Squirtgun is an American
punk rock band from
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...
formed by record producer
Mass Giorgini
Massimiliano Adelmo Giorgini (born 1968) is an American bassist and record producer who rose to fame when several of the bands he produced experienced huge gains in popularity during the pop-punk boom of the mid-'90s. Among these bands was Giorg ...
in 1993.
History
1993–1998
Squirtgun originally consisted of
Mass Giorgini
Massimiliano Adelmo Giorgini (born 1968) is an American bassist and record producer who rose to fame when several of the bands he produced experienced huge gains in popularity during the pop-punk boom of the mid-'90s. Among these bands was Giorg ...
(Bass, Vocals), Matt Hart (Vocals, Guitar), Flav Giorgini (Guitar), and Dan Lumley (Drums), growing out of previous West Lafayette, IN bands Rattail Grenadier and Teeth and the Man.
The band signed to
Lookout! Records
Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California and later in Berkeley, California, Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having ...
and their first release was the EP Shenanigans, in the Spring of 1995, followed by their self-titled debut album that fall.
Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for ...
of
Green Day, recommended Squirtgun to Jeff Saltzman, the music advisor for the then-upcoming
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...
film ''
Mallrats
''Mallrats'' is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, Joey Lauren Adams, Michael Rooker, and Smith as Silent Bob. ...
''. Squirtgun's song "Social" was featured in the opening credits of ''Mallrats'' and appeared on the film's soundtrack.
In 1996 the band released their second EP, ''
Mary Ann'', a tribute to the character from
Gilligan's Island. A video was filmed for the title track, and featured an appearance from Mary Ann herself, actress
Dawn Wells. The video was released in the Spring of 1997 and shown on
MTV's
120 Minutes and put into regular rotation on
MTV2.
Squirtgun's second full-length, ''Another Sunny Afternoon'', was also released in the Spring of '97. Several songs from Another Sunny Afternoon were featured in major motion pictures and TV shows, including "Come On Let's Go" in
The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave, "You're the Greatest" on Fox Television Network's
Clueless
''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert ...
sitcom, "My Jeannette" in the Disney film
My Date with the President's Daughter
''My Date with the President's Daughter'' is a 1998 American made-for-television romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Television and premiered as part of ABC's revival of ''The Wonderful World of Disney''. It was shot in various locatio ...
and "Hey Louise" in the Disney film
Alley Cats Strike
''Alley Cats Strike'' is a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on March 18, 2000. Directed by Rod Daniel, it stars Kyle Schmid, Robert Ri'chard, and Kaley Cuoco.
Plot
A junior high school basketball game between the cities of East Ap ...
.
Hiatus
In fall 1998, Squirtgun went on a hiatus in order to pursue other interests and other band projects.
Mass and Dan joined
Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums). Screeching Weasel is originally from the Chicago subur ...
, recording the albums ''
Major Label Debut :''"Major Label Debut" is also a song by Broken Social Scene''
''Major Label Debut'' is the tenth EP by Chicago punk rock band Screeching Weasel. Despite the name, the E.P. was the first release on Panic Button Records, an independent record ...
'', ''
Television City Dream'', ''
Emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
'', and ''
Teen Punks In Heat
''Teen Punks in Heat'' is the eleventh studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in September 2000 through Panic Button Records. Though receiving mixed reviews from national critics, it was championed upon i ...
''. The two also formed
Common Rider
Common Rider was an American ska punk band, formed in 1999 by Jesse Michaels (guitar, vocals), Mass Giorgini (bass) and Dan Lumley (drums). The band's name is taken from a Japanese TV show, ''Kamen Rider'' (Kamen Rider means "Masked Rider" in Ja ...
with singer/guitarist
Jesse Michaels
Jesse Michaels (born 1969) is an American songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, artist, and author from Berkeley, California. His lyrics deal with politics, racism, and general social issues. He is most well known as the vocalist for the ska punk ba ...
(formerly of
Operation Ivy), releasing two full-length albums, the self-titled and ''
This is Unity Music'' and touring extensively in 2002. Dan also drummed on albums by the
Mopes,
The Methadones,
The Riverdales,
The Riptides
The Riptides were an Australian power pop group which was formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1977 as The Grudge. Their founding mainstay was Mark Callaghan on lead vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar and as principal songwriter. Former member M ...
, and
Even In Blackouts.
While Mass is primarily known for having founded Sonic Iguana Studios and for his production career, having produced music for
Rise Against,
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals).
Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
,
Anti-Flag,
the Smugglers and many other punk bands, he is also an accomplished academician. Mass earned a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature with a focus on the Golden Age from Purdue University and has appeared at numerous academic conferences and published book chapters and articles in literary and scholarly journals. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Purdue University in Italian, Spanish, and Theatre, and was also an assistant professor of Humanities at Ivy Tech Community College in Lafayette, Indiana. Mass continues to produce and master albums for several international recording artists.
