Nomeansno
Encyclopedia
NoMeansNo is a Canadian
progressive
punk rock
music group originally from Victoria
, British Columbia
and now located in Vancouver
.
The band has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream
success, but they do have a devoted underground
following in North America
and Europe
. They tour fairly often on both continents and maintain a dedicated fan base
.
(bass guitar
, vocals, and occasionally guitar
) and John Wright
(drums, keyboards
and vocals). Their name derives from an anti-date rape
slogan. For their first four years the duo's music would seem to be influenced as much by jazz
and progressive rock as punk rock. The musical press described their earliest recordings as "Devo
on a jazz trip, Motörhead after art school, or Wire
on psychotic steroids." NoMeansNo have been credited with being an influence on, and perhaps even the genesis of, math rock
.
The brothers Wright began recording as a two-piece in their parents' basement in 1979. These recordings, heard on their first two self-released 7"s, consisted of full rock band arrangements and had a new wave, warped-pop sound, different from subsequent recordings. When, in the early 1980s, the duo began gigging simply with bass, drums and vocals, the present form of their distinct sound slowly took shape. The songs they played in this period are documented on the Mama
LP (re-released in 2004 on their own Wrong Records).
In 1983, they added Andy Kerr
(who played with John Wright in Infamous Scientists) on guitar
and vocals. Kerr preferred pseudonymity and used such pseudonym
s as "Buttercup" or "None-Of-Your-Fucking-Business". He brought a distinct hardcore punk
edge to the group, and stayed until 1992. He is often erroneously credited for penning the lyrics of NoMeansNo songs on which he sang, perhaps due to deliberately vague liner notes and frequent vocal moonlighting (Kerr sings lead or co-lead vocals on nearly half the songs on Wrong
for example). Kerr's vocals were a necessity for a period of time in the 1980s when Rob Wright was recovering from nodules on his vocal cords. While Rob Wright is the band's lyricist and main songwriter
, all members have contributed songs to NoMeansNo records, and nearly all their material is credited to the entire band.
Wrong is widely considered the band's best and most representative record. ("The playing is incredibly skilled, with the Wright brothers effortlessly shifting tempo
s and time signatures and Kerr's razor sharp lyrics
clicking right into place.")
After Kerr's departure, the Wright brothers recorded Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?
as a duo. They subsequently recruited guitarist Tom Holliston
from Showbusiness Giants
and The Hanson Brothers
, and have continued touring and releasing records, including Worldhood of the World (As Such)
, Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie
, One
, and most recently All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt
, which was released on August 22, 2006. The album was released by AntAcidAudio
in the United States and Southern Records
in Europe.
The album One, released in 2000, featured "two stunning covers that only make sense coming from NoMeansNo": a slow stoner rock
-styled version of The Ramones' "Beat on the Brat", and rather authentic fifteen-minute version of Miles Davis
' "Bitches Brew
" (complete with electric piano
and conga
s), featuring lyrics by Rob.
NoMeansNo initially released records with seminal punk rock record label Alternative Tentacles
. This relationship ended in 2002. The band has since been reissuing old albums through Southern Records under their own Wrong Records imprint.
, and John's drumming sometimes sounds a bit like Elvin Jones
or Art Blakey
. John's drumming style has been mentioned as an influence to others, including Dave Grohl
and Tim Solyan from Victims Family.
NoMeansNo's output features a seemingly endless flow of "Wright/wrong/right" pun
s, and significant measures of black humour, with "pointedly warped lyrics", such as on "Dad" from Sex Mad
. The song was a minor college radio hit, and has been called "a bit chilling, even though it's spit out at slam-pit's pace". The first person
narrator
details a rampaging father's physical
and sexual abuse
, ending with what's been called a "killer end touch—the badly delivered line 'I'm seriously considering leaving home.'" One critic (while noting the group's "savage intelligence") suggests that NoMeansNo might well be "the secret influence on a fair amount of both early-'90s math rock
and emo
, what with the barely controlled fervour of the singing and the sudden jerks back and forth in the rhythm section."
, a quartet with John singing and (currently) Mike Branum from The Freak Accident playing drums. Nearly a Ramones
tribute band, the Hanson Brothers play fun punk rock as a mock group of backward Canadian ice hockey
fans. The lyrics centre on ice hockey
, beer
and girls. The name comes from characters in the 1977 George Roy Hill
film Slap Shot, starring Paul Newman
.
