The Jesus Lizard

The Jesus Lizard is an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas and based in Chicago, Illinois. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial noise, all of which received positive reviews in underground music publications and heavy college-radio play."[1]

The Jesus Lizard
The Jesus Lizard in 2009
Background information
OriginAustin, Texas, United States
GenresNoise rock, post-hardcore, alternative rock
Years active1987–1999, 2008–2010, 2017–present
LabelsTouch and Go, Capitol
Associated actsThe Denison/Kimball Trio, Scratch Acid, Rapeman, Phantom 309, Tomahawk, Qui, Legendary Shack Shakers, U.S.S.A., unFact
MembersDavid Yow
David Wm. Sims
Duane Denison
Mac McNeilly
Past membersJim Kimball
Brendan Murphy

After a brief run as a recording-only project based in Austin, founding vocalist David Yow, bassist David Wm. Sims, and guitarist Duane Denison relocated to Chicago, Illinois in 1989, where they found kindred spirits in recording engineer Steve Albini and Touch and Go Records. With the addition of drummer Mac McNeilly, they began performing live, eventually attracting an international audience with their powerful live show.[2] Drummer Jim Kimball replaced McNeilly late in 1996, and was himself replaced by Brendan Murphy two years later, with McNeilly returning to drums for their reunion shows years later.

Despite releasing a split single with leading alt-rockers Nirvana and signing to Capitol Records, the band failed to find commercial success amid the alternative rock explosion of the 1990s and disbanded in 1999. Their reunion tour ten years later garnered positive responses from audiences and critics. The Jesus Lizard performed another reunion tour in 2017 and 2019.

History

Formation and Touch & Go years (1987–1994)

The band began in Austin, Texas, when guitarist Duane Denison asked David Yow, formerly of Scratch Acid, to play bass on some songs he wanted to record. Yow suggested that he sing and have former Scratch Acid bassist David Wm. Sims play bass instead. The resultant group took its name from a common nickname for the basilisk, a type of lizard that can run on water. The trio rehearsed several times in Austin with a drum machine. Yow and Sims moved to Chicago in 1988, and Denison followed the next year.

Their first EP, Pure, was recorded by Albini and released by Touch & Go in 1989. It is the only record by the band that uses a drum machine. Drummer Mac McNeilly, formerly of Phantom 309, was recruited and the band played its first live show on July 1, 1989. Albini recorded the band's next four albums – Head, Goat, Liar, and Down. During this era the group also released a live record, Show, and a split single with Nirvana, Puss/Oh, the Guilt.

Capitol years and breakup (1995–1999)
The Jesus Lizard performing at The Garage at London circa 1998

The band signed to Capitol Records in 1995, recording the song "Panic in Cicero" for the Clerks soundtrack and making appearances at Lollapalooza shortly thereafter. Impressed by his work on The Melvins' Stoner Witch album, the band hired producer Garth Richardson to record their next record, Shot, the following year. While rumors that Albini refused to work with the band due to their involvement with a major label persisted, both Albini and the group have stated this to be false.[3]

McNeilly left the band in late 1996,[4] citing exhaustion from touring and the desire to spend more time with his family.[5] He was replaced by Jim Kimball, of Mule and Denison's side project, The Denison/Kimball Trio.

After more heavy touring the following year, this lineup recorded 1998's self-titled EP, their only record whose title is not a four-letter word, on Jetset Records. The EP featured production and engineering by Andy Gill of Gang of Four, John Cale, and Jim O'Rourke. Later that year, the band released the album Blue, also recorded by Gill. A departure, the record explored their experimental instincts previously hinted at on earlier songs like "Happy Bunny Goes Fluff-Fluff Along" and "White Hole".

In August 1998 Kimball left the group[6] and was replaced by Chicago-based drummer Brendan Murphy, formerly of the Wesley Willis Fiasco. They embarked on several more months of heavy touring, playing the final gig of their initial career at the Umeå Open festival in Umeå, Sweden, on March 27, 1999. After being dropped from Capitol Records mid-contract, the band announced its split the following June.

Post-breakup (2000–2007)

In 2000, Touch & Go issued Bang, a CD of 7" tracks and rarities. The members remained musically active: Denison began performing with Tomahawk, continued to play with Kimball in The Denison/Kimball Trio, and backed Hank Williams III on tour. He also formed U.S.S.A. with ex-Ministry bassist Paul Barker in 2006. McNeilly played drums in P.W. Long's Reelfoot recording "Push Me Again", and continued to play along with his wife in their band Mouse. He recorded with Steve Albini in February 2007 for Denison's Fuzz label mate Greg Garing.

