Magnapop
Encyclopedia
Magnapop is an alternative rock
band based in Atlanta, Georgia
. Formed in 1989, the band has consistently included songwriting duo Linda Hopper
as vocalist and Ruthie Morris
on guitar. Magnapop first achieved recognition in the Benelux
countries of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg through the festival circuit and have remained popular in Europe throughout their career. After modest success in the United States in the mid-1990s with the singles "Slowly, Slowly
" and "Open the Door
" and a series of albums produced by Michael Stipe
, Bob Mould
, and Geza X
, the band went on an extended hiatus due to the dissolution of their record label. They returned with a new rhythm section in 2005 on the Daemon Records
release Mouthfeel
. The band has continued to perform and record since this reunion and have self-released two more albums. Magnapop's musical style is noted for blending the pop vocals and melodies of Hopper with the aggressive, punk-influenced guitar-playing of Morris and her back-up vocal harmonies.
—was a member of the late 1970s/early 1980s music scene in Athens, Georgia
, where she befriended fellow University of Georgia
student Michael Stipe
in an art design class. Stipe went on to form R.E.M.
and Hopper joined him in the experimental music
group Tanzplagen along with Stipe's sister Lynda, and other local musicians. After the group folded, Lynda Stipe and Hopper formed Oh-OK
, whose line-up later included Matthew Sweet
and David McNair. That project ended in 1984 and Hopper briefly belonged to a Washington, D.C. band named Holiday, who released their only EP in 1987.
In 1989, Ruthie Morris had recently moved to Atlanta from West Palm Beach, Florida
—where she played a few shows as the guitarist for The Pockets. She attempted to play with local male musicians, but did not feel comfortable with any of them. Hopper and Morris were introduced by a mutual acquaintance and became fast friends; they wrote their first song together at Hopper's apartment the day they met. The duo had a difficult time finding collaborators to form a complete band (as Hopper described it, "We had to beg people to come and play with us.") The duo eventually recruited bassist Tim Lee and McNair on drums in March 1990. Lee left the band after a brief tenure and was replaced by Shannon Mulvaney, whom Morris met at a record store. The musicians named themselves Homemade Sister after a line from the film Baby Doll
and released their first single—"Rip the Wreck"/"Merry
"—on Safety Net Records in 1990. Displeased with their name, the band was briefly renamed Swell, before they found out a San Francisco band
had the same name and then billed themselves as Swell Dopa.
In 1990—while named Swell—they made their public debut at a show in Athens that Michael Stipe attended. He approached the band afterward and offered to produce
some demos for them in John Keane
's Athens studio in December. Their first high-profile show was at the July 1991 New York New Music Seminar along with three other bands that were introduced by Stipe. At that event, Morris gave out two demo tapes
—one to American rock journalist James Sullivan and the other to Tom Engelshoven and John van Luyn of the Dutch music magazine Muziekkrant OOR
. The band proceeded to pass the tape to a promoter in The Netherlands who gave the band some club dates as well as a spot at the side stage of the 1991 Rotterdam Festival. After the positive response they received, they were promoted to the main stage the next day. In The Netherlands, Magnapop was signed to Play It Again Sam Records
, who released the Sugarland
EP and Magnapop
demo album in 1992. Their self-titled first album included four of the 1990 Stipe demos, and was released on Caroline Records
in the United States. A music video
for the single "Merry
" was shot and aired in Europe.
Magnapop was featured on a variety of various artist compilations. Their first commercial recording other than their independent single was their 1992 cover version
of "Pleasant Valley Sunday
" for Here No Evil – A Tribute to The Monkees
. The band was also featured on other various artist tribute albums, including "Ear" (a different recording from the one on Magnapop) for Delicacy & Nourishment – Lyrics by Ernest Noyes Brookings Vol. 3 in 1992 and 1993's recording of "Every Grain of Sand
" for Outlaws Blues Volume Two – A Tribute to Bob Dylan
with violin
ist Mamie Fike. The band also recorded the Kiss My Mouth
EP with Ted Niceley and released it in Europe. Around this time, the band was so fraught from booking recording sessions, that they briefly considered breaking up.
Magnapop established their fan base in the early 1990s through touring and the festival circuit
—particularly in central Europe, where they first broke through to the mainstream. It was only after they had established a fan base in Europe and received positive press in the United Kingdom that the band first became recognized in the United States, including their native Atlanta. By the end of 1992, they were getting positive write-ups in American press such as The New York Times
and supported Juliana Hatfield
on tour. The group made appearances at Rocking Kolonia Festival in Maastricht
in 1992, Pukkelpop
in 1992, Transmusicales
in 1992, A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise
in 1993, and the Reading Festival
in 1993. They also recorded a John Peel
session on September 2, 1993 and a Black Session
on February 25, 1994.
of Hüsker Dü
had seen the band at a show in New York City
's CBGB
as well as in Rotterdam—he called the latter show their "turning point"—and invited the band to tour with his new group Sugar in Europe and the United States in 1992–1993. The band asked Sugar bassist and fellow Athens musician David Barbe
produce their major label debut album. When he refused, Mould offered to record with the band, taking them to Pedernales Recording Studio, in Austin
, Texas
in August 1993. The sessions would result in the album Hot Boxing
, which was released by Play It Again Sam in Europe and Priority Records
domestically on July 5, 1994. Releasing an album by Magnapop was a radical departure for Priority who had previously focused on rap music.
