Andy Kerr (musician)
Encyclopedia
Andy Kerr is a Canadian
-born musician, originally from British Columbia
and currently residing in Amsterdam
, Holland. Kerr is best known as the former guitar
ist, frequent vocalist, and co-songwriter in the progressive
punk rock
/punk jazz
band NoMeansNo
. He has also recorded and performed as a solo artist, and his current group is Two Pin Din
.
group the Infamous Scientists. Founded in 1979, the group released two EP
s prior to disbanding in 1982. The final lineup of this group included NoMeansNo drummer John Wright
.
Kerr went on to join NoMeansNo as guitarist and vocalist in 1983 after founding members Wright and his brother Rob
conducted the group as a sporadically active two-piece for four years. His unique sound and playing style added a strong complementary quality to the group. Running a Fender Bassman
amplifier
through a P.A. speaker, he attained a relentlessly jagged guitar tone quite suited to heavy dynamics of the Wright brothers' rhythm section. Rob Wright, the group's primary vocalist through much of its career, suffered from nodules on his vocal cords during much of the late 1980s, leaving Kerr temporarily responsible for the bulk of the vocal duties, notably on the Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed
record. By the time of the Wrong
album of 1989, Wright had undergone successful throat surgery and reclaimed the slight majority of the band's lead vocal parts. Kerr seems to have attempted anonymity in his involvement with NoMeansNo, favoring pseudonyms and nameless references to himself in album liner notes. NoMeansNo enjoyed modest international success among critics and fans during this time. During a nine year stint in the band, he played on four studio LP
s, three EP
s, a live record, and a collaborative LP with singer Jello Biafra
, prior to emigrating to Holland in 1992 and leaving the group.
Kerr's first project after leaving Canada found him collaborating with Canadian musician Scott Henderson (of Shovelhed and the Showbusiness Giants
, among other groups) in an unorthodox manner - via airmail
. The pair would individually experiment with home recordings and mail each other cassette tapes of their efforts for the other to elaborate upon. Calling themselves Hissanol
, the experimental group released two full-length albums on the Alternative Tentacles
label, with whom NoMeansNo had previously worked.
In 1997, Kerr released a solo record called Once Bitten, Twice Removed. This album, initially on cassette only prior to being re-released on CD-R in 2000, found him experimenting with a number of more traditional musical styles, including country
, folk
, pop
, and rockabilly
, as well as more familiar turns towards punk rock
and pop punk
.
Currently, Kerr is working with former Dog Faced Hermans
drummer
Wilf Plum in a two-piece guitar rock project called Two Pin Din
. The group released their debut record, In Case of Fire Break Glass in 2008.
Kerr was, at different times, also briefly involved with NoMeansNo-related projects the Hanson Brothers
and the Showbusiness Giants in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the latter group, he performed on bass guitar
. Via his pseudonyms, he is credited as playing "some bass" on several NoMeansNo records as well.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born musician, originally from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and currently residing in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Holland. Kerr is best known as the former guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist, frequent vocalist, and co-songwriter in the progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/punk jazz
Punk jazz
Punk jazz describes the amalgamation of elements of the jazz tradition with the instrumentation or conceptual heritage of punk rock...
band NoMeansNo
Nomeansno
NoMeansNo is a Canadian progressive punk rock music group originally from Victoria, British Columbia and now located in Vancouver.The band has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America and Europe...
. He has also recorded and performed as a solo artist, and his current group is Two Pin Din
Two Pin Din
Two Pin Din are a two-piece indie rock band based in Amsterdam, Holland, formed in 2005. The band is a noteworthy new project from experimental punk rock musicians Andy Kerr and Wilf Plum formerly of the influential groups Nomeansno and Dog Faced Hermans, respectively. Lacking a rhythm section,...
.
History
Kerr initially appeared on the Victoria, BC punk rock scene of the late 1970s as the singer/guitarist in the pop punkPop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
group the Infamous Scientists. Founded in 1979, the group released two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s prior to disbanding in 1982. The final lineup of this group included NoMeansNo drummer John Wright
John Wright (musician)
John Wright is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He replaced the former drummer, Murray Jackson. He is best known as the drummer, keyboardist, occasional vocalist and co-songwriter in the progressive punk rock/punk jazz band NoMeansNo, as well as the lead singer and co-songwriter of the...
