The Gun Club (band)
Encyclopedia
The Gun Club was an American
punk blues
band from Los Angeles, California
that existed from 1979 to 1996. Led by flamboyant singer and guitarist
Jeffrey Lee Pierce
, The Gun Club merged the contemporary genre of punk rock
with the more traditional genres of blues
, rockabilly
and country music
.
Along with X, The Flesh Eaters
and The Blasters
, they helped set the tone of the Hollywood rock scene of the 1980s, and are cited as a "tribal psychobilly
blues" band.
, former head of the Blondie
fan club in Los Angeles. Joining him was Brian Tristan, who was later renamed Kid Congo Powers
during his stint with The Cramps
, Don Snowden, who was at the time a music critic for the Los Angeles Times, and Brad Dunning, now a prominent designer and writer. Pierce, Tristan and Dunning were good friends having met at various early punk gigs and frequented the Capitol Records parking lot record swapmeet. Pierce played guitar and lead vocals, while Tristan took on lead guitar, Snowden on bass, and Dunning rounding out the quartet on drums. The band was originally a rockabilly band called The Cyclones led by Pleasant Gehman
on lead vocals, but Gehman departed after only one show which was at Gazzarri's, a club on the Sunset Strip and their opening act was The GoGos. After adopting the name "The Creeping Ritual", Pierce moved to vocals and they spent some time gigging at local venues. They quickly changed their name to The Gun Club suggested by Pierce's roommate, Black Flag
and Circle Jerks
singer Keith Morris
. They often opened for the band X and The Blasters among others.
Snowden and Dunning departed in late 1980 being replaced by two ex-members of The Bags
, Rob Ritter and Terry Graham, respectively.
Kid Congo left before the recording of the first album to join The Cramps
. He was replaced by Ward Dotson, who would play lead and slide guitar on the band's debut album. Securing a record deal on Slash Records
division Ruby
, the group released their debut album, Fire of Love
in 1981. The album was produced by Tito Larriva
of The Plugz
and The Flesh Eaters
frontman Chris D.
Critic Stevo Olende has written that the "album's lyrical imagery is plundered from voodoo, '50's EC comics
and the blues
," while another notes that "Nobody has heard music like this before or since."[] Fire of Love sold well and received strong reviews upon release.
By 1982, the band had signed to Blondie
guitarist Chris Stein
's Animal Records. The band temporarily relocated to New York to record their follow-up album, 1982's Miami
. This album would feature not only Stein as producer, but also Debbie Harry
on backup vocals on select tracks. Upon release, the album received good reviews but was widely criticized for Stein's production, which was said to have a thin mix. Rob Ritter left shortly after the album, changing his name to Rob Graves and forming the band 45 Grave
. Before leaving, Ritter taught all of his bass parts to his former Bags bandmate Patricia Morrison
and trained her as his replacement. Due to increasingly common arguments, Pierce dismissed Graham and Dotson around this time.
, on drums. During this time, Pierce refrained from guitar playing, instead focusing on singing. This line-up was to be very short-lived though; Dee Pop lasted only eight months before Graham returned. On the eve of an Australian tour, both Duckworth and Graham refused to get on the plane. Without a guitarist or a drummer, Pierce had the supporting act's drummer and guitarist fill in for the remainder of the tour, while Kid Congo Powers also returned on guitar. When they returned to the States, Graham resumed his place on drums.
Pierce returned to guitar playing during this line-up, and both he and Powers are credited with guitar on their third album, 1984's The Las Vegas Story
. This album marked a significant change for the band; it represented a shift away from the punk rock of Fire of Love and Miami and a step towards a more polished, alternative rock sound. The Blaster's Dave Alvin
appeared to play lead guitar on a handful of tracks. The band embarked on a tour throughout Europe in support of the album, though Graham again departed during this tour and was replaced with Desperate. After gigs supporting Siouxsie and the Banshees, the band decided to call it quits and played their farewell shows in the winter of 1984.