The album produced two singles: "Slowly, Slowly
", which spent seven weeks on the charts, peaking on September 10, 1994, at 25 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks
, and "Lay It Down
", which topped the 1993 De Afrekening
poll. The band toured the United States supporting The Lemonheads
in 1993 and played at the 1994 Phoenix Festival
and Marktrock
to promote the album and created music videos for "Lay It Down", "Slowly, Slowly", and "Texas". The promotional EP Big Bright Cherry
was released in 1994 and included three tracks from the Hot Boxing recording sessions as well as three self-produced songs.
In 1995, the McNair and the band parted ways, with neither party giving a definitive rationale. Hopper explained "We had a hard time recording Hot Boxing, because our drummer had a lot of things in the way... Nobody wants to hurt anyone, or to cut them out, but it was just like four adults getting a divorce, and their child is the band." She has alternately explained that the split was due to the "alternative lifestyles" of McNair and the rest of the group and that McNair's musicianship was not as competent as the other members. The remaining trio recruited session
drummer Josh Freese
and engineers
Sandy Solomon and Bernie Zwass to record a cover of Tom Waits
' "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" at Plus Four Recordings Studios, in Sherman Oaks, California
in June 1995 for the compilation album Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits
. Freese joined the group in November–December of that year in Los Angeles
, California
to record Rubbing Doesn't Help
. Mould was unavailable, so the band relocated to Los Angeles and worked with producer Geza X
at his home studio in attempt to make a more "eclectic" album that would represent the diversity of their songwriting. After hearing some demos, the band decided to hire him to produce the actual album and moved to Los Angeles for recording. The album produced the singles "Open the Door
" and "This Family
" (the former also had a music video), as well as the EP Fire All Your Guns at Once
. The band immediately set out to tour in promotion.
Los Angeles musician Mark Posgay auditioned for the band in 1995 and became the group's permanent drummer. In July of that year, Magnapop supported R.E.M.
on their Monster World Tour and continued playing in the United States and Europe, including an appearance at X-Fest
in 1996. They also played their first dates in Australia and Japan in 1996 and hosted 120 Minutes
on July 7 of the same year. In late 1996, Mulvaney left the group, citing problems of distance—Hopper and Morris had relocated permanently to Los Angeles—as well as a desire to focus on his family. He continued playing bass guitar and stand-up bass with Atlanta groups The Hots, The Lugosis, and Anna Kramer & The Lost Cause. Boston native and former Queers
bassist Greg Urbaitis replaced him after replying to an ad in The Recycler
and the band continued to play live shows through 1997, including supporting Throwing Muses
on their farewell tour. Posgay quit that summer and he was replaced by former Lifter drummer Johnny Rozas and this line-up recorded six demos at a recording studio in Orange County. This version of the band was short-lived as Magnapop was informed while on tour that their record label's rock division ceased to exist and they did not have any funding for future touring or recording. Compounding matters further, the band members were still under contract to their old record label and were legally disbarred from using the name "Magnapop" until their contract expired seven years later.
as backing, but ended up putting Magnapop on an indefinite hiatus. During this time, Morris also moved to Seattle, where she recorded a 2002 single with drummer Curtis Hall as The New Candidates
. Hopper, Morris, and a group of Seattle musicians also demoed some Hopper/Morris songs during this period. Hall would also drum with Hopper, Morris, and Mulvaney for a few Magnapop shows in 2002–2003. The band officially re-formed in 2003 with bassist Scott Rowe and drummer Brian Fletcher to tour the European festival circuit and record an album. In The Netherlands, Hopper also performed vocals on R.E.M.
's cover of "Favorite Writer" at two of the group's concerts on June 21 and 22.
The following May, the band to entered Zero Return Studios in Atlanta with drummer Curt Wells as producer for their first album in almost a decade. On January 25, 2005, Magnapop released Mouthfeel
on Amy Ray
's record label Daemon Records
and supported it with a tour through the United States. By 2005, Fletcher had left the group, and drummer Chad Williams had been recruited to replace him on two weeks prior to the first show on the Mouthfeel tour that included an appearance at South by Southwest
. One of these performances was recorded for the band's first live album
—Magnapop Live at Maxwell's 03/09/2005
—which they released independently through online music distributors including eMusic
, the iTunes Store
, and Rhapsody
. In May 2006, the band completed a tour of Belgium and The Netherlands and returned to Atlanta to begin work on the followup to Mouthfeel. They continued touring Europe in 2007 and completed writing and recording for a new album sometime prior to 2008, with the album initially slated to be released in summer 2009. These sessions recorded with Brian Paulson
were released as Chase Park
on September 4, 2009, through digital distributors by the band's own, newly created label, The Kraft Records.
The band has continued to intermittently tour since the release of Chase Park and on September 13, 2011, Creative Loafing
announced that Mulvaney had attempted to re-form the original line-up of Magnapop to perform a benefit concert for local independent music store Criminal Records. The benefit was later scheduled for October 15, and the band announced that they would be performing their self-titled debut album in its entirety, along with some songs from Hot Boxing. Mulvaney was motivated to support Criminal due to the store carrying their early releases in the Atlanta area.
Between touring with Magnapop, bassist Scott Rowe also performed in Luigi from 2003 through 2008 with former Magnapop drummer Brian Fletcher as well as Bad Magic Number with current drummer Williams. The former has released two albums—2003's Vamonos and Found on the Forest Floor in 2005.
by multiple rock critics, and their performances have drawn comparisons with punk, New Wave
, and surf rock. Reviewers have commented on the band's pop
-influenced songwriting, specifically their employment of guitar hooks
and simple chord structure
. To that end, they have been compared to Mould's previous work as a member of Sugar and Hüsker Dü
, as well as fellow Georgia-based rock acts such as Guadalcanal Diary
and Let's Active
and alternative rock
pioneers Pixies and The Replacements. The album Rubbing Doesn't Help represented a stylistic shift for the band away from their more pop-inspired material toward more guitar-oriented rock, but their comeback with Mouthfeel returned to the more pop-inspired sound of Hot Boxing.
