Lunachicks

Lunachicks
Background information
Origin New York, USA
Genres Punk rock, hardcore punk, riot grrrl
Years active 1988-2000, 2002, 2004
Labels Blast First, Go Kart Records
Associated acts Theo & the Skyscrapers
Toilet Böys
Lez Zeppelin
Bantam
Team Squid
Suicide King
Devil Kit
Blare Bitch Project
Past members Theo Kogan
Gina Volpe
Sidney "Squid" Silver
Sindi Benezra Valsamis
Becky Wreck
Chip English
Helen Destroy
Kate Schellenbach

Lunachicks were a punk rock band from New York City.[1] The band formed in 1987 and has been on hiatus since 2000.[2] Their music was described as "a frenzied mix of punk, metal, pop and rock". The band claimed influences including The Ramones, Kiss, and the MC5.

Biography

Theo Kogan, Gina Volpe, and Sydney "Squid" Silver were students at New York City's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts when they decided to form a band. Sindi Benezra, an acquaintance of Silver's, was asked to join shortly after. They rehearsed and wrote material in Gina's bedroom for about a year. Their first ever composition, the lengthy "Theme Song", was about killing Kogan's and Silver's English teacher. The band played their first show in 1988 with Theo's then-boyfriend Mike on the drums. Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth were amongst the audience for one of their early performances. Gordon and Moore were impressed with the band and sent a demo tape to Paul Smith in England, which landed them a deal on Smith's label Blast First. With drummer Becky Wreck (Susan Rebecca Lloyd) on board they released a self-titled 4-song EP in 1989 and the full-length Babysitters on Acid, both produced by Wharton Tiers. The record was only available in Europe until it was re-released on Go-Kart Records in 2001.[3] The band later expressed their strong dislike for the album's production and the fact that they did not earn any money from Blast First.[4] The band went on to tour with The Dictators in 1991.

1992 saw the release of their second full-length, Binge & Purge.[5] Around this time drummer Becky Wreck gained slight popularity for a TV appearance on Howard Stern's Lesbian Dating Game. She left the band some time later and was briefly replaced by Luscious Jackson drummer, Kate Schellenbach before Chip English joined. During their first visit to Japan a 6-song EP entitled Sushi A La Mode, featuring a cover of Boston's "More Than a Feeling", was recorded and released in Japan in the fall of 1993 .

Lunachicks were signed to New York-based label Go Kart Records, on which they released 1995's Jerk of All Trades.[6] The follow-up, 1997's Pretty Ugly, produced by Ryan Greene and Fat Mike of NOFX, features their most well-known song "Don't Want You", which was promoted with a video. Guitarist Sindi then left the band, after which the band stayed a four piece. They released their first live album Drop Dead Live in 1998, and then their final album to date Luxury Problem. By this time, the group was holding up a busy touring schedule, headlining clubs in the United States, Europe, the U.K., and Japan, while opening for the likes of the Ramones, the Buzzcocks, No Doubt, the Go-Go's, Rancid, and NOFX and appearing on the Vans Warped Tour.<ref>Deming, Mark. "Arists Biography." All Music. N.p., n.d. Web., from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lunachicks-mn0000322383/biography</ref>

Lunachicks joined the Warped Tour in 1999, one of only three female acts along with The Donnas and Bif Naked, and again in 2000. Chip English left the band in the fall of 1999 and was replaced by then 18-year-old Helen Destroy,[7] who stayed with the band until went inactive in the summer of 2000. The band never officially disbanded, but have been inactive since then, with the exception of two reunion shows that took place in 2002 and 2004.<ref>Deming, Mark. "Arists Biography." All Music. N.p., n.d. Web.,from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lunachicks-mn0000322383/biography</ref>

Whilst being the front runner for the Lunachicks, Theo Kogan also worked on the side as a model, per request by her friends in the fashion industry.<ref>"Jon Stewart Show." Interview by Jon Stewart. 1995: Web., from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raF4GAIdvTw</ref> Theo modeled for Calvin Klein, which ended up being a controversial campaign said to promote "drug use." and Burberry. In an interview with Jon Stewart, Kogan noted that music would always come before modeling and that it would always be a side job to music.<ref>"Jon Stewart Show." Interview by Jon Stewart. 1995: Web., from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raF4GAIdvTw</ref>

