Asylum Street Spankers
The Asylum Street Spankers (1994-2011) were an American vaudeville band from Austin , Texas .
history
Christina Marrs, Guy Forsyth and Wammo met in the spring of 1994 at a musicians' party and then discussed the formation of a youth band . Guy Forsyth organized other musicians and they began performing as the Asylum Street Spankers in Austin nightclubs and music bars. The band has consisted of about 6–7 members since its inception, with only Wammo and Christina Marrs remaining of the founding members. In total, over 30 different musicians had played with the Asylum Street Spankers by 2010.
Outside the US, the Spankers toured Europe and Japan several times.
In autumn 2006 the Spankers published Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your SUV, a satire against the Iraq war on Youtube . The title and the melody are inspired by Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree , a pop hit from the 1970s. The satire became a YouTube hit with over a million views within the first two months and received an honorable mention at the 2007 Webby Awards .
In January 2008, the Spankers performed under the title What? And Give Up Show Biz? a revue at the Barrow Street Theater in New York City ( Off-Broadway ).
At the end of 2010, Wammo also left the band, so that Christina Marrs was the last remaining founding member. The Spankers then decided to break up the band in 2011 after a farewell tour.
Music genre
The music of the Spankers is a mixture of vaudeville, blues , bluegrass , jazz , swing , ragtime , folk and gospel . The Spankers almost completely avoid electronic instruments in their arrangements and instead use a large number of different acoustic instruments. The washboard , piano , banjo , ukulele , mandolin , violin , double bass , guitar , harmonica , clarinet , singing saw and drums are all used .
A trademark of the Spankers are their revealing, slippery texts about drugs and sexuality (including Winning the war on drugs , Beer , Getting High , Jerry the Junker , Pussycat , Scrotum , Sugar in My Bowl ). Many texts have a satirical character, and ambiguous formulations are often used. For example, the pussycat song superficially describes the experiences of a cat, which can also be interpreted as a description of the female genitals.
Albums
CD
- Live (1995)
- Spanks for the Memories (1996)
- Nasty Novelties (EP, 1997)
- Hot Lunch (1999)
- Spanker Madness (2000)
- A Christmas Spanking (2001)
- Dirty Ditties (EP, 2002)
- My Favorite Record (2002)
- Strawberry (live, released 2003, recorded 1998)
- Mercurial (2004)
- Pussycat (2005)
- Mommy Says No! (2006)
- What? And Give Up Show Biz? (Double Live CD, 2008)
- God's Favorite Band (2009)
- The Last Laugh (2014)
DVD
- Sideshow Fez (DVD)
- Re-Assembly (2005) (DVD)
literature
- The Asylum Street Spankers, Sounding Off - Interview with All Things Considered, July 31, 2005 ( National Public Radio )
- The Asylum Street Spankers: Going Gospel - Interview at Studio 4A ( Weekend Sessions of National Public Radio ) on February 7, 2010
- Patrick Ferris: The Asylum Street Spankers ( July 22, 2011 memento in the Internet Archive ) - Article and interview on Hotbands from September 1, 2003
- Andrew Gilbert: Asylum Street Spankers whip up a kooky blend in the San Francisco Chronicle, April 3, 2008
- Michael Eck: Spankers eccentric, foulmouthed, fun in the Times Union on October 19, 2009
- Ben Sisario: The Road May Be Rough, but It Yields material in the New York Times January 15, 2008 (review of the off-Broadway show)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Patrick Ferris: The Asylum Street Spankers ( Memento July 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) - Article and interview on Hotbands from September 1, 2003
- ↑ a b The Asylum Street Spankers, Sounding Off - Interview with All Things Considered, July 31, 2005 ( National Public Radio )
- ↑ Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your SUV
- ↑ Ben Sisario: The Road May Be Rough, but It Yields Material in the New York Times January 15, 2008 (review of the off-Broadway show)
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Joel Hersh: After a wild 17-year career, Asylum Street Spankers call it quits ( Memento of the original from May 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at the Santa Cruz Sentinel on January 20, 2011
- ↑ The Asylum Street Spankers: Going Gospel - Interview in Studio 4A ( Weekend Sessions of National Public Radio ) on February 7, 2010
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↑ Michael Eck: Spankers eccentric, foulmouthed, fun in the Times Union of October 19, 2009
