The Embarrassment
Encyclopedia
The Embarrassment was an American
quartet formed in 1979 in Wichita
, Kansas
, that made several recordings before breaking up in 1983. The band consisted of guitarist Bill Goffrier, lead singer and organist John Nichols, bassist Ron Klaus and drummer Brent Giessmann.
, the band itself liked to describe themselves as "Blister Pop." The Village Voice's long-time chief music critic, Robert Christgau
, called them a "great lost American band." Along with bands like Get Smart!
and the Mortal Micronotz
, the Embarrassment were prominent in the Lawrence
punk scene of the early '80s and they would regularly play at venues like the Lawrence Opera House (now called "Libery Hall") and the Off The Wall Hall (later called "Cogburn's", now called "The Bottleneck").
The Embarrassment stopped performing when two of the members moved to Boston. Giessmann drummed for The Del Fuegos
, and Goffrier formed the band Big Dipper with former members of the Volcano Suns
. Several of The Embarrassment's unreleased songs were recorded by Big Dipper
, including "Faith Healer," which was later covered by Japanese all-girl group Shonen Knife
.
The "Embos," as fans call them, have played several reunion concerts in the years since, the latest being in August 2008, when they played an acoustic show in Wichita.
Kansas-born political writer Thomas Frank
quoted lyrics from their song "Sex Drive" in his bestselling 2004 book What's the Matter with Kansas?
.
They played at Cogburns the following New Year's Eve at Cogburn's, with all four original members participating. Also on the bill was another Kansas band, the Micronotz
. In 1988/1989 they converged again for three reunion shows: one on New Year's at Big Dog Studio in Wichita and the next two at The Bottleneck in Lawrence (formerly "Cogburn's") on January 5 and 6. The Moving Van Goghs opened the show on January 5, and the Sin City Disciples opened the show on January 6.
.
The Embarrassment performed an acoustic concert August 30, 2008 at John Barleycorn's in Wichita. The performance was opened by Brent Giessmann solo on electric piano for a few songs, then the local group The Sluggos. The original trio of Goffrier, Nichols, and Giessmann then took the stage with Eric Cale (cover artist for the 1983 Death Travels West album) on upright bass and Freedy Johnston
on additional guitar and backing vocals. Some new, or previously unperformed work was presented, including the song "Carpshoot", written by Ron Klaus, who was not able to attend. Freedy Johnston followed to end the night with his solo work.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
quartet formed in 1979 in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, that made several recordings before breaking up in 1983. The band consisted of guitarist Bill Goffrier, lead singer and organist John Nichols, bassist Ron Klaus and drummer Brent Giessmann.
History
Although some people considered the band punk rockPunk 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...
, the band itself liked to describe themselves as "Blister Pop." The Village Voice's long-time chief music critic, Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
, called them a "great lost American band." Along with bands like Get Smart!
Get Smart! (band)
Get Smart! was a three piece band formed in Lawrence, Kansas in 1980 consisting of Marc Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose.-Career:The band formed while at University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS in 1980 and, along with bands like the Embarrassment and the Mortal Micronotz, they were prominent...
and the Mortal Micronotz
The Micronotz
The Micronotz, also known as the Mortal Micronotz, were an American punk rock/alternative rock quartet formed in 1980 in Lawrence, Kansas, that, along with bands like The Embarrassment and Get Smart!, were prominent on the local music scene in Lawrence in the early 80s.-History:The band formed in...
, the Embarrassment were prominent in the Lawrence
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
punk scene of the early '80s and they would regularly play at venues like the Lawrence Opera House (now called "Libery Hall") and the Off The Wall Hall (later called "Cogburn's", now called "The Bottleneck").
The Embarrassment stopped performing when two of the members moved to Boston. Giessmann drummed for The Del Fuegos
The Del Fuegos
-History:Formed in 1980, the Boston-based band gained success in 1984 due to success of their songs "Don't Run Wild" and "I Still Want You" and appearing in a widely-seen television commercial for a beer company...