Matt received his
MFA in creative writing and began teaching in the Academic Studies Department at the
Art Academy of Cincinnati
The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design in Cincinnati, Ohio, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. It was founded as the McMicken School of Design in 1869, and was a department of the U ...
, a four-year college of Art and Design, and has since been promoted to head of their Liberal Arts department. His poems and reviews have been published in numerous literary journals, including ''Conduit'', ''Ploughshares'', and ''Spinning Jenny''. He is the editor of ''Forklift, Ohio: A Journal of Poetry, Cooking & Light Industrial Safety''.
Flav also took an academic route, earning a Ph.D. degree in molecular genetics and publishing manuscripts in several respected scientific journals, including Development and Molecular and Cellular Biology. He also founded guitarpunk.com and the GPC guitar company, designing original guitars used by bands such as
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals).
Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
,
Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums). Screeching Weasel is originally from the Chicago subur ...
,
The Queers
The Queers are an American punk rock band, formed in 1981 by the Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joseph “Joe” P. King (a.k.a. Joe Queer) along with Scott Gildersleeve (a.k.a. Tulu), and John “Jack” Hayes (a.k.a. Wimpy Rutherford). With ...
,
Allister
Allister is an American pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1994 when the original band members were still in high school, and was originally named Phineas Gage. In 1998 Allister became one of the first bands to sign ...
and many more.
Dan Lumley was a founding member of Squirtgun, and also spent several years working as a drum tech and editing engineer at Sonic Iguana Studios, assisting on albums by bands such as
Rise Against,
Anti-Flag and
The Queers
The Queers are an American punk rock band, formed in 1981 by the Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joseph “Joe” P. King (a.k.a. Joe Queer) along with Scott Gildersleeve (a.k.a. Tulu), and John “Jack” Hayes (a.k.a. Wimpy Rutherford). With ...
, all for which he also performed at some point in some musical capacity. Lumley has also been a member of
Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums). Screeching Weasel is originally from the Chicago subur ...
,
the Riverdales,
the Methadones,
the Mopes
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
,
The Riptides
The Riptides were an Australian power pop group which was formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1977 as The Grudge. Their founding mainstay was Mark Callaghan on lead vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar and as principal songwriter. Former member M ...
, and
Torture the Artist.
Zac Damon has performed with Squirtgun since 1995, when he toured as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist immediately following the release of the band's debut Lookout Records album. Damon has regularly participated in touring and recording with Squirtgun, performing with the band extensively across the United States and Europe. Damon also wrote a pair of songs recorded by the band: "Dysfynctional," which appeared on the Squirtgun/
Teen Idols
The Teen Idols were a pop punk band originally from Nashville, Tennessee. They were formed in 1992 by Phillip Hill and originally broke up in 2003. The band reunited in 2008 in Chicago, Illinois, with a retooled lineup before breaking up again i ...
split EP "The Dysfunctional Shadowman," and "Trial and Error," which appeared on the album "Fade to Bright." Damon is also in the current lineup of Squirtgun, which most recently performed at the Lookouting Festival at 924 Gilman in Berkeley, California on January 7, 2017.
Dan Panic
Dan Sullivan, also known as Dan Panic or Danny Panic, is an American punk rock drummer from Chicago, Illinois.
Career
Dan Sullivan began his musical career with Ivy League, a quartet from Chicago's western suburbs who released one 7" EP in 19 ...
joined Squirtgun as drummer in late 2016, first performing with the band on January 6, 2017 in Reno, NV, and again the subsequent day in Berkeley at the Lookouting Festival at 924 Gilman in Berkeley, CA. Panic first met Mass Giorgini in December 1991, while Rattail Grenadier and Screeching Weasel played some tour dates together. Mass later produced nine albums on which Panic performed, including albums for
Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums). Screeching Weasel is originally from the Chicago subur ...
,
Riverdales, the Queers
The Queers are an American punk rock band, formed in 1981 by the Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joseph “Joe” P. King (a.k.a. Joe Queer) along with Scott Gildersleeve (a.k.a. Tulu), and John “Jack” Hayes (a.k.a. Wimpy Rutherford). With ...
, and
the Groovie Ghoulies
The Groovie Ghoulies were an American pop punk band from Sacramento, California, United States, whose music took inspiration from horror movies. They released numerous albums, EPs, and singles, and toured internationally. The band's name was ...
. Beyond these bands, Panic has also played in
Pansy Division
Pansy Division is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, United States, in 1991 by singer-songwriter Jon Ginoli and bassist Chris Freeman.
Conceived as the first openly gay rock band featuring predominantly gay musicians, P ...
,
the Avengers, Common Rider, the Plus Ones, and
Beulah, with which he appeared on the Conan O'Brien Show.
Matt Leonard (The Phuzz, The Maxies) was a member with Squirtgun from 1996 to 1998. He played guitar and
sang lead vocals on two songs on Squirtgun's ''Another Sunny Afternoon'' album. Leonard penned the two songs he sung on the album, "Hey Louise" and "My Jeannette." Both of these songs were included in Disney films: the former in "My Date With The Presidents Daughter" and the latter in "Alley Cats Strike". He added backing vocals and guitar on four songs during the sessions for the ''Mary Ann'' and ''White Christmas'' EPs. Leonard also played guitar and performed lead vocals while touring. Leonard is now the lead singer of pop punk band The Maxies (Its Alive Records, RockRidge/Warner Bros.)
