Lunachicks
Encyclopedia
Lunachicks were an all-women
punk rock
band from New York City. The band formed in 1987 and has been on hiatus since 2000. Their music was described as "a frenzied mix of punk, metal, pop and rock". The band claimed influences including The Ramones
, Kiss
, and the MC5
.
, Gina Volpe, and Sydney "Squid" Silver were students at New York City's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
when they decided to form a band. Sindi Benezra, an acquaintance of Silver's, was asked to join shortly after. They rehearsed and wrote material in Gina's bedroom for about a year. Their first ever composition, the lengthy "Theme Song", was about killing Kogan's and Silver's English teacher. The band played their first show in 1988 with Theo's then-boyfriend Mike on the drums. Kim Gordon
and Thurston Moore
of Sonic Youth
were amongst the audience for one of their early performances. Gordon and Moore were impressed with the band and sent a demo tape to Paul Smith
in England, which landed them a deal on Smith's label Blast First
. With drummer Becky Wreck (Susan Rebecca Lloyd) on board they released a self-titled 4-song EP in 1989 and the full-length Babysitters on Acid
(both produced by Wharton Tiers
). The record was only available in Europe until it was re-released on Go-Kart Records in 2001. The band later expressed their strong dislike for the albums production and the fact that they did not earn any money from Blast First. The band went on to tour with The Dictators
in 1991.
1992 saw the release of their second full-length, Binge & Purge. Around this time drummer Becky Wreck gained slight popularity for a TV appearance on Howard Stern
's Lesbian Dating Game. She left the band some time later and was briefly replaced by Luscious Jackson
drummer, Kate Schellenbach
before Chip English joined. During their first visit to Japan a 6-song EP entitled Sushi A La Mode, featuring a cover of Boston
's "More Than a Feeling
", was recorded and released in Japan in the fall of 1993.
The Lunachicks were signed to New York-based label Go Kart Records
, on which they released 1995's Jerk of All Trades
. The follow-up Pretty Ugly, produced by Ryan Greene and Fat Mike of NOFX
, features their most well-known song "Don't Want You", which was accompanied by a humorous video. Guitarist Sindi left the band some time later. The band stayed a four piece since then and released their first live album Drop Dead Live in 1998. In 1999 the band released their final album to date Luxury Problem. Lunachicks joined the Warped Tour
in 1999, one of only three female acts along with The Donnas
and Bif Naked
, and again in 2000. Chip English left the band in the fall of 1999 and was replaced by then 18-year old Helen Destroy, who stayed with the band until went inactive in the summer of 2000. The band never officially disbanded, but haven't been active since then with the exception of two reunion shows.
, as well as Rockstar (produced in 1996, not released commercially until 2004) and High Times' Potluck
(2002), two movies that featured lead singer Theo in lead roles. The band also appeared in Terror Firmer
, for which soundtrack they also contributed the song "Say What You Mean". Theo and Squid starred in the movie Hairburners.
The band has also been involved with movies or music videos other ways, such as being on the soundtrack. In 1997 Theo danced in The Offspring
s video "I Choose
". The movie Boys Don't Cry
has their music video for "Don't Want You" playing in the background of a scene. The Olsen Twins movie Getting There
has their song "Say What You Mean" on the soundtrack. Also, C.J. Ramone of the Ramones
has been seen wearing a Lunachicks shirt several times, most notably in the music video for Poison Heart
.
In the movie Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies
Dino the naked drummer said that he had a psychic link with the Lunachicks and showed a picture of himself holding up a Lunachicks album while masturbating.
-guitarist Sean Pierce, with whom she formed the band Theo & the Skyscrapers
, which have released two albums to date (2006's self-titled album and 2007's So Many Ways to Die
). She occasionally works as a fashion model and actress, and had appeared in Bringing Out the Dead
as a prostitute, Zoolander
as the tattooed woman in Hansel's loft and Tadpole as a woman at the bar. Gina is now the singer and guitar player for the rock band Bantam. Helen Destroy plays drums in the all-female Led Zeppelin
tribute band, Lez Zeppelin
. Squid used to work as a tattoo artist, but now she is the proprietor of the Roebling Tea Room, a popular eatery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Becky Wreck was the drummer for the Blare Bitch Project back in 2000. Chip plays drums for Suicide King.
All-women band
An all-female band is a musical group composed of female musicians exclusively. A distinction is made here with a girl group, in which the members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universally followed.-1920s-1940s:In the Jazz Age and during the 1930s, "all-girl" bands such as...
punk rock
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...
band from New York City. The band formed in 1987 and has been on hiatus since 2000. Their music was described as "a frenzied mix of punk, metal, pop and rock". The band claimed influences including The Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, and the MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
.