Rob Wright
's alter ego is Mr. Wrong, who dresses as an authoritarian priest and often poses with a shotgun. Mr. Wrong is simply Wright on bass and vocals with no other instrumentation.
Tom Holliston
released several albums with his band Showbusiness Giants
as well as three solo albums.
Andy Kerr
and John Wright
played in the early 1980s in the Infamous Scientists. Kerr, after leaving NoMeansNo, released a solo CD and collaborated with Victoria musician formerly of Shovelhed, Scott Henderson in Hissanol
. Kerr most recently has begun a duo called Two Pin Din
in Holland.
Former members
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
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...
music group originally from Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and now located in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
The band has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
success, but they do have a devoted underground
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...
following in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. They tour fairly often on both continents and maintain a dedicated fan base
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
.
History
The band was formed in 1979 by brothers Rob WrightRob Wright
Rob Wright is a Canadian musician and songwriter best known as the bassist, lead vocalist and occasional guitarist of the progressive punk rock band Nomeansno, as well as the bassist of the pop punk band The Hanson Brothers...
(bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals, and occasionally guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
) and John Wright
John Wright (musician)
John Wright is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He replaced the former drummer, Murray Jackson. He is best known as the drummer, keyboardist, occasional vocalist and co-songwriter in the progressive punk rock/punk jazz band NoMeansNo, as well as the lead singer and co-songwriter of the...
(drums, keyboards
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...
and vocals). Their name derives from an anti-date rape
Date rape
"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....
slogan. For their first four years the duo's music would seem to be influenced as much by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and progressive rock as punk rock. The musical press described their earliest recordings as "Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
on a jazz trip, Motörhead after art school, or 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...
on psychotic steroids." NoMeansNo have been credited with being an influence on, and perhaps even the genesis of, math rock
Math rock
Math rock is a rhythmically complex guitar-based style of experimental rock that emerged in the 1980s and that was very influenced by progressive rock like King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Henry Cow - and 20th century composers such as Steve Reich and John Cage...
.
The brothers Wright began recording as a two-piece in their parents' basement in 1979. These recordings, heard on their first two self-released 7"s, consisted of full rock band arrangements and had a new wave, warped-pop sound, different from subsequent recordings. When, in the early 1980s, the duo began gigging simply with bass, drums and vocals, the present form of their distinct sound slowly took shape. The songs they played in this period are documented on the Mama
Mama (Nomeansno album)
Mama is the debut album of the band, Nomeansno. Recorded in 1982 by brothers John and Rob Wright, the album was initially available with a limited number of 500 vinyl pressings...
LP (re-released in 2004 on their own Wrong Records).
In 1983, they added Andy Kerr
Andy Kerr (musician)
Andy Kerr is a Canadian-born musician, originally from British Columbia and currently residing in Amsterdam, Holland. Kerr is best known as the former guitarist, frequent vocalist, and co-songwriter in the progressive punk rock/punk jazz band NoMeansNo...
(who played with John Wright in Infamous Scientists) on 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...
and vocals. Kerr preferred pseudonymity and used such pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s as "Buttercup" or "None-Of-Your-Fucking-Business". He brought a distinct hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
edge to the group, and stayed until 1992. He is often erroneously credited for penning the lyrics of NoMeansNo songs on which he sang, perhaps due to deliberately vague liner notes and frequent vocal moonlighting (Kerr sings lead or co-lead vocals on nearly half the songs on Wrong
Wrong (album)
Wrong is the fourth full-length album by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo.The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal called it the band's best album, and rated the album as a 10 out of 10, stating, "Wrong was the mightiest merger between the hateful aggression of punk and the discipline of heavy...
for example). Kerr's vocals were a necessity for a period of time in the 1980s when Rob Wright was recovering from nodules on his vocal cords. While Rob Wright is the band's lyricist and main 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...
, all members have contributed songs to NoMeansNo records, and nearly all their material is credited to the entire band.
Wrong is widely considered the band's best and most representative record. ("The playing is incredibly skilled, with the Wright brothers effortlessly shifting tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
s and time signatures and Kerr's razor sharp 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...
clicking right into place.")