, and Goffrier formed the band Big Dipper with former members of the Volcano Suns
Volcano Suns
Volcano Suns was an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts formed by Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott in 1984.-History:...
. Several of The Embarrassment's unreleased songs were recorded by Big Dipper
Big Dipper (band)
Big Dipper was an indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, formed in 1985 by former members of Volcano Suns and The Embarrassment. They released 4 albums between 1987 and 1990, before splitting up...
, including "Faith Healer," which was later covered by Japanese all-girl group Shonen Knife
Shonen Knife
Shonen Knife, written in Japanese characters as 少年ナイフ, which transliterates as Shōnen Naifu, literally "Boy Knife," is an all-female Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981...
.
The "Embos," as fans call them, have played several reunion concerts in the years since, the latest being in August 2008, when they played an acoustic show in Wichita.
Kansas-born political writer Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank is an American author, journalist and columnist for Harper's Magazine. He is a former columnist for the Wall Street Journal, authoring "The Tilting Yard" from 2008 to 2010....
quoted lyrics from their song "Sex Drive" in his bestselling 2004 book What's the Matter with Kansas?
What's the Matter with Kansas?
What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America is a book by American journalist and historian Thomas Frank, which explores the rise of populist anti-elitist Conservatism in the United States, centering on the experience of Kansas, Frank's native state...
.
1980s
The Embarrassment played a reunion show on New Year's Eve in 1985 at Cogburn's (now "The Bottleneck") in Lawrence. Original drummer, Brent Geissmann, was unable to participate as he was on tour with the Del Fuegos.They played at Cogburns the following New Year's Eve at Cogburn's, with all four original members participating. Also on the bill was another Kansas band, the Micronotz
The Micronotz
The Micronotz, also known as the Mortal Micronotz, were an American punk rock/alternative rock quartet formed in 1980 in Lawrence, Kansas, that, along with bands like The Embarrassment and Get Smart!, were prominent on the local music scene in Lawrence in the early 80s.-History:The band formed in...
. In 1988/1989 they converged again for three reunion shows: one on New Year's at Big Dog Studio in Wichita and the next two at The Bottleneck in Lawrence (formerly "Cogburn's") on January 5 and 6. The Moving Van Goghs opened the show on January 5, and the Sin City Disciples opened the show on January 6.
2000s
The Embarrassment played a few reunion shows 2006, first at The Roadhouse, in Wichita, with Local Band on 18 August and The Sluggos on 19 August. On August 20, the band performed at Liberty Hall (formerly the "Lawrence Opera House"), with special guests Kill Creek and The Mortal MicronotzThe Micronotz
The Micronotz, also known as the Mortal Micronotz, were an American punk rock/alternative rock quartet formed in 1980 in Lawrence, Kansas, that, along with bands like The Embarrassment and Get Smart!, were prominent on the local music scene in Lawrence in the early 80s.-History:The band formed in...
.
The Embarrassment performed an acoustic concert August 30, 2008 at John Barleycorn's in Wichita. The performance was opened by Brent Giessmann solo on electric piano for a few songs, then the local group The Sluggos. The original trio of Goffrier, Nichols, and Giessmann then took the stage with Eric Cale (cover artist for the 1983 Death Travels West album) on upright bass and Freedy Johnston
Freedy Johnston
Freedy Johnston is a New York City-based singer-songwriter originally from Kinsley, Kansas.Having scored several minor hits since the early 1990s, Johnston's songs are often about troubled loners, and cover topics like heartbreak, alienation and disappointment...
on additional guitar and backing vocals. Some new, or previously unperformed work was presented, including the song "Carpshoot", written by Ron Klaus, who was not able to attend. Freedy Johnston followed to end the night with his solo work.
