Josephine Wiggs
Encyclopedia
Josephine Wiggs is an indie/alternative rock musician, noted for her work with the bands The Perfect Disaster
, The Breeders
, and Dusty Trails
.
in Continental philosophy
from the University of Sussex
. She studied cello
for six years. She joined The Perfect Disaster in 1988 as bass guitar
ist, playing on the albums Asylum Road (1988) and Up (1989) before leaving to join The Breeders.
when Perfect Disaster supported Pixies in London. Deal, Tanya Donelly
and Wiggs got together in December 1989 to reform The Breeders (originally a project started by sisters Kim and Kelley Deal
), recording their first album, Pod, in 10 days with Steve Albini
producing.
Their next release was the Safari EP in 1992, followed by the platinum album Last Splash
in 1993, which featured the hit song "Cannonball" with its signature opening bass riff. The video for the song, much-played on MTV, was directed by Kim Gordon
and Spike Jonze
.
The band has not had the same level of commercial success since. Though the Breeders would regroup in the late 1990s, Wiggs was not a member of that lineup.
In November 2005, Wiggs joined The Breeders onstage in London, where the band played two shows, for the 25th anniversary of 4AD Records.
On August 21, 2009, Wiggs joined The Breeders for the final three shows of their tour, since regular bassist Mando Lopez had to fly back to East LA
because his girlfriend was in labor. These shows were at the Black Cat in Washington, DC, Diesel in Pittsburgh, and at Newport Music Hall
in Columbus, Ohio
.
along with Jon Mattock
, with an album, Nude Nudes, released in 1992. In 1995 Wiggs formed Ladies Who Lunch
with Luscious Jackson
(and original Beastie Boys
) drummer Kate Schellenbach
. releasing the 7 inch vinyl "Kims We Love" (an homage to the Pixies' Kim Deal and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, played entirely on Casio keyboards) on the Beastie Boys' label, Grand Royal
.
Wiggs recorded and co-produced the 1995 album Klassics with a K for the Kostars
, aka Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff and Vivian Trimble.
In 1996 Wiggs collaborated again with Mattock, releasing the Bon Bon Lifestyle album on Grand Royal as The Josephine Wiggs Experience. Wiggs played most of the instruments, recorded and produced.
In 1999 Wiggs started a writing and production collaboration with Luscious Jackson keyboardist Vivian Trimble, under the name Dusty Trails
. Their 2000 album on Atlantic Records
included a track written for and sung by Country legend Emmylou Harris
. Dusty Trails also wrote music, including the outro song, for Happy Accidents
, a movie by Brad Anderson
(writer/director of Next Stop Wonderland
) starring Marisa Tomei and Vincent D'Onofrio.
Wiggs is currently recording new material with Jon Mattock (also recently recording with Massive Attack
).
The Perfect Disaster
The Perfect Disaster were an alternative rock band from London, England, formed in 1980; they released four albums before splitting up in 1991. The only constant member was singer/guitarist Phil Parfitt.-History:...
, The Breeders
The Breeders
The Breeders are an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. The band has experienced a number of line-up changes; the current line-up consists of Kim Deal , her twin sister Kelley Deal , Jose Medeles , Mando Lopez Todd the Fox...
, and Dusty Trails
Dusty Trails
Dusty Trails is an American music duo consisting of Vivian Trimble and Josephine Wiggs . Trimble does lead vocals and Wiggs sings harmony vocals. Their 2000 debut album, Dusty Trails has been described as mood music and it is heavy on keyboards, percussion and bass...
.
Early career
Wiggs studied at University for two degrees, a BSc from London, and an MAMaster of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe. This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and...
from the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
. She studied cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
for six years. She joined The Perfect Disaster in 1988 as bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist, playing on the albums Asylum Road (1988) and Up (1989) before leaving to join The Breeders.
