Scissorfight
Encyclopedia
Scissorfight is an American
four-piece band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire
, fronted by singer/songwriter Ironlung. The band has a strong libertarian
viewpoint and defines itself as "acid mountain rock".
and post-hardcore
, the band hired vocalist Ironlung (named for his ability to take in illegal substances) to "stand there and look scary".
Relocating to Boston
, the band was not easily accepted by the local music scene due to their extreme behavior. At one show, Ironlung dislocated his shoulder and then spent the entire show trying to punch it back into place. Muzzey left the band soon after, and was replaced by Ironlung's brother Kevin J. Strongbow. They recorded their debut, 1996's Guaranteed Kill
, and found themselves getting quite a lot of press in the underground. The band followed it up with 1998's Balls Deep
, which received good reviews from mainstream publications. Their success in Boston was now quite impressive, and they signed to independent label Tortuga Recordings to release 1999's New Hampshire. The radio play they received locally earned them a spot at the River Rave festival, where they performed with Cypress Hill
and Stone Temple Pilots
. They released an EP of covers entitled Piscataqua soon after, and were featured on MTV's "You Hear It First" segment. In 2001 the band released two albums, the original Mantrapping for Sport and Profit
and an album of re-recorded songs to be released in Britain called American Cloven Hoof Blues. A series of EPs (Potential New Agent for Unconventional Warfare, Deathchants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes, Vol. 2, and Victory over Horseshit) followed, with the full-length Jaggernaut arriving in March 2006. Scissorfight was named "best hard rock band" at the Boston Music Awards in 2003 and 2004.
The band is believed to be on hiatus after Paul Jarvis and Jay Fortin went on to form the band Mess With the Bull. Though they continue to retain a dedicated fanbase, their future is in question. Kevin Strongbow has since worked with Steve Brodsky, formerly of Cave-In, and as of early 2009 vocalist Ironlung has been reportedly pursuing a new solo project appropriately titled Dead Whale.
The band's name comes from the lesbian sexual practice called tribadism
. Muzzey named the band.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
four-piece band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, fronted by singer/songwriter Ironlung. The band has a strong libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
viewpoint and defines itself as "acid mountain rock".
Biography
Scissorfight formed in 1995 in the town of Portsmouth. The original lineup consisted of guitarist Jay Fortin, bassist Paul Jarvis, and drummer Joel Muzzey. Blending extreme genres such as grindcoreGrindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
and post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
, the band hired vocalist Ironlung (named for his ability to take in illegal substances) to "stand there and look scary".
Relocating to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, the band was not easily accepted by the local music scene due to their extreme behavior. At one show, Ironlung dislocated his shoulder and then spent the entire show trying to punch it back into place. Muzzey left the band soon after, and was replaced by Ironlung's brother Kevin J. Strongbow. They recorded their debut, 1996's Guaranteed Kill
Guaranteed Kill
Guaranteed Kill is the first album from the New Hampshire group Scissorfight.- Track listing :# "American Cloven Hoof Blues" - 2:35# "Supervirgin vs...
, and found themselves getting quite a lot of press in the underground. The band followed it up with 1998's Balls Deep
Balls Deep
Balls Deep is the second album from the New Hampshire group Scissorfight released on Wonderdrug Records. The song "Human Head" was released as a single on 7-inch vinyl.- Track listing :# "Druken Hangman" - 2:20# "Human Head" - 2:30...
, which received good reviews from mainstream publications. Their success in Boston was now quite impressive, and they signed to independent label Tortuga Recordings to release 1999's New Hampshire. The radio play they received locally earned them a spot at the River Rave festival, where they performed with Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
and Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
. They released an EP of covers entitled Piscataqua soon after, and were featured on MTV's "You Hear It First" segment. In 2001 the band released two albums, the original Mantrapping for Sport and Profit
Mantrapping for Sport and Profit
Mantrapping for Sport and Profit is the fourth album from the New Hampshire group Scissorfight.-Track listing:# "Acid for Blood" - 3:22# "New Hampshire's All Right If You Like Fighting - 3:00# "Rats U.S.A." - 2:38...
and an album of re-recorded songs to be released in Britain called American Cloven Hoof Blues. A series of EPs (Potential New Agent for Unconventional Warfare, Deathchants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes, Vol. 2, and Victory over Horseshit) followed, with the full-length Jaggernaut arriving in March 2006. Scissorfight was named "best hard rock band" at the Boston Music Awards in 2003 and 2004.
The band is believed to be on hiatus after Paul Jarvis and Jay Fortin went on to form the band Mess With the Bull. Though they continue to retain a dedicated fanbase, their future is in question. Kevin Strongbow has since worked with Steve Brodsky, formerly of Cave-In, and as of early 2009 vocalist Ironlung has been reportedly pursuing a new solo project appropriately titled Dead Whale.
The band's name comes from the lesbian sexual practice called tribadism
Tribadism
Tribadism or tribbing, commonly known by its scissoring position, is a form of non-penetrative sex in which a woman rubs her vulva against her partner's body for sexual stimulation. This may involve female-to-female genital contact or a female rubbing her vulva against her partner's thigh, stomach,...
. Muzzey named the band.
Current
- Ironlung – vocals, songwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
- Jay Fortin – guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, multi-instrumentalistMulti-instrumentalistA multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony... - Paul Jarvis – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Kevin Strongbow – drums
Discography
- Guaranteed KillGuaranteed KillGuaranteed Kill is the first album from the New Hampshire group Scissorfight.- Track listing :# "American Cloven Hoof Blues" - 2:35# "Supervirgin vs...
(Wonderdrug Records, 1996) - Balls DeepBalls DeepBalls Deep is the second album from the New Hampshire group Scissorfight released on Wonderdrug Records. The song "Human Head" was released as a single on 7-inch vinyl.- Track listing :# "Druken Hangman" - 2:20# "Human Head" - 2:30...
(Wonderdrug Records, 1998) - New Hampshire (Tortuga Recordings, 1999)
- Piscataqua EP (Tortuga Recordings, 2000)
- Mantrapping for Sport and ProfitMantrapping for Sport and ProfitMantrapping for Sport and Profit is the fourth album from the New Hampshire group Scissorfight.-Track listing:# "Acid for Blood" - 3:22# "New Hampshire's All Right If You Like Fighting - 3:00# "Rats U.S.A." - 2:38...
(Tortuga Recordings, 2001) - American Cloven Hoof Blues (UK only) (Tortuga Recordings/Eccentric Man Recordings, 2002)
- Potential New Agent For Unconventional Warfare EP (Tortuga Recordings, 2002)
- Deathchants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes Vol. 2 EP (Tortuga Recordings, 2003)
- Instant Live: Middle East - Cambridge, MA 11/13/04 (2004)
- Victory Over Horseshit maxi-single (Tortuga Recordings, 2006)
- Jaggernaut (Tortuga Recordings, 2006)