Gumball (band)
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| Gumball | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genre(s) | Alternative Post punk Grunge |
| Years active | 1990–1994 |
| Label(s) | Columbia Primo Scree Paperhouse |
| Members | |
| Don Fleming Jay Spiegel Eric Vermillion Malcolm Riviera |
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Gumball was the highest-profile occupation of indie gadabout Don Fleming, already a veteran of several bands, a guest collaborator for many more, and a significant producer who—ironically—helped shepherd alternative rock into its major-label boom years.
As Gumball's singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter, Fleming's record-collector obsession with pop culture and pop music, from the Monkees to the Damned to Sonic Youth, reached full fruition. Snatches of '60s guitar riffs sat next to '80s guitar noise, and '70s punk rubbed shoulders with '70s schlock metal; all of it proved his knack for treating the worst pop music as serious rock. Gumball enjoyed a two-album stay on major label Columbia, and earned some notoriety as owners of perhaps the largest collection of eight-track tapes in the country.[1] However, they never broke through to a wider audience, and Fleming returned to his myriad other pursuits.
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[edit] Origins
Prior to forming Gumball in 1990, Fleming had formed the Washington, D.C.-based Velvet Monkeys, where he first worked with Gumball drummer Jay Spiegel and later guitarist/keyboardist Malcolm Riviera. Following the Velvet Monkeys' initial breakup in the mid-'80s, Fleming and Spiegel played behind Jad Fair in Half Japanese on a semiregular basis, and wound up relocating to New York City. There they fell in with producer/Shimmy Disc label head Kramer, who joined them on bass to form B.A.L.L., a unit specializing in ironic deconstructions of classic rock numbers. After several albums, B.A.L.L. fell victim to a contentious breakup in 1990, and Fleming and Spiegel put together a one-off, all-star version of the Velvet Monkeys that included Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, and Pussy Galore's Julia Cafritz. That same year, Fleming and Spiegel formed the more permanent, straightforward Gumball with bassist Eric Vermillion.
[edit] Early years
While working on their debut LP, Gumball issued a self-titled, four-song preview EP on the British label Paperhouse. Their proper debut, the full-length Special Kiss, was released in 1991 on the indie Primo Scree and featured guest appearances by Thurston Moore and Teenage Fanclub. It was followed by a UK-only EP, Light Shines Through, which featured several new songs.
In 1991, Gumball appeared on Dave Markey's film 1991: The Year Punk Broke performing their song "Pre" from Special Kiss.
[edit] Years with Columbia
Before their full-length Columbia debut, Gumball released a five-song EP of covers, Wisconsin Hayride. J Mascis played on the band's update of the Damned's "New Rose."
Produced by Butch Vig, the full-length Super Tasty arrived in 1993 to mostly positive reviews. The singles "Accelerator" and "The Damage Done" had some success on alternative radio and music videos in rotation on MTV's 120 Minutes, but despite some definite polish and commercial potential, Super Tasty never quite broke through to a wide audience. In the meantime, Fleming's profile as a producer continued to grow, thanks to work on albums like the Screaming Trees' Sweet Oblivion, the Posies' Frosting on the Beater. In the meantime, guitarist/keyboardist Malcolm Riviera—a member of the original Velvet Monkeys lineup—officially joined Gumball.
The band's second major-label album, Revolution On Ice, was released in 1994. A rendition of Blue Öyster Cult's "She's as Beautiful as a Foot" features vocals by that band's original drummer, Albert Bouchard.
[edit] Breakup and post-Gumball
After leaving Columbia Records, Gumball released a live album on their own label chronicling their 1994 tour of Japan: Tokyo Encore. Although the group never formally disbanded, after failing to secure new label backing the four members went their separate ways.
After Gumball, Fleming released Because Tomorrow Comes. Don continues to record, produce, and perform in the New York City area, and maintains a web site that documents his busy schedule. Don is also involved with the Alan Lomax Archive, which seeks to preserve the audio and video recordings and photographs made by Alan Lomax from 1946 to 1994.
Vermillion went on to form The Steelminers, a Pennsylvania-based punk outfit that released a 7" split 45 in 1996 with the Mount McKinleys on the Black Lung label. The Steelminers also appeared on the twin-LP compilation "It Smells Like Spring" on Intensive Scare Records the following year.
After Gumball's split, Spiegel helped form The Shorty Porter Brother Boys in Harrisburg, Pa. The band eventually shortened their name to Team Shorty and released the "Truth & Knowledge" CD in 2001 on their own RedRum label. In early 2003, Team Shorty morphed into The Lookies, a straight-up hard rocking powerhouse. They released a five-song EP on RedRum Records in 2006.
Riviera returned to his home state of North Carolina in 1995 and began working on a compilation of unreleased tracks that was released in 1996 as Rage Against the Malcolm on Jim Ayre's Arlington, Va. based LoudThud Records. The album was available only on cassette and 8-track tape. In 1998, Riviera, along with Michael Ray of local punk legends Sludge, formed the free-wheeling noise combo Bastard Trout. The Trout played a few shows before calling it quits; Malcolm then returned to the studio and began work on a solo release that would eventually be entitled Malco Machine Music. The all-instrumental composition was recorded using Moog synthesizers, combo organs, tape loops, and just about anything else laying around in the basement. The album was released in 1999 on Instant Mayhem Records, Fleming's private label, and was re-released in 2001 on LoudThud.
[edit] Band members
- Don Fleming (guitar, vocals)
- Eric Vermillion (bass)
- Jay Spiegel (drums)
- Malcolm Riviera (guitar, keyboard)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Title | Release date | Label |
| Special Kiss | 1991 | Primo Scree |
| Super Tasty | 1993 | Columbia |
| Revolution On Ice | 1994 | Columbia |
| Tokyo Encore | 1994 | T.E.C. Tones |
[edit] EPs
| Title | Release date | Label |
| Wisconsin Hayride | 1992 | Columbia |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "All The Time" | Special Kiss | Paperhouse |
| 1991 | "This Town" | Special Kiss | Paperhouse |
| 1991 | "Light Shines Through" | Special Kiss | Paperhouse |
| 1992 | "New Rose" | Wisconsin Hayride | Columbia |
| 1993 | "Accelerator" | Super Tasty | Columbia |
| 1993 | "The Damage Done" | Super Tasty | Columbia |
| 1993 | "Real Gone Deal" | Super Tasty | Columbia |
| 1994 | "Nights On Fire" | Revolution On Ice | Columbia |
| 1994 | "Whatcha Gonna Do" | Revolution On Ice | Columbia |
[edit] Music videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "New Rose" | Dave Markey |
| 1993 | "Accelerator" | Dave Markey |
| 1993 | "The Damage Done" | Dave Markey |
| 1993 | "Real Done Deal" | Casey Niccoli |
| 1994 | "Revolution on the Rocks" | Dave Markey |