2001–2004
In the summer of 2001, Squirtgun regrouped and began work on the album Fade To Bright, for
Honest Don's Records
Honest Don's Records was a subsidiary label based in San Francisco, California, set up along with Pink & Black Records by Fat Wreck Chords to release material by bands that didn't fit within the roster at Fat.
The label ceased trading around 2 ...
. Fade To Bright was released in Summer 2003, supported by a US tour. In the Fall of 2003, legendary punk rock drummer
Mike Felumlee (
Smoking Popes
Smoking Popes is an American pop punk band from the northwest suburbs of Chicago. They are composed of brothers Matt Caterer (bass), Josh Caterer (lead vocals/guitar) and Eli Caterer (guitar/backing vocals) and Mike Felumlee (drums).
History
...
,
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals).
Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
) replaced Dan on drums, and Squirtgun hit the road with
The Ataris
The Ataris are an American punk rock band from Anderson, Indiana. Formed in 1996, they released five studio albums between 1997 and 2007. Their best-selling album is ''So Long, Astoria'' (2003), which was certified gold. Their high-charting s ...
,
Hopesfall
Hopesfall is an American post-hardcore band from Charlotte, North Carolina, formed in 1998. They are currently signed to Equal Vision Records. The band dissolved in 2008 after all members, with the exception of singer Jay Forrest, left the band ...
, and
Planes Mistaken for Stars.
Also, in 2003 Squirtgun recorded "Make it wreck", a song with the contribution of the vocalist of Anti-Flag, Geovanny Duran (the vocalist of El Guato, a ska/punk Costa Rican band), and two more important punk rockers. In the spring of 2004, Squirtgun toured the U.K.
2008–present
Squirtgun played their first show in almost 4 years in their hometown of Lafayette on February 9, 2008 at 'The Venue'. Over 400 people attended the show, however, almost 600 showed up for the performance; the owners were forced to prevent a large number of people from entering the business because the building was far beyond its safe capacity. It was a benefit show for the local
YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
, featuring the band's original line up, and the concert was recorded and released as a live album titled ''Broadcast 02.09.08'', released by
Go Kart Records
Go-Kart Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock located in New York City that was most active from 1995 to 2005. It also has a European division in Mannheim, Germany.
History
In its May 1999 issue, '' Guitar World'' ...
in December 2008. Squirtgun also appeared at the 2009
Insubordination Fest
Insubordination Fest was an American annual punk rock music festival held in Baltimore, Maryland, that usually took place over three days, in late June.
The festival started in 2006 as a tenth-anniversary showcase for Insubordination Records, ...
in Baltimore and played shows with the Teen Idols and 88 Fingers Louie in Chicago and Lafayette, IN. A European tour followed in July 2009, with shows in England, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, and France.
Members
Current members
* Zac Damon - lead vocals, guitar
*
Mass Giorgini
Massimiliano Adelmo Giorgini (born 1968) is an American bassist and record producer who rose to fame when several of the bands he produced experienced huge gains in popularity during the pop-punk boom of the mid-'90s. Among these bands was Giorg ...
- vocals, bass
* Kevin Sierzega - vocals
*
Dan Panic
Dan Sullivan, also known as Dan Panic or Danny Panic, is an American punk rock drummer from Chicago, Illinois.
Career
Dan Sullivan began his musical career with Ivy League, a quartet from Chicago's western suburbs who released one 7" EP in 19 ...
- drums
Former members
* Matt Hart - lead vocals, guitar
* Flav Giorgini - guitar
* Matt Leonard - lead vocals, guitar
* Dan Lumley - drums
*
Mike Felumlee - drums
Discography
Albums
* ''
Squirtgun'' (Lookout! Records)
* ''
Another Sunny Afternoon'' (Lookout! Records)
* ''
Fade to Bright'' (Honest Don's/Fat Wreck Chords)
* ''Broadcast 02.09.08'' (Kid Tested/Go-Kart Records)
EPs and Singles
* ''
Shenanigans'' EP (1995) (Lookout! Records)
* ''Blue Christmas'' Single (1995) (Sonic Iguana Records)
* ''Mary Ann'' EP (1996) (Lookout! Records)
* ''White Christmas'' Single (1997) (Sonic Iguana Records)
* ''Jingle-Bell Rock'' Single (1999) (Interpunk Records)
* ''Live in Italy'' Split Single with the Real Swinger (2000) (Ballroom Blitz Records)
* ''The Dysfunctional Shadowman'' Split EP with Teen Idols (2002) (Asian Man Records)
References
External links
Official Squirtgun website
{{Authority control
Punk rock groups from Indiana
Musical groups established in 1993
Asian Man Records artists