, (a tongue-in-cheek greatest-hits compilation), and Found In Trunk (Good and Bad Demos Live Junk & Oddities). Performances to support these releases sparked an open-door policy between Titanic and former members of Super 8 Cum Shot, who would now perform under the name Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot. These lineups also included new members, bassist Jason Narducy, of The Bob MouldBob Mould
Robert Arthur "Bob" Mould is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.-Early life:...
Band, and formerly Verbow
Verbow
Verbow was an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago and active between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. The band's sound was distinguished by emotionally-direct songwriting and their unconventional use of cello.-Early period: Jason & Alison:...
and Jason & Allison and drummer Larry Beers.
Alpine Skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics
In 2010, Kamys formed the pseudo-group Alpine Skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics to serve as a catch-all heading for recording projects that could not be defined as either Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot or John Kamys. The name, Alpine skiing at the 1952 Winter OlympicsAlpine skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics
At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, the six alpine skiing events were held from Thursday, February 14 to Wednesday, February 20, 1952.The giant slalom made its Olympic debut, and the combined event was dropped as an Olympic medal event for four decades, until 1988...
was chosen randomly, using a facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
for designing an album cover. In order to first establish a band-name, individuals were directed to go to Wikipedia.org and select “random article” - the title of which would become the name of the band. Several singles, in a variety of genres, have been released under the Alpine Skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics moniker, including the full-length We Welcome You to Elevate, a venture into electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, which includes songs featuring Jinx Titanic.
Discography
- We Welcome You To Elevate (2010) as Alpine Skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics
- Found In Trunk (Good and Bad Demos Live Junk & Oddities) (2009) as Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot
- 100% Pure Class, The Very Best of Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot (2009) as Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot
- I Want Some Sun (2009) as John Kamys
- Stuporstardom! (2007) as Jinx Titanic
- Booted & Cuffed (2005) with band JINX TITANIC
- Anal Sunshine (2005) with band JINX TITANIC
- Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II (2003) with band Super 8 Cum Shot
- Super 8 Cum Shot Volume I (2002) with band Super 8 Cum Shot
- Guns (2001) as John Kamys
- Supremacist (1999) as John Kamys
Music For Theater
- BentBent (play)Bent is a 1979 play by Martin Sherman. It revolves around the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany, and takes place during and after the Night of the Long Knives....
play by Martin Sherman, Directed by Jacob Christopher Green - Hubris Productions 2009 - Red NosesRed NosesRed Noses is a comedy about the black death by Peter Barnes, first staged at Barbican Theatre in 1985. It depicted a sprightly priest, originally played by Antony Sher, who travelled around the plague-affected villages of 14th century France with a band of fools, known as God's Zanies, offering...
play by play by Peter Barnes, Directed by Patricia Savio - Hubris Productions 2009 - Suenos Bebes y Vampiros play by Teatro Vista Collaborative Ensemble, directed by Sandra Marquez – Teatro Vista 2004
- A Christmas CarolA Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
book by Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, adapted by Tom Creamer, directed by Henry Godinez (1999, 2000, 2001), and Kate Buckley (2002) – Goodman Theater 1999–2002 - The Winter's TaleThe Winter's TaleThe Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
play by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Directed by Henry Godinez – Missouri Repertory Theater 2002 - Icarus play by Edwin Sanchez, Directed by Eddie Torres – Teatro Vista 2002
- Future City Homosexual Tells All Play by John Kamys, Directed by Tab Baker – The Theater Building Chicago 1999
- Wrong For Each Other play by Norm FosterNorm Foster (playwright)Norm Foster is a Canadian playwright, considered to be Canada's most produced playwright. Foster discovered his talents as a playwright in Fredericton, New Brunswick, while he was working as host of a popular morning radio show. He accompanied a friend to an audition, and landed his first acting...
, Directed by Gary GriffinGary GriffinGary Griffin, is an American theater director. Griffin grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where he graduated from East High School in 1978. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he performed in several musicals and directed "Hello Dolly" for their Summer Theatre program...
