No WTO Combo
Encyclopedia
The No WTO Combo was a one-shot punk rock
band started by Krist Novoselic
(former Nirvana
bassist). The band consisted of Jello Biafra (former frontman of Dead Kennedys
); guitartist Kim Thayil
of Soundgarden
; and the rhythm section
of Sweet 75
, with Gina Mainwal
on drums and Novoselic on bass.
They were originally scheduled to play the Showbox November 30, the night before the WTO meeting of 1999
in Seattle, but the performance was canceled because the venue's staff could not get past the police "curfew zone".
They rescheduled the show for the next night, December 1, but Biafra and Novoselic played a short acoustic set that night down the street at The Central Tavern, where Biafra was approached by local record producer Mark Cavener. Cavener offered to record the album at the Showbox the next evening. The performance itself would be the first formal concert played by Thayil since the demise of Soundgarden a few years beforehand, and only the second time Biafra had played music in a planned live setting since the Dead Kennedys split in 1986.
Novoselic later asked Jack Endino to mix the recordings, resulting in the bands' only release titled "Live from the Battle in Seattle
" distributed by Biafra's record label Alternative Tentacles
.
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...
band started by Krist Novoselic
Krist Novoselic
Krist Anthony Novoselic II is a Croatian-American rock musician, best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana. After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75 and then Eyes Adrift, releasing one album with each band...
(former Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
bassist). The band consisted of Jello Biafra (former frontman of Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
); guitartist Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
of Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
; and the rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
of Sweet 75
Sweet 75
Sweet 75 was a band formed by Krist Novoselic in 1994 after the death of Nirvana band member Kurt Cobain. The band released one album before splitting up in 2000.-History:...
, with Gina Mainwal
Gina Mainwal
Gina Mainwal is an American rock musician and filmmaker. She is best known as the drummer for Sweet 75, a band formed by Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic after Nirvana disbanded...
on drums and Novoselic on bass.
They were originally scheduled to play the Showbox November 30, the night before the WTO meeting of 1999
WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity
Protest activity surrounding the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which was to be the launch of a new millennial round of trade negotiations, occurred on November 30, 1999 , when the World Trade Organization convened at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington,...
in Seattle, but the performance was canceled because the venue's staff could not get past the police "curfew zone".
They rescheduled the show for the next night, December 1, but Biafra and Novoselic played a short acoustic set that night down the street at The Central Tavern, where Biafra was approached by local record producer Mark Cavener. Cavener offered to record the album at the Showbox the next evening. The performance itself would be the first formal concert played by Thayil since the demise of Soundgarden a few years beforehand, and only the second time Biafra had played music in a planned live setting since the Dead Kennedys split in 1986.
Novoselic later asked Jack Endino to mix the recordings, resulting in the bands' only release titled "Live from the Battle in Seattle
Live from the Battle in Seattle
Live from the Battle in Seattle is the only album released by anti-globalization punk band The No WTO Combo. Of the five tracks on the album, only two, "New Feudalism" and "Electronic Plantation", are originals. "Let's Lynch the Landlord" and "Full Metal Jackoff" are both covers, by Jello Biafra's...
" distributed by Biafra's record label Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
.
Band members
- Jello BiafraJello BiafraJello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
-- vocals - Kim ThayilKim ThayilKim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
-- guitar - Krist NovoselicKrist NovoselicKrist Anthony Novoselic II is a Croatian-American rock musician, best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana. After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75 and then Eyes Adrift, releasing one album with each band...
-- bass - Gina MainwalGina MainwalGina Mainwal is an American rock musician and filmmaker. She is best known as the drummer for Sweet 75, a band formed by Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic after Nirvana disbanded...
-- drums