Spite (punk band)
Encyclopedia
The Hardcore punk rock
band, Spite, was an essential musical hub in the Michigan hardcore
scene. It was made up of members from other notable bands, who branched out to play an essential role in the musical community, both inside and outside the region. At present, Spite’s effect on music
is evident in that it continues to be imitated by artists from a variety of genres.
in the Fall of 1983. These original members of the midwestern hardcore scene, played with other Kalamazoo groups such as Violent Apathy
and FAQ. During their brief career they performed with some national acts such as Fang and Born Without a Face. Perhaps their most notable show was with the Butthole Surfers
, Naked Raygun
, and Eleventh Hour at Western Michigan University
( February 23, 1985).
Three of Spite's members went on to perform in other groups, while another made his mark in politics. They were: Scott Boman
(Vocals) Former member of the Degenerates
, Dan Humiston (Bass) Former member of Passive Aggression and later member Memories of Tomorrow, Greg Fox (Guitar & vocals) who is a former member of Passive Aggression and later member of , Bill (Willie) Axe(Drums & vocals) who is a former member of Passive Aggression and later member of RollingHead and Memories of Tomorrow, and Tommy Fuller
(Guitar leads) who was a Former member of the Touch and Go Records
artist, Violent Apathy
on their "Live at Wacken: The Reunion" DVD. This DVD was produced by Eagle Vision USA. Most recently (June 2007), Tom Fuller has rejoined Violent Apathy
on their Twenty Five Year Reunion Tour.
called, There Are Giants in the Earth, which was recorded on the Slowdance Records
label.
, also wrote opinion columns in the Western Herald (Western Michigan University
publication), was founder of Fellowship of the Purple Cube and is a perennial Michigan
Libertarian
politician.
Most recently, Boman has been involved in spoken word performances. In 2009 he was featured in Detroit's Annual Erotic Poetry and Music Festival. This "eclectic celebration of the erotic arts" is a charitable event for Paws with a Cause. Paws with a Cause pairs shelter dogs with disabled human companions.
These are to be regarded as tribute bands, rather than the original on reunion tours, since none of these more recent incarnations of Spite contain any of the original members.
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, Spite, was an essential musical hub in the Michigan hardcore
Music of Michigan
The music of Michigan is composed of many different types. The city of Detroit has been one of the most musically influential and innovative cities for the past 50 years, whether in Michigan or anywhere else in the United States. Impressively, for 48 straight years a greater Michigan area artist...
scene. It was made up of members from other notable bands, who branched out to play an essential role in the musical community, both inside and outside the region. At present, Spite’s effect on music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
is evident in that it continues to be imitated by artists from a variety of genres.
Band history
Spite formed in Kalamazoo, MichiganKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
in the Fall of 1983. These original members of the midwestern hardcore scene, played with other Kalamazoo groups such as Violent Apathy
Violent Apathy
Violent Apathy is a U.S. hardcore band that formed in March 1981 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan and sparked the Kalamazoo hardcore scene. The original band was three high school friends from Jackson, Michigan along with Eliot Rachman, another WMU student who hailed from East...
and FAQ. During their brief career they performed with some national acts such as Fang and Born Without a Face. Perhaps their most notable show was with the Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
, Naked Raygun
Naked Raygun
Naked Raygun is a Chicago-based punk rock group. Initially active from 1980 to about 1992, Naked Raygun had several short-lived reunions afterwards and a full-time reformation in 2006....
, and Eleventh Hour at Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
( February 23, 1985).
Three of Spite's members went on to perform in other groups, while another made his mark in politics. They were: Scott Boman
Scott Boman
Scott Avery Boman has been one of Michigan’s most visible Libertarian politicians since the late 1990s...
(Vocals) Former member of the Degenerates
Degenerates
Degenerates originated in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan in 1979, during the formative years of the Detroit hardcore scene. The group predated the Process of Elimination EP, which some reviewers view as the beginning of the Midwest hardcore scene. Members branched out to other bands, including...
