Longshoremen (band)
Encyclopedia
The Longshoremen were an American
independent/alternative band from San Francisco, California
, in the 1980s. Trouser Press
describes them as a "cryptic poetry damage vocal trio." Their recordings are characterized by being mostly vocal "beat poetry chantings" that are uninhibited and whimsical. The three principal members were Judy Gittelsohn and Carol Detweiler (formerly of the San Francisco bands Inflatable Boy Clams and Pink Section) and "Dog" (real name David Swan). They were often supported by members of Club Foot Orchestra
and other seminal Bay Area punk or "alternative" bands of the mid-1980s.
record label, Grr Huh Yeah (1985) and Walk the Plank (1986).
According to a Trouser Press articlehttp://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=voice_farm: Voice Farm
's Reilly and Brown co-produced and played on the second album by the Longshoremen, a cryptic San Francisco poetry-damage vocal trio. Where the amateurish and poorly recorded Grr Huh Yeah has too much distracting music for easy appeal, the Voice Farmers keep instrumental accompaniment tastefully understated on Walk the Plank, providing the group with a clear, solid platform for its theatrically chanted spoken-word weirdness.
Ex-members are involved in Literary Kickshttp://www.litkicks.com/ ("where literature lives online").
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
independent/alternative band from San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, in the 1980s. Trouser Press
Trouser Press
Trouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow Who fan Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" ...
describes them as a "cryptic poetry damage vocal trio." Their recordings are characterized by being mostly vocal "beat poetry chantings" that are uninhibited and whimsical. The three principal members were Judy Gittelsohn and Carol Detweiler (formerly of the San Francisco bands Inflatable Boy Clams and Pink Section) and "Dog" (real name David Swan). They were often supported by members of Club Foot Orchestra
Club Foot Orchestra
The Club Foot Orchestra is a music ensemble founded in 1983 by Richard Marriott. After a brief career playing dramatic, complex music in San Francisco clubs, they became known for their equally dramatic and complex scores for classic silent movies. The ensemble got their name from a performance art...
and other seminal Bay Area punk or "alternative" bands of the mid-1980s.
1980s
The band released two albums on the SubterraneanSubterranean Records
Subterranean Records is an independent record label based in San Francisco, California. Founded by Steve Tupper and a then partner, Michael Fox in 1979, it focused on that city's underground punk and industrial music scene....
record label, Grr Huh Yeah (1985) and Walk the Plank (1986).
According to a Trouser Press articlehttp://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=voice_farm: Voice Farm
Voice Farm
Voice Farm is a music and video collective based in San Francisco known for their outrageous live shows and videos. Vocalist Charly Brown and sound designer Myke Reilly form the core of the group. Voice Farm's musical style has evolved from their influential early 80's synth-pop sound into what...
's Reilly and Brown co-produced and played on the second album by the Longshoremen, a cryptic San Francisco poetry-damage vocal trio. Where the amateurish and poorly recorded Grr Huh Yeah has too much distracting music for easy appeal, the Voice Farmers keep instrumental accompaniment tastefully understated on Walk the Plank, providing the group with a clear, solid platform for its theatrically chanted spoken-word weirdness.
Where are they now?
The band's two records are still listed in the Subterranean cataloghttp://www.subterranean.org/main/subcat.html.Ex-members are involved in Literary Kickshttp://www.litkicks.com/ ("where literature lives online").