Career with The Breeders
In 1988, Wiggs met Kim DealKim Deal
Kimberley Ann Deal is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the bassist of the alternative rock band the Pixies and the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for The Breeders. Deal first joined the Pixies in January 1986 as the band's bassist, adopting the stage name Mrs...
when Perfect Disaster supported Pixies in London. Deal, Tanya Donelly
Tanya Donelly
Tanya Donelly is an American Grammy-nominated singer songwriter and guitarist based in New England who co-founded Throwing Muses with her stepsister Kristin Hersh. She then went on to work in The Breeders and Belly in the 1990s...
and Wiggs got together in December 1989 to reform The Breeders (originally a project started by sisters Kim and Kelley Deal
Kelley Deal
Kelley Deal is an American musician. The identical twin sister of Kim Deal, she is the lead guitarist of The Breeders, besides having a solo career.- Early days :...
), recording their first album, Pod, in 10 days with 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...
producing.
Their next release was the Safari EP in 1992, followed by the platinum album Last Splash
Last Splash
Last Splash is the second album by indie rock band The Breeders, released August 1993. Originally formed as a side project for Pixies bassist Kim Deal, The Breeders quickly became her primary recording outlet....
in 1993, which featured the hit song "Cannonball" with its signature opening bass riff. The video for the song, much-played on MTV, was directed by Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
and Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
.
The band has not had the same level of commercial success since. Though the Breeders would regroup in the late 1990s, Wiggs was not a member of that lineup.
In November 2005, Wiggs joined The Breeders onstage in London, where the band played two shows, for the 25th anniversary of 4AD Records.
On August 21, 2009, Wiggs joined The Breeders for the final three shows of their tour, since regular bassist Mando Lopez had to fly back to East LA
East Los Angeles (region)
East Los Angeles is the portion of the City of Los Angeles that lies east of Downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles River and the unincorporated areas of Lincoln Heights, west of the San Gabriel Valley, East Los Angeles and City Terrace, south of Cypress Park, and north of Vernon, California and...
because his girlfriend was in labor. These shows were at the Black Cat in Washington, DC, Diesel in Pittsburgh, and at Newport Music Hall
Newport Music Hall
The Newport Music Hall is a music venue located at 1722 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio, across the street from the Ohio Union of the Ohio State University. It is "America's Longest Continually Running Rock Club"....
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
Post-Breeders
While with The Breeders, Wiggs had formed the band Honey TongueHoney Tongue
Honey Tongue is a Seattle-area, alternative rock band formed in 1999. While both signed to an independent label and touring nationally, Honey Tongue is still largely unknown to audiences outside of the Pacific Northwest...
along with Jon Mattock
Jon Mattock
Jonny Mattock is a drummer and percussionist from Northampton who was a member of, or played with, Massive Attack, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, The Perfect Disaster, Slipstream, Lupine Howl, The Breeders, Josephine Wiggs Experience, Freelovebabies....
, with an album, Nude Nudes, released in 1992. In 1995 Wiggs formed Ladies Who Lunch
Ladies who lunch
Ladies who lunch is a phrase to describe slim, well-off, old-monied, well-dressed women who meet for social luncheons, usually during the working week. Typically, the women involved are married and non-working. Normally the lunch is in a high-class restaurant, but could also take place in a...
with Luscious Jackson
Luscious Jackson
Luscious Jackson are an alternative rock group formed in 1991. The band's name was inspired by now-retired American basketball player Lucious Jackson....
(and original Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
) drummer Kate Schellenbach
Kate Schellenbach
Kate Schellenbach was the drummer for The Beastie Boys from 1979 to 1984, and drummed for Luscious Jackson until the band broke up in spring of 2000....
. releasing the 7 inch vinyl "Kims We Love" (an homage to the Pixies' Kim Deal and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, played entirely on Casio keyboards) on the Beastie Boys' label, Grand Royal
Grand Royal
Grand Royal was the Los Angeles, California based vanity record label set up in 1992 by the Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings....
.
Wiggs recorded and co-produced the 1995 album Klassics with a K for the Kostars
Kostars
Kostars was an alternative/pop-rock side project formed by Vivian Trimble and Jill Cunniff while on a headlining tour with Luscious Jackson in 1995. Trimble and Cunniff, who needed an additional outlet for the transistor radio hits they were writing, wrote under the name Kostars titled Klassics...
, aka Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff and Vivian Trimble.
In 1996 Wiggs collaborated again with Mattock, releasing the Bon Bon Lifestyle album on Grand Royal as The Josephine Wiggs Experience. Wiggs played most of the instruments, recorded and produced.