After Kerr's departure, the Wright brothers recorded Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?
Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?
Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? is the sixth full-length album by Nomeansno. After the departure of long-time guitarist Andy Kerr, the group's lineup stood simply as a two-piece at the time of the album's recording...
as a duo. They subsequently recruited guitarist Tom Holliston
Tom Holliston
Tom Holliston is a musician, composing and playing in such bands as Showbusiness Giants, NoMeansNo and The Hanson Brothers, as well as releasing three solo records since 2002...
from Showbusiness Giants
Showbusiness Giants
-External links:* * * *...
and The Hanson Brothers
The Hanson Brothers
The Hanson Brothers are a Canadian punk rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia and led by John and Rob Wright and Tom Holliston, all members of the punk rock band Nomeansno....
, and have continued touring and releasing records, including Worldhood of the World (As Such)
The Worldhood of the World (As Such)
The Worldhood of the World is the seventh full-length album released by Nomeansno. It is the first record of the group's to feature guitarist Tom Holliston...
, Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie
Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie
Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie is the eighth full-length album released by Nomeansno.-Track listing:# "This Story Must Be Told" - 5:40# "Going Nowhere" - 2:27# "I'm An Asshole" - 4:44# "Disappear" - 6:39...
, One
One (NoMeansNo album)
One is the ninth full-length album released by Nomeansno. "Beat on the Brat" is a Ramones cover while "Bitch's Brew" is a Miles Davis cover with additional vocals written by the band.-Track listing:# "The Graveyard Shift" - 6:00# "Under the Sea" - 6:13...
, and most recently All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt
All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt
All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt is a 2006 album by influential Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo.- Track listing :#"Wake Up" - 2:35#"In Her Eyes" - 3:28#"Mr...
, which was released on August 22, 2006. The album was released by AntAcidAudio
AntAcidAudio
AntAcidAudio is an independent record label run by Greg Werckman .-Discography:...
in the United States and Southern Records
Southern Records
Southern Records is an independent record label closely associated with Crass Records, Corpus Christi Records and Dischord Records. It is based in London and previously had offices in Chicago , Le Havre and Berlin .Southern was originally a recording studio owned and operated by John Loder...
in Europe.
The album One, released in 2000, featured "two stunning covers that only make sense coming from NoMeansNo": a slow stoner rock
Stoner rock
Stoner rock or stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal, combining elements of psychedelic rock, blues rock, traditional heavy metal and doom metal. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro' production...
-styled version of The Ramones' "Beat on the Brat", and rather authentic fifteen-minute version of Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
' "Bitches Brew
Bitches Brew
Bitches Brew is a studio double album by jazz musician Miles Davis, released in April 1970 on Columbia Records. The album continued his experimentation with electric instruments previously featured on his critically acclaimed In a Silent Way album...
" (complete with electric piano
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
and conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s), featuring lyrics by Rob.
NoMeansNo initially released records with seminal punk rock 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...
. This relationship ended in 2002. The band has since been reissuing old albums through Southern Records under their own Wrong Records imprint.
Style
Even their earliest recordings demonstrate impressive instrumental technique ("some of the most complex instrumentation you're ever likely to find in punk rock"). Jazz has been an influence on the group; Rob's basslines have a loping, melodic quality often reminiscent of Charles MingusCharles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, and John's drumming sometimes sounds a bit like Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
or Art Blakey
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
. John's drumming style has been mentioned as an influence to others, including Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
and Tim Solyan from Victims Family.
NoMeansNo's output features a seemingly endless flow of "Wright/wrong/right" pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s, and significant measures of black humour, with "pointedly warped lyrics", such as on "Dad" from Sex Mad
Sex Mad
Sex Mad is the second full-length album by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo.The track "Dead Bob" contains a citation of Cream's hit "Sunshine of Your Love"-Track listing:Side one# "Sex Mad" – 4:15# "Dad" – 3:01# "Obsessed" – 3:36...