During the break-up, Powers, Morrison, and Desperate formed a band called Fur Bible, while Jeffrey Lee Pierce embarked on a solo career. Pierce assembled a band consisting of former members of The Cure
and Roxy Music
and released Wildweed in 1985. He organized a new band to tour in support of the album, including Nick Sanderson
of Clock DVA
and Pierce's then-girlfriend Romi Mori. Sanderson played drums while Mori played guitar.
of The Cocteau Twins, was met with positive critical reception and was a successful comeback for the band. After the release of Nick Cave's 1990 album The Good Son
, Kid Congo Powers departed The Bad Seeds to focus more on The Gun Club.
1990 saw the release of the band's fifth studio effort, Pastoral Hide and Seek, which Pierce produced himself. Nick Sanderson departed after the release of 1991's mini-album Divinity to focus on his other project, World of Twist. He was replaced with Simon Fish, who had previously played with Pierce on one of his solo albums. During this time, Jeffrey Lee alternated between his solo acoustic material and The Gun Club, which was his outlet for harder-edged songs. In 1992, Powers left the band to focus on his solo project Congo Norvell, whilst Nick Sanderson soon returned to drums after the dissolution of World of Twist, later forming Earl Brutus with ex-WOT Jamie Fry & Gordon King.
He made a few live appearances with The Bad Seeds in 1994 but mostly remained reclusive during this time to write his autobiography, which proved to be exceptionally critical of former members of the band. He returned to Los Angeles, after a 10 year stay in London, where he grew increasingly fascinated with rap music and even recorded a rap cover of Tom Waits'
song "Pasties & a G-String" for a Waits tribute album. With his health failing, he was only able to play a handful of shows in 1995 with a new band that consisted of Mike Martt and Kid Congo Powers on guitar, bassist Randy Bradbury, and drummer Brock Avery (then later with a bassist named Elizabeth Montague). Pierce decided to visit his father in Utah where he suffered a stroke and was taken to a hospital. He was to undergo surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain but died on March 31, 1996.
". Seminal alt-country act Uncle Tupelo
recorded a punked-up version of the folk song "John Hardy" which was more or less a cover of Gun Club's version.
The Gun Club was a major influence on the band R.E.M.
. The haunting guitar riffs and open chord sounds of songs like "Brother and Sister" (from the album Miami) were echoed in many R.E.M. songs. The cry in the chorus of Gun Club's "Watermelon Man" is almost identical to the cry later used in the chorus of R.E.M.'s "The One I Love".
The White Stripes
have been known to cover "For the Love of Ivy" and "Jack on Fire", from Fire of Love, at live shows. Of The Gun Club's music in particular, the band's vocalist and guitarist Jack White
has said, "'Sex Beat', 'She's Like Heroin To Me', and 'For The Love Of Ivy'...why are these songs not taught in schools?"
Several other artists—such as Henry Rollins
, Blanche
, The Pixies, Japandroids
, No Age
, Cobra Verde
, Noir Désir
, The Flaming Stars
, Tito & Tarantula
, The Deadly Snakes
, Calla
, Lucid Nation
, Love Life, Madrugada, The Von Bondies
, Th' Legendary Shack Shakers
, Goober and the Peas, The Fever
, 16 Horsepower
, Archie Bronson Outfit
, Cienfuegos
, Joshua Hayward
of The Horrors
and Mark Lanegan
of The Screaming Trees, who covered Miami's opening track "Carry Home"—have been influenced by The Gun Club.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk blues
Punk blues
Punk blues denotes a fusion genre of punk rock and blues. Punk blues musicians and bands usually incorporate elements of related styles, such as protopunk and blues rock. Its origins lie strongly within the garage rock sound of the 1960s and 1970s.Punk blues can be said to favor the common...
band from Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
that existed from 1979 to 1996. Led by flamboyant singer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Jeffrey Lee Pierce
Jeffrey Lee Pierce
Jeffrey Lee Pierce was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the 1980s punk band The Gun Club...
