This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2010) |
Quasi | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1993–present |
Labels |
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Members | |
Past members | |
Website | theequasi |
Quasi (phonetics 'kwa - zee') is an American indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993 by former spouses Sam Coomes (vocals, guitar, rocksichord, various keyboards, bass) and Janet Weiss (vocals and drums). Joanna Bolme performed and recorded with the group as a bassist from 2007 to 2011. [1] [2]
In 1990, Sam Coomes, Janet Weiss, and Brad Pedinov formed the band Motorgoat. The band released two self-released cassettes and one 7" single before dissolving in 1993. Coomes and Weiss then began recording as a duo in 1993 under the name Quasi. They played with various additional musicians in early live appearances, but eventually settled on playing live as a duo as well. They self-recorded and self-released a cassette and a CD in 1993. They recorded R&B Transmogrification in the Portland band Pond's basement recording studio and released it on Up Records in 1997. They released two more albums with Up: Featuring "Birds" in 1998 and Field Studies in 1999; both albums were recorded at Jackpot! Studios in Portland, Oregon.
In 1998 and 1999, they toured the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan opening for and serving as the backup band for Elliott Smith (with whom Coomes had played in Heatmiser) as well as touring on their own in the U.S. and Europe. In 2001, they home-recorded The Sword of God and released it on Touch & Go. They released Hot Shit! in 2003 and When the Going Gets Dark in 2006, both on Touch & Go in the U.S. and Domino Recording Company in Europe. In 2009, the band signed with Kill Rock Stars to release their next record.
Although Coomes and Weiss remain busy with other bands, Quasi tours fairly regularly. In 2007, they toured the U.S. with Touch & Go labelmates Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Just prior to that tour, Quasi announced that bassist Joanna Bolme, who had toured with Quasi in 2006 and plays with Weiss in Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, was a permanent member of the band. [1] Bolme performed on Quasi's 2010 full-length American Gong and continued to tour with them through the first half of 2011. In June 2011, Quasi posted an update on their official Facebook page, announcing that they would be returning to their original two-piece lineup for "the foreseeable future" and thanking Bolme for her time with the band. [2] They released their next album, Mole City , in 2013.
In addition to her work in the Jicks, Weiss was the primary drummer for the group Sleater-Kinney, and has recently played with Bright Eyes, John Doe and Wild Flag, while Coomes has been working with Pink Mountain and on his solo project, Blues Goblins. He has also played with Jandek, and has appeared on several Built to Spill albums.
The group reactivated in 2020 with a one-off release via Bandcamp. In February 2023, Quasi released their 10th studio record, Breaking the Balls of History on Sub Pop. [3]
Sleater-Kinney is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, following the departure of longtime member Janet Weiss in 2019. Sleater-Kinney originated as part of the riot grrrl movement and has become a key part of the American indie rock scene. The band is also known for its feminist and liberal politics.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks is an American rock band consisting of Stephen Malkmus, Mike Clark, Joanna Bolme, and Jake Morris. Malkmus was the main singer and songwriter behind the influential 1990s indie rock band Pavement.
Janet Lee Weiss is an American rock drummer, best known as a former member of Sleater-Kinney and a current member of Quasi. She was the drummer for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, leaving after the album Mirror Traffic, and contributed to the Shins' fourth studio album, Port of Morrow (2012). She was also the drummer for the supergroup Wild Flag.
Samuel J. Coomes is an American musician, and one-half of the Portland-area indie band Quasi, along with his ex-wife, drummer Janet Weiss. Coomes was also a member of the mid-1980s underground pop band The Donner Party and replaced Brandt Peterson as the bassist for the 1990s Portland indie rock band, Heatmiser, playing on their final studio album, Mic City Sons.
Hot Shit is the fifth studio album by indie rock band Quasi. It was released in 2003 on Touch and Go Records. Early copies as well as the European edition released by Domino Recording Company include a bonus CD entitled Live Shit.
The Sword of God is the 2001 album by the Portland indie-rock duo Quasi, released on Touch and Go Records in the United States, and Domino Recording Company in the U.K.
Donner Party was a San Francisco–based indie rock band, performing between 1986 and 1989. The band consisted of Melanie Clarin on drums and accordion; Sam Coomes on guitar, violin, and banjo; and Reinhold Johnson on bass. The band released two albums, both self-titled; the first was released in 1987 on the Cryptovision Records label, and the second on Camper Van Beethoven's Pitch-A-Tent label in 1988. These two albums, plus an unreleased third album and some live tracks, were collected and released as Complete Recordings 1987–1989 in 2000 on Innerstate Records. The band played a one-time reunion show on April 16, 2000, at Slim's in San Francisco.
Featuring "Birds" is the third studio album by American indie rock band Quasi. It was released in 1998 by record label Up in the US and Domino in the UK.
R&B Transmogrification is the second studio album by the American indie band Quasi. It was released on March 25, 1997, on Up Records.
The Minders are an American band closely associated with The Elephant Six Collective. Started by Martyn Leaper in Denver, Colorado in 1996, the band's original members included Leaper on guitars and vocals, Rebecca Cole, on drums, Jeff Almond on guitar, and Marc Willhite on bass.
Joanna Bolme is an American multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer who works with several indie rock bands and artists, mainly in the Pacific Northwest. She has been the bass guitarist for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks since their formation in 2001. On October 12, 2019, Bolme was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.
When the Going Gets Dark is an album by Quasi. It was released on March 21, 2006, on Touch and Go Records. It was released in Europe by Domino Records.
No. 2 is an American indie rock band that originated in Portland, Oregon in 1996 and consisting of Neil Gust, Gilly Ann Hanner and Paul Pulvirenti (drums).
Early Recordings is a compilation album by the American indie band Quasi. It was released on March 29, 1996, on Key Op Records, and re-released on August 21, 2001 on Touch and Go Records. It includes songs previously released on the band's self-titled, self-released cassette, as well as previously unreleased recordings.
Real Emotional Trash is the fourth album by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. The album was released on March 4, 2008 by Matador Records. The album was leaked on to the internet January 13, 2008. The album peaked at #64 on the Billboard 200.
American Gong is the eighth album by Portland based indie rock band Quasi. It was released on February 23, 2010, on Kill Rock Stars. It was released in Europe by Domino Records. A deluxe 2-CD version of the album exists, featuring a compilation disc entitled So Far So Good: A Quasi Anthology.
Mole City is an album by the American indie band Quasi. The album was officially announced by the band via a video trailer in May 2013, with a track listing and pre-orders made available the following June. It was released on October 1, 2013, on Kill Rock Stars and Domino Records in the US and UK, respectively.
Into It. Over It. is the indie rock solo project of the Chicago, Illinois-based musician Evan Thomas Weiss. It is considered one of the top acts in the emo revival scene of the 2010s.
"Going Blind" is a song by the Australian indie rock band The Go-Betweens that was released as the lead single from their seventh album The Friends of Rachel Worth. It was released as a CD single by W. Minc Records in Australia, on the Circus Records label in the United Kingdom and Jetset Records in the United States in September 2000. "Going Blind" was The Go-Betweens' first single since "Love Goes On" in 1989.
Sparkle Hard is the seventh studio album by American indie rock band Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, released on May 18, 2018, by Matador Records and Domino Records. It reached #174 on the Billboard 200 charts, and peaked at #64 on the Official UK Charts.