. The song was a minor college radio hit, and has been called "a bit chilling, even though it's spit out at slam-pit's pace". The first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
details a rampaging father's physical
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
and sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
, ending with what's been called a "killer end touch—the badly delivered line 'I'm seriously considering leaving home.'" One critic (while noting the group's "savage intelligence") suggests that NoMeansNo might well be "the secret influence on a fair amount of both early-'90s math rock
Math rock
Math rock is a rhythmically complex guitar-based style of experimental rock that emerged in the 1980s and that was very influenced by progressive rock like King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Henry Cow - and 20th century composers such as Steve Reich and John Cage...
and emo
Emo (music)
Emo is a style of rock music characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics. It originated in the mid-1980s hardcore punk movement of Washington, D.C., where it was known as "emotional hardcore" or "emocore" and pioneered by bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace...
, what with the barely controlled fervour of the singing and the sudden jerks back and forth in the rhythm section."
Side projects
NoMeansNo's alter ego is The Hanson BrothersThe Hanson Brothers
The Hanson Brothers are a Canadian punk rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia and led by John and Rob Wright and Tom Holliston, all members of the punk rock band Nomeansno....
, a quartet with John singing and (currently) Mike Branum from The Freak Accident playing drums. Nearly a Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
tribute band, the Hanson Brothers play fun punk rock as a mock group of backward Canadian ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
fans. The lyrics centre on ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and girls. The name comes from characters in the 1977 George Roy Hill
George Roy Hill
George Roy Hill was an American film director. He is most noted for directing such films as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, which both starred the acting duo Paul Newman and Robert Redford...
film Slap Shot, starring Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
.
Rob Wright
Rob Wright
Rob Wright is a Canadian musician and songwriter best known as the bassist, lead vocalist and occasional guitarist of the progressive punk rock band Nomeansno, as well as the bassist of the pop punk band The Hanson Brothers...
's alter ego is Mr. Wrong, who dresses as an authoritarian priest and often poses with a shotgun. Mr. Wrong is simply Wright on bass and vocals with no other instrumentation.
Tom Holliston
Tom Holliston
Tom Holliston is a musician, composing and playing in such bands as Showbusiness Giants, NoMeansNo and The Hanson Brothers, as well as releasing three solo records since 2002...
released several albums with his band Showbusiness Giants
Showbusiness Giants
-External links:* * * *...
as well as three solo albums.
Andy Kerr
Andy Kerr (musician)
Andy Kerr is a Canadian-born musician, originally from British Columbia and currently residing in Amsterdam, Holland. Kerr is best known as the former guitarist, frequent vocalist, and co-songwriter in the progressive punk rock/punk jazz band NoMeansNo...
and John Wright
John Wright (musician)
John Wright is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He replaced the former drummer, Murray Jackson. He is best known as the drummer, keyboardist, occasional vocalist and co-songwriter in the progressive punk rock/punk jazz band NoMeansNo, as well as the lead singer and co-songwriter of the...
played in the early 1980s in the Infamous Scientists. Kerr, after leaving NoMeansNo, released a solo CD and collaborated with Victoria musician formerly of Shovelhed, Scott Henderson in Hissanol
Hissanol
Hissanol were a two-piece experimental indie rock band based in both Amsterdam and Victoria active between 1994 and 1998. The band was a studio-only project from former NoMeansNo guitarist Andy Kerr and Scott Henderson of Shovlhed, Swell Prod., the Showbusiness Giants, and other groups.Since its...
. Kerr most recently has begun a duo called Two Pin Din
Two Pin Din
Two Pin Din are a two-piece indie rock band based in Amsterdam, Holland, formed in 2005. The band is a noteworthy new project from experimental punk rock musicians Andy Kerr and Wilf Plum formerly of the influential groups Nomeansno and Dog Faced Hermans, respectively. Lacking a rhythm section,...
in Holland.
Band members
Current members- Rob WrightRob WrightRob Wright is a Canadian musician and songwriter best known as the bassist, lead vocalist and occasional guitarist of the progressive punk rock band Nomeansno, as well as the bassist of the pop punk band The Hanson Brothers...
– bass, vocals, guitar (1979–present) - John WrightJohn Wright (musician)John Wright is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He replaced the former drummer, Murray Jackson. He is best known as the drummer, keyboardist, occasional vocalist and co-songwriter in the progressive punk rock/punk jazz band NoMeansNo, as well as the lead singer and co-songwriter of the...
– drums, vocals, keyboards (1979–present) - Tom HollistonTom HollistonTom Holliston is a musician, composing and playing in such bands as Showbusiness Giants, NoMeansNo and The Hanson Brothers, as well as releasing three solo records since 2002...
