Chainsaw Kittens
Encyclopedia
The Chainsaw Kittens were a part of the American alternative rock
scene, drawing from pop
, glam rock
, punk
, new wave
and British Invasion
music. Their lyrics tackled such varied topics as religion
, the Stonewall Riots
, Federico Fellini
, Oklahoma
, Erik Menendez, and Oscar Wilde
.
Based in Norman, Oklahoma
, its name a reference to the band members' youth and "chainsaw guitar sound", the Chainsaw Kittens were active from 1989 to 2000. Debuting with a sound described 1991 SPIN
review as "The Smiths meet the New York Dolls meet the devil", the group gained attention with "thrift-store transvestism," which it abandoned when the look "started to overshadow the music." The band underwent several personnel changes, but maintained the presence of principal singer/songwriter Tyson Meade
, previously of Norman alt-rock outfit Defenestration
, and guitarist/producer Trent Bell.
Though the Kittens saw little commercial success during their period of activity, they have since won praise as
"[a]rguably the best American band who never made it" in the '90s heyday of alternative rock.
In the 1995 movie "Empire Records", the character Mark, played by Ethan Embry, is wearing a "Chainsaw Kittens" t-shirt throughout the movie.
The band reunited for a performance at the Norman Music Festival in Norman, Oklahoma
on April 26, 2008.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
scene, drawing from 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...
, glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, 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...
, new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
music. Their lyrics tackled such varied topics as religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, the Stonewall Riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
, Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Erik Menendez, and Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
.
Based in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
, its name a reference to the band members' youth and "chainsaw guitar sound", the Chainsaw Kittens were active from 1989 to 2000. Debuting with a sound described 1991 SPIN
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
review as "The Smiths meet the New York Dolls meet the devil", the group gained attention with "thrift-store transvestism," which it abandoned when the look "started to overshadow the music." The band underwent several personnel changes, but maintained the presence of principal singer/songwriter Tyson Meade
Tyson Meade
Tyson Todd Meade is best known as the singer and principal songwriter for Norman, Oklahoma-based alternative rock groups Defenestration and the Chainsaw Kittens...
, previously of Norman alt-rock outfit Defenestration
Defenestration
Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window.The term "defenestration" was coined around the time of an incident in Prague Castle in the year 1618. The word comes from the Latin de- and fenestra...
, and guitarist/producer Trent Bell.
Though the Kittens saw little commercial success during their period of activity, they have since won praise as
"[a]rguably the best American band who never made it" in the '90s heyday of alternative rock.
In the 1995 movie "Empire Records", the character Mark, played by Ethan Embry, is wearing a "Chainsaw Kittens" t-shirt throughout the movie.
The band reunited for a performance at the Norman Music Festival in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
on April 26, 2008.
Albums
- Violent ReligionViolent ReligionViolent Religion is the first album by the band Chainsaw Kittens, released in 1990.-Track listing:All tracks written by Tyson Meade, except where noted.#"Bloodstorm" – 2:08...
(Mammoth, 1990) - Flipped Out in SingaporeFlipped Out in SingaporeFlipped Out in Singapore is the second album by the band Chainsaw Kittens, released in 1992.-Recording:Flipped Out in Singapore was produced by Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, Wis. in 1992...
(Mammoth, 1992) - Pop HeiressPop HeiressPop Heiress is the third album by the band Chainsaw Kittens, released in 1994.-Recording:Pop Heiress was produced by John Agnello over five weeks at NRG Studios and Kiva West Studios in North Hollywood and Encino, Calif., respectively...
(Atlantic/Mammoth, 1994) - Chainsaw KittensChainsaw Kittens (album)Chainsaw Kittens is the fourth LP by the Chainsaw Kittens released in 1996.-Track listing:#"Dorothy's Last Fling" – 3:17#"Heart Catch Thump" – 3:30#"Tongue Trick" – 3:40#"King Monkey Smoke" – 3:51...
(Mercury/Scratchie, 1996) - The All American (Four Alarm, 2000)
EPs
- High in High School (Mammoth, 1992)
- Angel on the Range (Mammoth, 1993)
- Candy for You (Scratchie, 1996)
Singles
- "Mother (of the Ancient Birth)" b/w "Death-Sex Rattletrap" (Mammoth Records, 1990, MR 0019, Blue Vinyl)
- "Lazy Little Dove" b/w "Extinction Stomp" (Echostatic/Spacebaby, 1995)
- "Grandaddy's Candy" b/w "Bones in My Teeth" (Scratchie, 1996)
Others
- Bug (2007 soundtrack)Bug (2007 soundtrack)Bug is the original soundtrack album, on the Lionsgate label, of the 2006 film Bug, and contains such artists as Sean & Sara Watkins , Chainsaw Kittens, Susan Tedeschi, Jerry Leiber, Leon Russell and more. The theme from Bug is performed by System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian...
(Lionsgate, SonySony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
/ RED DistributionRED DistributionRED - An Artist Development Company is a Sony Music Entertainment-owned sales and marketing division that handles releases for over sixty independent record labels....
, 2007) - track #3 "She Gets" - Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth (soundtrack) - track #11 "Waltzing With A Jaguar"