Tripping Daisy is a

neo-psychedelic Neo-psychedelia is a diverse genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the sounds of 1960s psychedelia, either updating or copying the approaches from that era. Originating in the 1970s, it has occasionally seen mainstream pop su ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band that was formed in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, by lead singer/guitarist

Tim DeLaughter Tim DeLaughter (born November 18, 1965) is an American rock musician. He is the frontman of the bands Tripping Daisy, The Polyphonic Spree, and Preteen Zenith. At the 61st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, DeLaughter was nominated for Ou ...

in 1990 along with Jeff Bouck (drums), Wes Berggren (guitar) and

Mark Pirro Mark Pirro (born July 1, 1970) is an American musician (bass guitar), audio engineer, and record producer based in Dallas, Texas. He is a founding member of Tripping Daisy, an alternative rock band that was active from 1991 to 1999. He is an ori ...

(bass). The group disbanded in 1999 following the sudden death of Berggren. The remaining members reformed in 2017 for a reunion performance at the Homegrown Festival in Dallas, following which they played a number of concerts in Texas during 2017 and 2019.

History

First album

After playing local gigs, the band released their first single, "Lost and Found", which received moderate airplay on local radio station

KDGE KDGE () is a commercial radio station licensed to both Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, and broadcasts a mainstream adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and Decem ...

. The band incorporated a light show similar to

The Joshua Light Show The Joshua Light Show, created by Joshua White, was a liquid light show. It was known for its psychedelic art and served as a lighting backdrop behind many live band performances during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Joshua White studied elect ...

at the

Fillmore East The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the (at the time) Lower East Side neighborhood, now called the East Village neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan of New York City. I ...

. It used effects such as hand made slide shows with multi layered 16 mm projections along with oil and water. This visual attention was present in their very first show and was the beginning of many multimedia attractions to come. The band soon began recording what would become their first full-length album, ''

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

'', released on the independent label Dragon Street Records. The album was a favorite on Dallas radio. The sound on ''Bill'' is characterized by the heavy use of vocal effects and unconventional riffs, both of which lend to a

sound. ''Bill'' was re-released on major label

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

, with a different mix and mastering from the Dragon Street version. It also excludes the cover song "Green Tamborine". In 1992 Bryan Wakeland replaced Jeff Bouck as the band's drummer. The band released a live album in 1994 titled ''Get It On''. The album closes with a cover of the

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...

song " We're Only Gonna Die". DeLaughter has been noted as saying in 1990s era interviews that the record label pushed the live album out to capitalize on the popularity of ''Bill'', and it is not one of his favorite albums.

Commercial breakthrough

After signing a deal with

, which re-released Bill (minus the cover song "Green Tambourine"), the band recorded their first major-label release, ''

I Am an Elastic Firecracker ''I Am an Elastic Firecracker'' (stylized as ''i am an ELASTIC FIRECRACKER'') is the second studio album by Tripping Daisy, released on June 20, 1995, through Island Records. It is the band's major label debut, and was produced by Ted Niceley. I ...

''. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song " I Got a Girl" received extended airplay on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. A segment of the video was used in a ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...

'' episode, a show known to lampoon popular music videos of the time. Wakeland remained in the band until after the tour for ''I Am an Elastic Firecracker'' when he chose to leave, and was replaced by Mitch Marine and Cory Lemons. Phil Karnats joined the band on lead guitar soon after Wakeland's departure, allowing DeLaughter more freedom to focus on lead vocal duty.

Later albums

The band's third album, ''

Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb ''Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb'' is the third studio album by American Rock music, rock band Tripping Daisy, released on July 7, 1998, through Island Records. It was the band's first album to be recorded with guitarist Phil Karnats and drummer ...

'', was a mix of both creativity and experimentalism. DeLaughter has been quoted as saying that the album "is the band at their best". The album has a fragmented style: from one vignette to another. Marine toured with the band until he was replaced by Ben Curtis, who drummed on ''Jesus Hit Like the Atom Bomb'' and their fourth album, the self-titled ''Tripping Daisy''. Other releases during this period include ''Time Capsule'' (a mix of old demos, b-sides, and one new song – the only officially released studio recording to feature drummer Mitch Marine) and ''The Tops Off Our Heads'' (an impromptu "jam" EP recording that marked the band's first post-major label release).

Death of Wes Berggren and split

Wes Berggren was found dead of a drug overdose in his apartment on October 27, 1999. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office found traces of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

propoxyphene Dextropropoxyphene is an analgesic in the opioid category, patented in 1955 and manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company. It is an optical isomer of levopropoxyphene. It is intended to treat mild pain and also has antitussive (cough suppressant) ...

