Best Revenge
Encyclopedia
Best Revenge is a queercore
punk
band from Los Angeles, CA. They were active as a studio and live act from the beginning of 1998 until December 2002.
. After the breakup of Happybomb, Revenge and KT briefly lost touch with each other, but later reunited to plan a going away party for Happybomb bandmate and celebrated indie comic book artist Jordan Crane
. Revenge took the opportunity to pitch to KT his idea of putting together a melodic punk rock band with decidedly queer-oriented lyrics inspired by homocore heroes Pansy Division
and Extra Fancy, as well as traditional punks The Clash
, X, Social Distortion
, Ramones
and Operation Ivy
. He played her a few songs he'd been working on including one that would later become one of the band's anthems, "Punk Rock Fag." KT was in.
While searching for a rehearsal space and a drummer, the two found both when they answered an ad to rent a garage space in Venice Beach, CA. The garage space was coincidentally at the former home of Jordan Crane
, and the current occupant of the house was Bilito Peligro, who later joined the band on drums
.
Best Revenge's arrival came at a time when the first Los Angeles queercore scene was all but finished. Scene fathers Extra Fancy had disbanded and Club Sucker, the scene's home venue hosted by Vaginal Davis
, was nearing the end of its run. Best Revenge, therefore, had to seek out new venues for their music and other like-minded bands with whom they could share stages. One of those venues was the Gauntlet II, a Silver Lake
leather bar that had seen better days and needed something new to pull in customers. While the bar wasn't built to be a music venue, in true punk spirit, the bands took charge and made it into a venue. It became the flashpoint for the fledgling second wave of Los Angeles queercore.
A significant development was the creation of a monthly club night at the Gauntlet II called Freak Show. Created by promoters Eddie Hibbs and Steve Lozier, the club featured one or two bands per night along with various carnival sideshow
-inspired acts. Best Revenge headlined the debut night of the club and went on to play it several times during the club's 3-year run. Freak Show created a gathering point which connected many Los Angeles' queer-oriented punk and rock bands to each other.
The gathering scene created the need for a record label to document the music that would probably never find a place in the major label mainstream. Peligro and Revenge responded by starting up Spitshine Records, which went on to put out all of Best Revenge's releases as well as releases by local acts IAMLOVED, $3 Puta, Brian Grillo (of Extra Fancy and Lock Up
), Hot-N-Heavy, the Sharpease and a Freak Show compilation CD. In addition, Revenge and Peligro began their own monthly (later, weekly) club at the Gauntlet II. Club Trouble featured both queer and straight punk bands with DJ duties being covered by Peligro, Revenge, and other scenesters as occasional guests.
Best Revenge played its final show on December 6, 2002 at the Gaunlet II. KT, who had left the band one year prior, returned to the lineup for the final performance. Best Revenge returned for a one night reunion at the Gauntlet II (now known as The Eagle) on August 27, 2006 for the bar's Sunset Junction Street Fair
after-party.
Lineup 1, 1998-December 2001:
Ryan Revenge, vocals and guitar
KT, bass and vocals
Bilito Peligro, drums and vocals
Lineup 2, January 2002-May 2002:
Ryan Revenge, vocals and guitar
Bilito Peligro, drums and vocals
Shug, bass and vocals
Lineup 3, May 2002-December 2002:
Ryan Revenge, vocals and guitar
Bilito Peligro, drums and vocals
Glen Livid, bass
Frisky McNicholl, second guitar and vocals
Lineup 4, final show December 6, 2002:
Ryan Revenge, vocals and guitar
Bilito Peligro, drums and vocals
KT, bass and vocals
Frisky McNicholl, second guitar and vocals
tribute band. Bilito now plays drums for the all-gay Los Angeles band, Miata, featuring Jimmy Jasmine of IAMLOVED fame. KT skates as Trixie Biscuit on a banked track roller derby team called Fight Crew.
The Best Revenge song, "Know You", was featured in the 2004 gay horror film Hellbent, which also featured songs by such notable queercore bands as Three Dollar Bill
and Pansy Division
.
