GoGoGo Airheart was a
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
band from
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, that was active from 1996 to 2006.
Career
The band started out by local independent label,
Vinyl Communications, and released their self-titled debut in 1997. By that time drummer Andy Robillard and violinist Teri Hoefer joined the group. In 1998 the band released their second album, ''love my life...hate my friends'', which increased their popularity in the local music scene. They followed up with their 1999 release, ''Things we Need'' (
EP), on the
Touch & Go subsidiary Overcoat Recordings.
In 1999 the band also underwent personnel changes.
Jimmy LaValle
The Album Leaf is an American musical project founded in San Diego, California, in 1998 by Jimmy LaValle. He is known for his use of electronics, synthesizer, and Rhodes piano. His performances often feature projected visual art.
History I ...
temporarily replaced Robillard on drums, while Hoefer left the band permanently, to start a band with her fiance Chris Relyea, formerly of
The Rapture. Ben White assumed the lead guitar role. By the turn of the century, the band went on various national tours, and brought in drummer Jay Hough in place of Lavalle.
By this time, GoGoGo Airheart had switched to the Sonny Kay and
Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms ...
co-owned record label,
GSL, and the band issued their third album, ''Out Every Window The Snap Of Envy And Greed'', in 2000. In 2001 the band toured the states and worked on their next album, ''ExitheUXA'', which was released in June 2002. GoGoGo Airheart also embarked on a national tour in 2002, and later in the year a European tour, supported by fellow indie rock artists such as
Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I.
F ...
and
The Futureheads
The Futureheads are an English post-punk band from Sunderland, formed in 2000. The band consists of Ross Millard (vocals and guitar), David "Jaff" Craig (vocals and bass guitar) and brothers Barry Hyde (vocals and guitar) and Dave Hyde (drums). ...
br>
followed by another national tour on their way back to California.
In 2003 White left the band, and Robillard was invited back to double-drum with Jay, who ended up parting ways with the band in July 2003, thus stripping the band down to a three-piece. In 2004 the band recorded demos of new material with
Rocket From The Crypt/
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
/
Drive Like Jehu
Drive Like Jehu was an American post-hardcore band from San Diego active from 1990 to 1995. It was formed by rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rick Froberg and lead guitarist John Reis, ex-members of Pitchfork, along with bassist Mike Kennedy and ...
founder
John Reis
John Reis, also known by the pseudonyms Speedo, Slasher, and the Swami is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which ...
, but material from these sessions has yet to be released.
By 2005, Ben White was back in the band, and the group released their final album, ''Rats! Sing! Sing!'', which followed both national and international tours. In early 2006, the band decided to call quits. Their final show was played at
The Casbah on May 22. On one of their blog sites, Andy Robillard told fans, "After almost ten years of doing GGGAH we just can't keep living on the cheap ... I'm a little sad but also relieved that the band is done, end of an era and all that, but at least I can say without any reservations whatsoever that we never put out a shitty record, and we never sold out to The Man."
Band members
*Mike Vermillion
*Ashish Vyas
*Ben White
*Andy Robillard
*Teri Hoefer
*Michael Henning
*Jimi Hey
*James Lavalle
*Jay Hough
*M Frederick "Dekes"
*Carlos De La Garza
Discography
Albums
*''GoGoGo Airheart'' (1997 -
Vinyl Communications)
*''Love My Life...Hate My Friends'' (1998 - Vinyl Communications)
*''Out Every Window the Snap of Envy & Greed'' (2000)
*''Love My Life...Hate My Friends'' re-release (2001)
*''ExitheUXA'' (2002 - Gold Standard Laboratories)
*''GoGoGo Airheart (1997)'' re-release (2003)
*''Rats! Sing! Sing!'' (2005 - Gold Standard Laboratories)
Singles and EPs
*"Judgement" (1997)
*"Things We Need EP" (1999 -
Overcoat Recordings Overcoat Recordings is an American record label specializing in alt country and indie rock music. It is based in Chicago, Illinois, and its owner is Howard Greynolds, who was formerly an employee of Thrill Jockey. Kingsbury Manxat Allmusic.com
Arti ...
)
*"Song for Video" (1999)
*"The Beauty of Appetite" + "Teri and Julie" (split LP with Syncopation)
*Split CD with the 90 Day Men (2000)
*"Real Live Kill" (2002)
External links
GoGoGo Airheart official websiteGoGoGo Airheart on MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gogogo Airheart
Indie rock musical groups from California
Musical groups from San Diego
Musical groups established in 1996
Musical groups disestablished in 2006