Engine 88
Encyclopedia
Engine 88 was a rock band
that spawned out of the San Francisco Bay Area
in the 1990s.
singles throughout the 1990s. The band featured Tom Barnes of the notable college rock
band Sordid Humor
as lead singer, Damon Wood of Smoking Section on guitar, Eric Knight on bass and Dave Hawkins (also of Smoking Section) on the drums.
Their first two releases, two 7 inch singles
, Funny Car and Twenty were put out independently on their own label, Shut Up and Drive in 1993 and 1994, respectively. In 1995, their first full length LP
, Clean Your Room was released on Caroline Records, defining their characteristic sound of driving guitars and rhythms counter-acted with introspective and often abstract lyrics. 1997's Snowman followed, to much critical acclaim, however in 1998 the group disbanded and their final full-length, Flies and Death n' Stuff was released posthumously in 1998 on Wingnut Records.
sound of Engine 88, in favor of a more soft rock
sound similar to that of his former project, Sordid Humor
. His songs have gained a cult following and have been covered live by the band Counting Crows
.
Guitarist, Damon Wood, is now performing in a Pretenders
tribute band, Message of Love, and in an R&B cover band, Curtis Bumpy, in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
Bassist Eric Knight is coaching little kids' functional martial arts at Modern Combatives.
Engine 88 played a "reunion" show commemorating the release of Peter Ellenby's book, Every Day is Saturday at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on Friday, Oct 27 2006.
Drummer, Dave Hawkins, opened a popular movie rental store, Lost Weekend Video, in San Francisco, with Adam Pfahler of Jawbreaker
.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
that spawned out of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
in the 1990s.
History
Engine 88 (originally known as simply Engine) released three albums (2 on Caroline Records) and a handful of 7 inchGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
singles throughout the 1990s. The band featured Tom Barnes of the notable college rock
College rock
College rock is a term that was used in the United States to describe 1980s alternative rock before the term "alternative" came into common usage. The term's use of the word "college" refers to campus radio stations located at institutions of higher education in Canada and the United States, where...
band Sordid Humor
Sordid Humor
Sordid Humor was a musical band formed in 1987 by the duo of Tom Barnes and Jim Gordon. Barnes' unique vocal style and unusual phrasing was the trademark of Sordid Humor, and he went on to lend his vocals and alt-rock guitar style to Engine 88, and a solo project called the Blimp...
as lead singer, Damon Wood of Smoking Section on guitar, Eric Knight on bass and Dave Hawkins (also of Smoking Section) on the drums.
Their first two releases, two 7 inch singles
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, Funny Car and Twenty were put out independently on their own label, Shut Up and Drive in 1993 and 1994, respectively. In 1995, their first full length LP
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Clean Your Room was released on Caroline Records, defining their characteristic sound of driving guitars and rhythms counter-acted with introspective and often abstract lyrics. 1997's Snowman followed, to much critical acclaim, however in 1998 the group disbanded and their final full-length, Flies and Death n' Stuff was released posthumously in 1998 on Wingnut Records.
Where are they now?
Singer Tom Barnes released a CD entitled Three Day Ditties, which abandoned the louder rockRock 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...
sound of Engine 88, in favor of a more soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
sound similar to that of his former project, Sordid Humor
Sordid Humor
Sordid Humor was a musical band formed in 1987 by the duo of Tom Barnes and Jim Gordon. Barnes' unique vocal style and unusual phrasing was the trademark of Sordid Humor, and he went on to lend his vocals and alt-rock guitar style to Engine 88, and a solo project called the Blimp...
. His songs have gained a cult following and have been covered live by the band Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
.
Guitarist, Damon Wood, is now performing in a Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
tribute band, Message of Love, and in an R&B cover band, Curtis Bumpy, in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
Bassist Eric Knight is coaching little kids' functional martial arts at Modern Combatives.
Engine 88 played a "reunion" show commemorating the release of Peter Ellenby's book, Every Day is Saturday at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on Friday, Oct 27 2006.
Drummer, Dave Hawkins, opened a popular movie rental store, Lost Weekend Video, in San Francisco, with Adam Pfahler of Jawbreaker
Jawbreaker (band)
Jawbreaker was an American punk rock band active from 1986 to 1996 and considered one of the most influential acts of the early-1990s emo movement...
.
Band members
- Tom Barnes (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...
, 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...
) - Damon Wood (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...
) - Eric Knight (BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Dave Hawkins (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 ....
Discography
- 1993 Funny Car 7": Shut Up and Drive Records
- 1994 Germ's Choice 94 (compilationCompilation albumA 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...
) - 1994 Twenty 7": No Life Records
- 1995 Clean Your Room: Caroline Records
- 1995 Robots are Real 7" (Split with American Sensei): Hep-Cat Records
- 1996 7" Split with Sincola: Caroline Records
- 1996 LIVE 105: 10 Year Anniversary (Compilation)
- 1997 Snowman Caroline Records
- 1997 Seconal (single) Caroline Records
- 1997 Manclub (single) Caroline Records
- 1998 Flies and Death n' Stuff Wingnut Records