, Dan Humiston (Bass) Former member of Passive Aggression and later member Memories of Tomorrow, Greg Fox (Guitar & vocals) who is a former member of Passive Aggression and later member of , Bill (Willie) Axe(Drums & vocals) who is a former member of Passive Aggression and later member of RollingHead and Memories of Tomorrow, and Tommy Fuller
(Guitar leads) who was a Former member of the Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.After its genesis as a hand-made fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s alternative and underground rock scenes, Touch & Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurous...
artist, Violent Apathy
Violent Apathy
Violent Apathy is a U.S. hardcore band that formed in March 1981 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan and sparked the Kalamazoo hardcore scene. The original band was three high school friends from Jackson, Michigan along with Eliot Rachman, another WMU student who hailed from East...
After Spite
Tom Fuller
Guitarist, Tom "Tommy" Fuller Performed with Black Spring from 1989 to 1995. Black Spring released their Album "Girth" in 1992. In 2001 Fuller played guitar on the "Aliens, Psychos & Wild Things, Vol. 2 CD," which was on the Arcania International label. More recently, in 2005, he released his solo album, "Chasing an Illusion" on Red Cap Records Fuller also appears on "Makin' the Point" by Frankie & The Knockouts. Another 2005 appearance is with Twisted SisterTwisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
on their "Live at Wacken: The Reunion" DVD. This DVD was produced by Eagle Vision USA. Most recently (June 2007), Tom Fuller has rejoined Violent Apathy
Violent Apathy
Violent Apathy is a U.S. hardcore band that formed in March 1981 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan and sparked the Kalamazoo hardcore scene. The original band was three high school friends from Jackson, Michigan along with Eliot Rachman, another WMU student who hailed from East...
on their Twenty Five Year Reunion Tour.
Greg Fox
Spite was also a springboard for the band's other guitarist, Greg Fox. In 1989 Fox joined the Huntunes and performed on their self-titled album. Greg Fox also played guitar on a 2004 release by The '89 CubsThe '89 Cubs
The '89 Cubs are a power trio hailing from Omaha, Nebraska. The band features members from Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, and The Good Life, all bands that are signed to Saddle Creek Records...
called, There Are Giants in the Earth, which was recorded on the Slowdance Records
Slowdance Records
Slowdance Records was an independent record label based in Portland, Oregon.-Bands:* The '89 Cubs* * The Evening Episode* * The Intima* * The New Trust* * Rescue* The Roots of Orchis* The Velvet Teen* Logan Whitehurst-External links:* *...
label.
Scott Boman
The vocalist, Scott BomanScott Boman
Scott Avery Boman has been one of Michigan’s most visible Libertarian politicians since the late 1990s...
, also wrote opinion columns in the Western Herald (Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
publication), was founder of Fellowship of the Purple Cube and is a perennial Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
Libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
politician.
Most recently, Boman has been involved in spoken word performances. In 2009 he was featured in Detroit's Annual Erotic Poetry and Music Festival. This "eclectic celebration of the erotic arts" is a charitable event for Paws with a Cause. Paws with a Cause pairs shelter dogs with disabled human companions.
Bill Axe
After Spite was dissolved, drummer Bill "Willie" Axe performed with bassist Dan Humiston in Memories of Tomorrow. Then, from 1991 to 1995, Axe played drums for Rollinghead. Rollinghead released their CD "Daddyhorse" in 1991 on the Piranha Alley Records label, and in 1994 they released "Vol.3 Live" via the Grass Records and Roundflat Records labels.Dan Humiston
Bass player, Dan "Danno" Humiston went on to perform with the bands, Shroud of Secrecy and Memories of Tomorrow(1989). Memories of Tomorrow performed with Soundgarden at the state theater during its Louder than Love tour. Humiston also recorded and engineered the CD, "Racecar 1991" by Overman, the work was of such interest that it was later remasterd as "Racecar 2003".Discography
- The Emotion not the Point
- Though Spite performed in the 1980s, they did not release their work on CD until 2007, when they released, "The Emotion Not The Point." Songs include: Bored, Our Backyard, Andy's Gone, and Bowser Rules.
Spite tribute bands
Since the original Kalamazoo band, Spite, dissolved, several musical groups have emulated Spites style and public persona. This even includes adoption of the original band name:- In 1996 such a group formed in Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
.
- In 1999 a “Spite” group formed in west-vlaanderen, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
- In 2001 a group in Nürnberg GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, adopter use of the "Spite" moniker and Instrumental style.
- Most recently a Devizes, Southwest, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
version formed in 2006.
These are to be regarded as tribute bands, rather than the original on reunion tours, since none of these more recent incarnations of Spite contain any of the original members.