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Don Fleming | |
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 Don Fleming in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Donald Gene Fleming |
| Born | September 25, 1957 Valdosta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, record producer |
| Labels | Thick Syrup |
Donald Gene Fleming (born September 25, 1957) is an American musician and producer. Besides fronting a number of his own bands, (Velvet Monkeys, B.A.L.L., and Gumball) Fleming has produced Sonic Youth, Screaming Trees, Teenage Fanclub and Hole. [1]
Fleming started his musical career with the art/garage/punk group The Stroke Band of Adel, Georgia in the late 1970s. [2] They released one album, Green and Yellow, in 1978 on Abacus Records. [3]
After The Stroke Band, Don relocated to Norfolk, Va. in 1979 and formed the punk/new wave group Citizen 23 with Elaine Barnes, Mark Myers, and, Stephen Soles. [4] Their only recorded output consisted of three songs on the compilation album, No Room to Dance, in 1980. [5]
Citizen 23 broke up in early 1981; all members but Mark Mayers relocated to Washington, D.C. shortly thereafter and formed the three-piece psychedelic/post-punk band The Velvet Monkeys in the fall of 1981. The Velvet Monkeys line-up featured Fleming on guitar & vocals, Barnes on keyboards and vocals, Stephen Soles on bass, and a drum machine called Dr. Rhythm providing the beat. The Velvet Monkeys would go through many incarnations over the next 10 years, with Fleming the constant factor in all versions. In July 1982 the band released their debut -- Everything is Right—on cassette tape. [6] This album was re-released on CD in 2011. [7] [8]
After trading in their drum machine for a live drummer (Jay "The Rummager" Spiegel) in 1981 and switching to a new bass player (Charles Steck) in early 1982, the band began to grow their following through increased gigging in the Washington, D.C., area and the Eastern Seaboard. This lineup released the album Future on Fountain of Youth Records in 1983. [9]
In 1985, ousting all but Spiegel and himself, Fleming brought on guitarist & keyboardist Malcolm Riviera of D.C.'s Grand Mal. The band released the single "Spooky" on Go Records in spring 1985. [10] Guitarist Stuart Casson, formerly of D.C.'s punk group Dove, was added as the fourth member in the fall. This lineup released the single "Colors (Part I&II)" on Bona Fide Records that summer. [11]
In 1986, Casson left the band and Tom Kane joined as bassist. The band recorded a demo with Kane but it was not released. Kane was then replaced by bassist & vocalist Rob Kennedy, formerly of D.C.'s The Chumps and NYC's The Workdogs. The band did a three-week U.S. Tour with Half Japanese in the summer of 1986. Big Big Sun, a cassette of live recordings of both bands from that tour was released on K Records in fall 1986. [12]
In 1987, Spiegel left the band and was replaced by drummer Scott Jarvis, formerly of N.C.'s Th' Cigaretz and NYC's The Workdogs (in which he had played with Kennedy). This lineup played recorded a session at Jag Studios in Raleigh, N.C., but the recordings were not released until 1998's Houseparty CD, a compilation of various unreleased Velvet Monkeys tracks. [13]
By 1988, Fleming and Spiegel had re-located to New York City where they teamed up with former Shockabilly bass player and Shimmy Disc impresario Mark Kramer and drummer David Licht to form B.A.L.L. After that group's acrimonious demise, the trio of Fleming, Riviera and Spiegel reunited to form the next iteration of the Velvet Monkeys. [8] Fleming expanded the band with notable indie musicians like Thurston Moore, J Mascis, Julia Cafritz and John Hammill of Pussy Galore. This lineup recorded the band's final album, a soundtrack parody called Rake that paid tribute to the 1970s blaxploitation film Shaft . [14]
The band has never officially broken up, and Fleming continues to revive the group when the time is right.
After Fleming and Spiegel's group B.A.L.L. broke up in 1990, the duo briefly joined Dinosaur Jr. and released "The Wagon" 45 on the Sub Pop label. [15] The two left Dinosaur Jr. shortly after the release of the single.
In 1990 Jay Spiegel approached his friend Eric Vermillion, a member of Camp Hill, PA's The Stump Wizards, about playing with himself and Fleming. Vermilion agreed and subsequently quit The Stump Wizards. After less than a week's rehearsal, the new trio played its first show and Gumball was born. Their first release came our shortly thereafter: an eponymous 12 inch EP on Paperhouse Records/Sire Records in England. In 1991 the band released the album Special Kiss , also on Paperhouse, and embarked on a tour with Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, and other similar American indie bands of the early 1990s.