– guitar, vocals (1993–present)
Former members
- Andy KerrAndy Kerr (musician)Andy Kerr is a Canadian-born musician, originally from British Columbia and currently residing in Amsterdam, Holland. Kerr is best known as the former guitarist, frequent vocalist, and co-songwriter in the progressive punk rock/punk jazz band NoMeansNo...
– guitar, vocals, bass (1983–1992) - Ken KempsterKen KempsterKen Kempster is a Canadian musician.Kempster has played drums in the Canadian punk rock bands Shovlhead, Swell Prod., The Showbusiness Giants , The Hanson Brothers , and NoMeansNo -External links:*...
– additional drums (1993–1997)
Studio LPs
- 1982 - MamaMama (Nomeansno album)Mama is the debut album of the band, Nomeansno. Recorded in 1982 by brothers John and Rob Wright, the album was initially available with a limited number of 500 vinyl pressings...
(reissued in 2004 with extra tracks) - 1986 - Sex MadSex MadSex Mad is the second full-length album by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo.The track "Dead Bob" contains a citation of Cream's hit "Sunshine of Your Love"-Track listing:Side one# "Sex Mad" – 4:15# "Dad" – 3:01# "Obsessed" – 3:36...
- 1988 - Small Parts Isolated and DestroyedSmall Parts Isolated and DestroyedSmall Parts Isolated and Destroyed is the third full-length album by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo. It was later placed in the compilation album The Day Everything Became Isolated and Destroyed alongside the EP The Day Everything Became Nothing, which had been released the same year.-Track...
- 1989 - WrongWrong (album)Wrong is the fourth full-length album by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo.The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal called it the band's best album, and rated the album as a 10 out of 10, stating, "Wrong was the mightiest merger between the hateful aggression of punk and the discipline of heavy...
(reissued in 2005 with extra tracks) - 1991 - The Sky Is Falling and I Want My MommyThe Sky Is Falling and I Want My MommyThe Sky is Falling and I Want My Mommy is an album recorded by Jello Biafra with punk band NoMeansNo. The project came about after Nomeansno and Biafra had collaborated for the soundtrack to the underground film Terminal City Ricochet.-Track listing:#"The Sky Is Falling, and I Want My Mommy " –...
(with 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...
) - 1991 - 0 + 2 = 10 + 2 = 1-Personnel:* David Bruce – Artwork* Brian Else – Engineering* Cecil English – Producer, Engineering* Mr. Happy – Guitar* George Horn – Mastering* Andy Kerr – Guitar, Bass, Vocals...
- 1993 - Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? is the sixth full-length album by Nomeansno. After the departure of long-time guitarist Andy Kerr, the group's lineup stood simply as a two-piece at the time of the album's recording...
- 1994 - Mr. Right & Mr. Wrong : One Down & Two to GoMr. Right & Mr. Wrong : One Down & Two to GoMr. Right & Mr. Wrong: One Down & Two To Go is the eighth full-length album by Nomeansno. After the departure of long-time guitarist Andy Kerr, the group's lineup stood simply as a two-piece at the time of the album's recording.The tracks on the album are culled from three sources - five songs ...
- 1995 - The Worldhood of the World (As Such)The Worldhood of the World (As Such)The Worldhood of the World is the seventh full-length album released by Nomeansno. It is the first record of the group's to feature guitarist Tom Holliston...
- 1998 - Dance of the Headless BourgeoisieDance of the Headless BourgeoisieDance of the Headless Bourgeoisie is the eighth full-length album released by Nomeansno.-Track listing:# "This Story Must Be Told" - 5:40# "Going Nowhere" - 2:27# "I'm An Asshole" - 4:44# "Disappear" - 6:39...
(reissued in 2005 with extra tracks) - 2000 - OneOne (NoMeansNo album)One is the ninth full-length album released by Nomeansno. "Beat on the Brat" is a Ramones cover while "Bitch's Brew" is a Miles Davis cover with additional vocals written by the band.-Track listing:# "The Graveyard Shift" - 6:00# "Under the Sea" - 6:13...
