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Smegma

 
Artist: Smegma

Similar Artists:

The Nihilist Spasm Band, Violent Onsen Geisha, Non

Followers:

Formal Connection With:

  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "Glamour Girl 1941 + Pigface Chant," "Rumblings," "Smegma Plays Merzbow/Merzbow Plays Smegma"

Biography

Smegma's roots lie in the Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS) scene of the mid-1970s, and yet this long-running avant-rock collective, are one of the few groups from that era that are still active today. With the musicians hidden behind ridiculous pseudonyms, Smegma offered a strange psychedelic improvisational music, throwing in all sorts of odd instruments as well as tapes, and turntables. The group began in Pasadena, California in 1973 as a reaction to the bloated fusion rock of the day. They were unaware that other nearby groups had also formed to perform similar freeform experimental music. They became part of a gang of similar noise artists who gathered almost nightly in the backroom of the Poo-Bah record store in Pasadena, which in 1975 merged with the LAFMS. Smegma have always been a loose run collective, and early members included Amy Zonbambi, Chucko D. K. Fatts, Juk Suk Reet Meate, Dennis Duck, Cheezit-Ritz, Cheese-Bro, Dr. Id, Dr. Odd, and Reed Burn. Ace Ford Farren, who joined the group in early 1974, introduced Smegma to crazed street performer and Zappa-protégé Wild Man Fisher and in two sessions, on New Years Day of 1975 and a few months later, they recorded some tracks with Fisher on vocals. Smegma moved to Portland, Oregon by the end of 1975 but remained in touch with the rest of the LAFMS crowd. After appearing on various LAFMS compilations, their first LP, Glamour Girl 1941/Five Years Wasted was recorded and produced in their own studio in July 1978 and released by LAFMS the following year. They also released several 7" singles that same year on their own Pigface label. The next year found them sharing a 7" with industrial pioneer Non (Boyd Rice), released by Mute. Throughout the 1980s Smegma kept a low profile and continued to put out LPs, singles and cassettes on their own label, and occasionally gigged live. With their worldwide reputation firmly cemented, their LP Nattering Naybobs of Negativity was released by the UK label Dead Mans Curve and the LP Smell the Remains by the German label Dom. More albums came out in the mid-1990s on the Portland label Tim/Kerr, including the LP Smegma Plays Merzbow/Merzbow Plays Smegma with Japanese noise artist Merzbow. In the late 1990s rock and roll author Richard Meltzer became their vocalist, adding his verbal ramblings and sardonic wit to their improvised sound. ~ Rolf Semprebon, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Smegma (band)
Top
Smegma
Origin Pasadena, California, USA
Genres Not just Noise
Years active 1973-present
Members
Ju Suk Reet Meate, Dennis Duck, Cheese it RItz, Cheesebro, Amazon Bambi, Chucko Fats, Pizza Rioux, Iso, Dr.Id, Dr.Odd, Jerry, Foon, Ace Farren Ford, Electric Bill, Jerry A., Arsene Zara, Borneo Jimmy, Burned Mind, Conroy, Oblivia, Victor Sparks, Harry Cess Poole, Samak Cosemano.

Smegma is an American experimental noise group formed in Pasadena, California in 1973 and currently based in Portland, Oregon.[1] Originally part of the Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS) movement of the 1970s, Smegma is one of the few music collectives of that era still active today.[1] Author Richard Meltzer became their vocalist in the late 1990s.[1] The group was included in the Nurse with Wound list and more recently was featured on the cover of the August 2006 edition of The Wire.[2]

Partial discography

  • Glamour Girl 1941 (1979)
  • Pigs For Lepers (1982)
  • Nattering Naybobs of Negativity (1987)
  • Smell The Remains (1988)
  • Ism (1994)
  • The Goodship Poleshiner (1995)
  • The Mad Excitement, The Barbaric Pulsations, The Incomparable Rhythms Of... (1996)
  • Smegma Plays Merzbow (1996)
  • Glamour Girl 1941 (1997)
  • Rumblings (compilation 1997-2003) [3]
  • Tiromancy
  • Sing Popular Songs (includes guest vocalists such as Wild Man Fischer)
  • The Beast (collaboration with Wolf Eyes)
  • Thirty Years Of Service
  • Live At No Fun Fest

References

External links



 
 

 

Copyrights:

Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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