Biography
Theo KoganTheo Kogan
Theo Kogan is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress. She is most well known for being the vocalist of the all girl punk band, Lunachicks. Currently, she sings in the dance/electronic band, Theo & the Skyscrapers. She also has her own cosmetic line, Armour Beauty...
, Gina Volpe, and Sydney "Squid" Silver were students at New York City's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
when they decided to form a band. Sindi Benezra, an acquaintance of Silver's, was asked to join shortly after. They rehearsed and wrote material in Gina's bedroom for about a year. Their first ever composition, the lengthy "Theme Song", was about killing Kogan's and Silver's English teacher. The band played their first show in 1988 with Theo's then-boyfriend Mike on the drums. Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
and Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
of Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
were amongst the audience for one of their early performances. Gordon and Moore were impressed with the band and sent a demo tape to Paul Smith
Paul Smith (music industry)
Paul Smith is probably best known as the founder and manager of Blast First, the British alternative record label that released artists such as Sonic Youth, the Butthole Surfers, Big Black and Dinosaur Jr. in the UK. He continued to manage the artists and work in the music industry when Blast First...
in England, which landed them a deal on Smith's label Blast First
Blast First
Blast First is a sub label of one-time independent record label, Mute Records, founded in approximately 1985. It was named after a phrase taken from the first number of the radical Vorticist journal Blast, published by Wyndham Lewis in 1914...
. With drummer Becky Wreck (Susan Rebecca Lloyd) on board they released a self-titled 4-song EP in 1989 and the full-length Babysitters on Acid
Babysitters on Acid
Babysitters on Acid is the first album by the Lunachicks. It was released in 1990 by Blast First Records and re-released March 20, 2001 by Go-Kart Records.-Track list:All songs by Theo Kogan, except where noted.#"Jan Brady" - 3:09#"Glad I'm Not Yew" - 2:28...
(both produced by Wharton Tiers
Wharton Tiers
Wharton Tiers is an American audio engineer, record producer, drummer and percussionist.- Biography :Diplomed from Villanova University , he moved to New York City in 1976 and was part of the No Wave scene.As an audio engineer and record producer, he has worked on projects such as Sonic Youth,...
). The record was only available in Europe until it was re-released on Go-Kart Records in 2001. The band later expressed their strong dislike for the albums production and the fact that they did not earn any money from Blast First. The band went on to tour with The Dictators
The Dictators
The Dictators are an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth." The Dictators are represented in the "Punk Wing" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio...
in 1991.
1992 saw the release of their second full-length, Binge & Purge. Around this time drummer Becky Wreck gained slight popularity for a TV appearance on Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
's Lesbian Dating Game. She left the band some time later and was briefly replaced by Luscious Jackson
Luscious Jackson
Luscious Jackson are an alternative rock group formed in 1991. The band's name was inspired by now-retired American basketball player Lucious Jackson....
drummer, Kate Schellenbach
Kate Schellenbach
Kate Schellenbach was the drummer for The Beastie Boys from 1979 to 1984, and drummed for Luscious Jackson until the band broke up in spring of 2000....
before Chip English joined. During their first visit to Japan a 6-song EP entitled Sushi A La Mode, featuring a cover of Boston
Boston (band)
Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
's "More Than a Feeling
More Than a Feeling
"More Than a Feeling" is a song by the rock band Boston, released as the lead single from their self-titled debut album on Epic Records in September 1976, with "Smokin'" on the flipside. The single peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100...
", was recorded and released in Japan in the fall of 1993.
The Lunachicks were signed to New York-based label Go Kart Records
Go Kart Records
Go-Kart Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock located in New York City. It also has a European division in Mannheim, Germany....
, on which they released 1995's Jerk of All Trades
Jerk of All Trades
Jerk of All Trades is an album by New York punk rock band, Lunachicks. It was released in 1995 by Go-Kart Records and was produced by Ray Martin.-Track listing:# "Drop Dead" # "Fingerful" # "F.D.S."...
. The follow-up Pretty Ugly, produced by Ryan Greene and Fat Mike of NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
, features their most well-known song "Don't Want You", which was accompanied by a humorous video. Guitarist Sindi left the band some time later. The band stayed a four piece since then and released their first live album Drop Dead Live in 1998. In 1999 the band released their final album to date Luxury Problem. Lunachicks joined the Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
in 1999, one of only three female acts along with The Donnas
The Donnas
The Donnas are an American all-female rock band from Palo Alto, California. They draw inspiration from The Ramones, The Runaways, AC/DC, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and Kiss. Rolling Stone has stated that "the Donnas offer a guileless take on adolescent alienation; they traffic in kicks, not...
and Bif Naked
Bif Naked
Bif Naked is a Juno Award-winning, Indian-born American-Canadian multi-platinum record selling, rock singer, writer, poet, motivational speaker and actress.-Personal life:...
