The Green Pajamas
Encyclopedia
The Green Pajamas a musical group from Seattle, Washington
. They formed in the spring of 1984 when Jeff Kelly and Joe Ross recorded and released their first album, Summer Of Lust. They are probably best known for the regional hit single "Kim the Waitress".
The band released 22 albums between 1984 and 2007. The band has never been picked up by a major label
.
. Inspired by 1983's Los Angeles
"paisley underground
" music scene the duo decided to start a similar scene in their home town of Seattle. By spring of 1984 they had recorded and released a homemade cassette
called Summer of Lust; it was described by one U.K. journalist as "British-style psychedelia similar to Dukes of the Stratosphere
but more off-center and less pastiche".
The 7" record "Kim the Waitress" attracted regional college radio airplay in the mid-80s, and the band went on to record "Sister Anne", and the albums Book Of Hours (1986, Green Monkey) and Ghosts of Love, before breaking up during the sessions for Ghosts of Love (released 1990 to some critical attention on the L.A. label Bomp!
). During the next few years, Jeff Kelly released solo recordings on cassette. The band re-united in 1994 in the wake of "Kim The Waitress" covers released that year by Material Issue
and the Seattle band Sister Psychic. A third single, "Song for Christina", was released. (The Green Pajamas' early singles, including "Kim The Waitress", can be heard on the 1997 anthology Indian Winter.)
With the 1999 release of Seven Fathoms Down and Falling on Nick Saloman's
Woronzow records, they played the 1999 Terrastock 3 festival in London
.
site. – interview – concert review
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. They formed in the spring of 1984 when Jeff Kelly and Joe Ross recorded and released their first album, Summer Of Lust. They are probably best known for the regional hit single "Kim the Waitress".
The band released 22 albums between 1984 and 2007. The band has never been picked up by a major label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
History
Joe Ross and Jeff Kelly met at a party and discovered a common interest in 60s psychedeliaPsychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
. Inspired by 1983's 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...
"paisley underground
Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is an early genre of alternative rock, based primarily in Los Angeles, California, which was at its most popular in the mid-1980s.- History :...
" music scene the duo decided to start a similar scene in their home town of Seattle. By spring of 1984 they had recorded and released a homemade cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
called Summer of Lust; it was described by one U.K. journalist as "British-style psychedelia similar to Dukes of the Stratosphere
The Dukes of Stratosphear
The Dukes of Stratosphear was a pseudonym used by the British rock band XTC in the mid to late 1980s, concurrently with XTC's continued musical activities...
but more off-center and less pastiche".
The 7" record "Kim the Waitress" attracted regional college radio airplay in the mid-80s, and the band went on to record "Sister Anne", and the albums Book Of Hours (1986, Green Monkey) and Ghosts of Love, before breaking up during the sessions for Ghosts of Love (released 1990 to some critical attention on the L.A. label Bomp!
Bomp! Records
Bomp! 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...
). During the next few years, Jeff Kelly released solo recordings on cassette. The band re-united in 1994 in the wake of "Kim The Waitress" covers released that year by Material Issue
Material Issue
Material Issue was a 1980-1990s power pop trio from Chicago. The band's trademark was pop songs with themes of love and heartbreak, where a number of song titles using girls' first names.-History:...
and the Seattle band Sister Psychic. A third single, "Song for Christina", was released. (The Green Pajamas' early singles, including "Kim The Waitress", can be heard on the 1997 anthology Indian Winter.)
With the 1999 release of Seven Fathoms Down and Falling on Nick Saloman's
The Bevis Frond
The Bevis Frond is a British musical group whose range covers hard edge to melancholy vintage indie rock to poetic, "classic-rock" songcraft with a thick Walthamstow accent. Nick Saloman is the band's frontman and songwriter...
Woronzow records, they played the 1999 Terrastock 3 festival in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Band members
- Jeff Kelly – 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...
, 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...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Joe Ross – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Scott Vanderpool – 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 ....