Morris is known for her particularly aggressive guitar-playing and its interaction with Linda Hopper's pop-influenced vocals. In addition, the vocal harmony between the two singers has defined the band's sound, especially on later releases such as Rubbing Doesn't Help that feature more of Morris' vocals. Critics have compared Morris's guitar-playing to punk acts like Johnny Ramone
of Ramones
as well as alternative rock musicians such as Johnny Marr
.
" has been covered by Eels
as the B-side to "Flyswatter
"—it would later be collected on Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996–2006. Eels performed the song several times on their Electro-Shock Blues Show
tour in support of the album Electro-Shock Blues
. Karaoke
versions of the song were released by Stingray Digital
through the iTunes Store
on January 15, 2008. "Favorite Writer" was covered by R.E.M. as a B-side to "Bad Day
" in 2003 and was played live during the 2003 tour to promote In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003.
In 1993, Juliana Hatfield
wrote "Ruthless" in honor of the band's guitarist after the two had a conversation about Camille Paglia
while touring in 1992 ("We're all gushin', but I swear we really mean it, man/We're all sucking up to Ruthie.") It appeared as a B-side on the Juliana Hatfield Three singles "Spin the Bottle" and "My Sister".
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 based in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Formed in 1989, the band has consistently included songwriting duo Linda Hopper
Linda Hopper
Linda Elizabeth Hopper is the vocalist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop vocal style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door"...
as vocalist and Ruthie Morris
Ruthie Morris
Ruth Mary "Ruthie" Morris is the guitarist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop guitar style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door".-History:Morris is originally from West Palm...
on guitar. Magnapop first achieved recognition in the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
countries of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg through the festival circuit and have remained popular in Europe throughout their career. After modest success in the United States in the mid-1990s with the singles "Slowly, Slowly
Slowly, Slowly
"Slowly, Slowly" is a 1994 single by Magnapop from the album Hot Boxing, released by Play It Again Sam Records on Compact Disc and 12" gramophone record , as well as a limited-edition white vinyl version A promo Compact Disc edition was released by Priority Records as DPRO 50804...
" and "Open the Door
Open the Door (Magnapop song)
"Open the Door" is a 1996 single by Magnapop released by Play It Again Sam Records as a Compact Disc maxi-single , two-track Compact Disc and 7" on red vinyl . A promotional Compact Disc and 10" were released by Priority Records...
" and a series of albums produced by Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
, Bob Mould
Bob Mould
Robert Arthur "Bob" Mould is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.-Early life:...
, and Geza X
Geza X
Geza Gedeon, professionally known as Geza X was a personality in the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s. Geza produced records for a number of early California punk bands including the Dead Kennedys, The Germs, Black Flag, The Avengers and The Weirdos...
, the band went on an extended hiatus due to the dissolution of their record label. They returned with a new rhythm section in 2005 on the Daemon Records
Daemon Records
Daemon Records is an Atlanta, Georgia based, not-for-profit independent record label started by musician Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. The label is run mostly by the musicians who record on it....
release Mouthfeel
Mouthfeel (album)
Mouthfeel is the fourth studio album by Magnapop, released in 2005 and their first album since re-forming in 2004. This is their first release through Amy Ray's Daemon Records , with European distribution by DevilDuck Records....
. The band has continued to perform and record since this reunion and have self-released two more albums. Magnapop's musical style is noted for blending the pop vocals and melodies of Hopper with the aggressive, punk-influenced guitar-playing of Morris and her back-up vocal harmonies.
Formation and self-titled debut (1989–1993)
Linda Hopper—a native of Marietta, GeorgiaMarietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
—was a member of the late 1970s/early 1980s music scene in Athens, Georgia
Music of Athens, Georgia
The music of Athens, Georgia, includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and New Wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M. and The B-52s, and several long-time indie rock groups...
, where she befriended fellow University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
student Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
in an art design class. Stipe went on to form R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
and Hopper joined him in the experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
group Tanzplagen along with Stipe's sister Lynda, and other local musicians. After the group folded, Lynda Stipe and Hopper formed Oh-OK
Oh-OK
Oh-OK was an American musical group from Athens, Georgia formed in 1981 with singer/lyricist Linda Hopper, bassist/vocalist/lyricist Lynda Stipe, and drummer David Pierce. Other members later included drummer David McNair and guitarist Matthew Sweet. The trio began practicing together at parties in...
, whose line-up later included Matthew Sweet
Matthew Sweet
Sidney Matthew Sweet is an American alternative rock/power pop musician. He was part of the burgeoning Athens, Georgia music scene in the early and mid-1980s before gaining commercial success during the early 1990s...
and David McNair. That project ended in 1984 and Hopper briefly belonged to a Washington, D.C. band named Holiday, who released their only EP in 1987.
In 1989, Ruthie Morris had recently moved to Atlanta from West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
—where she played a few shows as the guitarist for The Pockets. She attempted to play with local male musicians, but did not feel comfortable with any of them. Hopper and Morris were introduced by a mutual acquaintance and became fast friends; they wrote their first song together at Hopper's apartment the day they met. The duo had a difficult time finding collaborators to form a complete band (as Hopper described it, "We had to beg people to come and play with us.") The duo eventually recruited bassist Tim Lee and McNair on drums in March 1990. Lee left the band after a brief tenure and was replaced by Shannon Mulvaney, whom Morris met at a record store. The musicians named themselves Homemade Sister after a line from the film Baby Doll
Baby Doll
Baby Doll is a 1956 black comedy /drama film directed by Elia Kazan. It was produced by Kazan and Tennessee Williams, and adapted by Williams from his own one-act play 27 Wagons Full of Cotton...
and released their first single—"Rip the Wreck"/"Merry
Merry (song)
"Merry" is a song by American power pop band Magnapop. It was initially released in 1990 as the B-side to a 7" through Safety Net Records under the band's original name of Homemade Sister...