Singles & EPs
- 1980 - "Sex Drive"/"Patio Set" (Big Time - 7")
- 1981 - The Embarrassment EP (Cynykyl Records - 12" 45 rpm)
- 1989 - "Beautiful Day" (Bar/NoneBar/None RecordsBar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey.-Early history:Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his native Ireland, Prendergast moved to Hoboken in 1982 and started Pier Platters...
promo CD single)
Albums
- 1983 - Death Travels West (Fresh Sounds - mini LP)
- 1984 - The Embarrassment Retrospective (Fresh Sounds - cassette)
- 1987 - The Embarrassment LP (Time To Develop)
- 1990 - God Help Us LP and CD (Bar/None)
- 1995 - Heyday 1979-83 Double CD (Bar/None)
- 2001 - Blister Pop CD (My Pal GodMy Pal God RecordsMy Pal God Records is a record label, independently owned and operated by WPRB DJ Jon Solomon. Originally run out of the house of Solomon's parents, the label has also been located in Evanston, and, later, Chicago, Illinois...
)
Compilation albums
- 1981 - Fresh Sounds From Middle America (vol 1)Fresh Sounds From Middle America (vol 1)Fresh Sounds From Middle America was the first in a series of compilations featuring bands from the Midwest region of America. Volume 1 was a split compilation cassette-only release featuring 22 tracks from 4 bands and is sometimes referred to as "the Buffalo tape" because of the Buffalo imprint...
(Fresh Sounds - cassette) - 1981 - Battle of the Garages Volume 1 (Bomp! RecordsBomp! RecordsBomp! Records is an Los Angeles-based indie label formed in 1974 by fanzine publisher and music historian Greg Shaw.-History:The label has featured punk, pop, powerpop, garage rock, new wave, old school rock, neo-psychedelia among other genres, and its roster has included artists such as The Modern...
) - 1981 - Sub Pop 5 (Sub PopSub PopSub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
- cassette) - 1982 - Sub Pop 7 (Sub Pop - cassette)
- 1988 - Human Music (HomesteadHomestead RecordsHomestead Records was a Long Island, NY based sublabel of music distributor Dutch East India Trading. It was founded in 1984 by Sam Berger, who was the American Independent buyer for Dutch East India Trading. Berger was finding that many bands who had perhaps released their own first 45 were...
) - 1989 - Time for a Change (Bar/None)
Reception
- "In the early 1980s, Wichita, Kansas's Embarrassment secretly set a template for American indie-rock: edgy, rocking tunes full of clever wordplay and subtle wit, as played by four guys in thick glasses. They fell somewhere between the Feelies' perpetual nervousness and the Replacements' inebriated garage-rock; it's hard to think of many other peers from their era." (Mike Appelstein, AmazonAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
) - "From exotic Wichita, with a gift for hookily hypnotic guitar lines that need a haircut... Now that I've finally gotten the message, a year and a half after this great lost American band dispersed into the wilds of Wichita, I still can't repeat it back to you." (Robert ChristgauRobert ChristgauRobert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
, critic for the Village Voice) - "Before they broke up in 1983, this quartet from Wichita, Kansas rocked furiously, with less brittle/more melodious guitar than the Scottish new wave pop bands Orange Juice and Josef K to whom the Embos were sometimes compared." (Jim Green/Ira Robbins/Jack Partain, Trouser PressTrouser PressTrouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow Who fan Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" ...
) - "The group's eclectic yet distinctive sound wrapped a post-punk approach and a deadpan sense of humor around pop, country, disco, and metal elements, crafting songs that rivaled the work of better-known contemporaries like Gang of Four, Mission of Burma, and the Feelies." (Heather Phares, Allmusic)
- "They played tight, blistering pop songs when overproduced stadium-rock anthems and repetitive disco tracks were the norm... The Embarrassment continues to foster a national reputation as 'The best band you never heard of.' " (Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-WorldLawrence Journal-WorldThe Lawrence Journal-World is a daily newspaper published in Lawrence, Kansas by The World Company.-History:Though the Journal-World title only came into existence in 1911, according to the volume number of the current masthead of the paper, the paper dates itself back to 1858.The Simons family...
)