Spitboy

Last updated
Spitboy
Spitboy 1994.jpg
Spitboy 1994
Background information
Origin San Francisco, California
Genres Anarcho punk, hardcore punk
Years active1990–1995
LabelsEbullition Records, Allied Recordings, Lookout Records, Don Giovanni
Members Michelle Gonzales
Adrienne Droogas
Karin Gembus
Paula Hibbs-Rines
Dominique Davison

Spitboy was an American anarcho-punk band founded in the San Francisco Bay area in 1990. [1] The all-female band aggressively criticized patriarchy and gender roles but did not associate with the contemporaneous riot grrrl movement. [2] They released several records and toured extensively and then disbanded in 1995. [1] Members later played in the bands Instant Girl and Aus Rotten, while drummer Michelle Cruz Gonzales and vocalist Adrienne Droogas have been active as writers.

Contents

History

Spitboy was founded by drummer Michelle "Todd" Gonzales, vocalist Adrienne Droogas, bassist Paula Hibbs-Rines, and guitarist Karin Gembus. Paula left the band before the release of the Rasana 7-inch EP and was replaced by Dominique Davison.

The band toured the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Their records were released on prominent punk rock labels Lookout Records, [1] Allied Recordings, [1] and Ebullition Records, including a split LP with the Chicago-based hardcore group Los Crudos. [1]

After the breakup of the group, Davison, Gonzales, and Gembus played together in the group Instant Girl, [1] whose sound was less aggressive than that of Spitboy. Instant Girl released an LP on Allied Recordings. Droogas was briefly a member of the group Aus Rotten [1] and then moved to Richmond, Virginia. She also wrote columns for the punk zines Heartattack and Profane Existence. Davison is now an architect and owner of Draw in Kansas City. [3] Gonzales teaches English at Las Positas College in Livermore, California, [2] has published zines and memoirs on her time in Spitboy. [2]

In April 2021, it was announced that the band would be releasing their complete discography as a new compilation, Body of Work (1990-1995), released by Don Giovanni Records on June 25. [4] The first single, "What Are Little Girls Made Of?", was released in May 2021. [5]

Legacy

The band had a large impact and fans included fellow musicians Alice Bag [1] and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day [4] as well as members of Operation Ivy, Fugazi, Neurosis, and Citizen Fish. [1]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Joe Armstrong</span> American musician (born 1972)

Billie Joe Armstrong is an American musician, singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock band Pinhead Gunpowder, and provides lead vocals for Green Day's side projects Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Network, The Longshot and The Coverups. Armstrong has been considered by critics as one of the greatest punk rock guitarists of all time.

<i>Dookie</i> 1994 studio album and major label debut by Green Day

Dookie is the third studio album and the major label debut by American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in late summer 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California. Written mostly by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, the album is heavily based around his personal experiences, with themes such as boredom, anxiety, relationships, and sexuality. The album was promoted with five singles: "Longview", "Basket Case", a re-recorded version of "Welcome to Paradise", "When I Come Around", and "She".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bratmobile</span> American punk band

Bratmobile was an American punk band from Olympia, Washington, active from 1991 to 2003, and known for being one of the first-generation "riot grrrl" bands. The band was influenced by several eclectic musical styles, including elements of pop, surf, and garage rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lookout Records</span> Record label

Lookout Records was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operation Ivy’s only album, Energy, and Green Day's first two albums, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk.

<i>1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours</i> 1991 compilation album by Green Day

1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours is a compilation album comprising early recordings by American rock band Green Day, released October 1, 1991, on Lookout Records. Often erroneously referred to as the band's debut album, the compilation combines the band's actual debut 39/Smooth and its first two EPs Slappy and 1,000 Hours, as suggested by the amalgamation of the titles of the debut album and two EPs for the resulting compilation album. The album includes one cover, "Knowledge", which was originally by influential California punk band Operation Ivy, whose singer, Jesse Michaels, contributed the artwork for the album. The cover art features the same image from 39/Smooth.

<i>39/Smooth</i> 1990 studio album by Green Day

39/Smooth is the debut studio album by American rock band Green Day, released on April 13, 1990, by Lookout Records. It was the band's only album to feature drummer John Kiffmeyer. Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy contributed the artwork on the album. The inner sleeve shows handwritten lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong and letters by drummer John Kiffmeyer and Lookout owner Larry Livermore to I.R.S. Records, rejecting a fake offer to sign to the label and declaring its loyalty to Lookout. There were no official singles released from the album, although "Going to Pasalacqua" was released as a mock-up single in a Green Day singles box set entitled Green Day: Ultimate Collectors.

Aus-Rotten was an American crust punk band formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Active from 1991 to 2001, its members practiced and promoted a philosophy of anarchist politics. The band included lead vocalist Dave Trenga, vocalist/guitarist Eric Good, bassist Corey Lyons, and drummer Matt Garabedian. Spitboy singer Adrienne Droogas would often join the band in their later material. The band's name comes from the German verb ausrotten, which translates to "exterminate" or "eradicate".

