Barkmarket
Encyclopedia
Barkmarket was a rock music
group formed in New York City
in 1987. Personnel were singer/guitarist and main songwriter Dave Sardy
, bass guitarist John Nowlin and drummer Rock Savage.
Barkmarket's music was usually loud and aggressive, touching on many styles (most prominently including heavy metal
, hardcore punk
and noise rock
), but not resting definitely in any one genre. Critic Stewart Mason wrote that the band "can at times be frustratingly difficult to pin down, but their best work has a noisy, rattling power."[] There were also odd touches that demonstrated an experimental edge: the eerie banjo
and tape loop
s on "(Radio Static)" (from Gimmick), and the nearly delta blues
acoustic slide guitar on "Visible Cow" (from L. Ron).
Sardy's ragged, proto-screamo
vocals usually offered bizarre lyrics that were at once evocative and absurd, and rarely without a menacing undercurrent: "I bought a handgun made out of glass/I cut a hole in the side of a wild ass" ("Visible Cow"); critic Ted Alvarez wrote,
In 1986, they released an independently-recorded demo tape called BARKMARKET, then in 1987 recorded 1-800-GODHOUSE on cassette 4tk. They were signed to Purge/Soundleague in NYC. after recording the second album Easy Listening the band moved to Triple X Records
, who released the group's third album, Vegas Throat; the latter featured guest work from avant-jazz guitarist Marc Ribot
.
Sardy has been quoted as saying he made a promise to himself that each of their albums would be a progression from 4tk, to 8tk (Easy Listening), to 16tk (Vegas Throat), and then 24 tk (Gimmick) with a promise to go back to 4tk for the final album, the beginning of "Visible Cow" on the album L Ron was an attempt to keep that promise.
Vegas Throat
attracted the interest of Rick Rubin
, and Barkmarket was one of the first groups signed to Rubin's American Recordings. Vegas Throat was reissued by American, which then issued Gimmick
and the Lardroom EP
. During this time, they released the Peacekeeper EP on the Man's Ruin record label.
L. Ron
(1996) was Barkmarket's final album. Sardy's engineering/production work was taking precedence over his own band, and the group quietly broke up in 1997. Sardy has since become an in-demand producer and mixer for many heavy rock groups (e.g., System of a Down
, Marilyn Manson
, Wolfmother
, Helmet
, Quicksand
) or even pop heavyweights like Oasis
or The Thrills
.
Recently Sardy has been picked as one of the top ten up and coming film composers of 2010 for his work scoring the movies 21, and Zombieland by Composers Monthly
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group formed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1987. Personnel were singer/guitarist and main songwriter Dave Sardy
Dave Sardy
David Sardy is a Brooklyn born-and-raised composer, musician, songwriter, and record producer- Biography :...
, bass guitarist John Nowlin and drummer Rock Savage.
Barkmarket's music was usually loud and aggressive, touching on many styles (most prominently including heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
), but not resting definitely in any one genre. Critic Stewart Mason wrote that the band "can at times be frustratingly difficult to pin down, but their best work has a noisy, rattling power."[] There were also odd touches that demonstrated an experimental edge: the eerie banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and tape loop
Tape loop
In music, tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound. Contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen used tape loops to create phase patterns and rhythms...
s on "(Radio Static)" (from Gimmick), and the nearly delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
acoustic slide guitar on "Visible Cow" (from L. Ron).
Sardy's ragged, proto-screamo
Screamo
Screamo, though used loosely to generally describe music that features screamed vocals, is actually a musical subgenre of hardcore punk which predominantly evolved from emo, among other genres, in the early 1990s...
vocals usually offered bizarre lyrics that were at once evocative and absurd, and rarely without a menacing undercurrent: "I bought a handgun made out of glass/I cut a hole in the side of a wild ass" ("Visible Cow"); critic Ted Alvarez wrote,
- Sardy's distended poetryPoetryPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
often has a dark humor about it; lines like "I opened all your mail" ("Feed Me") and "I got a game/it won't take long/we'll list all our beatings in a cursory rhymeRhymeA rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
" ("How are You") add a dash of laughterLaughterLaughing is a reaction to certain stimuli, fundamentally stress, which serves as an emotional balancing mechanism. Traditionally, it is considered a visual expression of happiness, or an inward feeling of joy. It may ensue from hearing a joke, being tickled, or other stimuli...