, and

benzodiazepine Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), sometimes called "benzos", are a class of depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, ...

in his body. With Berggren's death, the band cancelled its upcoming tour dates and finished some minor recording sessions for the final album. The self-titled album was released posthumously, with Berggren's father Don playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano on the unfinished song "Soothing Jubilee". The album included a re-recording of "One Through Four", a song originally featured on ''Bill''. Tripping Daisy officially disbanded on December 14, 1999. After the band disbanded, Tim DeLaughter, Mark Pirro, Bryan Wakeland and Jeff Bouck formed the

chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of string section, strings, horn section, horns, piano, and voca ...

group

The Polyphonic Spree The Polyphonic Spree is an American choral rock band from Dallas, Texas that was formed in 2000 by singer/songwriter Tim DeLaughter. The band's pop and rock songs are augmented by a large vocal choir, and instruments such as flute, trumpet, fre ...

. Ben Curtis went on to join brother Brandon Curtis in the progressive

space rock Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...

trio called

The Secret Machines Secret Machines are an American alternative rock band, originally from Dallas, Texas, United States, before moving to New York City. The original lineup consisted of two brothers, Brandon (vocals, bass guitar and keyboards) and Benjamin Curtis ...

and later, the

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

trio

School of Seven Bells School of Seven Bells (often stylized as SVIIB) was an American indie rock band from New York City, formed in 2007. It originally consisted of Alejandra Deheza (vocals, guitar), her sister Claudia Deheza (keyboards, vocals) and Benjamin Curtis ...

. Curtis died on December 29, 2013, from complications of lymphoma.

Reunion

On January 5, 2017, the band's official

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page teased a possible reunion event. News later confirmed the remaining members would perform at the Homegrown Festival in Dallas on May 13, 2017. On March 9, 2017, they announced four additional Texas dates, making it the first Tripping Daisy tour in nearly twenty years. Christopher Penn announced during Homegrown Fest 8 in Dallas, Texas, on May 13, 2017, that Tripping Daisy would be recording a live album during a concert July 7, 2017, during the NYTEX Summer Concert Series at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas. The band went idle again until reuniting in 2019 for the 10th Homegrown Festival.

Band members

;Current members *

– lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, Appalachian dulcimer, Califone (1990–1999, 2017–present) *

– bass guitar, backing vocals, percussion (1990–1999, 2017–present) *Bryan Wakeland – drums (1992–1995, 2017–present) *Philip Karnats – guitar, backing vocals, trumpet, banjo (1997–1999, 2017–present) *

Brandon Curtis Brandon Curtis is the vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist in the space rock band The Secret Machines. Originally from Norman, Oklahoma, he was friends with members of The Flaming Lips, The Chainsaw Kittens and Tripping Daisy. Brandon and his broth ...

– keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (2017–present) *Nick Earl – guitar, backing vocals, samples (2017–present) ;Touring substitutes *Cory Lemons – drums (1995–1996) *Robert Hubbard – drums (1997–1999) ;Former members * Wes Berggren – lead guitar, keyboards, Mellotron, Ace Tone, cello (1990–1999; died 1999) *Jeff Bouck – drums (1990–1992) *Mitch Marine – drums (1995–1997) * Ben Curtis – drums (1997–1999; died 2013) ;Recording personnel *Matt Gililland – assistant engineer (1992–1996)

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (1992) * ''

'' (1995) – US #95, NZ #43, UK #140UK chart peaks: *Top 100 peaks: *Top 200 peaks from November 1994 to December 2010: * ''

'' (1998) * ''

Tripping Daisy Tripping Daisy is a Neo-psychedelia, neo-psychedelic pop rock band that was formed in Dallas, Texas, by lead singer/guitarist Tim DeLaughter in 1990 along with Jeff Bouck (drums), Wes Berggren (guitar) and Mark Pirro (bass). The group disband ...

'' (2000)

EPs

*''Tripping Daisy'' – the shoe demo cassette *''Hook Music: Vol 1'' – fan club only cassette *''Get It On – Live'' (1994) *''Time Capsule'' (1997) *''The Tops Off Our Head'' (1999)

Singles

References

External links

* {{Authority control Alternative rock groups from Texas Musical groups disestablished in 1999 Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups from Dallas Grunge musical groups 1991 establishments in Texas Neo-psychedelia groups Musical groups reestablished in 2017