War Babies (band)

War Babies was an American rock band formed in Seattle, WA in 1988, fronted by former TKO vocalist Brad Sinsel. Although associated with hard rock, the band's sound incorporated some elements of grunge music. They only released one album, in 1991, the self-titled War Babies.

War Babies
OriginSeattle, Washington, U.S.
GenresHard rock
Years active1988–1993
LabelsColumbia, UlfTone Music, Bad Reputation
Associated actsTKO, Suicide Squad, Fastbacks, Fifth Angel, Pearl Jam, Sledgeback, Gunn And The Damage Done, American Standard, Tres Mts., RNDM, Angels Of Dresden
MembersBrad Sinsel (vocals)
Guy Lacey (guitars)
Tommy "Gunn" McMullin (guitars)
Shawn Trotter (bass)
Richard Stuverud (drums)

History

After the break-up of TKO, vocalist Brad Sinsel and guitarist Rick Pierce (ex-TKO, Q5, Ze Whiz Kidz) teamed up for a project called Suicide Squad, aided by well-known Seattle drummer, Richard Stuverud who had played with punk rock band, The Fastbacks, and was working with the power metal band Fifth Angel. Suicide Squad released the one-off album, Live it While You Can, (1988), an EP engineered by Jack Endino, on the Music For Nations label in Europe.[1]

Shawn, Guy and Richard playing at "Under the Rail" in Seattle

After Suicide Squad, Sinsel spent time in Los Angeles but was eventually contacted by Stuverud to check out his new band, War Babies with guitarist, Tommy 'Gunn' McMullin. Stuverud and McMullin persuaded Sinsel to join War Babies and the band began to gig around the Seattle area, playing with popular local bands like Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and others. In 1990, at the time of Andrew Wood's death and the end of Mother Love Bone, Jeff Ament joined War Babies for a brief period before he left to join Stone Gossard's new band, Pearl Jam.

Tommy play at a rehearsal.

War Babies, featuring the line-up of Brad Sinsel (vocals), Tommy "Gunn" McMullin (guitars), Guy Lacey (guitars), Shawn Trotter (bass), and Richard Stuverud (drums) scored a contract with Columbia Records in 1991. They recorded their debut album, War Babies (1991) at A&M Studios in Hollywood, CA with noted producer, Thom Panunzio and engineer, Bill Kennedy.[2] Their first single and MTV video, "Hang Me Up", was co-written by McMullin and Paul Stanley of Kiss. Two other singles were released, "Blue Tomorrow" (a song dedicated to Andrew Wood, who was a friend of Sinsel and McMullin's), and the power ballad, "Cry Yourself to Sleep", co-written by Sinsel and Stanley.[3] The song "In The Wind" can be heard in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer but was not included on the official soundtrack.

By 1993, the War Babies' sound was deemed too glam metal, and the band broke up. They played their last show on June 6, 1992 as part of the "Rock the Environment" benefit with headliners Queensrÿche, Heart, The Walkabouts, Metal Church, Bananafish, and Rumors of the Big Wave, among others.[4]

After War Babies, McMullin started the band The Dead Letters while Lacey and Trotter formed 8 Days In Jail and later joined Seattle punk rock band Sledgeback. McMullin has been fronting Gunn and the Damage Done for the past several years; they released their debut album, Bury My Heart, in 2010.[5]

Stuverud joined and recorded with several Seattle bands, the most notable being Three Fish, a side-project featuring Pearl Jam bassist, Jeff Ament and Robbi Robb of Tribe After Tribe. Three Fish released the albums Three Fish (1996) and The Quiet Table (1999), through Epic Records. Stuverud also contributed to Tribe After Tribe albums, Pearls Before Swine (1997) and M.O.A.B. (2007). Stuverud and Ament's other collaborations include Tres Mts.Three Mountains (2011), with Doug Pinnick of King's X and guest guitarist Mike McCready,[6][7] and RNDM (pronounced "random") with singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur; RNDM issued their debut album, Acts, in 2012,[8] and followed up in 2016 with the album, Ghost Riding.[9]

Sinsel's recent projects include American Standard with Flipp guitarist Brynn Arens who issued the "Send Me An Angel" b/w "My Only Friend" single in 2009, Americana act The McClellans, and Angels Of Dresden. The latter released a digital single, "Doomday", via Suna Sounds in May 2014, with a guest appearance by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready.

Discography

War Babies was re-issued by German label UlfTone Music in 2003 and French company Bad Reputation in 2007; both contain radio edits of "Hang Me Up" and "Cry Yourself to Sleep" and an alternate 'guitar version' of the latter as bonus tracks.

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References
  1. "Interview with War Babies Vocalist Brad Sinsel". FullInBloomMusic.com. April 18, 2008.
  2. "WAR BABIES | Melodic Hard Rock". melodic-hardrock.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  3. Sakis Nikas. "Brad Sinsel, War Babies singer - one-time collaborator of Paul Stanley)". RockPages.gr.
  4. Patrick Macdonald (June 5, 1992). "Eco Rock - Stars Help The Earth By Singing In The Gorge". The Seattle Times.
  5. "Band In Seattle - Episode 106". CW11 - KSTW-TV. January 9, 2014.
  6. Gary Graff (November 23, 2012). "Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament Talks New Project, Tres Mts". Billboard.com.
  7. "Tres Mts. PJ OnLine's Exclusive Interview with Richard Stuverud". PearlJamOnline.it.
  8. David Bevan (November 23, 2012). "RNDM: Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament Finds New Life In Old Friends". Spin.com.
  9. "RNDM Returns With New Song". Pearl Jam. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
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