Dog Faced Hermans

Dog Faced Hermans
Origin Edinburgh, Scotland
Genres Post-punk, anarcho-punk, avant-punk,[1] noise rock, experimental rock
Years active 1986–1995
Labels Demon Radge, Calculus Records, Vinyl Drip, Konkurrel, Alternative Tentacles
Associated acts The Ex
Rhythm Activism
Two Pin Din
Website http://dogfacedhermans.bandcamp.com/
Members Marion Coutts
Andy Moor
Colin McLean
Wilf Plum
Gert-Jan

Dog Faced Hermans was a Scottish four-piece post-punk band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They emerged from the UK anarcho-punk scene with a guitar/bass/drums line-up, but also incorporated trumpet and other instruments not commonly found in punk music at that time. Their composition style incorporated many genres of music outside of rock, including folk, jazz, and noise music and unorthodox instrumentation.[2]

History

Dog Faced Hermans formed in Edinburgh, Scotland out of the female-fronted funk-punk sextet Volunteer Slavery, named after an album by Rasaan Roland Kirk.[3][4] They got their new name from a scene in a Frankenstein movie, "where a woman dreams that her husband, whose name is Herman, gets turned into a dog."[5] When the group started, they played primarily improvised music, "like bashing oil drums and hitting the guitars without actually playing very many tunes," according to drummer Wilf Plum.[5] The group's longer improvisations were condensed into shorter arranged songs that maintained their experimental qualities. The Hermans' line-up stayed constant throughout their tenure, with Marion Coutts fronting the band on vocals, trumpet and percussion, Andy Moor on guitar, Colin Mclean on bass, and Wilf Plum on drums. Within their first three years as a band, the Hermans recorded and released a few singles and two albums on their own Demon Radge Records and on journalist Everett True’s label, Calculus.[1] These early records demonstrated the breadth of the band's influences, including British and Scottish post-punk, American no wave, and various styles of folk music, exemplified in their renditions of the Italian partisan song "Bella Ciao" and the blues standard "John Henry".[4]

The group found affinity in Dutch anarchist group The Ex, with whom they toured Europe, the United States, and Canada. The two bands released the single "Stonestamper's Song" under the name Ex Faced Hermans, a split live cassette, and began a longstanding collaboration with the free jazz ensemble Instant Composers Pool. The Dog Faced Hermans also served as the backing band for Kudish musician Brader with whom The Ex had also collaborated.[2] By 1990 the Dog Faced Hermans relocated to Amsterdam taking on The Ex's sound engineer Gert Jan as a member of the group, and in 1991 Andy Moor joined The Ex, playing guitar for both bands.

The Hermans struck up a deal with the Dutch label Konkurrent for the release of 1991's Mental Blocks for All Ages and 1993's Hum of Life, which featured covers of songs by Ornette Coleman and 8 Eyed Spy.[2] An American fan of the group, Geoffery Treistadt from Minneapolis band Jonestown, released the Hermans' records simultaneously in North America on his tiny Project A Bomb label. Seeking wider distribution, the Hermans approached former Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra who released the Hermans' final studio and live albums on his Alternative Tentacles label before the group disbanded in 1995..[1]

Post-Hermans

Wilf Plum went to drum for the Canadian ensemble Rhythm Activism and the projects Two Pin Din and Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp. Andy Moor continues to play The Ex as a permanent member, as well as numerous other projects. Colin McLean also toured with The Ex as the band's live sound engineer and played bass for their collaboration with Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria. Marion Coutts returned to the UK, dedicating herself to making and teaching visual art with a few brief sojourns into playing and recording music.[2] Sound engineer Gert Jan toured with The Ex for many years, as well as the bands Red Monkey and Zea.
"Jan 9" (1993)
Twenty-nine second sample of "Jan 9" from the Dog Faced Hermans album "Hum of Life".
Problems playing this file? See media help.
"Love Split With Blood" (1993)
Twenty-nine second sample of "Love Split With Blood" from the Dog Faced Hermans album "Hum of Life".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Members

Discography

Singles

Albums

With The Ex

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Strong, Martin C.: "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", 1999, Canongate, ISBN 0-86241-913-1
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wolk, Douglas (1998). "Dog Faced Hermans". Trouser Press. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "Wilf Plum interview".
  4. 1 2 Robb, John (12 February 2011). "Remembering the Dog Faced Hermans – wild, discordant death to trad rock heroes". Louder Than War. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Dog Faced Hermans" (Television). BBC. FSD. 25 May 1988.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.