.
Kerr went on to join NoMeansNo as guitarist and vocalist in 1983 after founding members Wright and his brother Rob
Rob Wright
Rob Wright is a Canadian musician and songwriter best known as the bassist, lead vocalist and occasional guitarist of the progressive punk rock band Nomeansno, as well as the bassist of the pop punk band The Hanson Brothers...
conducted the group as a sporadically active two-piece for four years. His unique sound and playing style added a strong complementary quality to the group. Running a Fender Bassman
Fender Bassman
The Fender Bassman was a bass amplifier introduced by Fender in 1952. Although it was originally designed for bass guitars, it was frequently used for normal electric guitar in rock and roll, blues, and country bands.-History:...
amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
through a P.A. speaker, he attained a relentlessly jagged guitar tone quite suited to heavy dynamics of the Wright brothers' rhythm section. Rob Wright, the group's primary vocalist through much of its career, suffered from nodules on his vocal cords during much of the late 1980s, leaving Kerr temporarily responsible for the bulk of the vocal duties, notably on the Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed
Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed
Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed is the third full-length album by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo. It was later placed in the compilation album The Day Everything Became Isolated and Destroyed alongside the EP The Day Everything Became Nothing, which had been released the same year.-Track...
record. By the time of the Wrong
Wrong
A wrong or being wrong is a concept in law, ethics, epistemology, and science. In a colloquial sense, wrongness usually refers to a state of incorrectness, inaccuracy, error, or miscalculation in any number of contexts...
album of 1989, Wright had undergone successful throat surgery and reclaimed the slight majority of the band's lead vocal parts. Kerr seems to have attempted anonymity in his involvement with NoMeansNo, favoring pseudonyms and nameless references to himself in album liner notes. NoMeansNo enjoyed modest international success among critics and fans during this time. During a nine year stint in the band, he played on four studio LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s, three EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s, a live record, and a collaborative LP with singer Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
, prior to emigrating to Holland in 1992 and leaving the group.
Kerr's first project after leaving Canada found him collaborating with Canadian musician Scott Henderson (of Shovelhed and the Showbusiness Giants
Showbusiness Giants
-External links:* * * *...
, among other groups) in an unorthodox manner - via airmail
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
. The pair would individually experiment with home recordings and mail each other cassette tapes of their efforts for the other to elaborate upon. Calling themselves Hissanol
Hissanol
Hissanol were a two-piece experimental indie rock band based in both Amsterdam and Victoria active between 1994 and 1998. The band was a studio-only project from former NoMeansNo guitarist Andy Kerr and Scott Henderson of Shovlhed, Swell Prod., the Showbusiness Giants, and other groups.Since its...
, the experimental group released two full-length albums on the Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
label, with whom NoMeansNo had previously worked.
In 1997, Kerr released a solo record called Once Bitten, Twice Removed. This album, initially on cassette only prior to being re-released on CD-R in 2000, found him experimenting with a number of more traditional musical styles, including country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, as well as more familiar turns towards punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
.
Currently, Kerr is working with former Dog Faced Hermans
Dog Faced Hermans
The Dog Faced Hermans were a four-piece band whose style could be described as anarcho-punk incorporating folk and noise influences as well as unorthodox instrumentation.-History:...
drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Wilf Plum in a two-piece guitar rock project called Two Pin Din
Two Pin Din
Two Pin Din are a two-piece indie rock band based in Amsterdam, Holland, formed in 2005. The band is a noteworthy new project from experimental punk rock musicians Andy Kerr and Wilf Plum formerly of the influential groups Nomeansno and Dog Faced Hermans, respectively. Lacking a rhythm section,...
. The group released their debut record, In Case of Fire Break Glass in 2008.
Kerr was, at different times, also briefly involved with NoMeansNo-related projects the Hanson Brothers
The Hanson Brothers
The Hanson Brothers are a Canadian punk rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia and led by John and Rob Wright and Tom Holliston, all members of the punk rock band Nomeansno....
and the Showbusiness Giants in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the latter group, he performed on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Via his pseudonyms, he is credited as playing "some bass" on several NoMeansNo records as well.
