Judybats
Encyclopedia
Judybats were an alternative rock
band from Knoxville, Tennessee
, active primarily in the late 1980s and early 1990s. First formed in 1988 by vocalist Jeff Heiskell and guitarists Johnny Sughrue and Ed Winters when the three were students at the University of Tennessee
, the band subsequently added keyboardist Peggy Hambright, bass guitarist Tim Stutz and drummer Ed Casper before signing to Sire Records
in 1990. The band took their name from a song written by a friend of theirs, which contained the line "punch me with a judybat" in a pun
ning allusion to Punch and Judy
shows.
The band contributed a cover of The 13th Floor Elevators' "She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)" to the 1990 tribute album Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson
, followed shortly by their debut album Native Son
. The official form of the band's name was never entirely clear — although the band was credited as The Judybats on the cover of Native Son, all of their subsequent albums listed the band's name as just Judybats, or sometimes JudyBats, although several CD singles from the later albums retained the word The.
Casper subsequently left the band, and was temporarily replaced by session drummer Kevin Jarvis on their second album, Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow
. Following that album, Hambright and Stutz both left the band, and were replaced by Paul Noe on bass and Dave Jenkins on drums. The revised lineup released the band's most commercially successful album, Pain Makes You Beautiful
, in 1993, and had successful singles on college radio and adult album alternative
stations with "Being Simple", "All Day Afternoon" and "Incredible Bittersweet".
The lineup remained stable for the band's fourth album, 1994's Full-Empty, but the album fared poorly on the charts and the band broke up soon afterward. Heiskell, Noe and Jenkins pursued a new musical direction under the name Doubters Club, releasing the album Fleur de Lisa independently in 1996 after being dropped from a development deal with Sire Records.
Heiskell subsequently revived the Judybats name, with a new band lineup consisting of guitarists Doug Hairrell and Reed Pendleton, bassist Rob Bell and drummer Mike Hairrell, and released the band's final album '00
in 2000; although he did not participate in the album's recording, Sughrue rejoined the band for live performances to support the album. The reunited lineup also recorded a cover of Paul McCartney
's "Love in Song" for the 2001 McCartney tribute album Listen to What the Man Said, but the band later broke up again before recording another full album.
Heiskell has since released two solo albums, Soundtrack for an Aneurism in 2006 and Clip-On Nose Ring in 2008.
Heiskell acknowledged that he is gay
in a 1994 interview with The Advocate
, but otherwise rarely spoke about his sexuality with the press, and only wrote about it indirectly in his songs, until his solo albums.
A bootleg
fan compilation of B-sides, rarities and live performances entitled Hold Your Horses has also been in circulation, but is not an official release by the band.
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...
band from Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, active primarily in the late 1980s and early 1990s. First formed in 1988 by vocalist Jeff Heiskell and guitarists Johnny Sughrue and Ed Winters when the three were students at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, the band subsequently added keyboardist Peggy Hambright, bass guitarist Tim Stutz and drummer Ed Casper before signing to Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
in 1990. The band took their name from a song written by a friend of theirs, which contained the line "punch me with a judybat" in a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
ning allusion to Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular puppet show featuring the characters of Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character...
shows.
The band contributed a cover of The 13th Floor Elevators' "She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)" to the 1990 tribute album Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson
Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson
Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson is a 1990 tribute album to singer-songwriter Roky Erickson, founder of the 13th Floor Elevators and solo artist, whose career has been subject to significant periods of challenge from schizophrenia. The album was released by Sire Records...
, followed shortly by their debut album Native Son
Native Son (Judybats album)
Native Son is the first album by the Judybats, released in 1991.- Track listing :#Native Son #Daylight #Convalescing in Spain #Don't Drop the Baby #She Lives...
. The official form of the band's name was never entirely clear — although the band was credited as The Judybats on the cover of Native Son, all of their subsequent albums listed the band's name as just Judybats, or sometimes JudyBats, although several CD singles from the later albums retained the word The.
Casper subsequently left the band, and was temporarily replaced by session drummer Kevin Jarvis on their second album, Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow
Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow
Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow is the second album by the Judybats, released in 1992.- Track listing :All tracks by Judybats# "Our Story" – 4:32# "She's Sad She Said" – 3:17# "How It Is" – 4:33...
. Following that album, Hambright and Stutz both left the band, and were replaced by Paul Noe on bass and Dave Jenkins on drums. The revised lineup released the band's most commercially successful album, Pain Makes You Beautiful
Pain Makes You Beautiful
- Track listing :#All Day Afternoon #Ugly on the Outside #Being Simple #An Intense Beige #Geography #Wasting Time #Incredible Bittersweet #Scarlett #Trip Me Up #La Dulcinea #My Dead Friend...
, in 1993, and had successful singles on college radio and adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
stations with "Being Simple", "All Day Afternoon" and "Incredible Bittersweet".
The lineup remained stable for the band's fourth album, 1994's Full-Empty, but the album fared poorly on the charts and the band broke up soon afterward. Heiskell, Noe and Jenkins pursued a new musical direction under the name Doubters Club, releasing the album Fleur de Lisa independently in 1996 after being dropped from a development deal with Sire Records.
Heiskell subsequently revived the Judybats name, with a new band lineup consisting of guitarists Doug Hairrell and Reed Pendleton, bassist Rob Bell and drummer Mike Hairrell, and released the band's final album '00
'00
'00 is the fifth and final album by the alternative rock band Judybats, released in 2000.Lead singer and songwriter Jeff Heiskell was the only member of the original band to participate in the album's recording, with the remainder of the band's lineup consisting of guitarists Doug Hairrell and Reed...
in 2000; although he did not participate in the album's recording, Sughrue rejoined the band for live performances to support the album. The reunited lineup also recorded a cover of Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
's "Love in Song" for the 2001 McCartney tribute album Listen to What the Man Said, but the band later broke up again before recording another full album.
Heiskell has since released two solo albums, Soundtrack for an Aneurism in 2006 and Clip-On Nose Ring in 2008.
Heiskell acknowledged that he is gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
in a 1994 interview with The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
, but otherwise rarely spoke about his sexuality with the press, and only wrote about it indirectly in his songs, until his solo albums.
Discography
- Native Son (1991)
- Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes GrowDown in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes GrowDown in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow is the second album by the Judybats, released in 1992.- Track listing :All tracks by Judybats# "Our Story" – 4:32# "She's Sad She Said" – 3:17# "How It Is" – 4:33...
(1992) - Pain Makes You BeautifulPain Makes You Beautiful- Track listing :#All Day Afternoon #Ugly on the Outside #Being Simple #An Intense Beige #Geography #Wasting Time #Incredible Bittersweet #Scarlett #Trip Me Up #La Dulcinea #My Dead Friend...
(1993) - Full-Empty (1994)
- '00'00'00 is the fifth and final album by the alternative rock band Judybats, released in 2000.Lead singer and songwriter Jeff Heiskell was the only member of the original band to participate in the album's recording, with the remainder of the band's lineup consisting of guitarists Doug Hairrell and Reed...
(2000)
A bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
fan compilation of B-sides, rarities and live performances entitled Hold Your Horses has also been in circulation, but is not an official release by the band.