In 2006, Yow and Sims reformed Scratch Acid, along with original members Rey Washam (also of Rapeman, Ministry) and Brett Bradford (also of Sangre de Toro) for the Touch & Go Records 25th Anniversary Festival in Chicago. A week before the Touch & Go Festival, the reunited Scratch Acid played to a sold-out crowd at Emo's in their hometown of Austin. Sims relocated to New York City, began working as an accountant, and maintained his solo project Dangerpuss. Denison relocated to Nashville. Yow moved to Los Angeles, working in graphic design for an advertising agency and joining the band Qui, [7]before pursuing an acting career[8] and briefly joining Flipper on vocals.[9][10]

Reunion tour (2008–2010)

The Jesus Lizard reformed in 2008 with McNeilly drumming, and began playing concerts the next year. These shows included appearances at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, and All Tomorrow's Parties music festivals in England and New York.[11][12] On October 6, all of the band's Touch & Go studio albums were re-released with improved sound and bonus tracks. The albums were remastered by Albini and Bob Weston and packaged with new liner notes and gatefold artwork.[13] Following the tour, the individual members returned to other projects and stated that this run of activity was "probably [their] last."[14]

Post-reunion tour (2010–2016)

In August 2011 MVD released Club, a concert DVD and double LP of the band's Nashville performance at Exit/In from the 2009 tour.[15]

In 2013, Yow released Tonight You Look Like a Spider, a solo album that had been in production for almost 15 years on Joyful Noise Recordings. The album was released in a limited edition, where the vinyl album was delivered inside of a concrete monolith, instead of a normal record sleeve. Yow stated that he'd been inspired to do the album by Mike Patton, and described his compositional process by stating, "I rented a saxophone for 2 months, I borrowed some guitars and some drums, I rummaged through the kitchen, I squeezed a fat cat, I poked and prodded and ended up with my very own music."[16]

In October 2013, the Jesus Lizard was set to play at the All Tomorrow's Parties event Release the Bats in Melbourne, Australia. They cancelled this show due to 'unforeseen circumstances'.[17][18]

Second reunion (2017–present)

In September 2017, The Jesus Lizard announced their second reunion.[19] The band undertook their first tour in eight years that December.[20]

In September 2018, they went on a tour that included stops in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Austin, Philadelphia, Seattle, Portland, Detroit and Boston. They would play Riot Fest 2018 in Chicago that same month.

Sound, influence, and legacy

Their music featured a scathing mix of piercing guitar, machine-like drums, propulsive bass guitar, and psychotic vocals. Denison's stinging guitar often served more as texture or coloring than as a rhythm or lead instrument, while the rhythm section's stops and starts were simultaneously precise and brutal. David Sprague suggests that "Yow's disjointed couplets" are reminiscent of a "preacher speaking in tongues."[21] Albini typically kept vocals "low in the mix," or much less prominent than was typical of rock and roll recordings. In Our Band Could Be Your Life, Michael Azerrad writes that "on the Jesus Lizard albums Albini recorded, singer David Yow sounds like a kidnap victim trying to howl through the duct tape over his mouth; the effect is horrific."[22] Yow doesn't consider himself a singer in the usual sense, but rather, thinks of himself as a vocal stylist. While appreciated as a unique vocalist, Yow was more often cited for his confrontational antics on-stage, often leaping into the crowd or taking off his clothes. He was also known to lick members of the crowd while climbing all over them and sometimes striking up conversation mid-song.

The band have been cited as an influence or as a favorite by Nirvana,[23][24] Whores,[25] KEN Mode,[26] Bill Kelliher of Mastodon,[26] Botch,[27] Converge,[28] Gouge Away,[29] METZ,[30] Steve Albini,[31] Alexis S.F. Marshall of Daughters,[32] Sara Lund of Unwound,[33] Jim Suptic of The Get Up Kids,[34] Jawbreaker,[35] Johnny Temple of Girls Against Boys,[36] Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit,[37] Red Fang,[38][39] Joe Lally of Fugazi,[40] Henry Rollins,[40] Helmet,[41][42] Lydia Lunch[43] and many others.[44]

Members

Current

  • David Yow – vocals (1987–1999, 2008–2010, 2017–present)
  • Duane Denison – guitar (1987–1999, 2008–2010, 2017–present)
  • David Wm. Sims – bass (1987–1999, 2008–2010, 2017–present)
  • Mac McNeilly – drums (1989–1996, 2008–2010, 2017–present)

Former

  • Jim Kimball – drums (1996–1998)
  • Brendan Murphy – drums (1998–1999)
Timeline

Discography
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
  • Chrome (1989, Touch and Go)
  • Mouth Breather (1990, Touch and Go)
  • Wheelchair Epidemic (1992, Touch and Go)
  • Gladiator (1992, Touch and Go)
  • Gladiator / Boilermaker (1992, Insipid Vinyl)
  • (Fly) On (The Wall) (1993, Touch and Go)
  • Puss / Oh, The Guilt (1993, Insipid Vinyl)
  • Puss (1993, Touch and Go)
Compilations
  • Bang (2000, Touch and Go)
  • Inch (2009, Touch and Go)
Live albums
  • Show (1994, Collision Arts)
  • Club (2011, Chunklet)
Singles and Official Videos
  • Nub (1991)
  • Gladiator (1992)
  • Puss (1993)
  • Destroy Before Reading (1994)
DVDs
  • The Jesus Lizard - Live (Music Video Distributors 2007)
  • The Jesus Lizard - Club (Music Video Distributors 2011)

Chart positions
Albums
Year Album Chart Position
1996 Shot Heatseekers (US) 28
Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1993 "Puss/Oh, the Guilt" (split single with Nirvana) UK Singles Chart[45] 12
gollark: No gotchas.
gollark: Right, so just make it always copy.
gollark: You utter linear types.
gollark: Be like Haskell. Always copy everything constantly.
gollark: I agree!

