Harvey Milk is an American

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extre ...

band that formed in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

, in the early 1990s. While Harvey Milk invariably draws comparisons to the Melvins, due to their penchant for slow, heavy

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

s, the band has touched upon such artists as

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sou ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

, and

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

as influences in their music. They even went so far as to perform a live show consisting of nothing but Hank Williams covers. One

April Fool's Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which ma ...

gig at the 40 Watt in Athens, they performed

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

's ''Reckoning'' album from beginning to end, while

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Pos ...

was in attendance.

History

Harvey Milk formed in 1992, naming themselves after

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in ...

, the first

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

politician elected in a major U.S. city. Originally a trio of Creston Spiers, Stephen Tanner, and Paul Trudeau, the band released one album, '' My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment of What My Love Could Be'', before Trudeau left in 1996. They disbanded in 1998 but reformed in 2006. On June 3, 2008, Harvey Milk released '' Life... The Best Game in Town''. The band toured the eastern and southern US as well as Germany, England, Belgium, France and Scotland during the Summer of 2008. ''Life... The Best Game in Town'' was voted as the best album of 2008 in ''

Rock-A-Rolla ''Rock-A-Rolla'' was a music magazine covering experimental, avant-garde, noise and metal artists pushing the boundaries of music. Launched in late 2005, it was published bi-monthly in the UK by V-Squared Publishing Limited and distributed worl ...

'' magazine writer's poll, although guitarist/vocalist Creston Spiers sees it as the band's worst album.Ayers, Chri
Conversations: Harvey Milk
at '' Exclaim!'' March 2010.

Personnel

* Creston Spiers –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

(1992–present) * Stephen Tanner –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

(1992–present) * Kyle Spence – drums (1996-1998, 2007–present) * Paul Trudeau – drums (1992–1996, 2006-2007) * Joe Preston –

(2008)

Timeline

Discography

;Studio albums *''My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment of What My Love Could Be'' (1994, CD on Yesha/Reissue CD on Relapse 2007) *'' Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men'' (1997, LP on Reproductive, CD on Tumult Records/Reissue CD on Relapse 2007/Reissue LP on Chunklet 2008 (Reissue used original sleeves, but vinyl was pressed on 180 gram audiophile vinyl)) *''The Pleaser'' (1997, CD on Reproductive/Reissue CD on Relapse 2007/LP on Chunklet 2008) *''Special Wishes'' (2006, LP & CD on Megablade Records) *''Life... The Best Game in Town'' (2008, CD / 2009, LP on Hydrahead) *''S/T - The Bob Weston Sessions'' (2009, 300 LP Limited Run on Hydra Head for summer tour with Torche /2010 Remastered CD on Hydrahead) *''Live at Supersonic'' (2010, LP on Capsule) *''A Small Turn of Human Kindness'' (2010, CD on Hydrahead) ;Compilation albums *''The Singles'' (CD 2003) *''The Kelly Sessions'' (CD 2004) ;Singles *''I Do Not Know How To Live My Life'' (7" 1995) *''I've Got A Love'' (7" 2006) *''Hayride/Harvey Milk: F*#k You Guys'' (7" 2006) *''Harvey Milk/Wildildlife: In The Ground/Stormbringer'' (7" 2009)

DVDs

*''Anthem'' (CD+DVD 2006, 2xDVD 2009)

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey Milk American noise rock music groups American experimental rock groups American sludge metal musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups reestablished in 2006 Musical quintets Tumult Records artists