Best Revenge was featured in the 2005 book Homocore:The Loud and Raucous Rise of Queer Punk by Ken Knox and David Ciminelli.
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
punk
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...
band from Los Angeles, CA. They were active as a studio and live act from the beginning of 1998 until December 2002.
History and Founding
Best Revenge was formed by members Ryan Revenge (vocals/guitar) and KT (bass/vocals) in early 1998. The two were previously in a band called Happybomb while attending college at the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. After the breakup of Happybomb, Revenge and KT briefly lost touch with each other, but later reunited to plan a going away party for Happybomb bandmate and celebrated indie comic book artist Jordan Crane
Jordan Crane
Jordan Crane is an American comics creator.Crane first emerged in 1996 with the anthology NON, which he edited, contributed to, and published. This anthology combines influences from Art Spiegelman’s RAW and newer comics artists...
. Revenge took the opportunity to pitch to KT his idea of putting together a melodic punk rock band with decidedly queer-oriented lyrics inspired by homocore heroes Pansy Division
Pansy Division
Pansy Division is an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California in 1991. Featuring primarily gay musicians and focusing mostly on gay-related themes, Pansy Division is one of the more melodic-oriented bands to emerge from the "queercore" movement that began in the 1980s.-Early...
and Extra Fancy, as well as traditional punks The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, X, Social Distortion
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
, Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
and Operation Ivy
Operation Ivy (band)
Operation Ivy was an American ska punk band that formed in Berkeley, California, and was often credited with spurring the 1990s punk revival in California. It is well-known as one of the first bands to "mix" hardcore punk with elements of ska, known as ska-core...
. He played her a few songs he'd been working on including one that would later become one of the band's anthems, "Punk Rock Fag." KT was in.
While searching for a rehearsal space and a drummer, the two found both when they answered an ad to rent a garage space in Venice Beach, CA. The garage space was coincidentally at the former home of Jordan Crane
Jordan Crane
Jordan Crane is an American comics creator.Crane first emerged in 1996 with the anthology NON, which he edited, contributed to, and published. This anthology combines influences from Art Spiegelman’s RAW and newer comics artists...
, and the current occupant of the house was Bilito Peligro, who later joined the band on drums
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 ....
.
Best Revenge's arrival came at a time when the first Los Angeles queercore scene was all but finished. Scene fathers Extra Fancy had disbanded and Club Sucker, the scene's home venue hosted by Vaginal Davis
Vaginal Davis
Vaginal Davis is an American genderqueer performing artist, painter, independent curator, composer, and writer. Davis's name is a homage to activist Angela Davis.-Life and career:Davis is often associated with the formation of the Queer-Core Zine Movement...
, was nearing the end of its run. Best Revenge, therefore, had to seek out new venues for their music and other like-minded bands with whom they could share stages. One of those venues was the Gauntlet II, a Silver Lake
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
leather bar that had seen better days and needed something new to pull in customers. While the bar wasn't built to be a music venue, in true punk spirit, the bands took charge and made it into a venue. It became the flashpoint for the fledgling second wave of Los Angeles queercore.
A significant development was the creation of a monthly club night at the Gauntlet II called Freak Show. Created by promoters Eddie Hibbs and Steve Lozier, the club featured one or two bands per night along with various carnival sideshow
Sideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
-inspired acts. Best Revenge headlined the debut night of the club and went on to play it several times during the club's 3-year run. Freak Show created a gathering point which connected many Los Angeles' queer-oriented punk and rock bands to each other.
The gathering scene created the need for a record label to document the music that would probably never find a place in the major label mainstream. Peligro and Revenge responded by starting up Spitshine Records, which went on to put out all of Best Revenge's releases as well as releases by local acts IAMLOVED, $3 Puta, Brian Grillo (of Extra Fancy and Lock Up
Lock up
Lock up may refer to:* Lock Up , an American rock band, featuring guitarist Tom Morello during his pre-Rage Against the Machine career* Lock Up , a UK grindcore band* Lock Up , a 1989 movie featuring Sylvester Stallone...
