Gossip (or the Gossip) is an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band from

Searcy, Arkansas Searcy ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,767. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statisti ...

, formed in 1999. For most of their career, the band has consisted of singer

Beth Ditto Mary Beth Patterson (born February 19, 1981), known by her stage name Beth Ditto, is an American singer and songwriter most notable for her work with the indie rock band Gossip. Her voice has been compared to Etta James, Janis Joplin and Tina ...

, multi-instrumentalist Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell, and drummer

Hannah Blilie Hannah Blilie is an American musician who is the drummer of the American band Gossip (band), Gossip and formerly Chanti Darling and Shoplifting (band), Shoplifting. She has also performed with Sarah Dougher, Chromatics (band), Chromatics, Stilett ...

. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, '' Standing in the Way of Control''. A follow-up, '' Music for Men'', was released in 2009. The band played a mix of

post-punk revival Post-punk revival (also known as indie rock revival) is a Music genre, subgenre or movement of indie rock that emerged in the early 2000s as a stripped-down and back-to-basics version of Guitar-rock, guitar rock inspired by the original sounds a ...

, and

dance-rock Dance-rock is a dance- infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and dis ...

. Their fifth album, ''

A Joyful Noise ''A Joyful Noise'' is a musical theatre, musical with a script by Edward Padula and music and lyrics by Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau. The 1966 Broadway theatre, Broadway production was a flop but introduced choreographer Michael Bennett (theater ...

'', was released in May 2012. They disbanded in 2016 but reformed to embark on an anniversary tour for ''Music for Men'' in 2019 and released the album ''

Real Power In an electric circuit, instantaneous power is the time rate of flow of energy past a given point of the circuit. In alternating current circuits, energy storage elements such as inductors and capacitors may result in periodic reversals of the ...

'' in 2024.

History

Formation and early history

Gossip was formed in 1999 in

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. It had a population of 55,605 at the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington's 23rd-most populous city. Olympia is the county seat of Thurston County, and the central city ...

, by vocalist

, guitarist Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell, and drummer Kathy Mendonça. All three were originally from

; Mendonça moved to Olympia to attend

Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Founded in 1967, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a ...

and Howdeshell and Ditto followed. Howdeshell and Mendonça had been in bands together in Arkansas. Gossip coalesced when the three members were roommates in Olympia. In 1999, the

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent mu ...

released Gossip's first recording, their debut EP ''The Gossip'', to coincide with the band's tour with

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member Janet We ...

. Gossip played at the first

Ladyfest Ladyfest is a community-based, not-for-profit global music and arts festival for feminist and women artists. Individual Ladyfests differ, but usually feature a combination of bands, musical groups, performance artists, authors, spoken word an ...

in Olympia in August 2000 and was included in ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine's article on the festival. Their next record was the debut studio album ''

That's Not What I Heard ''That's Not What I Heard'' is the debut studio album by the American garage rock band Gossip (under their old name ''The'' Gossip), it was released on January 23, 2001. Track listing # "Swing Low" – 1:18 # "Got All This Waiting" – 1:47 # ...

'', released by the label

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in February 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but it was orig ...

on January 23, 2001. They followed it with the EP ''Arkansas Heat'' on May 7, 2002. '' Movement'', their second studio album, was released on May 6, 2003. In November 2003, two months after the release of their first live album ''

Undead in NYC ''Undead in NYC'' is a live album by American indie rock band Gossip (under their old name ''The'' Gossip), it was released on September 9, 2003. Track listing # "All This Waiting" – 2:08 # "Non Non Non" – 3:20 # "Don't (Make Waves)" – 2: ...

'' on September 9, drummer Kathy Mendonça left the band to pursue a career as a

midwife A midwife (: midwives) is a health professional who cares for mothers and Infant, newborns around childbirth, a specialisation known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughou ...

. Established punk drummer

joined to replace her. The band then dropped "the" from their name, continuing as "Gossip". The first release featuring new drummer Hannah Blilie was the band's next album, '' Standing in the Way of Control''. It was released on January 24, 2006, on Kill Rock Stars and later in 2006 on UK independent label Back Yard Recordings. The record was produced by

Ryan Hadlock Ryan Hadlock (born 1978) is an American record producer, best known for his production work on platinum-selling album '' The Lumineers'' by The Lumineers. Career Hadlock has been around music his entire life, as his parents Joe and Manny Hadl ...

