The Micronotz
Encyclopedia
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.
were looking for an opening band for a show they had booked on December 12, 1980 at the "Off The Wall Hall" (now known as "The Bottleneck"). The Embarrassment knew John Harper and knew that we was putting a band together, so they asked him if his band could open the show, but the band hadn't actually formed yet. At this point, the band just consisted of John Harper on guitar and David Dale on bass, so a drummer and singer needed to be recruited. Dean Lubensky and Graham Reece were recruited as vocalist and drummer. Dean was a good fit and became the permanent singer, and Steve Eddy replaced Reece as the drummer.
The band soon came to the attention of local music promoter, Bill Rich, who wrote about them for his "Talk Talk" magazine and then signed them to his "Fresh Sounds" record label. Their first release for Fresh Sounds was the 4-band split
cassette Fresh Sounds From Middle America (vol 1)
in December 1981, just one year after the band formed. The "Fresh Sounds" compilation series was organized by Bill Rich as a way to promote regional bands nationally.
When the band disscovered that Bill Rich was an acquaintance of William S. Burroughs
they asked for an introduction and Burroughs would end up giving them some lyrics for a song ("Old Lady Sloan" from the Mortal Micronotz album).
Lead singer, Dean Lubensky, left the band sometime after the 1984 Live Recording of the Video Soundtrack EP. He was replaced by Jay Hauptli, who would remain the band's vocalist throughout the rest of their career and subsequent reunions.
After releasing three albums and two EPs, the band broke up in 1986. Bassist David Dale committed suicide on Sunday, January 31, 1993. The surviving band members reunited for a memorial show which was held at the Outhouse
on February 6, 1993.
Renewed interest in the band lead Fresh Sounds to release two Micronotz compilations, called Complete Recordings Volume I and II where the first volume covered the Dean Lubensky recordings and the second covered the Jay Hauptli recordings. A tribute album was also put together featuring William S. Burroughs and various other artists. The band still does the occasional reunion show, with Matt Kesler, formerly of the Pedaljets, playing bass.
was a popular venue in Lawrence for punk shows and not only did the Micronotz perform there, but they also helped get the venue into shape ready to have concerts. In 1984, the band built the stage, painted the walls and cleared the brush outside.
Punk 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...
/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...
quartet formed in 1980 in Lawrence, Kansas
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...
, that, along with bands like The Embarrassment
The Embarrassment
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.-History:Although some people...
and 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...
, were prominent on the local music scene in Lawrence in the early 80s.
History
The band formed in 1980 when all the members were still teenagers. The EmbarrassmentThe Embarrassment
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.-History:Although some people...
were looking for an opening band for a show they had booked on December 12, 1980 at the "Off The Wall Hall" (now known as "The Bottleneck"). The Embarrassment knew John Harper and knew that we was putting a band together, so they asked him if his band could open the show, but the band hadn't actually formed yet. At this point, the band just consisted of John Harper on guitar and David Dale on bass, so a drummer and singer needed to be recruited. Dean Lubensky and Graham Reece were recruited as vocalist and drummer. Dean was a good fit and became the permanent singer, and Steve Eddy replaced Reece as the drummer.
The band soon came to the attention of local music promoter, Bill Rich, who wrote about them for his "Talk Talk" magazine and then signed them to his "Fresh Sounds" record label. Their first release for Fresh Sounds was the 4-band split
Split album
A split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
cassette 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...
in December 1981, just one year after the band formed. The "Fresh Sounds" compilation series was organized by Bill Rich as a way to promote regional bands nationally.
When the band disscovered that Bill Rich was an acquaintance of William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
they asked for an introduction and Burroughs would end up giving them some lyrics for a song ("Old Lady Sloan" from the Mortal Micronotz album).
Lead singer, Dean Lubensky, left the band sometime after the 1984 Live Recording of the Video Soundtrack EP. He was replaced by Jay Hauptli, who would remain the band's vocalist throughout the rest of their career and subsequent reunions.