, The Gun Club merged the contemporary genre 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...
with the more traditional genres of blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
and country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
.
Along with X, The Flesh Eaters
The Flesh Eaters (band)
The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardins, known as...
and The Blasters
The Blasters
The Blasters are a rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin , with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Phil Alvin explained the origin of the band's name: "I thought Joe Turner’s backup band on Atlantic records – I had...
, they helped set the tone of the Hollywood rock scene of the 1980s, and are cited as a "tribal psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
blues" band.
Fire of Love and Miami (1979-1982)
The Gun Club was formed by Jeffrey Lee PierceJeffrey Lee Pierce
Jeffrey Lee Pierce was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the 1980s punk band The Gun Club...
, former head of the Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
fan club in Los Angeles. Joining him was Brian Tristan, who was later renamed Kid Congo Powers
Kid Congo Powers
Kid Congo Powers is the stage name of Brian Tristan , an American rock guitarist and singer, best known as a member of The Gun Club, The Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.-Biography:...
during his stint with The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
, Don Snowden, who was at the time a music critic for the Los Angeles Times, and Brad Dunning, now a prominent designer and writer. Pierce, Tristan and Dunning were good friends having met at various early punk gigs and frequented the Capitol Records parking lot record swapmeet. Pierce played guitar and lead vocals, while Tristan took on lead guitar, Snowden on bass, and Dunning rounding out the quartet on drums. The band was originally a rockabilly band called The Cyclones led by Pleasant Gehman
Pleasant Gehman
Pleasant Gehman is a magazine writer, poet, actor, dancer and musician from Los Angeles.In the 1980s, she was the singer for the punk rock band Screamin' Sirens, and later, The RIngling Sisters and Honk If Yer Horny. All three bands have released numerous titles on vinyl, as well as cd...
on lead vocals, but Gehman departed after only one show which was at Gazzarri's, a club on the Sunset Strip and their opening act was The GoGos. After adopting the name "The Creeping Ritual", Pierce moved to vocals and they spent some time gigging at local venues. They quickly changed their name to The Gun Club suggested by Pierce's roommate, Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
and Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks
The Circle Jerks are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Los Angeles, California. It was formed by Black Flag's original singer, Keith Morris, and future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. They were among the preeminent hardcore punk bands of the L.A. scene in the late 1970s.The band...
singer Keith Morris
Keith Morris
Keith Morris is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, and Off! Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the age of 21 with guitarist Greg Ginn and performed on the band's 1978 debut EP...
. They often opened for the band X and The Blasters among others.
Snowden and Dunning departed in late 1980 being replaced by two ex-members of The Bags
The Bags
The Bags were an American rock band formed in 1977. They were one of the first generation of punk rock bands to emerge out of Los Angeles, California.-Career:...
, Rob Ritter and Terry Graham, respectively.
Kid Congo left before the recording of the first album to join The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
. He was replaced by Ward Dotson, who would play lead and slide guitar on the band's debut album. Securing a record deal on Slash Records
Slash Records
Slash Records is a record label in Los Angeles, originally specializing in local and punk rock bands.The label was formed in 1978 by Bob Biggs as an outgrowth of the Los Angeles-based fanzine, Slash. Biggs, a painter, initiated the label with a seven-inch single from The Germs in 1978. A full album...
division Ruby
Ruby Records
Ruby Records was a record label subsidiary of Slash Records, started in 1981.Ruby was distributed through the same independent distributors that handled its corporate parent, Slash. When Warner Bros...