to the often humorless scowl across the face of hardcore music.[]
In 1986, they released an independently-recorded demo tape called BARKMARKET, then in 1987 recorded 1-800-GODHOUSE on cassette 4tk. They were signed to Purge/Soundleague in NYC. after recording the second album Easy Listening the band moved to Triple X Records
Triple X Records
Triple X Records is a Los Angeles based record company. They are the label for bands such as Bo Diddley, The Vandals, Jane's Addiction, Social Distortion, Human Drama, Of Cabbages And Kings, Angry Samoans, Bad Manners, Stephen Pearcy, Dr...
, who released the group's third album, Vegas Throat; the latter featured guest work from avant-jazz guitarist Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
.
Sardy has been quoted as saying he made a promise to himself that each of their albums would be a progression from 4tk, to 8tk (Easy Listening), to 16tk (Vegas Throat), and then 24 tk (Gimmick) with a promise to go back to 4tk for the final album, the beginning of "Visible Cow" on the album L Ron was an attempt to keep that promise.
Vegas Throat
Vegas Throat
Vegas Throat is the third studio album by the American noise rock band Barkmarket, released in 1991 through Triple X Records. It was reissued in 1992 on Rick Rubin's Def American label.-Reception:...
attracted the interest of Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
, and Barkmarket was one of the first groups signed to Rubin's American Recordings. Vegas Throat was reissued by American, which then issued Gimmick
Gimmick (album)
Gimmick is the fourth studio album by the American noise rock band Barkmarket, released on October 12, 1993 through American Recordings.-Reception:...
and the Lardroom 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...
. During this time, they released the Peacekeeper EP on the Man's Ruin record label.
L. Ron
L Ron (album)
- Personnel :Barkmarket* John Nowlin – bass guitar* Dave Sardy – vocals, guitar, banjo, production, engineering, mixing* Rock Savage – drumsAdditional musicians and production* Edward Douglas – engineering* Suzie Dyer – engineering...
(1996) was Barkmarket's final album. Sardy's engineering/production work was taking precedence over his own band, and the group quietly broke up in 1997. Sardy has since become an in-demand producer and mixer for many heavy rock groups (e.g., System of a Down
System of a Down
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
, Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
, Helmet
Helmet (band)
Helmet is an alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member....
, Quicksand
Quicksand (band)
Quicksand was an American post-hardcore band from New York City founded in 1990 by singer/songwriter Walter Schreifels. Their debut self-titled EP was followed by two major label albums, Slip and Manic Compression...
) or even pop heavyweights like Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
or The Thrills
The Thrills
The Thrills are an Irish rock band, formed in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland. The band was founded by lead vocalist Conor Deasy and guitarist Daniel Ryan, guitarist and bass player Padraic McMahon, pianist Kevin Horan and drummer Ben Carrigan. Their big break came with their debut album, So Much for the...
.
Recently Sardy has been picked as one of the top ten up and coming film composers of 2010 for his work scoring the movies 21, and Zombieland by Composers Monthly
Studio albums
- Vegas ThroatVegas ThroatVegas Throat is the third studio album by the American noise rock band Barkmarket, released in 1991 through Triple X Records. It was reissued in 1992 on Rick Rubin's Def American label.-Reception:...
(1992) - GimmickGimmick (album)Gimmick is the fourth studio album by the American noise rock band Barkmarket, released on October 12, 1993 through American Recordings.-Reception:...
(1993) - L RonL Ron (album)- Personnel :Barkmarket* John Nowlin – bass guitar* Dave Sardy – vocals, guitar, banjo, production, engineering, mixing* Rock Savage – drumsAdditional musicians and production* Edward Douglas – engineering* Suzie Dyer – engineering...
(1996)
Demos
- 1-800-GODHOUSE (1988)
- Easy Listening (1989)