Visqueen is an American

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

/ punk rock band from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, United States, formed in 2001. It is named after a brand of

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging ( plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bo ...

film that United States Secretary of Homeland Security

Tom Ridge Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. ...

once recommended as a defense against

bioterrorism Bioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents. These agents are bacteria, viruses, insects, fungi, and/or toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form, in much the same ...

. The band's original members were singer-songwriter-guitarist Rachel Flotard and drummer Ben Hooker, both formerly of Hafacat; Allan Ross (guitar; left in November 2001), and Kim Warnick, formerly of the

Fastbacks Fastbacks were a Seattle, Washington, punk rock band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist Kurt Bloch (born August 28, 1960), and friends Lulu Gargiulo (guitar and vocals, born October 12, 1960) and Kim Warnick (bass and vocals, born April 7, ...

. Warnick retired at the end of 2004, but Muffs co-founder Ronnie Barnett signed on to play the bass during the band's 2005 tour. Early in 2006, Bill Coury, formerly of Once For Kicks & Sourmash, joined the band as bassist, and later Tom Cummings, formerly of Once For Kicks and Sourmash, joined the band as a second guitarist. Late in 2006, Bill Coury left the band and by spring 2007, Barrett Jones, producer (

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

, The presidents of the United States of America), joined Visqueen as bassist. Their current bassist is Cristina Bautista. Bautista also played bass in Connecticut Four, from Bellingham, Washington, and in 2006 put out a solo EP, ''This Is the Team''. Flotard has performed as backup singer in support of

Neko Case Neko Richelle Case (; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and cri ...

and Jon Rauhouse, a

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...

player and multi-instrumentalist who often tours with Case. Visqueen's third album, ''Message to Garcia'', was released in 2009 on Flotard's own label, Local 638 Records, named for the labor union that Flotard's late father belonged to. Flotard used to write an

advice column An advice column is a column in a question and answer format. Typically, a (usually anonymous) reader writes to the media outlet with a problem in the form of a question, and the media outlet provides an answer or response. The responses are w ...

for Seattle-based online publication

Three Imaginary Girls Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the music of the Pacific Northwest. Self-described as "Seattle's sparkly indie-pop press", since its founding in 2002, the site has featured hundreds of reviews of albums, live music, ...

called "Love Is Hard with Rachel Flotard." Flotard was featured on

Minus the Bear Minus the Bear was an American indie rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2001, and comprising members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. Their sound was described as " Pele-esque guitar-taps and electronics with sophisticated ...

's song "Into the Mirror" from their album '' Omni''. Visqueen played what were announced as their final shows in 2011, with a farewell show at the Neptune Theater in November of that year. On November 28, 2016, after a five-year hiatus, Visqueen reunited as Flotard, Hooker, and Bautista for a live show at the Crocodile Lounge in Seattle as the opening act for X. Visqueen returned once again to play Tractor Tavern on November 17th, SMOOCH Fest on December 3rd, a and The Vera Project on December 9th of 2022.

Discography

*''King Me'', BlueDisguise Records BD002, February 14, 2003 *''Sunset on Dateland'', BlueDisguise Records BD007, September 21, 2004 *''Message to Garcia'', Local 638 Records, September 8, 2009

References

External links

Official websiteNPR: Seattle's Visqueen: "King Me"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Visqueen American power pop groups Punk rock groups from Washington (state) Musical groups from Seattle