, the group released their debut album, Fire of Love
Fire of Love
Fire of Love is the debut album of the American punk band The Gun Club, released in 1981 on Ruby Records. The album is considered groundbreaking in being the first of its kind to combine the hard, stripped-down sound of punk rock with American roots musics...
in 1981. The album was produced by Tito Larriva
Tito Larriva
-Early life:Larriva was born in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, and El Paso, Texas. As a child he played the violin in the school orchestra and sang in the church and school choirs where he met his wife Janet Carroll. In 1972 Larriva snuck into Yale University for a full...
of The Plugz
The Plugz
The Plugz were a Mexican-American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 1977. They and The Zeros were among the first Chicano punk bands, although several Latino garage rock bands, such as Thee Midniters and Question Mark & the Mysterians, predated them...
and The Flesh Eaters
The Flesh Eaters (band)
The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardins, known as...
frontman Chris D.
Chris D.
Chris D., real name Chris Desjardins, is a punk poet, rock critic, singer, writer, actor and filmmaker. Chris D. is best known as the lead singer and founder of the early Los Angeles punk/deathrock band The Flesh Eaters. Desjardins was a feature writer at Slash magazine in 1977, when he formed a...
Critic Stevo Olende has written that the "album's lyrical imagery is plundered from voodoo, '50's EC comics
EC Comics
Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
and the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
," while another notes that "Nobody has heard music like this before or since."[] Fire of Love sold well and received strong reviews upon release.
By 1982, the band had signed to Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
guitarist Chris Stein
Chris Stein
Christopher "Chris" Stein is co-founder and guitarist in the New Wave band, Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film Wild Style....
's Animal Records. The band temporarily relocated to New York to record their follow-up album, 1982's Miami
Miami (Gun Club album)
Miami is the second album by punk blues group The Gun Club, released in 1982.Debbie Harry appears as a backing singer on various tracks on the album under the pseudonym "D.H...
. This album would feature not only Stein as producer, but also Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
on backup vocals on select tracks. Upon release, the album received good reviews but was widely criticized for Stein's production, which was said to have a thin mix. Rob Ritter left shortly after the album, changing his name to Rob Graves and forming the band 45 Grave
45 Grave
45 Grave are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as...
. Before leaving, Ritter taught all of his bass parts to his former Bags bandmate Patricia Morrison
Patricia Morrison
Patricia Morrison is an American bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. She worked with The Bags, The Gun Club, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Damned.-Biography:...
and trained her as his replacement. Due to increasingly common arguments, Pierce dismissed Graham and Dotson around this time.
The Las Vegas Story and First Break-Up (1983-1985)
Terry Graham and Ward Dotson were replaced with Jim Duckworth on guitar and Dee Pop, formerly of the New York band Bush TetrasBush Tetras
Bush Tetras are an American post-punk band from New York City, popular in the Manhattan club scene in the early 1980s but never achieving much mainstream success. Their music combined funk rhythms and dissonant guitar riffs.-History:...
, on drums. During this time, Pierce refrained from guitar playing, instead focusing on singing. This line-up was to be very short-lived though; Dee Pop lasted only eight months before Graham returned. On the eve of an Australian tour, both Duckworth and Graham refused to get on the plane. Without a guitarist or a drummer, Pierce had the supporting act's drummer and guitarist fill in for the remainder of the tour, while Kid Congo Powers also returned on guitar. When they returned to the States, Graham resumed his place on drums.
Pierce returned to guitar playing during this line-up, and both he and Powers are credited with guitar on their third album, 1984's The Las Vegas Story
The Las Vegas Story (album)
The Las Vegas Story is the third studio album by punk blues group The Gun Club, released in 1984. This album saw the return of founding member and lead guitarist Kid Congo Powers, after a three year stint with The Cramps.-Track listing:...
. This album marked a significant change for the band; it represented a shift away from the punk rock of Fire of Love and Miami and a step towards a more polished, alternative rock sound. The Blaster's Dave Alvin
Dave Alvin
Dave Alvin , is a guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been one of the leading proponents of 'roots' or 'American' music, bringing together elements of rock-and-roll, blues, rural and tejano music....
appeared to play lead guitar on a handful of tracks. The band embarked on a tour throughout Europe in support of the album, though Graham again departed during this tour and was replaced with Desperate. After gigs supporting Siouxsie and the Banshees, the band decided to call it quits and played their farewell shows in the winter of 1984.