Full-length albums
- NoMeansNoNomeansnoNoMeansNo is a Canadian progressive punk rock music group originally from Victoria, British Columbia and now located in Vancouver.The band has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America and Europe...
- Sex MadSex MadSex Mad is the second full-length album by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo.The track "Dead Bob" contains a citation of Cream's hit "Sunshine of Your Love"-Track listing:Side one# "Sex Mad" – 4:15# "Dad" – 3:01# "Obsessed" – 3:36...
(1986) - NoMeansNo - Small Parts Isolated and DestroyedSmall Parts Isolated and DestroyedSmall Parts Isolated and Destroyed is the third full-length album by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo. It was later placed in the compilation album The Day Everything Became Isolated and Destroyed alongside the EP The Day Everything Became Nothing, which had been released the same year.-Track...
(1988) - NoMeansNo - WrongWrong (album)Wrong is the fourth full-length album by the Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo.The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal called it the band's best album, and rated the album as a 10 out of 10, stating, "Wrong was the mightiest merger between the hateful aggression of punk and the discipline of heavy...
(1990) - Jello BiafraJello BiafraJello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
and NoMeansNo - The Sky is Falling and I Want My MommyThe Sky Is Falling and I Want My MommyThe Sky is Falling and I Want My Mommy is an album recorded by Jello Biafra with punk band NoMeansNo. The project came about after Nomeansno and Biafra had collaborated for the soundtrack to the underground film Terminal City Ricochet.-Track listing:#"The Sky Is Falling, and I Want My Mommy " –...
(1991) - NoMeansNo - Live + CuddlyLive + Cuddly-Track listing:# "It's Catching Up" - 4:09# "Two Lips, Two Lungs And One Tongue" - 3:07# "Rags and Bones" - 5:18# "Body Bag" - 6:40# "Brother Rat" - 2:11# "What Slayde Says" - 8:44# "Some Bodies" - 4:39# "Teresa, Give Me That Knife" - 2:19# "Victory" - 7:45...
(1991) - Showbusiness GiantsShowbusiness Giants-External links:* * * *...
- I Thought It Was a Fig (1991) - Showbusiness Giants - Maybe It's Just Me (1991)
- NoMeansNo - 0 + 2 = 10 + 2 = 1-Personnel:* David Bruce – Artwork* Brian Else – Engineering* Cecil English – Producer, Engineering* Mr. Happy – Guitar* George Horn – Mastering* Andy Kerr – Guitar, Bass, Vocals...
(1992) - HissanolHissanolHissanol were a two-piece experimental indie rock band based in both Amsterdam and Victoria active between 1994 and 1998. The band was a studio-only project from former NoMeansNo guitarist Andy Kerr and Scott Henderson of Shovlhed, Swell Prod., the Showbusiness Giants, and other groups.Since its...
- 4th & Back (1995) - Andy Kerr - Once Bitten, Twice Removed (1997)
- Hissanol - The Making of Him (1998)
- Two Pin DinTwo Pin DinTwo Pin Din are a two-piece indie rock band based in Amsterdam, Holland, formed in 2005. The band is a noteworthy new project from experimental punk rock musicians Andy Kerr and Wilf Plum formerly of the influential groups Nomeansno and Dog Faced Hermans, respectively. Lacking a rhythm section,...
- In Case of Fire Break Glass (2008)
EPs and singles
- Infamous Scientists - Noise 'n' Rhythm 7" (1981)
- Infamous Scientists - Trouble 12" EP (1982)
- NoMeansNo - You Kill MeYou Kill MeYou Kill Me is 2007 crime comedy film directed by John Dahl, and starring Ben Kingsley, Luke Wilson, Téa Leoni, Philip Baker Hall, Dennis Farina, and Bill Pullman.-Plot:...
12" EP (1985) - NoMeansNo - The Day Everything Became Nothing 12" EP (1988)
- NoMeansNo - The Power of Positive Thinking 12" EP (1990)
- NoMeansNo - Oh Canaduh 7" (1991)