"—on Safety Net Records in 1990. Displeased with their name, the band was briefly renamed Swell, before they found out a San Francisco band
Swell (band)
Swell is an indie rock band formed in San Francisco in 1989 when David Freel and Sean Kirkpatrick decided to record an album.-History:...
had the same name and then billed themselves as Swell Dopa.
In 1990—while named Swell—they made their public debut at a show in Athens that Michael Stipe attended. He approached the band afterward and offered to produce
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
some demos for them in John Keane
John Keane (record producer)
John Keane is an American record producer based in Athens, Georgia, who has worked extensively with R.E.M., Indigo Girls and Widespread Panic. He owns and operates John Keane Studios in Athens, which opened in 1981....
's Athens studio in December. Their first high-profile show was at the July 1991 New York New Music Seminar along with three other bands that were introduced by Stipe. At that event, Morris gave out two demo tapes
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
—one to American rock journalist James Sullivan and the other to Tom Engelshoven and John van Luyn of the Dutch music magazine Muziekkrant OOR
Muziekkrant OOR
Muziekkrant OOR is the oldest currently published music magazine in the Netherlands. The name "OOR" is the Dutch word for ear.-History:The magazine was first published on 1 April 1971, being founded by Barend Toet . Of the first issue 20,000 copies were printed and paid for by Berry Visser, one of...
. The band proceeded to pass the tape to a promoter in The Netherlands who gave the band some club dates as well as a spot at the side stage of the 1991 Rotterdam Festival. After the positive response they received, they were promoted to the main stage the next day. In The Netherlands, Magnapop was signed to Play It Again Sam Records
PIAS Recordings
[PIAS] Recordings is the recorded music division of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent artist and label services company.The record labels that operate under the [PIAS] Recordings umbrella are: Play It Again Sam, Wall of Sound and Different Recordings.Aside from the three London...
, who released the Sugarland
Sugarland (EP)
Sugarland is a 1992 EP by Magnapop released in Europe by Play It Again Sam Records on Compact Disc and 12" gramophone record The former two of these tracks are also featured on their debut album Magnapop and the latter two were added on to the 1997 re-release of the album.-Track listing:All songs...
EP and Magnapop
Magnapop (album)
Magnapop is the debut album by Magnapop, released in 1992 and re-released with bonus tracks on July 29, 1997.-Recording and release:Four of the tracks—"Favorite Writer", "Chemical", "Complicated", and "Merry"—were recorded in John Keane Studio, Athens, Georgia in December 1990 with Linda Hopper's...
demo album in 1992. Their self-titled first album included four of the 1990 Stipe demos, and was released on Caroline Records
Caroline Records
Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s. The label originally specialized in putting out budget price LPs by mainly progressive rock and jazz artists generally not considered to have a great deal of 'mainstream' or...
in the United States. A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the single "Merry
Merry (song)
"Merry" is a song by American power pop band Magnapop. It was initially released in 1990 as the B-side to a 7" through Safety Net Records under the band's original name of Homemade Sister...
" was shot and aired in Europe.
Magnapop was featured on a variety of various artist compilations. Their first commercial recording other than their independent single was their 1992 cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Pleasant Valley Sunday
Pleasant Valley Sunday
"Pleasant Valley Sunday" is a song by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, most famous for the version recorded by The Monkees in 1967. Goffin's and King's inspiration for the name was a street named , in West Orange, New Jersey where they were living at the time. The road follows a valley through several...
" for Here No Evil – A Tribute to The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
. The band was also featured on other various artist tribute albums, including "Ear" (a different recording from the one on Magnapop) for Delicacy & Nourishment – Lyrics by Ernest Noyes Brookings Vol. 3 in 1992 and 1993's recording of "Every Grain of Sand
Every Grain of Sand
Every Grain of Sand is a song written by Bob Dylan and originally released on his 1981 album Shot of Love. It was subsequently included on the compilation Biograph. An alternate take of this song was released in The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 1961-1991...
" for Outlaws Blues Volume Two – A Tribute to Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
with violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist Mamie Fike. The band also recorded the Kiss My Mouth
Kiss My Mouth
Kiss My Mouth is a 1993 EP by Magnapop released in Europe by Play It Again Sam Records on Compact Disc and 12" gramophone record Two of these tracks would later be re-recorded for their 1994 studio album Hot Boxing.-Track listing:All songs written by Linda Hopper and Ruthie Morris#"Texas" –...
EP with Ted Niceley and released it in Europe. Around this time, the band was so fraught from booking recording sessions, that they briefly considered breaking up.