During the break-up, Powers, Morrison, and Desperate formed a band called Fur Bible, while Jeffrey Lee Pierce embarked on a solo career. Pierce assembled a band consisting of former members of The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
and Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
and released Wildweed in 1985. He organized a new band to tour in support of the album, including Nick Sanderson
Nick Sanderson (musician)
Nick Sanderson was an English musician, most famous for being the front man in Earl Brutus, and a short-term member of the critically acclaimed Scottish alternative rock band, The Jesus and Mary Chain.-Musical career:...
of Clock DVA
Clock DVA
Clock DVA are an industrial music, post-punk and EBM group from Sheffield, England. The group was formed in 1978, with two members, Adolphus "Adi" Newton and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with contemporaries Heaven 17, Clock DVA's name was inspired by the Russian-influenced Nadsat of Anthony Burgess'...
and Pierce's then-girlfriend Romi Mori. Sanderson played drums while Mori played guitar.
Reformation (1986-1992)
After a short stint doing spoken word performances, Pierce decided to reform a new version of the band in 1986. Powers, who had also been recruited into Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at this time, resumed his place at guitar, with Mori switching to bass, and Sanderson retaining his place on drums. Under this line-up, The Gun Club would record a handful of albums, including 1987's Mother Juno. This album, produced by Robin GuthrieRobin Guthrie
Robin Guthrie is a musician best known as co-founder of the Cocteau Twins. During his career Guthrie has played guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and other musical instruments, in addition to programming, sampling and sound processing...
of The Cocteau Twins, was met with positive critical reception and was a successful comeback for the band. After the release of Nick Cave's 1990 album The Good Son
The Good Son (album)
The Good Son is the sixth album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1990 . It was preceded by the release of "The Ship Song/The Train Song" single. "The Weeping Song/Cock's 'n' Asses" was later also released as a single. After an album as dark and intense as Tender Prey, some fans were...
, Kid Congo Powers departed The Bad Seeds to focus more on The Gun Club.
1990 saw the release of the band's fifth studio effort, Pastoral Hide and Seek, which Pierce produced himself. Nick Sanderson departed after the release of 1991's mini-album Divinity to focus on his other project, World of Twist. He was replaced with Simon Fish, who had previously played with Pierce on one of his solo albums. During this time, Jeffrey Lee alternated between his solo acoustic material and The Gun Club, which was his outlet for harder-edged songs. In 1992, Powers left the band to focus on his solo project Congo Norvell, whilst Nick Sanderson soon returned to drums after the dissolution of World of Twist, later forming Earl Brutus with ex-WOT Jamie Fry & Gordon King.
Later Years (1993-1996)
Without their lead guitarist, Pierce decided to handle both lead and rhythm guitar parts on what would be their final album, 1993's Lucky Jim. Pierce and Romi Mori had, at this point, been dating since the mid-eighties. However, Sanderson and Mori grew increasingly close until finally the two eloped in 1994, leaving The Gun Club without a rhythm section. Pierce, by his own account, had been off of drugs for several years but soon switched back to drug and alcohol abuse after the departure of his longtime girlfriend.He made a few live appearances with The Bad Seeds in 1994 but mostly remained reclusive during this time to write his autobiography, which proved to be exceptionally critical of former members of the band. He returned to Los Angeles, after a 10 year stay in London, where he grew increasingly fascinated with rap music and even recorded a rap cover of Tom Waits'
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
song "Pasties & a G-String" for a Waits tribute album. With his health failing, he was only able to play a handful of shows in 1995 with a new band that consisted of Mike Martt and Kid Congo Powers on guitar, bassist Randy Bradbury, and drummer Brock Avery (then later with a bassist named Elizabeth Montague). Pierce decided to visit his father in Utah where he suffered a stroke and was taken to a hospital. He was to undergo surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain but died on March 31, 1996.