After releasing three albums and two EPs, the band broke up in 1986. Bassist David Dale committed suicide on Sunday, January 31, 1993. The surviving band members reunited for a memorial show which was held at the Outhouse
Outhouse (venue)
The Outhouse was a hardcore punk music venue located east of Lawrence, Kansas on 15th Street. Original shows listed the venue as Past the Pavement Hall, being as the county pavement ended about 3/4 of a mile from the building....
on February 6, 1993.
Renewed interest in the band lead Fresh Sounds to release two Micronotz compilations, called Complete Recordings Volume I and II where the first volume covered the Dean Lubensky recordings and the second covered the Jay Hauptli recordings. A tribute album was also put together featuring William S. Burroughs and various other artists. The band still does the occasional reunion show, with Matt Kesler, formerly of the Pedaljets, playing bass.
The Outhouse
The OuthouseOuthouse (venue)
The Outhouse was a hardcore punk music venue located east of Lawrence, Kansas on 15th Street. Original shows listed the venue as Past the Pavement Hall, being as the county pavement ended about 3/4 of a mile from the building....
was a popular venue in Lawrence for punk shows and not only did the Micronotz perform there, but they also helped get the venue into shape ready to have concerts. In 1984, the band built the stage, painted the walls and cleared the brush outside.
Reception
- "these guys have your standard '70s Ameri-punk moves down cold — sort of a sub-Dead Boys, but tighter" (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" ...
) - "Fueled by blazing electricity, right-angle tempo changes, chop-socky guirat riffs, and a vocalist who gargles glass and the leading shoe polish remover, the Micronotz go the distance to buy a metal sandwich at the 'Psychodeli'" (Judge I-Rankin, SpinSpin (magazine)Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
,1987) - "Midwest teenage snot- rock at the outset, the trebly, tin-can production on early records actually worked to the bands ragged charm. The spanking riffs and barbed hooks served as a perfect backdrop for original singer Dean Lubensky's caterwaul, sounding to all the world like Janis Joplin's horny, pubescent, punked out suburban little brother." (Oliver Hunt, SuperStarcastic.com, 2006)
- "Lawrence underground faves The Mortal Micronotz also took the stage for a handful of songs after a two-decade hiatus. This delighted a crowd disproportionately filled with musicians that included such notables as Freedy Johnston, Grant Hart and Kliph Scurlock of The Flaming Lips." (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...
, 2006)
Albums
| Year | Title | Band Name | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Mortal Micronotz | Mortal Micronotz | Fresh Sounds |
| 1985 | The Beast That Devoured Itself | Micronotz | Fresh Sounds |
| 1985 | 40 Fingers | Micronotz | Homestead |
| 1995 | Complete Recordings Volume I (1981–1984) | Micronotz | Fresh Sounds |
| 1995 | Complete Recordings Volume II (1985–1986) | Micronotz | Fresh Sounds |
EPs
| Year | Title | Band Name | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Smash! | Micronotz | 12", 8 songs | Fresh Sounds |
| 1984 | Live Recording of the Video Soundtrack EP | Mortal Micronotz | 7", 4 song, live EP | Fresh Sounds |
Compilations
| Year | Title | Band Name | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
Mortal Micronotz | 4-band split with 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... , the Embarrassment The Embarrassment 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.-History:Although some people... and the Yard Apes |
Fresh Sounds |
| 1985 | We Got Power #2:Party Animal | Micronotz | includes track "Born to Kick Ass" | Fresh Sounds |
| 1986 | Fresh Sounds From Middle America (vol 3) Fresh Sounds From Middle America (vol 3) Fresh Sounds From Middle America was the third album released in the series of compilations featuring bands from the Midwest region of America. The mix of styles was about half punk rock and half alternative rock. The best known of the bands included are the Micronotz, the Pedal Jets and the... |
Micronotz | includes track "Gimme Some Skin" | Fresh Sounds |
| 1995 | The Mortal Micronotz Tribute | various artists | William S. Burroughs/Eudoras, Stick, Kill Creek, Shower Trick, Cher UK, etc. | Iconoclastic Pop! |
2006-present
- Jay Hauptli - vocals
- John Harper - guitar
- Matt Kessler - bass
- Steve Eddy - drums