Thin Lizard Dawn were a 1990s American

rock group A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

who released two major label albums on

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

in the late 1990s. They are probably most widely known for their first CD release, ''Thin Lizard Dawn'', which was released in 1996, that featured the single "Sexual Dynamo", in addition to the song "Sucks" ridiculing

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

. The band's label however, had difficulty marketing the band and dropped them after the release of their second album.

History

Thin Lizard Dawn was formed in the early 1990s when all four members were students at

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,650 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in one of more than 60 areas of study. History Sk ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, and they later relocated to

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Mike Gagliardi replaced original bassist Ken Fermaglich. The band was signed to

in late 1995, who released two albums. ''Thin Lizard Dawn'' was released in late 1996. It featured the single "Sexual Dynamo", as well as the song "Sucks" ridiculing

. ''Babysue'' reviewed the album and called it "one of the strongest debut discs I have ever heard", and described its sound as "techno-bubblegum," meaning "extremely upbeat and catchy, but the lyrics have an obtuse quality that transcend mere pop." On the other hand,

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

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 ...

gave the album a negative review, that while sometimes the "group makes a hook hit home with their brute force," most of the album "is simply style over substance, and someone else's style, at that."

Allmusic review 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 ...

Retrieved November 14, 2010 Their follow-up album, ''Go'', was released in October 1999, with "Get It" designated as the first single. They disbanded in 2000. Two of the band's songs, "Weed" and "Under the Wing", were used in the 2000 film ''

Cruel Intentions 2 ''Cruel Intentions 2'' (also known as ''Cruel Intentions 2: Manchester Prep'' or simply as ''Manchester Prep'') is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble, starring Robin Dunne, Sarah Thompson, Keri Lynn Pratt, ...

''.

Afterwards

Howie Statland went on to form the band NYC Smoke. Greg Lattimer formed HotSocky. He has also done producing, including the 2006 album Yours to Keep by

Albert Hammond Jr. Albert Hammond Jr. (''born'' Hammond III; born April 9, 1980) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his role as rhythm and lead guitarist, as well as occasional keyboard player and backing vocalist ...

Mike Gagliardi has played bass for ''Davey La'', and has recorded albums as Mikki James.("Yeah, the New York history goes back to... I moved to New York from Connecticut in 1994 or 1995. I moved down to play with Thin Lizard Dawn, thinking that there was already a deal on the table, as so many people usually think, and there wasn't. So I worked for a while and then we got signed to RCA Records. We were with RCA for about six years.") Dave Berk plays multiple instruments and is a music producer, and has led bands that have appeared at the Anguilla and Philippine Jazz Festivals. Original bassist Ken Fermaglich moved into the business side of music, working with The Agency Group in New York.Bio-Ken Fermaglich Senior Vice President
, theagencygroup.com, Retrieved February 26, 2010

Discography

* ''Thin Lizard Dawn'' (1996) :1. What Did I Do :2. Sexual Dynamo :3. Killing Charlie :4. Happy/Loonies :5. Anesthesia :6. Pop Life :7. Say What You Want :8. Weed :9. Space :10. Power Intro :11. Power Ballad :12. Sucks :13. Heavily Addicted * ''Go'' (1999) :1. Get It :2. Summer Song :3. Gettin' a Piece :4. Soda Pop & Lemonade :5. Thrill Ride :6. Sleep :7. Ooh :8. New Kid :9. Kiddies & The Ravers :10. Messages :11. Turn Yourself In :12. Under Dina Vinga (Under the Wing) :13. Passengers on Planet Earth * ''For Faces and Places'' (limited release)

References

External links

* Thin Lizard Dawn on Allmusic.com {{Authority control RCA Records artists