, and again in 2000. Chip English left the band in the fall of 1999 and was replaced by then 18-year old Helen Destroy, who stayed with the band until went inactive in the summer of 2000. The band never officially disbanded, but haven't been active since then with the exception of two reunion shows.
Movie appearances
Besides being in active in music, the band also had a fair share of movie appearances. The first one was in a low-budget splatter movie entitled Blue Vengeance (shot in 1989, but not released until 1992). The band also can be seen in the 1990s Riot-Grrrl Documentary, Not Bad For A GirlNot Bad for a Girl
Not Bad for a Girl is a rockumentary on women musicians of the 90's from the indie rock music genre grunge and Riot Grrrl and celebrates madness, creativity, and gender play. Tina Silvey was the executive producer. Silvey Co...
, as well as Rockstar (produced in 1996, not released commercially until 2004) and High Times' Potluck
High Times' Potluck
High Times' Potluck is a 2002 comedy film by High Times that revolves around a mobster in Manhattan who discovers the magic of marijuana.This aptly named comedy follows a suitcase of high-grade marijuana from the farm where it was grown, to its eventual distribution in New York...
(2002), two movies that featured lead singer Theo in lead roles. The band also appeared in Terror Firmer
Terror Firmer
Terror Firmer is a 1999 American comedy horror film, directed by Lloyd Kaufman, written by Patrick Cassidy and Douglas Buck, and starring Will Keenan and Alyce LaTourelle. The film was produced by the Troma Entertainment company, known for distributing campy exploitation films...
, for which soundtrack they also contributed the song "Say What You Mean". Theo and Squid starred in the movie Hairburners.
The band has also been involved with movies or music videos other ways, such as being on the soundtrack. In 1997 Theo danced in The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
s video "I Choose
I Choose
"I Choose" is a punk rock song by The Offspring. It is the eighth track on their fourth studio album Ixnay on the Hombre and was released as the fifth and final single from the album....
". The movie Boys Don't Cry
Boys Don't Cry (film)
Boys Don't Cry is a 1999 American independent romantic drama film directed by Kimberly Peirce and co-written by Andy Bienen. The film is a dramatization of the real-life story of Brandon Teena, a transgender man played by Hilary Swank, who pursues a relationship with a young woman, played by Chloë...
has their music video for "Don't Want You" playing in the background of a scene. The Olsen Twins movie Getting There
Getting There
Getting There is a 2002 direct-to-video movie starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.-Plot:The story revolves around twin sisters who, after turning 16, go on a road trip without their parents. Their destination is the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah...
has their song "Say What You Mean" on the soundtrack. Also, C.J. Ramone of the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
has been seen wearing a Lunachicks shirt several times, most notably in the music video for Poison Heart
Poison Heart
"Poison Heart" is the 1992 single by the Ramones written by ex-bassist Dee Dee Ramone. It has a different pace to normal Ramones works. It was given to the band in exchange for bailing Dee Dee out of jail. The song was also included in the film Pet Sematary 2...
.
In the movie Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies
Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies
Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies is a 1994 documentary directed by Todd Phillips about the life of GG Allin, a punk rock musician who died from a heroin overdose in 1993...
Dino the naked drummer said that he had a psychic link with the Lunachicks and showed a picture of himself holding up a Lunachicks album while masturbating.
Reunion
The Lunachicks reunited for a 20-minute set at CBGB's on April 6, 2002 with Sindi on guitar and Chip on drums. Another Reunion took place at the March for Women's Lives Benefit in Washington, D.C. on April 24, 2004 as a 4-piece with Chip on drums.Life after the Lunachicks
Singer Theo married Toilet BöysToilet Boys
Toilet Böys are an American rock and roll band from New York City, USA. The band's original line-up is made up of Miss Guy, Sean Pierce, Electric Eddie, Rocket, and Adam Vomit. Toilet Böys have toured world-wide supporting musical acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nashville Pussy, Orgy, The...
-guitarist Sean Pierce, with whom she formed the band Theo & the Skyscrapers
Theo & the Skyscrapers
Theo & the Skyscrapers are an experimental electronic band from New York City consisting of Theo Kogan , Sean Pierce , Chris Kling and Dimitry Makhnosky....
, which have released two albums to date (2006's self-titled album and 2007's So Many Ways to Die
So Many Ways to Die
So Many Ways to Die is the second album by Theo & the Skyscrapers. It was released July 7, 2007 on the band's label, Dark Daddy Records. The album is a mix of electronic and dark dance.-Track list:#"Good Mourning"#"Tease"#"Jealousy Died"#"Ghost"...
