The Karl Hendricks Trio
Encyclopedia
The Karl Hendricks Trio is a rock band from Pittsburgh
. In the span of twelve years, they have released seven albums, toured, and even played as a four-piece rock band. Now firmly a trio again, the band's latest album was 2007's The World Says (with Alexsey Plotnicov as a second guitarist). The current line-up includes Jake Leger on drums and Corey Layman on bass. Hendricks, as he always has, plays guitar, sings and writes the songs.
The Trio recorded two albums worth of material during the later months of 1992, and early in 1993, the mini-album Some Girls Like Cigarettes was released as a 10". A few months later, Misery and Women was released and the band toured for the first time.
In 1994, Buick Electra was reissued on CD. The Trio's next new album was 1995's A Gesture of Kindness, the first recorded by Brian Paulson, who would also work on the band's next two albums. A Gesture of Kindness was also the last one to feature the original rhythm section of Hoffman and Parker.
Later in 1995, Merge Records
reissued Some Girls Like Cigarettes on CD. Len Jarabeck joined on bass and the band recorded their first completely new album for Merge, 1996's For a While, It Was Funny. The next album was 1998's Declare Your Weapons, the first to feature Kress on bass. Noah Leger also replaced Hoffman on drums.
From later in 1998 to 2000, the band expanded to a quartet (now dubbed the "Karl Hendricks Rock Band") with Matt Jencik on second guitar and Chris Emerson on drums. This version of the band, except for one single, did not do much recording. In 2001, the band returned to a trio, with Jake Leger taking over on drums. In 2002, the band started recording their next album for Merge, The Jerks Win Again.
The band did a cross-country tour in 2003 in support of The Jerks Win Again. After the tour, Kress quit to pursue other things. In 2004, Len Jarabeck returned to the bass slot. Also, A Gesture of Kindness -- long out-of-print—was reissued on CD by Spirit of Orr. Hendricks continues writing new songs and the band recorded the follow-up to The Jerks... in 2006. The World Says was released in 2007.
The band's sound and approach has changed some over the years. The early years presented a fervently confessional side of Hendricks, and the youthful heartbreak in the lyrics was embodied in the band's spirited performances. In more recent years, Hendricks' lyrics have become more outward-looking and his guitar playing has become more expansive. T
Though relative strangers to the road at times, the Karl Hendricks Trio has toured significantly in the past. Among the bands they've toured with are Neutral Milk Hotel
, Superchunk
, Smog
, Low
, My Dad Is Dead
, Butterglory
, Kind of Like Spitting
and Small 23. They've also played shows with, among others, Silkworm
, Don Caballero
, The Mekons, The Spinanes
, The Shipping News
, New Bomb Turks
, Labradford
, Hayden
, Joel R.L. Phelps, Magic Hour, Hurl, Steve Earle
, and Bottomless Pit
.
Karl Hendricks has also served as a bassplayer in Thee Speaking Canaries
and Developer.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. In the span of twelve years, they have released seven albums, toured, and even played as a four-piece rock band. Now firmly a trio again, the band's latest album was 2007's The World Says (with Alexsey Plotnicov as a second guitarist). The current line-up includes Jake Leger on drums and Corey Layman on bass. Hendricks, as he always has, plays guitar, sings and writes the songs.
Biography
The moody, muscular indie-rock band dubbed the Karl Hendricks Trio formed in 1991 following the break-up of their nominal leader's previous band, Sludgehammer. Hendricks, a singer-guitarist born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1970, first began writing songs and releasing cassettes while in his teens; while working a day job in a record store, he formed the Trio with bassist Tim Parker and drummer Tom Hoffman. The band played their first show on New Year's Eve 1991 and recorded their first album a couple of weeks later. Released on LP on Hendricks' own label, 1992's Buick Electra garnereed national attention and sold out quickly.The Trio recorded two albums worth of material during the later months of 1992, and early in 1993, the mini-album Some Girls Like Cigarettes was released as a 10". A few months later, Misery and Women was released and the band toured for the first time.
In 1994, Buick Electra was reissued on CD. The Trio's next new album was 1995's A Gesture of Kindness, the first recorded by Brian Paulson, who would also work on the band's next two albums. A Gesture of Kindness was also the last one to feature the original rhythm section of Hoffman and Parker.
Later in 1995, Merge Records
Merge Records
Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records...
reissued Some Girls Like Cigarettes on CD. Len Jarabeck joined on bass and the band recorded their first completely new album for Merge, 1996's For a While, It Was Funny. The next album was 1998's Declare Your Weapons, the first to feature Kress on bass. Noah Leger also replaced Hoffman on drums.
From later in 1998 to 2000, the band expanded to a quartet (now dubbed the "Karl Hendricks Rock Band") with Matt Jencik on second guitar and Chris Emerson on drums. This version of the band, except for one single, did not do much recording. In 2001, the band returned to a trio, with Jake Leger taking over on drums. In 2002, the band started recording their next album for Merge, The Jerks Win Again.
