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The Injured Parties
Fun with a Purpose
The Injured Parties
played its debut gig in February 2005. Fronted by former Post Office songwriter, Larry O. Dean, the IP's came together after Dean's previous band, the ambitious, avant-pop sextet, The Me Decade, imploded. Looking to streamline TMD's violin and viola string-driven sound, Dean recruited bassist, Jimmy De Lauriea (Bugga-ohng, Shiver) and drummer, Mike Ebersohl (The Veil, YellowHammers) from the vibrant Chicago music underground, creating a more classic "power trio" line-up.
With rich-yet-ragged three-part harmonies, chugging electric guitar, deft rhythms, and Dean's "songs and sardonica" approach to composition (recalling the cynical fatalism and pop cultural acumen of Warren Zevon, Steve Earle and Graham Parker), The Injured Parties' music draws inspiration from the melody and verve of vintage Kinks, squonk of Neil Young's Crazy Horse, blissful feedback of The Velvet Underground, psychedelic twang of The Byrds, and hard-edged pop smarts of The Posies.
Commemorating its one year anniversary, The Injured Parties headed into North Branch Studios in Chicago to track its debut CD with engineer, Jeff Hamand (Souled American, Tallulah, Diane Izzo), mixing in Nashville with producer, Mark Nevers (Lambchop, The Clientele, Calexico). Mastering was by the inimitable Mike Hagler (Wilco, Neko Case, The Mekons).
Fun with a Purpose is available directly through Zenith Beast for $10 pp (send payments via Paypal to zenithbeast@yahoo.com), Amazon, iTunes (US, UK, Canada and Japan), Rhapsody, Napster, eMusic, IMVU, Lala, Shockhound, Amie Street, LimeWire Store, and of course local merchants.
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Zenith Beast Music Roster |
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Christine Wall
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Larry O. Dean
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Malcontent
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Post Office
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The Fussbudgets
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The Injured Parties
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Various Artists
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Malcontent
Malcontent (1994-1995) was
a short-lived indie pop quartet from San Francisco. The band formed after leader, Larry O Dean's previous band, The Fussbudgets splintered with the departure of co-songwriter, Chris Lehmann. Drummer, James Coil had played with The Fussbudgets in its last phase, as had bassist, Ned Doherty; Doherty was a constant presence in all of Dean's SF recordings, including those found on his solo debut, Throw the Lions to the Christians. Guitarist, Tony Maxwell was a friend of Larry's from high school in Flint, Michigan, who had relocated to the Bay Area to attend graduate school at UC Berkeley. Maxwell brought a tighter pop feel to his guitar parts (in opposition to The Fussbudgets' more shambolic work ethic), as well as a tendency toward bluesiness in his leads, most noticeably on “Perversity.”
The band gigged infrequently in the Bay Area, recording a four-song EP dubbed Embarrassment of Riches with producer and all-around nice guy, Greg Freeman at his illustrious (and well named) Lowdown Studios. (Freeman had also worked on some Fussbudgets tracks.) The four principals were augmented by Christine Wall (Chris Isaak, The Movie Stars, El Sob) on vocals, and Sheila Schat (Dandeline, Tiny, Liar) on violin and viola. Embarrassment of Riches was briefly released on cassette, but its four tracks were later appended on Dean's solo debut, delayed but ultimately released in 1997, after he had moved to Chicago and started the band, Post Office.
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Next Event:
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Folk You! songwriter round robin, hosted by and featuring Larry O. Dean. ♦ February 17, 2012 ♦ The Horseshoe |
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