<i>Energy</i> (Operation Ivy album) 1989 studio album by Operation Ivy

Energy is the only studio album by the American ska punk band Operation Ivy. It was originally released on vinyl and cassette in May 1989 through Lookout! Records with the catalog number LK 010. Although the album itself has never been released on CD, all of the tracks were featured on the career-spanning compilation Operation Ivy issued by Lookout in 1991. Despite achieving no mainstream success, Energy is considered one of the most important albums of ska punk and is frequently cited as an influence by many later bands of the genre.

The Lookouts were an American punk rock band that existed from 1985 to 1990 on Iron Peak, a remote rural mountain community outside Laytonville, California, United States. The members were Larry Livermore on guitar and vocals, Kain Kong on bass and vocals, and Tré Cool on drums and vocals. All three contributed on songwriting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Livermore</span> Musical artist

Lawrence Hayes, better known by his stage name Larry Livermore, is an American singer, musician, record producer, and author, best known as the co-founder of Lookout Records.

Los Crudos is an American hardcore punk band from Chicago, Illinois active from 1991 to 1998 and from 2006 onward. Comprising all Latino members, the band paved the way for later Spanish-speaking punk bands in the United States and helped to increase the presence of Latinos in the country's predominantly white punk subculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allison Wolfe</span> Musical artist

Allison Wolfe is a Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, writer, and podcaster. As a founding member and lead singer of the punk rock band Bratmobile, she became one of the leading voices of the riot grrl movement.

Robert Burnett, better known as Robert Eggplant, is an American writer, publisher, musician and activist from Pinole, California, United States.

Parasites are an American pop-punk band. They were formed in the late 1980s by guitarist / singer Dave Parasite and bassist Ron Nole in New Jersey. Dave later relocated to Berkeley, California, and continued with a new lineup during the heyday of Lookout! Records and the Bay Area pop-punk revival.

Since the mid-1970s, California has had thriving regional punk rock movements. It primarily consists of bands from the Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura County, San Diego, San Fernando Valley, San Francisco, Fresno, Bakersfield, Alameda County, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Oakland and Berkeley areas.

<i>Dont Back Down</i> (album) 1996 studio album by The Queers

Don't Back Down is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band the Queers, released in August 1996 by Lookout! Records. The band and Lookout! president Larry Livermore, who served as executive producer, sought to balance the sounds of the Ramones and the Beach Boys, and enlisted the help of former Queers guitarist JJ Rassler and Cub singer Lisa Marr. The album's title track is a cover version of the Beach Boys song of the same name; it also features covers of the Hondells' "Little Sidewalk Surfer Girl" and Hawaiian punk band the Catalogs' "Another Girl". The album produced the band's first music videos, for "Punk Rock Girls" and "Don't Back Down".

<i>The Rotten Agenda</i> 2001 studio album by Aus-Rotten

The Rotten Agenda is the third and final studio album by the American hardcore punk band Aus-Rotten, released in 2001 on Rotten Propaganda Records. The record label bears the name of lead vocalist/lyricist Dave Trenga's anarchist DIY newspaper Rotten Propaganda.

<i>Can of Pork</i> 1992 compilation album by Various artists

Can of Pork is a compilation album of various punk rock artists. It was released as two 12-inch vinyl records or one CD in April 1992 by Lookout Records. The vinyl version has a booklet of lyrics and photography and the CD version has information on contacting the bands and a detailed description of the compilation's production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reversal of Man</span> American hardcore punk band

Reversal of Man was a hardcore punk band from Tampa, Florida that formed in 1995. The band is associated with the late 1990s screamo movement and noted for bordering on powerviolence and grindcore. The group's lyrical content was often political, and the group initially formed as a reaction to the then-growing underground nazi punk scene in Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Cruz Gonzales</span> American drummer

Michelle Cruz Gonzales is a musician, author, and college English instructor. She is a founding member and drummer of the groundbreaking all-female hardcore punk band Spitboy. Gonzales is featured in the Green Day-produced documentary Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk (2017), directed by Corbett Redford.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sacher, Andrew (April 6, 2021). "'90s feminist punks Spitboy reissuing discography on Don Giovanni w/ liner notes by Billie Joe Armstrong". Brooklyn Vegan . Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Ruggiero, Angela (October 8, 2016). "From punk to professor: Livermore teacher details journey in new memoir". East Bay Times . Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  3. Collins, Leslie (November 15, 2019). "WWMB@20: From punk rock to architecture, Davison finds a groove of her own". Kansas City Business Journal . Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Grow, Kory (April 6, 2021). "Billie Joe Armstrong Recalls How Feminist Punks Spitboy Changed Hardcore". Rolling Stone . Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  5. Moore, Em (May 19, 2021). "Spitboy release "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"". PunkNews.org. Retrieved May 20, 2021.