Movie appearances

Besides being in active in music, the band also had a fair share of movie appearances. The first one was in a low-budget splatter movie entitled Blue Vengeance (shot in 1989, but not released until 1992). The band also can be seen in the 1990s Riot-Grrrl Documentary, Not Bad For A Girl,[8] as well as Rockstar (produced in 1996, not released commercially until 2004) and High Times' Potluck (2002), two movies that featured lead singer Theo in lead roles.[9] The band also appeared in Terror Firmer, for which soundtrack they also contributed the song "Say What You Mean". Theo and Squid starred in the movie Hairburners.

The band has also been involved with movies or music videos other ways, such as being on the soundtrack. In 1997 Theo danced in The Offsprings video "I Choose". The movie Boys Don't Cry has their music video for "Don't Want You" playing in the background of a scene. The Olsen Twins movie Getting There has their song "Say What You Mean" on the soundtrack. Also, C.J. Ramone of the Ramones has been seen wearing a Lunachicks shirt several times, most notably in the music video for Poison Heart.

In the movie Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies Dino the naked drummer said that he had a psychic link with the Lunachicks and showed a picture of himself holding up a Lunachicks album while masturbating.[10]

Reunion

The Lunachicks reunited for a 20-minute set at CBGB's on April 6, 2002 with Sindi on guitar and Chip on drums.[11] Another reunion took place at the March for Women's Lives Benefit in Washington, D.C. on April 24, 2004 as a 4-piece with Chip on drums.

Life after the Lunachicks

Singer Theo married Toilet Böys-guitarist Sean Pierce, with whom she formed the band Theo & the Skyscrapers,[12] which have released two albums to date (2006's self-titled album and 2007's So Many Ways to Die). She occasionally works as a fashion model and actress, and had appeared in Bringing Out the Dead as a prostitute, Zoolander as the tattooed woman in Hansel's loft and Tadpole as a woman at the bar.In 2009, Theo Kogan founded the company ARMOUR Beauty that is dedicated, as of now, to creating lipglosses that are both durable in wear and vegan in make up. The lipgloss is Paraben free, gluten free and requires no animal testing, ever.<ref>"About Page." Armour Beauty. N.p., 2015. Web. 3 Dec. 2015, from http://armourbeauty.com/?page_id=1002</ref> Along with establishin her own brand, Theo also runs a tumblr page dedicated to documenting her make up artistry, due to her now working as a makeup artist full time.<ref>Theo Kogan on Building the Best Lipgloss Brand. Perf. Theo Kogan. Beautylish. N.p., 1 Oct. 2012. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_VYorvGEDc>.</ref>

Helen Destroy plays drums in the all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band, Lez Zeppelin. Squid used to work as a tattoo artist, but now she is the proprietor of the Roebling Tea Room, a popular eatery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[13] Becky Wreck was the drummer for the Blare Bitch Project in 2000. Chip plays drums for Suicide King.[11] Guitarist Gina Volpe has released two albums with the power trio, Bantam.[14]

Discography

Albums

Singles & EPs

Videos

Trivia

References

  1. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lunachicks-mn0000322383/biography
  2. ↑ http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Pride_stage_Theo_And_The_Skyscrapers-1800.aspx
  3. ↑ http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/PopAndRock/lunachicks-babysitters_on_acid
  4. ↑ http://users.erols.com/shydoll/luna_seconds.html
  5. ↑ http://www.warr.org/lunachicks.html
  6. ↑ http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=lunachicks
  7. ↑ Helen Destroy Biography drumsforgirls.com
  8. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114001/
  9. ↑ GW Hatchet - Lunachick Unhinged
  10. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDnd908VfAw
  11. 1 2 NYrock.com
  12. ↑ http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/artist/Theo%20&%20The%20Skyscrapers/a/Theo%20&%20The%20Skyscrapers.htm
  13. ↑ Tattoos Down Under - Interview with Theo and Squid
  14. ↑ http://www.bantamnyc.com/home.html

External links

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