Geko were a
gothic rock duo based in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. Formed in 1983, the band's nucleus comprised vocalist/bassist Sarah Folkman and guitarist Carrie McNinch. They released one full-length album, titled ''
Join My Pretty World'', in 1992 before disbanding.
History
Geko was formed in 1983 by Sarah Folkman and Carrie McNinch, who were roommates and attending school at the time. Both were influenced by early
death rock
Death rock (or deathrock) is a rock music subgenre incorporating horror elements and gothic theatrics. It emerged from punk rock on the West Coast of the United States in the early 1980s and overlaps with the gothic rock and horror punk genre ...
,
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...
and
punk rock. After a few years of performing live, the band recorded a six-song demo in the late eighties. The band issued their first proper release, the ''"Probing the Gash in Her Head'' 7", in 1991 for Open Records.
Produced with the help of prominent
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
producer
Earle Mankey
Earle Mankey (sometimes misspelled "Earl" in credits) (born March 8, 1947, in Washington, United States) is an American musician, record producer and audio engineer. He was a founding member and guitarist for the band Halfnelson, later called Sp ...
, the band issued their sole full-length album ''
Join My Pretty World'' in 1992. The album compiled previously recorded tracks with new recordings. Ned Raggett of
allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
called the band "sharply powerful" and the album was "rough, industrial-strength darkwave music that easily bears repeated listening."
The duo dissolved shortly after the release of their debut album. McNinch abandoned the music scene and began publishing comic zines including ''The Assassin and the Whiner'', and ''Food Geek''. Her mini comic ''You Don't Get There From Here'' is still being published regularly. McNinch also has work included in various anthologies, including ''QU33R'', ''
No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics'', ''Runner Runner'', ''Tablegedden'' and multiple issues of ''Not My Small Diary''. Her book ''I Want Everything to be Okay'' was published by Tugboat Press.
Sarah Folkman collaborated with a number of bands, including Spiderworks,
Vampire Rodents
Vampire Rodents was a sound collage and experimental music ensemble based out of Phoenix, Arizona, although its core members originally came from Canada. The creative nucleus of the project comprised vocalist and composer Daniel Vahnke and keyb ...
and
proGREX.iv, before joining the
trip hop
Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...
band
THC
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis and one of at least 113 total cannabinoids identified on the plant. Although the chemical formula for THC (C21H30O2) describes multiple isomers, the term ''THC' ...
in 1997. She has since gained some recognition as a visual artist and illustrator.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Join My Pretty World'' (Open, 1992)
EP
*''Probing the Gash in Her Head'' (Open, 1991)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geko
Musical groups established in 1983
Musical groups disestablished in 1992
1983 establishments in California
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Alternative rock groups from California
American gothic rock groups