Influence
Being among the first bands to combine punk and blues, The Gun Club has had a lasting influence on many artists. They were probably the most important influence on what is now known as "alt-countryAlternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
". Seminal alt-country act Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
recorded a punked-up version of the folk song "John Hardy" which was more or less a cover of Gun Club's version.
The Gun Club was a major influence on the band R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
. The haunting guitar riffs and open chord sounds of songs like "Brother and Sister" (from the album Miami) were echoed in many R.E.M. songs. The cry in the chorus of Gun Club's "Watermelon Man" is almost identical to the cry later used in the chorus of R.E.M.'s "The One I Love".
The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
have been known to cover "For the Love of Ivy" and "Jack on Fire", from Fire of Love, at live shows. Of The Gun Club's music in particular, the band's vocalist and guitarist Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
has said, "'Sex Beat', 'She's Like Heroin To Me', and 'For The Love Of Ivy'...why are these songs not taught in schools?"
Several other artists—such as Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
, Blanche
Blanche (band)
Blanche is an American alternative country band from Detroit, Michigan. Their music is based in Americana, early country, and folk blues, with a touch of haunting Southern Gothic stylings and garage rock mentality. Blanche is known for wearing vintage fashion of the early to mid-20th century.The...
, The Pixies, Japandroids
Japandroids
Japandroids is a Canadian rock duo from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group consists of Brian King and David Prowse . Formed in 2006, Japandroids rose to prominence in 2009 following the release of their debut album Post-Nothing...
, No Age
No Age
No Age is a two-person American indie rock group consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles and is currently signed to Sub Pop records...
, Cobra Verde
Cobra Verde (band)
Cobra Verde is a Cleveland, Ohio-based rock band best known for:* Being Robert Pollard's backing band for Guided by Voices from 1996 to late 1997.* Appearing in The OC as a Foreigner cover band in 2006....
, Noir Désir
Noir Désir
Noir Désir was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on numerous French musicians including Cali, Louise Attaque and Miossec...
, The Flaming Stars
The Flaming Stars
The Flaming Stars are an English underground garage punk band. The Flaming Stars can be compared to artists such as the Tindersticks and The Bad Seeds.-History:...
, Tito & Tarantula
Tito & Tarantula
Tito & Tarantula are a chicano rock band formed in Hollywood California in 1992. The band is best known for its songs, "After Dark", "Back to the House That Love Built", "Strange Face of Love", and "Angry Cockroaches", as well as for its role in Robert Rodriguez's film From Dusk Till Dawn as the...
, The Deadly Snakes
The Deadly Snakes
The Deadly Snakes were a Canadian indie rock band influenced by garage rock, punk, folk rock, and early r&b.-History:Formed in Toronto in 1996, the band's final line-up consisted of Andre Ethier on vocals and guitars, Matthew Carlson on guitar, trumpet and bass, Chad Ross on guitar, bass and...
, Calla
Calla
Calla is a genus of flowering plant in the family Araceae, containing the single species Calla palustris...
, Lucid Nation
Lucid Nation
Lucid Nation is an American Los Angeles-based experimental rock band formed in 1994. The band has morphed and transformed itself over the years, reinventing itself and the sound Lucid Nation produces...
, Love Life, Madrugada, The Von Bondies
The Von Bondies
The Von Bondies were an American alternative rock band. The group disbanded in July 2011. Its most recent members were Jason Stollsteimer on vocals and lead guitar, Christy Hunt on rhythm guitar and Leann Banks on bass guitar...
, Th' Legendary Shack Shakers
Th' Legendary Shack Shakers
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of The Screaming Trees, who covered Miami's opening track "Carry Home"—have been influenced by The Gun Club.
