Wckr Spgt is an American musical band, that formed in 1981 in
Claremont Claremont may refer to:
Places Australia
*Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland
* Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart
* Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth
** Claremont Football Club, West Australian Footba ...
, California. With influences that include
dadaism
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Paris ...
and
punk rock, they were part of an early movement focused primarily on
experimental home recording and
cassette culture
The cassette culture (also known as the tape/cassette scene or cassette underground) refers to the practices associated with amateur production and distribution of music and sound art on compact cassette that emerged in the mid-1970s. The cassett ...
in the Pomona Valley at that time. The band consists of Joel Huschle, Mark Givens, and Dave Carpenter and, over the years, several guest musicians and artists, notably
John Darnielle
John Darnielle (; born March 16, 1967) is an American musician and novelist best known as the primary, and originally sole, member of the American band the Mountain Goats, for which he is the writer, composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist.
...
of
The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the ...
, Ian Carlson of
The Desperation Squad, and the members of
Nothing Painted Blue
Nothing Painted Blue was an American indie rock band led by songwriter Franklin Bruno since the 1990s. Bruno and drummer Kyle Brodie have been the only constant members as the remainder of the line-up has undergone a number of changes throughout ...
(
Franklin Bruno
Franklin Bruno (born December 29, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, academic and writer originally from Upland, California. He has been a member of Nothing Painted Blue since its inception in 1986.
Bruno has written music criticism for on ...
, Kyle Brodie, and
Peter Hughes).
Early
audio cassette
The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Otten ...
s were distributed throughout the
Pomona Valley
The Pomona Valley is located in the Greater Los Angeles Area between the San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino Valley in Southern California. The valley is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
On March 1, 1893 the California A ...
at local music stores. In the 1990s the record label
Shrimper distributed Wckr Spgt recordings including 1997's ''Everybody's Dead (Oh, No)''. Their solitary 7-inch EP 'Cream' (1993) came in a limited edition of 450 in a hand-drawn sleeve sprinkled with glitter.
The Wckr Spgt
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
''Bug-Free America'' was expected in 2006, but has yet to debut.
Discography
Shrimper Records
* ''5 Years (Aloha)'' (Shrimper Cassette)
* ''Drops Of Love'' (Shrimper Cassette)
* ''The Charles Mansion'' (Shrimper Cassette)
* ''Dance 'Til You Stop'' (Shrimper Cassette)
* ''Who Will Die'' (Shrimper Cassette)
* ''CRTV'' (Shrimper Cassette)
* ''Everybody's Dead (Oh, No)'' (Shrimper CD)
* ''Cream'' (Shrimper 7-inch)
JUPA Records
* ''(4 song) EP'' (JUPA 003)
* ''Fortune Came Today'' (JUPA 006)
External links
The Wckr Spgt web siteHosts the band's entire catalog in
mp3 format
American experimental musical groups
Musical groups established in 1981
Shrimper Records artists
Cassette culture 1970s–1990s
{{US-experimental-band-stub