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Jesus Lizard – AllMusic". Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  2. Montoro, Philip. "The Jesus Lizard live and in color". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  3. Dodds, Ben. "The Jesus Lizard: Touch and Go Reissues :: Music :: Reviews :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  4. "The Jesus Lizard Concert Chronology". Thejesuslizard.net. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  5. "Interviews & Reviews of the Jesus Lizard". Thejesuslizard.net. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  6. "the latest in the Jesus Lizard News". Thejesuslizard.net. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  7. September 5th, Dave Kerr; 2007. "Songs in the Qui of David Yow". DrownedInSound. Retrieved 2020-07-18.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. correspondent, About Jay Horton Jay Horton is a longtime; Music, Jack-of-All-Arts-Coverage:; film; theater; food; television; books; dance; Teams, College Football Special. "David Yow Is Done With Music, but His World Remains a Stage". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2020-07-18.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  9. Minsker, Evan. "Flipper Reuniting, Enlist Jesus Lizard's David Yow". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  10. "Ep064: David Yow (Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, Actor)". Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal. 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  11. "The Jesus Lizard + Harvey Milk + Grails". Atpfestival.com. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  12. Vish Khanna (December 2009). "Conversations: The Jesus Lizard's Mac McNeilly". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  13. "News | Touch and Go / Quarterstick Records". Touchandgorecords.com. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  14. "Official fan site". Thejesuslizard.net. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  15. "Jesus Lizard, The - Club". Rock! Shock! Pop!. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  16. "How My Solo Album Happened". Joyfulnoiserecordings.com. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  17. "ATP Announce Release The Bats Melbourne - The Breeders, The Jesus Lizard + More - Music News at Undertheradar". Undertheradar.co.nz. 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  18. "The Jesus Lizard Cancel Australian Tour And ATP's Release The Bats - Music News, Reviews, Interviews and Culture". Music Feeds. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
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  20. "The Jesus Lizard Announce First Tour In 8 Years!". New Noise Magazine. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
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  22. Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life. Little Brown and Company, 2002. ISBN 0-316-78753-1
  23. "Kurt Cobain's favourites The Jesus Lizard announce one-off London gig". Nme.com. 2 March 2009.
  24. "Kurt Cobain on the Bands and Musicians He Loved". Flavorwire.com. 20 February 2016.
  25. "Whores' Top 5 Noise-Rock Albums". Revolver. 7 October 2013.
  26. "Five Heavy Albums that Changed My Life with Jesse Matthewson from KEN mode". Decibel Magazine. 23 August 2018.
  27. Warwick, Kevin. "With We Are The Romans, Botch helped redefine hardcore". Music.avclub.com.
  28. Mudrian, Albert (21 July 2009). "Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces". Hachette Books – via Google Books.
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  30. Murphy, Tom (12 November 2012). "Alex Edkins of Metz on pushing limits to make music that seems like it's about to fall apart". Westword.
  31. December 9th, Adam Anonymous; 2008. "Why I love The Jesus Lizard". DrownedInSound.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. "Daughters' Alexis Marshall on You Won't Get What You Want, Reviving the Band, and More". Consequenceofsound.com. 27 November 2018.
  33. "Turntable Interview: Sara Lund (Unwound)". Stereogum.com. 15 November 2012.
  34. Grubbs, Eric (18 January 2011). "My First Show: The Get Up Kids' Jim Suptic Got A Black Eye in The Pit of A Helmet, The Jesus Lizard and Therapy? Show When He Was 15". Dallas Observer.
  35. Givony, Ronen (19 April 2018). "Jawbreaker's 24 Hour Revenge Therapy". Bloomsbury Publishing USA – via Google Books.
  36. "Johnny Temple: Girls Against Boys". John Hooper.
  37. "Limp Bizkit's Wes Borland To Sell Albini-Minded Cover Album Online". idolator. 25 June 2008.
  38. "CBS SF Talks To Red Fang Bassist Aaron Beam". Sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com. 16 November 2016.
  39. "John Sherman on Tour With Red Fang". Sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com. 30 November 2016.
  40. "TG443 PURE LINER NOTES:" (Doc). Touchandgorecords.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  41. "SPIN". SPIN Media LLC. 1 September 1994 – via Google Books.
  42. Jackson, Joab. "Helmet: Nothing Spontaneous". Joab Jackson, Web site.
  43. "Jukebox Jury: Lydia Lunch on No Wave and Its Disciples". Spin.com. 31 May 2017.
  44. "The Jesus Lizard's Impact On Nirvana, The Melvins, Fugazi and Helmet". Gibson.com.
  45. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 282. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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