- Eric Lichter – keyboards, percussion, vocals
- Laura Weller – vocals, guitar
Former members
- Karl Wilhelm – drums
- Steven Lawrence – guitar, vocals, bass
- Bruce Haedt – keyboards, vocals
Discography
Jeff Kelly has also recorded several solo albums, and two with Laura Weller as Goblin Market.- Summer Of Lust (1984) Green Monkey cassette (US) – re-issued 1989 on LP by Ubic (UK)
- Book Of Hours (1986) Green Monkey LP (US) – re-issued 1988 Di Di Music LP (Greece), 1989 A-Go Go Records LP (Australia), 1989 Bouncing Head LP (Germany)
- November (1988) Green Monkey cassette (US)
- Ghosts Of Love (1990) Green Monkey/Bomp LP (US), Di Di Music LP [Greece] – re-issued 2000 on Get Hip – CD (US)
- Strung Behind The Sun (1997) Camera ObscuraCamera Obscura (record label)Camera Obscura was a record label founded by Australian music journalist Tony Dale in 1996. Described by Dale as 'a conduit for the release of contemporary acid-folk, psych-pop and space-rock,' the label put out almost ninety releases over fourteen years, the vast majority of which were...
– CD (Australia) - Indian Winter (1997) Get Hip – CD (US)
- anthology of first three singles, plus tracks previously appearing on compilationsCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
- anthology of first three singles, plus tracks previously appearing on compilations
- Strung Out (1998) Camera Obscura (Australia), Endgame (US) extended play CD
- All Clues Lead To Meagan's Bed (1999) Camera Obscura – CD (Australia)
- Seven Fathoms Down and Falling (1999) Woronzow LP and CD (UK), Rubric CD (USA)
- Narcotic Kisses (2000) Camera Obscura LP and CD (Australia)
- The Carolers' Song (2001) Hidden Agenda – CD EP (US)
- This Is Where We Disappear (2001) Woronzow CD (UK) / Rubric CD (US)
- In A Glass Darkly: Songs Inspired By The Stories of J. S. Le Fanu (2002) Hidden Agenda – US CD EP
- homage to author Sheridan Le FanuSheridan Le FanuJoseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era....
, co-written with Laura Weller,
- homage to author Sheridan Le Fanu
- If She Only Knew (2002) Luna – US CD EP
- Lust Never Sleeps (2002) Endgame – US CD
- Northern Gothic (2002) Camera Obscura – Australian CD
- Essence Of Carol (2003) Luna – US CD EP
- Through Glass Colored Roses: The Best Of the Green Pajamas (2003) Hidden Agenda – US CD
- Ten White Stones (2004), Hidden Agenda – US CD
- 21st Century Seance (2005) Hidden Agenda – US CD
- The Night Races into Anna (2006) Hidden Agenda – US CD
- Box of Secrets: Northern Gothic Season 2 (2007) Hidden Agenda – US CD
- Hidden Minutes (2009) Camera Obscura - LP (Australia)
- Poison In The Russian Room (2009) Hidden Agenda – US CD
External links
Official sitesArticles
Secret Day's "Inspiring Links" section lists various articles and interviews. Warning: FlashAdobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
site. – interview – concert review
- Seattle Bands – profile from Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Jeff Kelly bio on eNotes.com
Review sites
- PopMattersPopMattersPopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
has http://www.google.com/custom?domains=popmatters.com&sitesearch=popmatters.com&q=Green+Pajamas&client=pub-9081090544391084&forid=1&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&cof=GALT%3A%23FFCC33%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23666666%3BVLC%3AFFCC33%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3A666666%3BLBGC%3A663399%3BALC%3AFFCC33%3BLC%3AFFCC33%3BT%3AFFFFFF%3BGFNT%3ACCFF99%3BGIMP%3ACCFF99%3BLH%3A50%3BLW%3A217%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fpopmatters.com%2Fimages%2Flogo-popmatters-search.gif%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fpopmatters.com%3BFORID%3A1%3B&hl=en&x=0&y=0many reviews and news about members] - psychedelic-music.net – many links