The band did a cross-country tour in 2003 in support of The Jerks Win Again. After the tour, Kress quit to pursue other things. In 2004, Len Jarabeck returned to the bass slot. Also, A Gesture of Kindness -- long out-of-print—was reissued on CD by Spirit of Orr. Hendricks continues writing new songs and the band recorded the follow-up to The Jerks... in 2006. The World Says was released in 2007.
The band's sound and approach has changed some over the years. The early years presented a fervently confessional side of Hendricks, and the youthful heartbreak in the lyrics was embodied in the band's spirited performances. In more recent years, Hendricks' lyrics have become more outward-looking and his guitar playing has become more expansive. T
Though relative strangers to the road at times, the Karl Hendricks Trio has toured significantly in the past. Among the bands they've toured with are Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel was an American indie rock band formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mangum in the early 1990s. The band was noted for its experimental sound, obscure lyrics and eclectic instrumentation....
, Superchunk
Superchunk
Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s...
, Smog
Smog (band)
Bill Callahan , is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has also recorded and performed under the band name Smog. Callahan began working in the lo-fi genre of underground rock, with home-made tape-albums recorded on four track tape recorders...
, Low
Low (band)
Low is an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group is composed of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker , both founding members, and Steve Garrington ....
, My Dad Is Dead
My Dad Is Dead
My Dad Is Dead, is a recording project of musician Mark Edwards. The project began in Cleveland, Ohio in 1985. My Dad Is Dead has released eleven full-length albums on labels such as St. Valentine's, Scat Records, Homestead Records and Emperor Jones....
, Butterglory
Butterglory
Butterglory is an American indie-rock band from Lawrence, Kansas. Contemporaries of indie rock groups like Pavement and Archers of Loaf, the band helped explore similar musical territories and expand the genre...
, Kind of Like Spitting
Kind of Like Spitting
Kind of Like Spitting was an American indie rock band. They formed in 1996 in Portland, Oregon. The band was led by prolific singer-songwriter Ben Barnett, who work has drawn comparisons to Elliott Smith, Mark Eitzel, Billy Bragg, and Robert Pollard....
and Small 23. They've also played shows with, among others, Silkworm
Silkworm (band)
Silkworm was an indie rock band active from 1987 to 2005.The members were Tim Midgett, Joel RL Phelps, Andy Cohen, and Michael Dahlquist. Phelps left the band in 1994. Matt Kadane of Bedhead and The New Year played keyboards on Italian Platinum and It'll Be Cool...
, Don Caballero
Don Caballero
Don Caballero are an American rock group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group took their name from the character Guy Caballero, portrayed by Joe Flaherty, on the sketch comedy show Second City Television...
, The Mekons, The Spinanes
The Spinanes
The Spinanes was an indie band from Olympia, Portland and Chicago, in the 1990s. The founding members were Rebecca Gates and Scott Plouf ....
, The Shipping News
The Shipping News
The Shipping News is a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning novel by American writer E. Annie Proulx which was published in 1993. It was adapted into a film of the same name, released in 2001.-Plot summary:...
, New Bomb Turks
New Bomb Turks
The New Bomb Turks are an American punk rock band formed at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in 1990. The founding members are Jim Weber, Eric Davidson, Bill Randt, and Matt Reber. Sam Brown replaced Bill Randt on drums in 1999. Early on their inspiration came from the Devil Dogs, Lazy...
, Labradford
Labradford
Labradford is a U.S. post-rock musical group from Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1991. They have released six full albums from 1993 to 2001. Though not officially disbanded, its members have since been active with separate projects.-Biography:...
, Hayden
Hayden (musician)
Paul Hayden Desser who records as Hayden, is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Thornhill, Ontario.His early works are a largely eclectic mix of genres from grunge rock to alt country, as demonstrated by his first full album, Everything I Long For, released in 1995. Since then his work has become...
, Joel R.L. Phelps, Magic Hour, Hurl, Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
, and Bottomless Pit
Bottomless Pit (band)
Bottomless Pit is an indie rock band from Chicago. Guitarist Andy Cohen and baritone guitarist Tim Midgett, both formerly of Silkworm, formed the band with drummer Chris Manfrin of Seam and bassist Brian Orchard of .22 in 2005. Since inception the group has issued two critically acclaimed records...
.
Karl Hendricks has also served as a bassplayer in Thee Speaking Canaries
Speaking Canaries
The Speaking Canaries are an indie rock group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and Developer.
Discography
- Buick Electra (Peas Kor, 1992; reisssued by Grass, 1994)
- Some Girls Like Cigarettes (Big Ten Rex, 1993; reissued by Merge, 1995)
- Misery and Women (Fiasco, 1993)
- A Gesture of Kindness (Fiasco/Peas Kor, 1995; reissued by Spirit of Orr, 2004)
- For a While, It Was Funny (Merge, 1996)
- Declare Your Weapons (Merge, 1998)
- The Jerks Win Again (Merge, 2003)
- The World Says (as The Karl Hendricks Rock Band) (Comedy Minus One, 2007)
Former
- Len Jarabeck (bass)
- Caulen Kress (bass)
- Noah Leger (drums)
- Tim Parker (bass)
- Tom Hoffman (drums)
- Chris Emerson (drums)
- Matt Jencik (guitar)
- Alexsey Plotnicov (guitar)