In 1999 Wiggs started a writing and production collaboration with Luscious Jackson keyboardist Vivian Trimble, under the name Dusty Trails
Dusty Trails
Dusty Trails is an American music duo consisting of Vivian Trimble and Josephine Wiggs . Trimble does lead vocals and Wiggs sings harmony vocals. Their 2000 debut album, Dusty Trails has been described as mood music and it is heavy on keyboards, percussion and bass...
. Their 2000 album on Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
included a track written for and sung by Country legend Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
. Dusty Trails also wrote music, including the outro song, for Happy Accidents
Happy Accidents
Happy Accidents is a 2000 American film starring Marisa Tomei and Vincent D'Onofrio. The movie revolves around Ruby Weaver, a New York woman with a string of failed relationships, and Sam Deed, a man who claims to be from the year 2470...
, a movie by Brad Anderson
Brad Anderson (film director)
Brad Anderson is a film director. A director of thriller and horror films and television projects, he is best known for having directed The Machinist , starring Christian Bale, as well as producing and directing several installments of the FOX science-fiction series Fringe.-Early life:Anderson was...
(writer/director of Next Stop Wonderland
Next Stop Wonderland
Next Stop Wonderland is a 1998 romantic comedy film directed by Brad Anderson and written by Anderson and Lyn Vaus. * This film was an audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998 and set off a bidding war among studio distributors, with Miramax Films paying $6 million for the $1 million...
) starring Marisa Tomei and Vincent D'Onofrio.
Wiggs is currently recording new material with Jon Mattock (also recently recording with Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
).
Discography
- Asylum Road 1988 album, The Perfect DisasterThe Perfect DisasterThe Perfect Disaster were an alternative rock band from London, England, formed in 1980; they released four albums before splitting up in 1991. The only constant member was singer/guitarist Phil Parfitt.-History:...
, Fire Records - Up 1989 album, The Perfect Disaster, Fire Records
- Heaven Scent 1990 album, The Perfect Disaster, Fire Records
- Pod 1990 album, The BreedersThe BreedersThe Breeders are an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. The band has experienced a number of line-up changes; the current line-up consists of Kim Deal , her twin sister Kelley Deal , Jose Medeles , Mando Lopez Todd the Fox...
, 4AD - SafariSafari (EP)Safari is a four song EP by The Breeders released in 1992 on 4AD/Elektra Records. By the time of this release, Kim Deal had enlisted her twin sister Kelley to play guitar for The Breeders...
1992 EP, The Breeders, 4AD - Nude Nudes 1992 album, Honey TongueHoney TongueHoney Tongue is a Seattle-area, alternative rock band formed in 1999. While both signed to an independent label and touring nationally, Honey Tongue is still largely unknown to audiences outside of the Pacific Northwest...
, Playtime Records - Last SplashLast SplashLast Splash is the second album by indie rock band The Breeders, released August 1993. Originally formed as a side project for Pixies bassist Kim Deal, The Breeders quickly became her primary recording outlet....
1993 album, The Breeders, 4AD - Kim's We Love 1995 7" vinyl, Ladies Who LunchLadies who lunchLadies who lunch is a phrase to describe slim, well-off, old-monied, well-dressed women who meet for social luncheons, usually during the working week. Typically, the women involved are married and non-working. Normally the lunch is in a high-class restaurant, but could also take place in a...
, Grand Royal - Everybody's Happy Nowadays 1996 7" vinyl, Ladies Who Lunch, Grand Royal
- Bon Bon Lifestyle 1996 album, The Josephine Wiggs Experience, Grand Royal
- Dusty TrailsDusty Trails (album)Dusty Trails is the self-titled debut album by the American music duo Dusty Trails. It was released in 2001 on Atlantic Records.-Track listing:# "Pearls On A String" – 2:52# "You Freed Yourself" – 3:10...
2000 album, Dusty TrailsDusty TrailsDusty Trails is an American music duo consisting of Vivian Trimble and Josephine Wiggs . Trimble does lead vocals and Wiggs sings harmony vocals. Their 2000 debut album, Dusty Trails has been described as mood music and it is heavy on keyboards, percussion and bass...
, Atlantic Records