The Black Rider is the twelfth studio album by Tom Waits, released in 1993 on Island Records, featuring studio versions of songs Waits wrote for the play The Black Rider, directed by Robert Wilson and co-written by William S. Burroughs. The play is based on the German folktale Der Freischütz, which had previously been made into an opera by Carl Maria von Weber. The play premiered on March 31, 1990, at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, Germany. Its world English-language premiere occurred in 1998 at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival.
Reigning Sound is an American garage punk band originally based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, now located in Asheville, North Carolina. In 2012, it signed to Merge Records. The band's current lineup includes songwriter Greg Cartwright, Benny Trokan (bass), Mike Catanese (guitar), Mikey Post (drums) and Dave Amels (organ).
Used Songs 1973–1980 is a compilation of songs from Tom Waits's Asylum Records years.
James Lee Lindsey Jr., better known by the stage name Jay Reatard, was an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee. Lindsey was signed to Matador Records. He released recordings as a solo artist and as a member of the Reatards and Lost Sounds.
Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk, garage rock, and more recently post-punk and synth-oriented bands, such as the King Khan & BBQ Show, Nots, Low Life, and the late Jay Reatard. The label also hosts Gonerfest, an annual Memphis music festival.
Greg Cartwright, also known by his stage name Greg Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee. He currently fronts Reigning Sound and is signed to Merge Records. After moving away from Memphis in the mid-2000s, he has since lived with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. Cartwright is also a founding member of the Memphis '90s garage bands The Compulsive Gamblers, The Oblivians and Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops.
...Play Nine Songs with Mr. Quintron is the third studio album by the Oblivians, released in 1997 on Crypt Records. The album features noted Ninth Ward nightclub organist Mr. Quintron playing organ and percussion on a number of tracks.
Popular Favorites is the second studio album by the Oblivians. It was released in 1996 on Crypt Records.
Compulsive Gamblers were an American garage rock group formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1990 by Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber, both future members of the Oblivians.
Eric Friedl, also known by his stage name, Eric Oblivian, is the founder and owner of Goner Records, an independent music label and record store located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Jack Yarber, also known by his stage name Jack Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist based in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the garage bands The Compulsive Gamblers, and The Oblivians and currently fronts Jack O & the Tennessee Tearjerkers.
'68 Comeback is an American garage rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1992 by singer, songwriter, and musicologist, Jeffrey Evans. For the purposes of the band, Jeffrey Evans is frequently billed as either "Monsieur Evans" or "Monsieur Jeffrey Evans." The group contains a revolving cast of musicians, the only constant member being Evans himself.
Too Much Guitar is the third album by the Reigning Sound. It was released in 2004 by In the Red Records. Originally, bandleader Greg Cartwright toyed with the idea of calling the album PILL-POPPING MOM ONLY TAKING WHAT SHE NEEDS TO GET BY, a headline which he had seen in a Commercial Appeal medical advice column, but scrapped the idea when the album began to change direction musically.
Break Up, Break Down is the first studio album by the Reigning Sound. It was released on May 15, 2001, by Sympathy for the Record Industry.
Bluff City is the second studio album by the Compulsive Gamblers. It was released on April 27, 1999, by the independent music label, Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album was recorded after the band returned from a four-year hiatus in which members Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber were recording under the name, the Oblivians. Bluff City was written while the Compulsive Gamblers were a threesome, with Cartwright and Yarber joined by Bushrod Thomas on drums. After the recording of Bluff City, the group recruited bassist Jeff Meier for a European tour in support of the album.
Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing is the third and final studio album by The Compulsive Gamblers. The album was released June 20, 2000 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album's lineup consisted of Gamblers mainstays Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber on guitar and vocals. The Compulsive Gamblers began recording the album following their first European tour, which saw the addition of bassist Jeff Meier and keyboardist Brendan Lee Spengler to the Compulsive Gamblers' formerly three-piece outfit. The track Rock & Roll Nurse was covered by the band The Von Bondies on their 2001 debut album Lack of Communication.
Live & Deadly: Memphis–Chicago is a live album recorded by the Compulsive Gamblers. It is the final release by the band, released on April 15, 2003 by the independent record label Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album contains 16 tracks recorded during two May 2002 performances, one in Memphis, Tennessee, and the other in Chicago, Illinois. Live & Deadly was released just prior to the second and final time the Compulsive Gamblers disbanded. The album contains cover songs by the Bar-Kays, Tom Waits, and Nolan Strong & The Diablos. The song "Sour and Vicious Man" was in turn covered by The Reatards on their third album, Not Fucked Enough.
Home for Orphans is a compilation album by the Reigning Sound. It was released in 2005 on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album features the original Reigning Sound lineup of Greg Cartwright on lead vocals and guitar; Alex Greene on organ, piano, guitar, and backing vocals; Jeremy Scott on bass, and backing vocals; and Greg Roberson on drums.. This album mainly consists of slower, moodier outtakes from the Too Much Guitar recording sessions, as well as a some covers, including "Without You," a Gene Clark cover. An alternate version of "If Christmas Can't Bring You Home", a Reigning Sound original holiday song, also appears.
The Oblivians are an American garage punk trio that has existed since 1993. In the 1990s, their blues-infused brand of bravado, crudely recorded music made them one of the most popular and prominent bands within the underground garage rock scene.
The Reatards were an American garage punk band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1995. Originally a one-man project by guitarist Jay Reatard, the group's sound was marked by raw, stripped-down instrumentals and lo-fi recording quality. After distributing privately pressed cassettes and EPs, most notably Fuck Elvis, Here's the Reatards, the band released their debut album Teenage Hate in 1998, followed by Grown Up, Fucked Up a year later. By 1999, the group only sporadically performed as Reatard began exploring other endeavors, but in 2005 he reformed the band for their third and final studio album. Much of the Reatards' discography remains a subject of interest, leading to reissues of their work years later.