Studio Albums
- Fire of LoveFire of LoveFire of Love is the debut album of the American punk band The Gun Club, released in 1981 on Ruby Records. The album is considered groundbreaking in being the first of its kind to combine the hard, stripped-down sound of punk rock with American roots musics...
(album 1981) - MiamiMiami (Gun Club album)Miami is the second album by punk blues group The Gun Club, released in 1982.Debbie Harry appears as a backing singer on various tracks on the album under the pseudonym "D.H...
(album 1982) - The Las Vegas StoryThe Las Vegas Story (album)The Las Vegas Story is the third studio album by punk blues group The Gun Club, released in 1984. This album saw the return of founding member and lead guitarist Kid Congo Powers, after a three year stint with The Cramps.-Track listing:...
(album 1984) - Mother JunoMother JunoMother Juno is a 1987 album released by The Gun Club.It was produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce# "Bill Bailey" – 3:39# "Thunderhead" – 3:28# "Lupita Screams" – 3:12...
(album 1987) - Pastoral Hide and Seek (studio album 1990)
- Divinity (album 1991)
- Lucky Jim (album 1993)
Singles and EPs
- Ghost On The Highway/Sex Beat (double a-side single 1981)
- Fire of Love (single 1982)
- Death PartyDeath PartyDeath Party is an EP by punk blues group The Gun Club, released in 1983.-Track listing:All songs written by Jeffrey Lee Pierce# "The House on Highland Avenue"# "The Lie"# "The Light of the World"# "Death Party"# "Come Back Jim"-Personnel:...
(EP 1983) - Sex Beat (semi-legal live single 1986)
- Breaking Hands (single 1988)
- Sex Beat (single 1989)
- The Great Divide (single 1990)
- Pastoral, Hide & Seek (The Lost Song) (single 1991)
- Cry To Me (single 1993)
- Walkin' With The Beast (single 2004)
Compilation Albums
- Keats Rides a Harley (compilation record 1980)
- Two Sides of the Beast (compilation album 1985)
- In Exile (compilation album 1992)
- Early Warning (rarities and demos double compilation album 1997)
- Da Blood Done Signed My Name (rarities and demos double compilation album 2007; reissue of Early Warning plus one extra interview track)
- The Life & Times of Jeffrey Lee Pierce & The Gun Club (studio cuts and live compilation 4CD box set 2008)
Live Albums
- The Birth, The Death, The Ghost (live album 1983; recorded 1980)
- Sex Beat '81 (semi-legal live album 1984)
- Love Supreme (semi-legal live album 1985)
- Danse Kalinda Boom - Live in Pandora's Box (live album 1985)
- Death Party (semi-legal live album 1987); tracks from Sex Beat 81 and Love Supreme and not from the 1983 Death Party EP
- Ahmed's Wild Dream a.k.a. Live in Europe (live album 1992) the two versions have different covers
- Larger Than Live (live album 2008; recorded 1990 - not 1992 as incorrectly listed on sleeve)
Live Videos and DVDs
- Live at The Hacienda 1983 (live video 1994)
- Preaching The Blues (live video 1995; recorded 1984)
- Live at The Hacienda 1983-1984 (live DVD 2006; reissue of above videos)
- Fire Of Love (live DVD 2007; recorded 1983 and 1985)
External links
- The Gun Club archives
- Discography - no recent updates, but still very detailed.
- Olende, Stevo Preachin' the Blues: The Gun Club Story. Perfect Sound Forever. (2002)
- Guitarist Kid Congo Powers talks in depth about the Gun Club from the beginning to Jeffrey Lee Pierce's death from NewYorkNightTrain.com
- Interview with former Gun Club guitarist Kid Congo Powers from the Modern Pea Pod
- Gun Club - BandToBand.com
- DVD Hardtimes Killin' Floor Blues, a film by Henri-Jean Debon (1992-2008, unpublished).