Quasi
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| Quasi | |
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 Quasi on stage in Chicago
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Genre(s) | Indie rock |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Label(s) | Touch & Go Up Domino (in Europe) |
| Associated acts | Sleater-Kinney Heatmiser |
| Website | www.theequasi.com |
| Members | |
| Sam Coomes Janet Weiss Joanna Bolme |
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| Former members | |
| trash the puppy :) | |
- For the prefix, see the Wiktionary entry quasi-.
Quasi is indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993, consisting of the ex-husband and wife team of Sam Coomes (vocals, guitar, roxichord, various keyboards) and Janet Weiss vocals and drums. In 2007, bassist Joanna Bolme became an official member of the band; she had toured with Quasi in 2006.[1]
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[edit] History
In 1990, Coomes, Weiss, and Brad Pedinov formed the band Motorgoat. The band released two self-released cassettes and one 7" single before dissolving in 1993. Quasi started recording as a duo in 1993. They played with various additional musicians in early live appearances, but eventually settled on playing live as a duo as well. They self-recorded and self-released a cassette and a CD in 1993. They recorded R&B Transmogrification in the Portland band Pond's basement recording studio and released it on Up Records in 1997. The released two more albums with Up: Featuring "Birds" in 1998 and Field Studies in 1999; both albums were recorded at Jackpot Studios in Portland, Oregon.
In 1998 and 1999 they toured the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Japan opening for and serving as the backup band for Elliott Smith (who Coomes had played with in Heatmiser) as well as touring on their own in the U.S. and Europe. In 2001 They home-recorded The Sword of God and released it on Touch & Go. They released Hot Shit! in 2003 and When the Going Gets Dark in 2006, both on Touch & Go in the U.S. and Domino Records in Europe.
Although Coomes and Weiss remain busy with other bands, Quasi tours fairly regularly. In 2007, they toured the U.S. with Touch & Go labelmates Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Just prior to that tour, Quasi announced that bassist Joanne Bolme, who had toured with Quasi in 2006 and plays with Weiss in Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, was a permanent member of the band.
In addition to her work in the Jicks, Weiss has recently played with Bright Eyes and John Doe, while Coomes has been working with Pink Mountain and on his solo project, Blues Goblins. He has also played with Jandek, and has appeared on several Built to Spill albums. According to a recent post on their website, Coomes stated they are beginning to work on new material following the end of touring.
Quasi has been somewhat political since its inception, but their opposition to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq showed through in a straight-forward way with the release of Hot Shit! in 2003, particularly in the songs "White Devil's Dream" and "Master and Dog."
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Self-titled cassette (1993) self-released
- Early Recordings (1996) Key Op (rereleased in 2001 by Touch & Go)
- R&B Transmogrification (1997) Up
- Featuring "Birds" (1998) Up
- Field Studies (1999) Up
- The Sword of God (2001) Touch & Go
- Hot Shit! (2003) Touch & Go / Domino Records (Europe) — inlcudes the Live Shit bonus CD.
- When the Going Gets Dark (2006) Touch & Go / Domino Records (Europe)
- Quasi Self Boot 93-96 (2006) self-released, tour-only release
[edit] EPs and singles
- Kill Rock Stars Singles Club 7" (1993) Kill Rock Stars
- Split 7" with Bugskull (1994)
- "The Poisoned Well" / "California" 7" (1998)
- Split 7" with Mars Accelerator and Space Pants (2000)
- "The Sword of God" (2001)
- Tour 7" (2001)
- Hot Shit Tour CD (2003)
[edit] External links
- Official Quasi home page
- Unofficial Quasi site — includes a complete tour history
- Touch and Go Records 25th Anniversary footage of Quasi performance and interview
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