Magnapop established their fan base in the early 1990s through touring and the festival circuit
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
—particularly in central Europe, where they first broke through to the mainstream. It was only after they had established a fan base in Europe and received positive press in the United Kingdom that the band first became recognized in the United States, including their native Atlanta. By the end of 1992, they were getting positive write-ups in American press such as The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and supported Juliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield , is an American guitarist/singer-songwriter and author from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies and Some Girls. She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
on tour. The group made appearances at Rocking Kolonia Festival in Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
in 1992, Pukkelpop
Pukkelpop
Pukkelpop is an annual music festival which takes place near the city of Hasselt, Belgium in mid-to-late August. It is held within a large enclosure of fields and woodland—between a dual carriageway called Kempische Steenweg—in the village of Kiewit, approximately 7 km north of Hasselt...
in 1992, Transmusicales
Transmusicales
Les Rencontres Trans Musicales is a three-day music festival held annually in December in Rennes, Brittany, France.Since its first years, the festival has been renowned for revealing the "next big thing."...
in 1992, A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise
A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise
A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise, also known as simply Lowlands, is a music festival, held annually in the Netherlands in August. Lowlands has about 55,000 visitors, over 200 acts and more than ten stages every year which are named according to the NATO phonetic alphabet apart from the Grolsch...
in 1993, and the Reading Festival
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
in 1993. They also recorded a John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session on September 2, 1993 and a Black Session
Black Sessions
Black Sessions are performances of live music broadcast on the French radio station France Inter. They are recorded in front of a live audience, and feature on the C'est Lenoir show...
on February 25, 1994.
Mainstream success (1994–1997)
Bob MouldBob Mould
Robert Arthur "Bob" Mould is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.-Early life:...
of Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....
had seen the band at a show in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
as well as in Rotterdam—he called the latter show their "turning point"—and invited the band to tour with his new group Sugar in Europe and the United States in 1992–1993. The band asked Sugar bassist and fellow Athens musician David Barbe
David Barbe
David Barbe is an American musician and producer/engineer from Athens, Georgia and director of the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia. He is chief of Chase Park Transduction studio in Athens...
produce their major label debut album. When he refused, Mould offered to record with the band, taking them to Pedernales Recording Studio, in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in August 1993. The sessions would result in the album Hot Boxing
Hot Boxing
Hot Boxing is the second studio album by Magnapop, released in 1994. "Lay It Down" and "Slowly, Slowly" were released as singles. Music videos were created for "Lay It Down", "Slowly, Slowly", and "Texas"...
, which was released by Play It Again Sam in Europe and Priority Records
Priority Records
Priority Records is an American record label, owned and operated by EMI, which has made a name for itself dealing primarily in hip hop, pop and world...
domestically on July 5, 1994. Releasing an album by Magnapop was a radical departure for Priority who had previously focused on rap music.
The album produced two singles: "Slowly, Slowly
Slowly, Slowly
"Slowly, Slowly" is a 1994 single by Magnapop from the album Hot Boxing, released by Play It Again Sam Records on Compact Disc and 12" gramophone record , as well as a limited-edition white vinyl version A promo Compact Disc edition was released by Priority Records as DPRO 50804...
", which spent seven weeks on the charts, peaking on September 10, 1994, at 25 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
, and "Lay It Down
Lay It Down (Magnapop song)
"Lay It Down" is a 1994 single by Magnapop from the album Hot Boxing, released by Play It Again Sam Records on Compact Disc and 12" gramophone record A promo Compact Disc edition was released by Priority Records as DPRO 50820...
", which topped the 1993 De Afrekening
De Afrekening
De Afrekening is a Belgian radio and record chart broadcasting program featured on Studio Brussel . During the program, thirty top-rating alternative tracks are played, with the chart being assembled by the program's audience via a voting poll system.Two or three times each year, StuBru will...
poll. The band toured the United States supporting The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
in 1993 and played at the 1994 Phoenix Festival
Phoenix Festival
The Phoenix Festival was set up by Vince Power of the Mean Fiddler Music Group in 1993 as an alternative to the established Glastonbury and Reading Festivals...
and Marktrock
Marktrock
Marktrock is a popular crowd-puller music festival held each year around the August 15, in the heart of the university town of Leuven, Belgium.There is also a smaller Marktrock festival in Poperinge which is held the last Saturday of August....
to promote the album and created music videos for "Lay It Down", "Slowly, Slowly", and "Texas". The promotional EP Big Bright Cherry
Big Bright Cherry
Big Bright Cherry is a 1994 EP by Magnapop released promotionally in the United States by Play It Again Sam Records on Compact Disc and 10" gramophone record red vinyl Several of these songs also appear on the studio album Hot Boxing.-Track listing:All songs written by Linda Hopper and Ruthie...
was released in 1994 and included three tracks from the Hot Boxing recording sessions as well as three self-produced songs.
In 1995, the McNair and the band parted ways, with neither party giving a definitive rationale. Hopper explained "We had a hard time recording Hot Boxing, because our drummer had a lot of things in the way... Nobody wants to hurt anyone, or to cut them out, but it was just like four adults getting a divorce, and their child is the band." She has alternately explained that the split was due to the "alternative lifestyles" of McNair and the rest of the group and that McNair's musicianship was not as competent as the other members. The remaining trio recruited session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
drummer Josh Freese
Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
and engineers
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Sandy Solomon and Bernie Zwass to record a cover of Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
' "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" at Plus Four Recordings Studios, in Sherman Oaks, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in June 1995 for the compilation album Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits
Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits
Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits is the title of a tribute album to Tom Waits, released in 1995 by Manifesto Records. The songs are performed by various artists.-Track listing:All songs written by Tom Waits.#"Old Shoes" – [06:29] Drugstore...
. Freese joined the group in November–December of that year in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to record Rubbing Doesn't Help
Rubbing Doesn't Help
-Recording:The sessions for Rubbing Doesn't Help were produced by Geza X at City Lab Studios in Hollywood, California in late 1995. Drummer David McNair left the group prior to recording, so they hired session musician Josh Freese to fill in on drums...
