Bitch Magnet
Encyclopedia
Bitch Magnet was a post-hardcore
band during the late 1980s and early 1990s who formed at Oberlin College
in Ohio
and later moved to North Carolina
. They released their first record in 1988. All of the band's full-length albums were released on Communion Records in the US; they were also signed to the European labels Shigaku/What Goes On and Glitterhouse. Lead singer Sooyoung Park later joined Mac McCaughan
of Superchunk
fame and Lexi Mitchell to form the band Seam
. David Grubbs
, who was a founding member of Squirrel Bait
, was briefly a member of the band while also leading Bastro
. Orestes Morfin went on to drum for Walt Mink
. Jon Fine formed Vineland and Coptic Light, and was briefly a touring guitarist for Don Caballero
.
On March 31, 2011, Bitch Magnet announced that the lineup of Fine, Morfin, and Park -- the band's original recorded lineup -- would reunite to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties
festival "Nightmare Before Christmas," which will be held in the UK in December 2011.
Bitch Magnet's three albums will be reissued on November 15, 2011 by Temporary Residence Limited
, as a deluxe limited-edition triple-LP set and as a triple CD. The reissues will include non-LP tracks and previously unreleased recordings that were remixed with John Congleton
in late 2010.
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
band during the late 1980s and early 1990s who formed at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and later moved to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. They released their first record in 1988. All of the band's full-length albums were released on Communion Records in the US; they were also signed to the European labels Shigaku/What Goes On and Glitterhouse. Lead singer Sooyoung Park later joined Mac McCaughan
Mac McCaughan
Mac McCaughan is a founding member of the rock band Superchunk, and co-founder of Merge Records along with Laura Ballance. He also heads the band Portastatic, which began as a lo-fi side project and has blossomed into his main musical project...
of Superchunk
Superchunk
Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s...
fame and Lexi Mitchell to form the band Seam
Seam (band)
Seam was an American indie rock band active from 1991 to 1999, led by Sooyoung Park, former frontman of Bitch Magnet. Park currently plays in Ee...
. David Grubbs
David Grubbs
David Grubbs , guitarist, pianist, and vocalist, was a founding member of Squirrel Bait, Bastro, and Gastr del Sol. He has also played in Codeine, The Red Krayola, Bitch Magnet and The Wingdale Community Singers....
, who was a founding member of Squirrel Bait
Squirrel Bait
Squirrel Bait was an American punk band from Louisville, Kentucky. They were in existence from 1983 to 1988. Squirrel Bait's dense, moody, melodic hardcore sound, featuring pronounced tempo shifts, foreshadowed the grunge sound of the late 1980s as well as math rock...
, was briefly a member of the band while also leading Bastro
Bastro
Bastro was an American post-hardcore band in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's main line-up consisted of David Grubbs on guitar, Clark Johnson on bass guitar, and John McEntire on drums.-History:...
. Orestes Morfin went on to drum for Walt Mink
Walt Mink
Walt Mink, a power trio, is an indie rock band formed at St. Paul, Minnesota's Macalester College in 1989 by singer-guitarist John Kimbrough, drummer Joey Waronker and bassist Candice Belanoff. The band takes its name from a beloved psychology professor. Kimbrough's father Charles was an actor on...
. Jon Fine formed Vineland and Coptic Light, and was briefly a touring guitarist for Don Caballero
Don Caballero
Don Caballero are an American rock group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group took their name from the character Guy Caballero, portrayed by Joe Flaherty, on the sketch comedy show Second City Television...
.
On March 31, 2011, Bitch Magnet announced that the lineup of Fine, Morfin, and Park -- the band's original recorded lineup -- would reunite to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival "Nightmare Before Christmas," which will be held in the UK in December 2011.
Bitch Magnet's three albums will be reissued on November 15, 2011 by Temporary Residence Limited
Temporary Residence Limited
Temporary Residence Limited is a Brooklyn, New York-based record label. TRL was started in Baltimore, Maryland in late 1995. The label's first release was The Concord Anthology Process/Nero split 7", released April 1, 1996. After moving the operation to Portland, Oregon, owner/operator Jeremy...
, as a deluxe limited-edition triple-LP set and as a triple CD. The reissues will include non-LP tracks and previously unreleased recordings that were remixed with John Congleton
John Congleton
John Congleton John Congleton John Congleton (born April 5, 1977 in Lubbock, Texas, United States, is best known as a Grammy-nominated producer/engineer/mixer who made a name for himself in the alternative rock underground via production of his own band, The Paper Chase, and for many other artists...
in late 2010.
Members
- Sooyoung Park - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Jon Fine - guitarGuitarThe 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...
- David GrubbsDavid GrubbsDavid Grubbs , guitarist, pianist, and vocalist, was a founding member of Squirrel Bait, Bastro, and Gastr del Sol. He has also played in Codeine, The Red Krayola, Bitch Magnet and The Wingdale Community Singers....
- guitar (touring during 1989, guest guitar on "Valmead") - Orestes Delatorre (aka Orestes Morfin) - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
- David Galt - guitar (on Umber)
Discography
- Star Booty EP (1988) (mixed by Steve AlbiniSteve AlbiniSteven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
) - Umber (1989) recorded by Mike McMackin. CD also included the 8 songs from Star Booty.
- Ben Hur (1990)
Singles
- "Valmead" with CodeineCodeine (band)Codeine was an American indie rock/slowcore band formed in 1989. They released two full-length albums — Frigid Stars in 1990 and The White Birch in 1994.-History:...
(1990) (Glitterhouse also released the record on 12" + 2 songs) - "Sadie" 7" (released on Caff RecordsCaff RecordsCaff Records was a short lived British independent record label run by Bob Stanley of the band Saint Etienne. The label went by the name Caff, Caff Records and Caff Corporation. Established in 1989, it is most noted for single releases by Pulp and the Manic Street Preachers...
in 1991) - "Mesentery" 7" with a different version of Big Pining
- "Duck and Drakes" 7" with "Where Eagles Fly" (Misfits cover of "Where Eagles Dare"). Included in limited release of Ben Hur LP.
Compilations
- Endangered Species, a 6 record box set compilation of 7" singles, released by Glitterhouse,1991, contains one track by Bitch Magnet: "White Piece of Bread" (alternate side with Bullet LaVoltaBullet lavoltaBullet LaVolta was a post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts that was originally formed in January 1987 by four college disk jockeys: Clay Tarver , Bill Whelan , Corey "Loog" Brennan and Chris "Cruster" Guttmacher . The band later added singer Yukkie Gipe after he responded to an advertisement...
's "Hello There")