Dwarves (band)

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Dwarves
The Dwarves band circa 2017.jpg
The Dwarves in 2017; left to right: Rex Everything, "Hunter Down" Martinez, Blag Dahlia, The Fresh Prince of Darkness, and HeWhoCannotBeNamed
Background information
Origin Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Years active1985–present
Labels
Members Blag Dahlia
HeWhoCannotBeNamed
Rex Everything
The Fresh Prince of Darkness
Snupac
Past membersSalt Peter
Thrusty Otis
Wreck Tom
Clint Torres
Hunter Down
Dutch Ovens
Crash Landon
Whölley Smökkes
Vadge Moore
Dylan Weed
Gregory Pecker
Eric Generic
Marky DeSade
Sigh Moan
Tazzie Bushweed
Chip Fracture
Dark Shoulders
Andy Christ
Slambeau
Randall Cyr
Website www.thedwarves.com

The Dwarves are an American punk rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois and based in San Francisco, California as of 2009. [2]

Contents

Formed as a garage punk band under the name Suburban Nightmare, their career subsequently saw them move in a hardcore direction before settling into an eclectic punk rock sound emphasizing intentionally shocking lyrics. They have been described as "one of the last true bastions of punk rock ideology in the contemporary musical age". [3]

History

HeWhoCannotBeNamed in Sheffield, England 2007 Dwarvesdannycrombie.jpg
HeWhoCannotBeNamed in Sheffield, England 2007

The original members of the Dwarves began making music together in the mid-1980s as teenagers in the Chicago garage rock outfit, Suburban Nightmare, which was compared to The Sonics, [4] [5] and which has been described as part of the Paisley Underground scene. [6] This era of the Dwarves is captured on Lick It (the psychedelic years 83-86) a 34 track collection put out by Recess records in 1999.

The band became notorious for self-mutilation, on-stage sex, and taking hard drugs. Their live shows would often only last around fifteen minutes, occasionally cut short due to injury caused by spectators. [4] [7] [8] [9] [10] The band's sound began to evolve beyond its early garage roots with their second (nine-minute long) LP, [11] Toolin' for a Warm Teabag, which saw the band drifting towards a more truculent punk rock sound, influenced by GG Allin. [12] Recess records issued Free Cocaine 86–88 in 1999, a 39-song collection that shows the band's transition to the nihilistic style that took them to the Sub Pop era. The band released Blood Guts & Pussy on Sub Pop in 1990. By this time the Dwarves had dropped their early psychedelic sensibilities and morphed into a hardcore punk band. The Blood Guts & Pussy LP was followed up by EP Lucifer's Crank released by No.6 Records, as well as another Sub Pop LP, the metal-punk Thank Heaven For Little Girls , both in 1991. [11]

In 1993 the band issued a press release stating their guitarist HeWhoCannotBeNamed had been stabbed to death in Philadelphia. Though this later turned out to be a hoax, the band even went as far as to attach a tribute to the "late" guitarist on their 1993 Sub Pop-released album Sugarfix . [4] [8] Sub Pop did not respond well to the hoax and summarily dropped the band from its label. [8] [11] The Dwarves reformed in 1997, releasing The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking (described by Adam Bregman of AllMusic as "the beginning of a new Dwarves...one that plays real songs, had a set list, and left the club unbloodied"), [13] and its 2000 follow-up The Dwarves Come Clean . [4]

In 2004 the band released The Dwarves Must Die , its first LP for the indie label Sympathy for the Record Industry, which featured guest appearances from Dexter Holland (The Offspring), Nick Oliveri (Queens of the Stone Age), Nash Kato (Urge Overkill), and voice actor Gary Owens. [8] Dahlia was assaulted by Josh Homme of QOTSA before a Dwarves show in Los Angeles in 2004, which saw Homme placed on summary probation for thirty-six months. [14] [15]

In other media

In 2000 film Me, Myself & Irene , Jim Carrey is seen singing along to Dwarves "Motherfucker", which Dahlia later said he got "tens of thousands of dollars" for. [7]

In 2000, the band offered the track "River City Rapist" to George W. Bush as his presidential campaign song. The Bush campaign did not use the song. [16]

The Dwarves' cover of the Norwegian rock band Turbonegro's song "Hobbit Motherfuckers" from the Turbonegro tribute album "Alpha Motherfuckers" can be heard playing in the comic book store scene in the 2000s indie film "Ghost World" albeit without Blag Dhalia's profanity laden vocals. This song does not appear on the soundtrack album for the film.

In 2009, Blag and HeWhoCannotBeNamed were immortalised as Bobbleheads by Aggronautix. [17]

Band members

Singer Blag Dahlia (a.k.a. Julius Seizure, born Paul Cafaro), [18] and guitarist HeWhoCannotBeNamed (a.k.a. Pete Vietnamcheque) have always been the two core members of the group. [4] [7] The lineup has shifted around them, and currently consists of members "Rex Everything" on bass and vocals, "The Fresh Prince of Darkness" on guitar and "Snupac" on drums. Former members include "Dutch Ovens", "Gregory Pecker", "Chip Fracture", "Wholley Smokes", "Clint Torres", "Tazzie Bushweed", "Thrusty Otis", "Crash Landon", "Wreck Tom", "Hunter Down" and "Vadge Moore", among others. [4] Drummer Josh Freese appears on many Dwarves recordings. [19]

Musical style

The Dwarves are known for their simple, loud, yet nuanced punk repertoire, and controversial lyrics. Since the garage punk sound of their early days, they developed a more direct hardcore punk sound, often identified as "scum punk" due to the intentional perversity of the lyrics. Around the turn of millennium, the Dwarves developed more of a manic pop punk influence. Bits of hardcore, surf rock, pop, hip-hop, and rock 'n' roll all factor into the band's current punk rock sound.

