Lambchop - Biography
It's convenient to label Lambchop with the alt country tag; they are from Nashville, after all, they use steel guitars often enough, and they do share a few traits with artists like Wilco and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. But, truly, there is no band like Lambchop. With a vast array of styles at their disposal, as well as a roster like a revolving door (at one time there were over fifteen members of Lambchop), it's little wonder that the band have been able to reinvent themselves time and time again.
Lambchop formed in 1986 about ten years after three friends, Kurt Wagner, guitarist Jim Watkins and bassist Mark Trovillion, had graduated from high school together. In the years between high school and the beginning of slowly building his music career, Wagner gravitated more toward building sculptures. Never compelled to immerse himself in the Nashville music scene while growing up, he moved to Memphis, earning his undergraduate degree in fine arts at the Memphis Academy of Arts. After this, he went on to Montana State University, where he earned his graduate degree in the same field. It was not until after he returned to Nashville that he began recording songs with Watkins and Trovillion, a project that morphed into a band called Posterchild. The trio recorded their songs in Trovillion's bedroom, self-issuing the recordings as cassettes with provocative titles such as “I'm F*cking Your Daughter.” They began to play shows in Nashville and the surrounding area, probably most of their gigs taking place at the local record shop, Lucy's, which, conveniently, was owned by Wagner's wife.
By 1992, Posterchild had added Bill Killbrew on guitar, Jonathan Marx on clarinet, Scott C. Chase on a plethora of instruments, while Steve Goodhue and Allen Lowery took care of the percussion instruments. Already a big band in many respects, containing eight members, this was nothing compared to the double digits the band's personnel would soon reach. That year, they released a 7” split with friends Crop Circle Hoax. The single was called An Open Fresca + A Moist Towlette. Entertainment lawyer George Regis, who represented noise pop outfit Poster Children at the time, caught wind of this band called Posterchild and issued them cease-and-desist orders. It was clearly time to change the name. The band settled on Lambchop after considering REN and Pinnacles of Cream, among others.
Deciding that eight is not enough, Lambchop added more players, starting with Deanna Varagona, who could sing as well as play the saxophone. Steel guitarist Paul Niehaus followed, as well as organ player John Delworth. Signing to Merge Records, the band was able to release another single, entitled “Nine,” and this time there was no backlash of cease-and-desist orders. Their debut album, Jack's Tulips, also known as I Hope You're Sitting Down, was released in 1994. It's well known that too many cooks in the kitchen can yield terrible results, so with so many musicians in the band, it's surprising that Lambchop would release such a focused and assured debut. The due is probably owed, in largest part, to Wagner, whose stories are taut, precise and clear. Without such a lyrical visionary at the helm, the songs would probably be given over to needless jamming and meandering. But Wagner's words make it easy on the musicians, who provide accurate backdrops to his twisted tales, whether they are morbid (“Soaky in the Pooper”), touching (“Let's Go Bowling”), or just plain eerie (“What Was He Wearing?”).
The band followed their debut with How I Quit Smoking (Merge), released in 1996 to fantastic reviews, many critics suggesting that it was miles ahead of its predecessor. In the same year, the Hank EP was released, showcasing Lambchop's live performances from 2005 and the premier of new drummer Paul Burch. By 1997, Lambchop was known as “Nashville's Most F*cked Up Country Band,” thanks to the promotions of their record label, and that year, they released their most f*cked up album yet. Stepping away from the graceful, lush strings of How I Quit Smoking, the band sped things up a bit, gave the horns a bit more punch, and stole the title of one of the most popular albums ever made, Thriller (Merge 1997). The quirkiness of the arrangements, when mixed with the overall dissonance that the listener is buried in, makes for a bewildering listen that becomes seductively enjoyable over time.
One year later, the band released What Another Man Spills (Merge 1998), wherein they boasted covers of Curtis Mayfield's “Love Song (Give Me Your Love)” and “I've Been Lonely For So Long” by Frederick Knight. Perhaps the most notable trait of this album is the introduction of Wagner's endearing attempt at falsetto, which he would incorporate in future Lambchop recordings until his over-indulgence in cigarette-smoking made it next to impossible for him. The band returned in 2000 with Nixon (Merge), hailed by many as a near-masterpiece. As is typical for America's best bands, Lambchop had received
greater renown overseas, and on May 13th, 2000, they played the London Royal Festival Hall. The performance was recorded and sold to fans at subsequent UK shows as the Queens Royal Trimma EP.
In 2002, the group released Is A Woman (Merge), a semi-subdued effort that was all the more passable in comparison to their very ambitious 2004 output. Following in the recent footsteps of Tom Waits, Lambchop issued two albums on the same day, Aw C'mon and No, You C'mon (Merge 2004) and enthusiastic reviews encircled both albums.
The next album of new material by the band came in 2006 in the form of Damaged (Merge), which followed a collection of rarities entitled The Decline of Country & Western Civilization, Pt. 2: The Woodwind Years (Merge 2006). Toward the end of summer in 2008, Lambchop released OH (ohio) on Merge, an album containing elements of almost all of the band's, namely Wagner's, tried and true personalities and moods. The songs range from quirky (“National Talk Like a Pirate Day”) to lovely (“Slipped Dissolved and Loosed”), and the album ends with a cover of Don Williams' “I Believe in You,” an ironically optimistic end for the latest release by a band that shows no signs of stopping or slowing their evolution.