- 2006 - All Roads Lead to AusfahrtAll Roads Lead to AusfahrtAll Roads Lead to Ausfahrt is a 2006 album by influential Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo.- Track listing :#"Wake Up" - 2:35#"In Her Eyes" - 3:28#"Mr...
EPs
- 1981 - Betrayal, Fear, Anger, HatredBetrayal, Fear, Anger, Hatred (EP)Betrayal, Fear, Anger, Hatred is the first EP by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo. The tracks from the EP were later included on the CD reissue of the band's debut album Mama. The EP was described by Trouser Press as a "statement of purpose". At this stage the band was still a duo of Rob and...
- 1985 - You Kill MeYou Kill Me (EP)You Kill Me is an EP by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo. It was later released on CD with 1986's Sex Mad album.-Track listing:# "Body Bag" - 4:39# "Stop It" - 4:36# "Some Bodies" - 4:04# "Manic Depression" - 2:32# "Paradise" - 3:50...
- 1988 - The Day Everything Became NothingThe Day Everything Became Nothing (EP)The Day Everything Became Nothing is an EP by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo. It was later placed in the compilation album The Day Everything Became Isolated and Destroyed alongside the album Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed, which had been released later that year...
- 1990 - The Power of Positive ThinkingThe Power of Positive Thinking (EP)The Power of Positive Thinking is an EP by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo. "I Am Wrong" and "Life in Hell" were both new tracks while "Manic Depression" was a Jimi Hendrix cover recorded in 1985 and remixed for release on the EP.-Track listing:...
- 1996 - Would We Be Alive?
- 1997 - In the FishtankIn the FishtankIn the Fishtank is an ongoing project of Konkurrent, an independent music distributor in the Netherlands. In this project, Konkurrent invites one or two bands to record and gives them two days studio time. The first four albums were recorded by individual bands, but eight of the last ten releases...
Volume 1 - 2001 - Generic Shame
- 2010 - Tour EP 1
- 2010 - Tour EP 2
Singles
- 1980 - Look, Here Come the Wormies
- 1987 - Dad
- 1991 - Oh, Canaduh
- 1994 - Leave the Seaside – live bootleg 7"
Live albums
- 1988 - Live at the Paradiso Amsterdam - bootleg - VPRO Radio station recording.
- 1989 - Peel Sessions - BBC Studio Recording but effectively Live Performance.
- 1990 - Live in Warsaw – bootleg cassette
- 1991 - Live + CuddlyLive + Cuddly-Track listing:# "It's Catching Up" - 4:09# "Two Lips, Two Lungs And One Tongue" - 3:07# "Rags and Bones" - 5:18# "Body Bag" - 6:40# "Brother Rat" - 2:11# "What Slayde Says" - 8:44# "Some Bodies" - 4:39# "Teresa, Give Me That Knife" - 2:19# "Victory" - 7:45...
Compilations
- 1985 - It Came from the Pit
- 1988 - Oops! Wrong Stereotype (Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative 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...
compilation) - 1990 - Terminal City RicochetTerminal City RicochetTerminal City Ricochet is a 1990 film by Filipino director Zale Dalen. The name was taken from a hockey team called the Terminal City Ricochets....
(soundtrack for movie of the same name) - 1992 - Clam Chowder & Ice Vs. Big Macs and Bombers
- 1992 - Virus 100 (a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
version of Dead KennedysDead KennedysDead 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....
song, "Forward to Death") - 1995 - The Making of Allied One Two Three
- 1996 - Chaotic Soup (Split with Ultra-Bide)
- 1999 - Short Music for Short PeopleShort Music for Short PeopleShort Music for Short People is a 1999 compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label. The title is a parody of the 1980s punk compilation Rat Music for Rat People...
- 2004 - The People's Choice (retrospective compilation)
- 2010 - 0+2=1½ (compilation of outtakes & demos)
Videography
- 2004 - Would We Be...Live? (Live footage of NoMeansNo and The Hanson Brothers, filmed in London, on DVD)
External links
- Nomeanswhatever.com official website: forum, tour calendar, news
- Southern record label website – European distributors
- Nomeansno biography at the Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative 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...
website - NoMeansNo profile at Perfect Sound Forever
- NoMeansNo discography fan site
- Concert Review
- The Ruckus - Audio Interview with Tom Holliston from March 2009, featuring NMN and Hanson Brothers tracks