, owner of

Bear Creek Studio Bear Creek Studio is a residential recording studio located in a barn on a 10 acre farm in Woodinville, Washington. A number of notable artists have recorded at the studio since its establishment in 1977, including: Brandi Carlile, Train (band), ...

, and

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They were noted for their style-transc ...

singer/guitarist

Guy Picciotto Guy Picciotto ( ; born September 17, 1965) is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer from Washington, D.C. He is best known as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist in Fugazi and as lead vocalist of Rites of Spring. Career Rites ...

2007–2011: Mainstream success and moving to a major label

The album ''Standing in the Way of Control'' has earned Gold Record Status in the UK. Gossip's first UK TV appearance was on BBC1's ''

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2010. The programme featured Ross' take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews (usually three per show ...

'', where they performed the title track " Standing in the Way of Control". As reported on ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' in March 2007, the group signed to Music With a Twist, a subsidiary of Sony Music Label Group, concentrating on

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

music acts. During the summer of 2007, Gossip was a part of the multi-artist

True Colors Tour 2007 True Colors was an annual music event created by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. The concerts were headlined by Lauper and featured various music and comedy acts. Beginning in 2007, the trek supported the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG and ...

, which traveled through 15 cities in the United States and Canada. Hosted by comedian

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and musician. In her Stand-up comedy, stand-up routines she critiques social and political problems, especially about race and sexuality. She starred in the Ame ...

and headlined by

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

, the tour also included

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...

Erasure Erasure may refer to: Arts and media * Erasure (duo), an English pop group * ''Erasure'' (album), 1995, by the British group Erasure * Erasure poetry, a form of found poetry created by erasing words from an existing text * ''Erasure'' (novel), ...

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

The Dresden Dolls The Dresden Dolls is an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer (lead vocals and piano; additional: keyboards, harmonica, ukulele) and Brian Viglione (drums and backing vocals; add ...

, The MisShapes,

The Cliks The Cliks are a Canadian rock band consisting of Lucas Silveira (vocalist/guitarist), with rotating members. The Cliks' major label debut album, '' Snakehouse'' was released on April 24, 2007 by Warner Music in Canada and by Tommy Boy Records i ...

, and special guests. Profits from the tour went to benefit the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...

. Gossip is based in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and has played with bands such as

Le Tigre Le Tigre (, ; French for "The Tiger") is an American art punk and riot grrrl band formed by Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill), Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning in 1998 in New York City. Benning left in 2000 and was replaced by JD Samson. ...

, CSS,

Erase Errata Erase Errata was a band from San Francisco, California. History Erase Errata formed in Oakland, California, in 1999, and quickly earned national attention after the release of their first eponymous 7-inch single, and via tours with electro- rio ...

, Mika Miko, Panther, Comanechi, and

Mates of State Mates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner (born June 16, 1974) (vocals, organ, synthesizer, piano, electric piano, and occasional guitar and drums) and Jason Hammel (b ...

. They also opened for

Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters are an American pop rock band formed in 2000. The band's current line-up consists of Jake Shears (vocals), Babydaddy (various instruments), Del Marquis (guitar, bass) and Randy Real (drums). Former members include vocalist A ...

on three dates of their November 2006 tour. On June 24, 2007, Gossip closed the

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

, playing the final set on the John Peel stage during which Ditto gave a tribute to the late

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

. The band also performed the following year, on the Pyramid Stage. Gossip launched their ''Live in Liverpool'' album in the UK and the U.S. in April 2008. The album was produced by

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...

and also features a DVD of their live performance. A new studio album called '' Music For Men'' was released in June 2009. The first single from the album, " Heavy Cross", was especially successful in Germany where it was certified triple gold for selling over 450,000 copies, and was mentioned as the "most successful internationally produced single" of all time in September 2010. In January 2011 the single broke the German record for the longest-selling track in chart history. By January 14, 2011, it had spent 82 consecutive weeks on the German Top 100.

2012–2016: ''A Joyful Noise'', split

On March 12, 2012, the band's comeback single, " Perfect World", was unveiled on

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

show. Their fifth studio album, ''

'', produced by

Xenomania Xenomania is an English songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent. Formed by Higgins with his Creative Director Miranda Cooper and Business Director Sarah Stennett of First Access Entertainment, Xenomania has w ...

Brian Higgins Brian Michael Higgins (born October 6, 1959) is an American former politician who was the U.S. representative for , from 2005 until 2024. The district, numbered as the 27th district from 2005 to 2013 and as the 26th from 2013 to 2024, included ...