. Mould was unavailable, so the band relocated to Los Angeles and worked with producer Geza X
Geza X
Geza Gedeon, professionally known as Geza X was a personality in the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s. Geza produced records for a number of early California punk bands including the Dead Kennedys, The Germs, Black Flag, The Avengers and The Weirdos...
at his home studio in attempt to make a more "eclectic" album that would represent the diversity of their songwriting. After hearing some demos, the band decided to hire him to produce the actual album and moved to Los Angeles for recording. The album produced the singles "Open the Door
Open the Door (Magnapop song)
"Open the Door" is a 1996 single by Magnapop released by Play It Again Sam Records as a Compact Disc maxi-single , two-track Compact Disc and 7" on red vinyl . A promotional Compact Disc and 10" were released by Priority Records...
" and "This Family
This Family
"This Family" is a 1996 single by Magnapop by Play It Again Sam Records on Compact Disc -Track listing:All songs written by Linda Hopper and Ruthie Morris#"This Family" – 3:28...
" (the former also had a music video), as well as the EP Fire All Your Guns at Once
Fire All Your Guns at Once
Fire All Your Guns at Once is a 1996 EP by Magnapop released in the United Kingdom by Play It Again Sam Records on Compact Disc and 7" gramophone record In the United States, it was issued by SideOneDummy Records on purple vinyl on April 1, 1998, and as a promotional Compact Disc by Priority...
. The band immediately set out to tour in promotion.
Los Angeles musician Mark Posgay auditioned for the band in 1995 and became the group's permanent drummer. In July of that year, Magnapop supported R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
on their Monster World Tour and continued playing in the United States and Europe, including an appearance at X-Fest
X-Fest
X-Fest is an annual music festival held each year in various venues throughout the U.S. by Clear Channel Communications radio stations. It features alternative rock, hard rock, heavy metal, grunge, and industrial rock bands....
in 1996. They also played their first dates in Australia and Japan in 1996 and hosted 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
on July 7 of the same year. In late 1996, Mulvaney left the group, citing problems of distance—Hopper and Morris had relocated permanently to Los Angeles—as well as a desire to focus on his family. He continued playing bass guitar and stand-up bass with Atlanta groups The Hots, The Lugosis, and Anna Kramer & The Lost Cause. Boston native and former Queers
The Queers
The Queers are a punk band formed in 1981 by Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joe King . The band originally broke up in 1984, but reformed with Joe Queer and a new line-up in 1986. In 1990, the band signed with Shakin' Street Records and released their first album Grow Up...
bassist Greg Urbaitis replaced him after replying to an ad in The Recycler
The Recycler
The Recycler is a Los Angeles based, classifieds only newspaper, started by Gunter and Nancy Schaldach in 1973. The Recycler was based in Silverlake and was subsequently sold to the Times Mirror Company in 1998....
and the band continued to play live shows through 1997, including supporting Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses is an alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was originally fronted by two lead singers, Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, who both wrote the...
on their farewell tour. Posgay quit that summer and he was replaced by former Lifter drummer Johnny Rozas and this line-up recorded six demos at a recording studio in Orange County. This version of the band was short-lived as Magnapop was informed while on tour that their record label's rock division ceased to exist and they did not have any funding for future touring or recording. Compounding matters further, the band members were still under contract to their old record label and were legally disbarred from using the name "Magnapop" until their contract expired seven years later.
Hiatus, reformation, and independent releases (since 1998)
Hopper and Morris continued to play a few acoustic live shows as a duo into 1999, occasionally with accompaniment (such as Philadelphia bassist Billy Warburton and drummer Lance Crow) and attempted to record an EP for record label Vital Cog with a drum machineDrum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
as backing, but ended up putting Magnapop on an indefinite hiatus. During this time, Morris also moved to Seattle, where she recorded a 2002 single with drummer Curtis Hall as The New Candidates
New Candidates (band)
The New Candidates was an American indie rock band, formed in Seattle and active from 2002 to 2003. The band consisted of Ruthie Morris of Magnapop and Curtis Hall, who would later play in Grand Archives....
. Hopper, Morris, and a group of Seattle musicians also demoed some Hopper/Morris songs during this period. Hall would also drum with Hopper, Morris, and Mulvaney for a few Magnapop shows in 2002–2003. The band officially re-formed in 2003 with bassist Scott Rowe and drummer Brian Fletcher to tour the European festival circuit and record an album. In The Netherlands, Hopper also performed vocals on R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
's cover of "Favorite Writer" at two of the group's concerts on June 21 and 22.
The following May, the band to entered Zero Return Studios in Atlanta with drummer Curt Wells as producer for their first album in almost a decade. On January 25, 2005, Magnapop released Mouthfeel
Mouthfeel (album)
Mouthfeel is the fourth studio album by Magnapop, released in 2005 and their first album since re-forming in 2004. This is their first release through Amy Ray's Daemon Records , with European distribution by DevilDuck Records....
on Amy Ray
Amy Ray
Amy Elizabeth Ray is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls. She also pursues a solo career and has released four albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daemon Records....
's record label Daemon Records
Daemon Records
Daemon Records is an Atlanta, Georgia based, not-for-profit independent record label started by musician Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. The label is run mostly by the musicians who record on it....
and supported it with a tour through the United States. By 2005, Fletcher had left the group, and drummer Chad Williams had been recruited to replace him on two weeks prior to the first show on the Mouthfeel tour that included an appearance at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
. One of these performances was recorded for the band's first live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
—Magnapop Live at Maxwell's 03/09/2005
Magnapop Live at Maxwell's 03/09/2005
Magnapop Live at Maxwell's 03/09/2005 is a 2005 live album by Magnapop, released through online music providers including eMusic, the iTunes Store, and Rhapsody.-Track listing:All songs written by Linda Hopper and Ruthie Morris, except where noted...
