Tar Babies was an American band from

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, United States, that released several albums on

SST Records SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was formed in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Tuners, a small business through which he sold electronics equipm ...

. Critic Steve Huey 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 databas ...

describes them as a minor player on SST, with an intriguing sound rooted in

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

but touching on "bits of

psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and avant-noise skronk" and open-ended jamming reminiscent of George Clinton's

P-Funk Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive ...

groups.

Biography

The Tar Babies formed in the early 1980s. The original line up was Bucky Pope (guitar), Jeremy Davies (vocals), Robin Davies (bass), and Dan Bitney (drums). Jeremy Davies and Dan Bitney had previously played in the hardcore band Mecht Mensch (where Bitney played guitar and Davies played bass), while Bucky Pope and Robin Davies had been members of the Bloody Mattresses. This line up recorded 1983's "Face The Music" and 1985's "Respect Your Nightmares", both of which were released on their own Bone Air Records and were compiled from sessions produced by

Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the drummer and co-producer of the alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of the diamond-selling Nirvana album ''Neve ...

and

Bob Mould Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s. Early years Born in Malone, ...

. In 1987, the group recorded "Fried Milk", their first release for SST Records. By this time, Jeremy Davies had left the band and vocals were handled by Bucky, Dan and Robin. 1988's "No Contest" and 1989's "Honey Bubble" showed an increasing funk influence and included Tony Jarvis on saxophone. Robin Davies left the group between the two albums and was replaced by Steve Lewis. The Tar Babies split after "Honey Bubble" but in 1992 Pope, Bitney, and Lewis regrouped with 2nd guitarist Bobby Vienneau released "Death Trip" on the German label Sonic Noise. They split for good afterwards. In the early 2000s, Bucky Pope and Robin Davies reunited under the moniker the Bar Tabbies. Dan Bitney has been a longtime member of Chicago's

Tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

. Bucky Pope's current band (circa 2014) is Negative Example.

Discography

*''Face The Music'' 12" EP (Bone Air, 1983) *''Respect Your Nightmares'' 12" EP (Bone Air, 1985) *''Fried Milk'' LP (SST Records, 1987) *''No Contest'' LP (SST Records, 1988) *''Honey Bubble'' LP (SST Records, 1989) *''Death Trip'' LP (Sonic Noise, 1992) *''Face The Music/Respect Your Nightmares'' CD compilation (Lexicon Devil, 2005)

Members

Final Line Up

*Bucky Pope - Vocals, Guitar *Bobby Vienneau - Guitar *Steve Lewis - Bass * Dan Bitney - Drums

Former Members

*Jeremy Davies - Vocals *Robin Davies - Bass, Vocals *Tony Jarvis - Saxophone

References

External links

Tar Babies
Band Site
discography
at music.aol.com * *Coley, Byron
Tar Babies
, ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' Punk rock groups from Wisconsin Musical groups established in 1982 {{US-indie-rock-band-stub