– Victory Gardens TheaterVictory Gardens TheaterVictory Gardens Theater is a theater in Chicago, Illinois dedicated to the development and production of new plays and playwrights. The theater was founded in 1974 when seven Chicago artists, Warren Casey, Cordis Heard, Roberta Maguire, Mac McGuinnes, Cecil O'Neal, June Pyskaček, and David Rasche...
1999 - Straight As A Line play by Luis Alfaro, Directed by Henry Godinez – Goodman Theater 1998
- The Boiler Room by Reuben Gonzalez, Directed by Eddie Torred – Steppenwolf Theater/Teatro Vista
- El Paso Blue play by Octavio Solis, Directed by Henry Godinez – Next Theater/Teatro Vista
- Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
Play by William Shakespeare, Directed by Henry Godinez – Colorado Shakespeare FestivalColorado Shakespeare FestivalThe Colorado Shakespeare Festival is a Shakespeare Festival each summer at the University of Colorado at Boulder in the outdoor Mary Rippon Theater and indoor University Theatre. The Mary Rippon Theater hosted an annual summer Shakespeare play starting in 1944. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival...
1997 - Santos and Santos Play by Octavio Solis, Directed by Henry Godinez – Teatro Vista 1996
- Cloud Tectonics Play by Jose Rivera, Directed by Henry Godinez – Goodman Theater 1995
- Ambrosio play by Romulus Linney, Directed by Eddie Torres – Teatro Vista 1994
Filmography
- Stirring Water (2008)
- Masterz in Motion (2007)
- Hot Chicks (2006)
- Jean GenetJean GenetJean Genet was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing...
in Chicago (2006)
Awards and Award Nominations
- 2005 Chicago Free Press Pressie Award – Best Chicago Musician
- 2004 OMA - Outstanding Producer Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II
- 2004 OMA Nomination – Outstanding Recording by a Band Super 8 Cum Shot Volume II
- 2003 OMA Nomination – Outstanding Recording by a Duo or a Group Super 8 Cum Shot Volume I
- 2000 GLAMA Nomination - Best New Artist – John Kamys
- 2000 GLAMA Nomination - Out Song Trade
- 1998 Joseph Jefferson Award – Best Original Music El Paso Blue
- 1996 Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination – Best Original Music Cloud Tectonics
Notable Performances
The Empty BottleThe Empty Bottle
The Empty Bottle is a nightclub and concert hall located at 1035 N. Western Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Located in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood, this has been one of the many venues for Chicago's alternative music scene. This venue hosts a variety of forms of music, ranging from...
, Folsom Street Fair
Folsom Street Fair
The Folsom Street Fair is an annual BDSM and leather subculture street fair held on the last Sunday in September and caps San Francisco's "Leather Pride Week"...
, Gay Games VII
Gay Games VII
The 2006 Gay Games , colloquially called the Chicago Gaymes, is part of a family of international sports and cultural festivals called Gay Games, sanctioned by the Federation of Gay Games and organized by the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community of the host city of Chicago, Illinois in the...
- Closing Ceremonies, Knitting Factory
Knitting Factory
The Knitting Factory is a music venue and concert house with locations in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno, and Spokane. The club originally specialized in jazz and experimental music and has expanded to showcasing all genres of music, performing arts and comedy....
, North Halsted Market Days
North Halsted Market Days
North Halsted Market Days is an annual two-day festival in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the Midwest's largest street festival with annual attendance exceeding 300,000 people over the two day event, takes place in the Boystown section of Lakeview along North Halsted Street from Belmont Avenue to...
, NXNE, PrideFest (Milwaukee)
PrideFest (Milwaukee)
PrideFest is an annual gay pride event held on the Henry Maier Festival Park grounds in Milwaukee on the second weekend of June. PrideFest celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007, which was also a record-breaking attendance year with 27,467 tickets sold over three days.In 2010 Pridefest featured...
, Pride Week (Toronto)
Pride Week (Toronto)
Pride Week is a ten-day event held in Toronto, Canada, during the end of June each year. It is a celebration of the diversity of the LGBT community in the Greater Toronto Area. It is one of the largest organized gay pride festivals in the world, featuring several stages with live performers and...
, Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- Queer Lounge, Troma Films - Tromathon, Whisky A Go Go, Willamette Week
Willamette Week
Willamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture....
– MusicFest NW