—which they released independently through online music distributors including eMusic
EMusic
eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. It is headquartered in New York City with an office in London and owned by Dimensional Associates. As of September 2008 eMusic has over 400,000 subscribers....
, the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
, and Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
. In May 2006, the band completed a tour of Belgium and The Netherlands and returned to Atlanta to begin work on the followup to Mouthfeel. They continued touring Europe in 2007 and completed writing and recording for a new album sometime prior to 2008, with the album initially slated to be released in summer 2009. These sessions recorded with Brian Paulson
Brian Paulson
Brian Paulson is a musician, record producer and audio engineer from Minnesota, best known for recording albums by Slint, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt and Wilco....
were released as Chase Park
Chase Park
Chase Park is the fifth studio album from Magnapop, released on September 4, 2009. The recording is the first from the band released independently on the vanity label The Kraft Records...
on September 4, 2009, through digital distributors by the band's own, newly created label, The Kraft Records.
The band has continued to intermittently tour since the release of Chase Park and on September 13, 2011, Creative Loafing
Creative Loafing
CL Inc. is the Tampa, Florida-based publisher of three city newsweeklies and their associated websites. Each of the papers focuses on local news, politics, arts and entertainment, and restaurants...
announced that Mulvaney had attempted to re-form the original line-up of Magnapop to perform a benefit concert for local independent music store Criminal Records. The benefit was later scheduled for October 15, and the band announced that they would be performing their self-titled debut album in its entirety, along with some songs from Hot Boxing. Mulvaney was motivated to support Criminal due to the store carrying their early releases in the Atlanta area.
Between touring with Magnapop, bassist Scott Rowe also performed in Luigi from 2003 through 2008 with former Magnapop drummer Brian Fletcher as well as Bad Magic Number with current drummer Williams. The former has released two albums—2003's Vamonos and Found on the Forest Floor in 2005.
Musical style
Magnapop have been defined genre-wise as power popPower pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
by multiple rock critics, and their performances have drawn comparisons with punk, 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 surf rock. Reviewers have commented on the band's 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...
-influenced songwriting, specifically their employment of guitar hooks
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
and simple chord structure
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
. To that end, they have been compared to Mould's previous work as a member of Sugar and Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....
, as well as fellow Georgia-based rock acts such as Guadalcanal Diary
Guadalcanal Diary (band)
Guadalcanal Diary is an alternative jangle pop group. They originated in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, but they were often billed as being "from Athens, Georgia" in the early 1980s. The band formed in 1981 and disbanded in 1989. They reformed in 1997, but never recorded any new material...
and Let's Active
Let's Active
Let's Active was an American rock musical group formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1981.-History:The principal songwriter and sole continuous member of Let's Active was Mitch Easter, who kept the band active through most of the 1980s. The band's musical style is sometimes referred to as...
and alternative rock
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...
pioneers Pixies and The Replacements. The album Rubbing Doesn't Help represented a stylistic shift for the band away from their more pop-inspired material toward more guitar-oriented rock, but their comeback with Mouthfeel returned to the more pop-inspired sound of Hot Boxing.
Morris is known for her particularly aggressive guitar-playing and its interaction with Linda Hopper's pop-influenced vocals. In addition, the vocal harmony between the two singers has defined the band's sound, especially on later releases such as Rubbing Doesn't Help that feature more of Morris' vocals. Critics have compared Morris's guitar-playing to punk acts like Johnny Ramone
Johnny Ramone
John William Cummings , better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being the guitarist for the punk rock band the Ramones. He was a founding member of the band, and remained a member throughout the band's entire career...
of 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...
as well as alternative rock musicians such as Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
.
Covers and tributes
"Open the DoorOpen the Door (Magnapop song)
"Open the Door" is a 1996 single by Magnapop released by Play It Again Sam Records as a Compact Disc maxi-single , two-track Compact Disc and 7" on red vinyl . A promotional Compact Disc and 10" were released by Priority Records...
" has been covered by Eels
Eels (band)
Eels is an American indie rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E...
as the B-side to "Flyswatter
Flyswatter (song)
"Flyswatter" is a single by the American rock band, Eels. It is the second single from their 2000 album, Daisies of the Galaxy, and reached number 55 on the UK Singles Chart...
"—it would later be collected on Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996–2006. Eels performed the song several times on their Electro-Shock Blues Show
Electro-Shock Blues Show
Electro-Shock Blues Show is a live album by Eels released on tour in 2002.-Recording:The fifteen tracks on this album were recorded at six different venues. According to the album's liner notes, the first ten tracks were recorded "somewhere in England" during December 1998 while the Eels were a...
tour in support of the album Electro-Shock Blues
Electro-Shock Blues
Electro-Shock Blues is the second studio album by the band Eels, released on September 21, 1998 in the United Kingdom and October 20, 1998 in the United States.-Background and inspiration:...
. Karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
versions of the song were released by Stingray Digital
Stingray Digital
Stingray Digital is a privately held Canadian media and entertainment company based in Montreal, Quebec. Stingray Digital specializes in digital media including interactive music broadcasting and distribution....
through the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on January 15, 2008. "Favorite Writer" was covered by R.E.M. as a B-side to "Bad Day
Bad Day (R.E.M. song)
"Bad Day" is one of two previously unreleased songs on and the lead single from R.E.M.'s 2003 compilation In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003....
" in 2003 and was played live during the 2003 tour to promote In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003.