In 1991, Gumball signed a two-album deal with Columbia Records and re-entered the studio to record their major-label debut, Super Tasty . The sessions were done in Wisconsin with producer Butch Vig (who later engineered Nirvana's major label debut Nevermind ). Although Gumball recorded Super Tasty as a trio, fourth member (and longtime musical associate) Malcolm Riviera joined the band shortly after the album's release, and in 1993 the foursome toured the U.S., Europe, and Japan in support of the album. Gumball released their second album for Columbia, Revolution on Ice , in 1994 and toured in support of it throughout that year. The band left Columbia in 1994 and released the live album Tokyo Encore on their own label. By early 1995 the band called it quits rather than shopping for another label.
Fleming was also a member of the bands Dim Stars, Death Camp 2000, Half Japanese, Tabby Chinos, Idlewild, and Gravy. He has also made many guest appearance both live and in the studio with Brain Surgeons, Shotgun Rationale, Jad Fair, Los Straitjackets, Maureen Tucker, Steroid Maximus (Foetus), Tinklers, and Walking Seeds.
Don has released recordings on his personal label Instant Mayhem and on several other labels: Don Fleming 4 (a four-song EP with Fleming and artists Kim Gordon, Julia Cafritz and R. Stevie Moore); Super Bad @ 65 (compilation album released by Zero Hour records); the solo EP jojo ASS RUNne; Because Tomorrow Comes, a solo CD-3; the track "Adam's Fall" on compilation album 78 LTD (Thick Syrup Records); Telstar, featuring Thurston Moore & Fleming; the song "Sound as Steel" on the Guitarrorists CD (No. 6 Records); and the solo single "Real Cool Time" (Iridescence Records).
Don has played in and on many music projects throughout his career: Foot with Thurston Moore and Jimbo (aka Jim Dunbar); [16] The Walter Sears with Tom Smith, Thurston Moore, Steve Shelley, Sean Lennon, Jim Dunbar and Rat Bastard; [17] The Backbeat Band (a supergroup that recorded all the music for the film Backbeat, which focuses on The Beatles' early career); The Dripping Tap, a collaboration with R. Stevie Moore; Wylde Ratttz (band built around guitarist Ron Asheton to supply Stoogesque tracks for the film Velvet Goldmine ); Rockin'ham (a NASCAR theme band); Dee/Don (Fleming plus Dee Pop, drummer from the Bush Tetras [18] ); and Badge (with A.J. Lambert on vocals/keys/guitar, Fran Azzarto on drums, Bil Emmons doing programming, and Matt Azzarto on guitar). [19]
Fleming is also widely known as a record producer. He has recorded and produced such artists as Sonic Youth, Hole, Teenage Fanclub, The Posies, Alice Cooper, Andrew W.K., The Dictators, Joan Jett, Nancy Sinatra, Screaming Trees, The Smithereens, Pete Yorn, Bruce Joyner & the Reconstruction, Bracket, Hifiklub, Joe Hurley, Jenni Muldaur, To Live and Shave in L.A., Richard Hell, Jad Fair, Triple Fast Action, Swish, Steel Miners, Ann Magnuson, Free Kitten, Guv'ner, Rudolph Grey, STP (featuring Julia Cafritz of Pussy Galore), Action Swingers and many others. [20]
With the Global Jukebox project, Fleming serves as executive director of the Association for Cultural Equity where he has worked since 1995 on the conservation and publication of the musical collection of Alan Lomax. [21]
(Note: B.A.L.L., and Gumball albums are not included in the following list).
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moore was ranked 34th in Rolling Stone's 2004 edition of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star is the eighth studio album by American experimental rock band Sonic Youth, released on May 10, 1994, by DGC Records. It was produced by Butch Vig and recorded at Sear Sound studio in New York City, the same studio where the band's 1987 album Sister was recorded. Unlike its predecessor Dirty, Experimental Jet Set features a more low-key approach and references the band's earlier work on the independent record label SST Records. The album contains quieter and more relaxed songs that deal with personal and political topics.
The 1994 MTV Movie Awards was hosted by Will Smith. Performers included Bon Jovi, Nate Dogg & Warren G., Toni Braxton and John Mellencamp with Me'Shell NdegeOcello. In addition, the supergroup Backbeat featuring Mike Mills of R.E.M., Dave Grohl of Nirvana, Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Don Fleming of Gumball, and Greg Dulli of Afghan Whigs.
Free Kitten is an American alternative rock band formed by Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and Pussy Galore's Julia Cafritz. Originally performing as Kitten, they changed their name after receiving threats of legal action by a heavy metal singer performing under the same name. Boredoms member Yoshimi P-We took up drums, and Pavement's Mark Ibold joined later on as bassist. They have released a handful of albums and singles, mainly on label Kill Rock Stars, including a remix 12-inch featuring DJ Spooky. They toured on 1993's Lollapalooza. A studio album, 2008's Inherit, on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label, is the group's most recently available.