Their shows have been notable for some aggressive fights on stage (with the audience and even a cop), and because HeWhoCannotBeNamed performs either in nothing but a jockstrap or totally nude, apart from his trademark "Rey Mysterio" wrestling mask. [2]

Cover art

Many of the band's album covers are controversial, often featuring dwarf actor Bobby Faust with an assortment of naked women, sometimes with sacrilegious themes such as re-enacting the Crucifixion. Faust posed sodomizing a rabbit covered in blood for their 1990 album Blood Guts & Pussy [11] [20] - followed up a decade later, with a similar theme, this time covered in soap suds, for Come Clean . [4]

Side projects

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Live

EPs

Singles

Videos

Music videos

Compilation appearances

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Distefano, Alex (November 21, 2013). "Top 10 Shock Rock Bands of All Time". OC Weekly . Duncan McIntosh Co. Archived from the original on May 21, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Gentile, John (2009) "Interview: Blag Dahlia of the Dwarves Archived June 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ", The A.V. Club , April 13, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010
  3. ↑ "The Dwarves Archived 2009-10-17 at the Wayback Machine ", Time Off , 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0, p. 311-312
  5. ↑ Carlson, Matt "Horror Stories Review", AllMusic, retrieved February 7, 2010
  6. ↑ Baker, Brian (2008) "Music: The Dwarves Archived 2011-06-13 at the Wayback Machine ", City Beat , October 28, 2008, retrieved February 7, 2010
  7. 1 2 3 4 DuShane, Tony (2006) "Punker camp counselor? Blag Dahlia Dwarves' front man calls his solo show his 'camp counselor guy routine' -- with trademark unrepentant, politically incorrect lyrics", San Francisco Chronicle , June 1, 2006, retrieved February 7, 2010
  8. 1 2 3 4 Carlson, Matt "Dwarves Biography", AllMusic, retrieved February 7, 2010
  9. ↑ Ali, Lorraine (1993) "Violence Gets Dwarves 15 Minutes of Fame at Bogart's", Los Angeles Times , August 6, 1993
  10. ↑ "Punk band aiming for longer return set [usurped] ", London Free Press , June 12, 2003, retrieved February 7, 2010
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Sprague, David "Dwarves", Trouser Press , retrieved February 7, 2010
  12. ↑ DaRonco, Mike "Lucifer's Crank Review", AllMusic, retrieved February 7, 2010
  13. ↑ Bregman, Adam "The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking Review", AllMusic, retrieved February 7, 2010
  14. ↑ Crandall, Bill & Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2004) "QOTSA Brawl With Dwarves", Rolling Stone , November 11, 2004, retrieved February 7, 2010
  15. ↑ Levitan, Corey (2005) "Homme Sentenced for Brawl, Rolling Stone , June 10, 2005, retrieved February 7, 2010
  16. ↑ "Dwarves Offer Help to George W. Bush on the Road to the White House", PR Newswire, February 10, 2000
  17. ↑ Spacek, Nick (2009) "Dwarves Bobbleheads Now Available Archived 2009-10-25 at the Wayback Machine ", The Pitch , August 18, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010
  18. 1 2 3 Ritchie, Ryan (2007) "Blood, Guts and Literacy: Blag Dahlia steps out from behind the Dwarves to wax hysterical Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine ", OC Weekly , July 12, 2007, retrieved February 7, 2010
  19. ↑ "Josh Freese | Credits". AllMusic .
  20. ↑ Carlson, Matt "Blood Guts & Pussy Review", AllMusic, retrieved February 7, 2010
  21. ↑ "The Martinis' Joey Santiago on...", CMJ New Music Monthly , Issue No. 123/124, p.6
  22. ↑ Baker, Brian (2010) "UNPLUGGED AND UNCONTROLLABLE: Stoner-rock vet Nick Oliveri explores his dark side on Death Acoustic", Cleveland Scene , February 3, 2010, retrieved February 7, 2010
  23. ↑ Kerr, Dave (2006) "Nick Oliveri: Mondo Uncontrollable", The Skinny , October 13, 2006, retrieved February 7, 2010
  24. ↑ Chun, Gary C.W. (2004) "Punk with pomp", Honolulu Star-Bulletin , December 3, 2004, retrieved February 7, 2010
  25. ↑ Zodiac Killer Records (2009) "Royce Cracker Dwarves Split", January 13, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010
  26. ↑ Royce Cracker (2009) "Royce Cracker Dwarves Split", January 13, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010
  27. ↑ "The Dwarves - Radio Free Dwarves [12-inch". Punknews.org. July 20, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  28. ↑ "The Dwarves to release 'Take Back the Night' LP". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Dwarves - Underworld / Lies / Down By The River (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. January 1, 1993. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Punk Against Trump". Denizen Records. January 20, 2017.
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