In 1993, Juliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield , is an American guitarist/singer-songwriter and author from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies and Some Girls. She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
wrote "Ruthless" in honor of the band's guitarist after the two had a conversation about Camille Paglia
Camille Paglia
Camille Anna Paglia , is an American author, teacher, and social critic. Paglia, a self-described dissident feminist, has been a Professor at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 1984...
while touring in 1992 ("We're all gushin', but I swear we really mean it, man/We're all sucking up to Ruthie.") It appeared as a B-side on the Juliana Hatfield Three singles "Spin the Bottle" and "My Sister".
Discography
- MagnapopMagnapop (album)Magnapop is the debut album by Magnapop, released in 1992 and re-released with bonus tracks on July 29, 1997.-Recording and release:Four of the tracks—"Favorite Writer", "Chemical", "Complicated", and "Merry"—were recorded in John Keane Studio, Athens, Georgia in December 1990 with Linda Hopper's...
(1992) - Hot BoxingHot BoxingHot Boxing is the second studio album by Magnapop, released in 1994. "Lay It Down" and "Slowly, Slowly" were released as singles. Music videos were created for "Lay It Down", "Slowly, Slowly", and "Texas"...
(1994) - Rubbing Doesn't HelpRubbing Doesn't Help-Recording:The sessions for Rubbing Doesn't Help were produced by Geza X at City Lab Studios in Hollywood, California in late 1995. Drummer David McNair left the group prior to recording, so they hired session musician Josh Freese to fill in on drums...
(1996) - MouthfeelMouthfeel (album)Mouthfeel is the fourth studio album by Magnapop, released in 2005 and their first album since re-forming in 2004. This is their first release through Amy Ray's Daemon Records , with European distribution by DevilDuck Records....
(2005) - Chase ParkChase ParkChase Park is the fifth studio album from Magnapop, released on September 4, 2009. The recording is the first from the band released independently on the vanity label The Kraft Records...
(2009)
Members
- Linda HopperLinda HopperLinda Elizabeth Hopper is the vocalist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop vocal style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door"...
– leadLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
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... - Ruthie MorrisRuthie MorrisRuth Mary "Ruthie" Morris is the guitarist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop guitar style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door".-History:Morris is originally from West Palm...
– backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, 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... - Scott Rowe – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Chad Williams – 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 ....
Homemade Sister
(1989)- Linda Hopper
Linda HopperLinda Elizabeth Hopper is the vocalist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop vocal style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door"...
– 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...- Ruthie Morris
Ruthie MorrisRuth Mary "Ruthie" Morris is the guitarist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop guitar style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door".-History:Morris is originally from West Palm...
– 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...Homemade Sister
(1989–1990)- Linda Hopper – vocals
- Tim Lee – bass guitar
Bass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....- David McNair – drums
Drum 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 ....- Ruthie Morris – guitar
Homemade Sister/Swell/
Swell Dopa/Magnapop
(1990–1995)- Linda Hopper – vocals
- David McNair – drums
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
- Shannon Mulvaney – bass guitar
Magnapop
(1995)- Linda Hopper – vocals
- Shannon Mulvaney – bass guitar
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
with- Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
– sessionSession musicianSession musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
drums
Magnapop
(1996–1997)- Linda Hopper – vocals
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
- Shannon Mulvaney – bass guitar
- Mark Posgay – drums
Magnapop
(1997)- Linda Hopper – vocals
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
- Mark Posgay – drums
- Greg Urbaitis – bass guitar
Magnapop
(1997)- Linda Hopper – vocals
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
- Johnny Rozas – drums
- Greg Urbaitis – bass guitar
Hiatus
(1997–2002)Linda and Ruthie make occasional performances together, and plan but cancel a tour and EP in 1999 Magnapop
(2002)- Linda Hopper – vocals
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
- Shannon Mulvaney – bass guitar
with- Curtis Hall – drums
Magnapop
(2002–2004)- Brian Fletcher – drums
- Linda Hopper – vocals
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
- Shannon Mulvaney – bass guitar
Magnapop
(2004)- Brian Fletcher – drums
- Linda Hopper – vocals
- Scott Rowe – bass guitar
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
Magnapop
(2004–present)- Linda Hopper – vocals
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
- Scott Rowe – bass guitar
- Chad Williams – drums
Magnapop reunion
(2011)- Linda Hopper – vocals
- David McNair – drums
- Ruthie Morris – guitar
- Shannon Mulvaney – bass guitar
- Linda Hopper
See also
- Magnapop discographyMagnapop discographyThe discography of Magnapop—an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia—consists of five studio albums, one live album, four extended plays, and six singles....
- List of Magnapop band members
- List of Magnapop songs
- Oh-OKOh-OKOh-OK was an American musical group from Athens, Georgia formed in 1981 with singer/lyricist Linda Hopper, bassist/vocalist/lyricist Lynda Stipe, and drummer David Pierce. Other members later included drummer David McNair and guitarist Matthew Sweet. The trio began practicing together at parties in...
- Music of Athens, GeorgiaMusic of Athens, GeorgiaThe music of Athens, Georgia, includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and New Wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M. and The B-52s, and several long-time indie rock groups...
- Daemon RecordsDaemon RecordsDaemon Records is an Atlanta, Georgia based, not-for-profit independent record label started by musician Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. The label is run mostly by the musicians who record on it....
External links
- Page at Daemon Records' site
- Lyrics from LyricWikiLyricWikiLyricWiki is a lyrical database-oriented website. As of August 2011, it is the fourth largest MediaWiki installation with over 1,600,000 pages. Users on the site can view, edit, and discuss the lyrics of songs, which are also available for purchase from links on the site. The site is powered by...