, was released in late May. The band's music had evolved and become poppier. Andy Gill, writing in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', welcomed the result, whereas ''Pitchfork'' review was more negative. A second single, " Move in the Right Direction", was issued in May. During the summer, the band headlined various festivals. In an interview with ''Pitchfork'' in February 2016, Ditto confirmed the split of Gossip. She stated that she intended to focus on her clothing line and music as a solo artist.

2019–present: Tenth anniversary tour and ''Real Power''

In March 2019, Ditto announced the band's return with a show in late July 2019 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of ''Music for Men''. This later expanded into a world tour. The band played their final show of the tour at Rote Fabrik in

Zurich, Switzerland Zurich (; ) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The urban area was home to 1.45 ...

on August 19, 2019. In October 2020, Ditto shared a photo to her Instagram page of herself with Paine and Mendonça in the studio together. In November 2023, the band announced their second reunion and shared a new single, "Crazy Again". The song is lifted from their sixth album, ''

'', which was announced simultaneously and subsequently released on March 22, 2024. In an interview with the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in March 2024, Ditto talked about how she invited Howdeshell when she was struggling to record her second solo album with Rick Rubin at his studio in Hawaii. Working together, the album progressed into a Gossip record, and after a hiatus due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the trio of Ditto, Howdeshell, and Blilie completed ''Real Power'', their first album in twelve years. The same year, Gossip embarked on a European and North America tour, including headlining at the Woodsies stage at

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

Musical style

The band's style has been described as "a soul or gospel" voice with "a sort of funky punk soundtrack". Members of Gossip have stated a liking for rock bands like the Birthday Party,

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...

,Fitzmaurice, Larry
"Gossip Q&A"
. Spin.com. April 28, 2009. Q&A: Gossip. Excerpt: "What bands influenced the new album's sound? Everything from the Birthday Party to house music and Siouxsie and the Banshees."Videtti, Giuseppe

''repubblica.it''. March 26, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2012. "At 18 I discovered Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Raincoats and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The mainstream"

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

, and

the Raincoats The Raincoats are a British post-punk band formed in 1977. They were founded by Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) while the two were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Other prominent members have included ...

, but also for other genres such as

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

Band members

Current members *

– vocals, piano (1999–2016, 2019–2020, 2023–present) * Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell – guitar, bass, keyboards (1999–2016, 2019–2020, 2023–present) *

– drums (2004–2016, 2019–2020, 2023–present) Current touring musicians * Ted Kwo – bass (2024–present) * Bijoux Cone – keyboards, guitar (2024–present) Past members * Kathy Mendonça – drums (1999–2003, 2020) Former touring musicians * Christopher Sutton – bass (2009–2013, 2019–2020) * Gregg Foreman – keyboards (2012–2013, 2019–2020)

Discography

* ''

'' (2001) * '' Movement'' (2003) * '' Standing in the Way of Control'' (2006) * '' Music for Men'' (2009) * ''

'' (2012) * ''

'' (2024)

Awards

* 2010: nominated for a

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...

for "Outstanding Music Artist" for their album ''Music for Men'' during the

21st GLAAD Media Awards The 21st GLAAD Media Awards was the 2010 annual presentation of the media awards presented by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The awards seek to honor films, television shows, musicians and works of journalism that fairly and a ...

. * June 18, 2012, the single "Move in the Right Direction" was named BBC Radio 2's Record of The Week. , - , rowspan="3" , 2010 , " Heavy Cross" !scope="row", Best International Hit , , - , rowspan="3" , Themselves !scope="row", Best International Newcomer , , - !scope="row" rowspan="2" , Best International Group , , - , 2012 , , - , 2010 , '' Music for Men'' !scope="row" rowspan="2", Alternative Music Album of the Year , , - , 2013 , ''

'' , , - ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, " Standing in the Way of Control" !scope="row", Song of the Year , , - ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, Themselves !scope="row", Best Alternative , , - , 2007 , " Standing in the Way of Control" !scope="row", Song of the Year , , - , 2009 , Themselves !scope="row", Best International Discovery ,

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gossip, The American dance-punk musical groups Beth Ditto Indie rock musical groups from Washington (state) Kill Rock Stars LGBTQ-themed musical groups Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Musical groups from Olympia, Washington Musical groups established in 1999 Musical groups disestablished in 2016 Musical groups reestablished in 2019 1999 establishments in Arkansas Female-fronted musical groups