Handsome was an American rock
supergroup formed in 1995. The group's lineup was singer
Jeremy Chatelain, guitarists
Peter Mengede
Peter Mengede (born 1962) is an Australian musician best known as a former guitarist for alternative metal band Helmet. He formed his own group, Handsome, in 1995 with former members of Quicksand, Cro-Mags and Murphy's Law. They released one ...
(formerly of
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
), Tom Capone (formerly of
Quicksand
Quicksand is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that los ...
), bassist
Eddie Nappi, and drummer Pete Hines (formerly of
Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among t ...
and
Murphy's Law). Capone would leave the group in 1997, replaced by
Donni Campion (formerly of
Electric Love Hogs
Electric Love Hogs were a short-lived American funk rock band formed in San Diego, California in 1991. The band's lineup consisted of John Feldmann (vocals, guitar), Dave Kushner (guitar), Donni Campion (guitar), Kelly LeMieux (bass) and Bobby Hew ...
). They released two 7" vinyl singles in 1995, two CD singles in 1997 and one album, ''
Handsome'' (1997), through
Epic/
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
before disbanding.
History
Handsome was conceived by Australian guitarist
Peter Mengede
Peter Mengede (born 1962) is an Australian musician best known as a former guitarist for alternative metal band Helmet. He formed his own group, Handsome, in 1995 with former members of Quicksand, Cro-Mags and Murphy's Law. They released one ...
, who was in the New York band
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
from 1989 to 1993.
Mengede was ousted from Helmet by frontman
Page Hamilton
Page Hamilton (born May 18, 1960) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer, mostly noted for his work with alternative metal band Helmet. Most of his work has been in the hard rock and alternative metal styles, though he ...
, due to his dissatisfaction with their songwriting process. Mengede envisioned Handsome as being a band where all members would have an equal say.
[Mengede, Peter. ''BoostingShapes'' podcast, 2019.]
By 1995, Mengede had recruited former
Quicksand
Quicksand is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that los ...
guitarist Tom Capone
and former
Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among t ...
and
Murphy's Law drummer Pete Hines
as well as bassist
Eddie Nappi and
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
native
Jeremy Chatelain.
Regarding who came up with their name, drummer Pete Hines said, "Peter
engededid. Tar from Chicago had an album called ''Handsome'' that he really liked and he thought it was a cool name. I'm psyched about it because all the names from New York are like
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, New York City. The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick ...
,
Biohazard
A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A bioh ...
, all these tough guy kinda names. I mean, New York's known for that, and we wanted to have a little tension
urrounding the name"
After a short tour of the
midwest with
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
, they began recording material with producer
Terry Date
Terry Date (born January 31, 1956) is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in rock genres, especially heavy metal. He is well known for his work with Metal Church, Dream Theater, Soundgarden, Overkill, Pantera, Dark Ang ...
with the album, titled ''
Handsome'', released on February 4, 1997
through
Epic/
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
.
Peter Stepek, 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 ...
gave the album a positive review stating:
In support of the album, Handsome toured with
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got their big bre ...
,
Local H
Local H is an American rock band originally formed by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, bassist Matt Garcia, drummer Joe Daniels, and lead guitarist John Sparkman in Zion, Illinois in 1990. The members all met in high school in 1987 and found ...
and
Less Than Jake in the US,
while they supported
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...
and
Voodoo Glow Skulls
Voodoo Glow Skulls are an American ska punk band formed in 1988 in Riverside, California, by brothers Frank, Eddie, and Jorge Casillas and their longtime friend Jerry O'Neill. Voodoo Glow Skulls first played at backyard parties and later at Spa ...
in Europe.
Prior to their June 1997 shows in Europe, guitarist Capone left the group
and was replaced by former
Electric Love Hogs
Electric Love Hogs were a short-lived American funk rock band formed in San Diego, California in 1991. The band's lineup consisted of John Feldmann (vocals, guitar), Dave Kushner (guitar), Donni Campion (guitar), Kelly LeMieux (bass) and Bobby Hew ...
guitarist
Donni Campion.
In July 1997, the band played select dates at that year's
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
. Following this, Handsome disbanded, with Mengede citing tensions within the band.
They originally signed a three record deal with Epic, and had been working on new material, but were let go from the contract through a clause that had been enacted when Capone left.
Post-breakup
Handsome was Peter Mengede's last musical project in the United States, as he returned to Australia during late 2001, after having lived in New York for 15 years.
He later formed the
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
band El Gordo. Following his departure from the group, Capone worked on numerous projects before forming his own, Adharma, in 2000,
while singer Chatelain joined
Blake Schwarzenbach
Alexander Blake Schwarzenbach (born May 21, 1967) is an American musician. He is the singer and guitarist of Jawbreaker (1986–1996; 2017–present), and was also a member of Jets to Brazil (1997–2003), The Thorns of Life (2008–2009), a ...
's group
Jets to Brazil before going on to join Helmet.
Bassist Eddie Nappi went on to join the
Mark Lanegan Band
while he also worked with
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout mul ...
and former
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle has released four studio albums, the first three during the early 2000s: ...
guitarist
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen (born January 5, 1970) is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist in the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Joining the b ...
in
Enemy
An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...
and is also a member of Van Leeuwen's latest group
Sweethead.
Musical style
Their sound has been compared to
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
and
Far.
Pete Hines stated from the outset that the band knew they wanted "a melodic singer over really heavy music".
Legacy
While Handsome failed to attain commercial success, their 1997 self-titled album has since received praise from contemporary critics.
''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' listed ''Handsome'' as one of the "12 most underrated albums of the '90s",
while ''
Louder Sound
''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 60, ...
'' included them on a list of the "top 50 cult metal bands".
Members
Final lineup
*
Jeremy Chatelain – vocals (1995–1998)
*
Peter Mengede
Peter Mengede (born 1962) is an Australian musician best known as a former guitarist for alternative metal band Helmet. He formed his own group, Handsome, in 1995 with former members of Quicksand, Cro-Mags and Murphy's Law. They released one ...
– guitar (1995–1998)
*
Eddie Nappi – bass (1995–1998)
* Pete Hines – drums (1995–1998)
*
Donni Campion – guitar (1997–1998)
Former members
* Tom Capone – guitar (1995–1997)
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
References
{{Authority control
American post-hardcore musical groups
Musical groups established in 1995
Musical groups disestablished in 1998
Epic Records artists
Alternative metal supergroups