), Hot-N-Heavy, the Sharpease and a Freak Show compilation CD. In addition, Revenge and Peligro began their own monthly (later, weekly) club at the Gauntlet II. Club Trouble featured both queer and straight punk bands with DJ duties being covered by Peligro, Revenge, and other scenesters as occasional guests.
Best Revenge played its final show on December 6, 2002 at the Gaunlet II. KT, who had left the band one year prior, returned to the lineup for the final performance. Best Revenge returned for a one night reunion at the Gauntlet II (now known as The Eagle) on August 27, 2006 for the bar's Sunset Junction Street Fair
Sunset Junction Street Fair
The Sunset Junction Street Fair is an event held annually in the Sunset Junction neighborhood of the Silver Lake community in Los Angeles, California...
after-party.
LPs and EPs
| Year | Title | Label | Other information |
| 2000 | Begin | Spitshine Records | Debut EP |
| 2001 | Pink On the Inside | Spitshine Records | Split EP with prettypony |
| 2002 | Starts With You | Spitshine Records | LP |
Compilations
| Year | Song Title | Album Title | Label | Other information |
| 2001 | Rockabilly Boy, Cockring for Christmas | Freak Show, Year One | The Freak Show | Compilation Compilation album A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter... |
| 2002 | Bash Back | Stand Up & Fucking Fight For It | Agitprop! Records Agitprop! Records Agitprop! Records is a 'revolutionary hardcore and hip hop' independent record label based in Boston, USA, founded by Angela Tavares.One of the label's notable releases is the compilation Stand Up & Fucking Fight For It, its first full-length CD, released in 2002... |
Compilation Compilation album A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter... |
| 2002 | Typical | One Year Later...It Still Hurts: Queers Against G8 | Speeddemon | Compilation Compilation album A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter... |
| 2003 | Bash Back (Live on KXLU) | Freak Show, Year Three | The Freak Show | Compilation Compilation album A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter... |
Member Lineups
The band experienced several lineup changes, first spurred by the departure of bassist KT just after the completion of the Starts With You full-length.Lineup 1, 1998-December 2001:
Ryan Revenge, vocals and guitar
KT, bass and vocals
Bilito Peligro, drums and vocals
Lineup 2, January 2002-May 2002:
Ryan Revenge, vocals and guitar
Bilito Peligro, drums and vocals
Shug, bass and vocals
Lineup 3, May 2002-December 2002:
Ryan Revenge, vocals and guitar
Bilito Peligro, drums and vocals
Glen Livid, bass
Frisky McNicholl, second guitar and vocals
Lineup 4, final show December 6, 2002:
Ryan Revenge, vocals and guitar
Bilito Peligro, drums and vocals
KT, bass and vocals
Frisky McNicholl, second guitar and vocals
Post-Best Revenge
After Best Revenge, Ryan Revenge played with the bands Exit Plan and Terrazzo, and is currently running the queercore music label Spitshine Records while pursuing a PhD in political theory. Bilito Peligro and Frisky McNichol played with the Gay-Gays, the all-gay Go-Go'sThe Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
tribute band. Bilito now plays drums for the all-gay Los Angeles band, Miata, featuring Jimmy Jasmine of IAMLOVED fame. KT skates as Trixie Biscuit on a banked track roller derby team called Fight Crew.
The Best Revenge song, "Know You", was featured in the 2004 gay horror film Hellbent, which also featured songs by such notable queercore bands as Three Dollar Bill
Three Dollar Bill
Three Dollar Bill is a band founded by Jane Danger and Chris Piss, in Chicago, Illinois in 1998. The name comes from the expression "Queer as a three dollar bill". The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has never been authorized to print a $3 note. However, before the Civil War, banks operating...
and Pansy Division
Pansy Division
Pansy Division is an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California in 1991. Featuring primarily gay musicians and focusing mostly on gay-related themes, Pansy Division is one of the more melodic-oriented bands to emerge from the "queercore" movement that began in the 1980s.-Early...
.
Best Revenge was featured in the 2005 book Homocore:The Loud and Raucous Rise of Queer Punk by Ken Knox and David Ciminelli.
External links
- Spitshine Records Site
- Best Revenge Site
- Feature from In LA magazine
- Article in Phoenix New Times