). She occasionally works as a fashion model and actress, and had appeared in Bringing Out the Dead
Bringing Out the Dead
Bringing Out the Dead is a 1999 drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, and based on the novel by Joe Connelly with the screenplay by Paul Schrader...
as a prostitute, Zoolander
Zoolander
Zoolander is a 2001 American satirical comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the VH1 Fashion Awards television specials in 1996 and 1997. The short films and the...
as the tattooed woman in Hansel's loft and Tadpole as a woman at the bar. Gina is now the singer and guitar player for the rock band Bantam. Helen Destroy plays drums in the all-female Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
tribute band, Lez Zeppelin
Lez Zeppelin
Lez Zeppelin is an all-female tribute act, performing the work of Led Zeppelin.-History:In June, 2005, Chuck Klosterman wrote an article for SPIN Magazine that featured Lez Zeppelin as a leading protagonist in a trend of all-female hard rock “tribute” bands...
. Squid used to work as a tattoo artist, but now she is the proprietor of the Roebling Tea Room, a popular eatery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Becky Wreck was the drummer for the Blare Bitch Project back in 2000. Chip plays drums for Suicide King.
Albums
- Babysitters on AcidBabysitters on AcidBabysitters on Acid is the first album by the Lunachicks. It was released in 1990 by Blast First Records and re-released March 20, 2001 by Go-Kart Records.-Track list:All songs by Theo Kogan, except where noted.#"Jan Brady" - 3:09#"Glad I'm Not Yew" - 2:28...
(1990) (Blast FirstBlast FirstBlast First is a sub label of one-time independent record label, Mute Records, founded in approximately 1985. It was named after a phrase taken from the first number of the radical Vorticist journal Blast, published by Wyndham Lewis in 1914...
) - Binge & Purge (1992) (Safe House)
- Jerk of All TradesJerk of All TradesJerk of All Trades is an album by New York punk rock band, Lunachicks. It was released in 1995 by Go-Kart Records and was produced by Ray Martin.-Track listing:# "Drop Dead" # "Fingerful" # "F.D.S."...
(1995) (Go Kart RecordsGo Kart RecordsGo-Kart Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock located in New York City. It also has a European division in Mannheim, Germany....
) - Pretty UglyPretty UglyPretty Ugly is the fourth studio album by the punk rock band Lunachicks. It was released by Go-Kart Records in 1997.-Tracks:# Yeah # Throwin It Away # The Day Squid's Gerbil Died # Dear Dotti # Mr. Lady # Spork # What's Left # Gone Kissin...
(1997) (Go Kart RecordsGo Kart RecordsGo-Kart Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock located in New York City. It also has a European division in Mannheim, Germany....
) - Drop Dead Live (1998) (Go Kart RecordsGo Kart RecordsGo-Kart Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock located in New York City. It also has a European division in Mannheim, Germany....
) - Luxury Problem (1999) (Go Kart RecordsGo Kart RecordsGo-Kart Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock located in New York City. It also has a European division in Mannheim, Germany....
)
Singles & EPs
- Lunachicks Double 7" (1989)
- "Cookie Monster" / "Complication" 7" (1990)
- "C.I.L.L." / "Plugg" 7" (1992)
- Apathetic EP (1992)
- "F.D.S." / "Light as a Feather" 7" (1993)
- Sushi A La Mode EP (1993, Japan Only)
- "Edgar" CD Single (1995, Promo)
- "Don't Want You" CD Single (1997, Promo)
Trivia
- The band performed several cover tunes on stage like BlondieBlondie (band)Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
's "Heart of GlassHeart of Glass (song)"Heart of Glass" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie, written by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in January 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.Rolling...
" (available on the Japanese issue of Luxury Problem), The CarsThe CarsThe Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
' "Just What I NeededJust What I Needed-Cover versions:*Big Daddy - Big Daddy*Caleigh Peters – Sky High soundtrack*Sister Hazel – Lift*Poison – Poison'd*Bang Tango – Untied and live!*The Insyderz – Fight Of My Life and Paradise CD Single*Replicants – Replicants...
" and Bad CompanyBad CompanyBad Company were an English rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of two former Free band members — singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke — as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who, in years prior, was a key component of...
's "Feel Like Makin' LoveFeel Like Makin' Love (Bad Company song)"Feel Like Makin' Love" is a song by British supergroup Bad Company. The song originally appeared on the LP Straight Shooter in April 1975 and was released as a single in August of the same year...
". Bad Company was mentioned in the liner notes of Binge & Purge, which said, "No thanks to Bad Company". - Lunachicks was the named of the club where Hailey Nihols was working in the episode of the O.C. The L.A.