Steven Jay Shelley is an American drummer. He is best known as the longtime drummer of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, for whom he played from 1985 until their 2011 disbandment.
Sister is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in June 1987 by SST Records. The album furthered the band's move away from the no wave genre towards more traditional song structures, while maintaining an aggressively experimental approach.
Gumball was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1990. The original lineup consisted of Don Fleming, Eric Vermillion, and Jay Spiegel (drums). In 1992, a fourth member was added, Malcolm Riviera who had previously played with Fleming and Spiegel in the Velvet Monkeys.
Special Kiss is the first album by Gumball. It was released in 1991 on the Primo Scree label. It contains contributions from Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Teenage Fanclub.
Super Tasty is the second album by Gumball. It was released in 1993 via Columbia, the band's first album for a major label.
Revolution on Ice is the third and final studio album by Gumball. The album, released in 1994, was the only one featuring new member Malcolm Riviera, of Velvet Monkeys, on keyboards and guitar.
The original soundtrack of the 1994 film Backbeat, also called Backbeat, stars Stephen Dorff, Sheryl Lee, Gary Bakewell and Ian Hart. The music was produced by Don Was. A score based album with Don Was' original music was also released. Recording sessions for the album started on March 26, 1993 at Ocean Way Recording, in Los Angeles, California. Many of the songs on the album were first takes. Don Was stated in an interview with Variety, that "the makeshift band recorded 15 songs in three days with virtually no overdubs and no more than two takes. “The self-imposed deadline was one of the devices that I used to keep it raw and spontaneous, so we wouldn’t scrutinize too much,” Was said. “Because at that stage the Beatles were a wild teenage band that compensated for their lack of finesse with a tremendous amount of energy". The promotional video for "Please Mr. Postman" was filmed in Germany, in March, 1994, for the UK promo single, which was released on May 3, 1994.
Dim Stars was an alternative rock supergroup active briefly in the early 1990s. The group was composed of bassist Richard Hell of Richard Hell and the Voidoids, guitarist Thurston Moore and drummer Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth, guitarist Don Fleming from Gumball; there was some guitar work by Robert Quine, also of the Voidoids. Their initial release was a limited-edition set of three 7" EPs, which was later released as one CD on compact disc in 1992. This was followed by a full-length album, which was regarded as a showcase for Hell's songwriting abilities. The group did not tour together and essentially disbanded after the release of the LP.
When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water was an American experimental psychedelic rock band from New York City active from 1986 to 1996. Their three albums and several EPs consist of experimental cover versions of songs from various genres of popular music.
The Badgeman were a four-piece indie rock band from Salisbury, Wiltshire formed in 1988, although music journalist Pete Frame claims in his book Rockin Around Britain that the band hailed from Melksham. The band has been variously categorised as Alternative rock, shoegazing, indie rock, psychedelic rock, and post punk. The band released two albums on Paperhouse Records, and appeared on two compilation releases, along with artists such as Nirvana, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Echo and The Bunnymen, and The Wedding Present.
Thick Syrup Records is an independent record label from Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded by Travis McElroy in 2006, it specializes in indie rock and underground music. It has released the work of known acts such as Matt Cameron, Jad Fair from Half Japanese, Bob Bert of Sonic Youth, Penn Jillette, Don Fleming and Velvet Monkeys. The label also releases compilation albums with multiple artists.
Son of the Velvet Rat is a folk noir band from Austria currently based in Joshua Tree, California.
Uzi was an American alternative rock band, formed in 1984 in Boston, Massachusetts and disbanded in 1987. The band featured Thalia Zedek, Danny Lee (drums), Randy Barnwell, Bob Young (guitar) and Phil Milstein. Never achieving commercial success during their short period of activity, the band gained a cult following, becoming a part of Boston's underground rock scene.
Wylde Ratttz were an American punk rock supergroup. Composed of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley, Ron Asheton, Don Fleming (Gumball), bassist Mike Watt (Minutemen), Jim Dunbar, and Mark Arm (Mudhoney) the band provided the music for Ewan McGregor's Curt Wild character in the film Velvet Goldmine.
After That It's All Gravy is an EP by Gravy, released on August 27, 1996 by Fused Coil. the album was executive-produced by Jared Louche of Chemlab.
Gravy was an American band out of New York City. The musicians Julie Cafritz of Pussy Galore, Joey Defilipps of When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water and Kim Rancourt of To Live and Shave in L.A. In 1996, the band released the EP After That It's All Gravy on Fused Coil.
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