Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (often shortened to just Me First or the Gimmes) are a punk rock supergroup and

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...

that formed in San Francisco in 1995. The band's lineup consists of Spike Slawson, Fat Mike,

Joey Cape Randal Joseph Cape (born November 16, 1966) is an American singer and musician. Active since 1989, Cape is best known as the frontman of the California punk rock band Lagwagon. Cape released his first solo album, ''Bridge'', in 2008. His secon ...

, and

Dave Raun Dave Raun (born June 7, 1970) a resident of Fresno, California, is the drummer for the seminal California punk rock band Lagwagon. He also filled in on drums for a short period for Sean "SC" Sellers of Good Riddance. Additionally, Raun drums f ...

. Chris Shiflett is a former member. The Gimmes work exclusively as a cover band. They specialize in rapid-fire punk interpretations of a wide range of songs, often with a humorous edge. The band is named after a children's book of the same name by Gerald G. Jampolsky and Diane V. Cirincione.

History

The band's first release came with 1995's ''Denver'', a 7" single released on band member Fat Mike's record label

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990. The label has released mater ...

, featuring two John Denver covers. The band released four more singles in 1996 and 1997, each on a different label and named after the artist covered on that particular release, as well as some compilation appearances. Their first full-length album, '' Have a Ball'', was released July 29, 1997, and is still their best-selling record. Each album by the band has a different theme: ''Have a Ball'' focuses on classic 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s songs by singer/songwriters like Elton John, Neil Diamond, and John Denver; '' Are a Drag'' consists entirely of

show tunes A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. T ...

; '' Blow in the Wind'' of 60s classics; '' Take a Break'' of

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhy ...

songs (by artists such as Boyz 2 Men, Lionel Richie, and Vanessa L. Williams). Their fifth album '' Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah'' (recorded live at a bar mitzvah) consists of pop music from the 1960s through the 1980s by artists such as REO Speedwagon, Styx and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, as well as traditional songs like " Hava Nagila". The compilation album '' Have Another Ball!'' features 60's-80's classics. The band entered the studio on April 3, 2006 to work on their sixth album, '' Love Their Country'', which was released on October 17, 2006. The theme of this album is country and western, and includes covers of tracks by Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Hank Williams, Sr. and Johnny Cash. Prior to the release of the album, Fat Wreck Chords released a digital label sampler, ''iFloyd'' which included " (Ghost) Riders in the Sky" by the band. In late 2006,

released another digital label sampler Christmas Bonus, containing a previously-unreleased cover of Steve Goodman's "

City of New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...

after Pirates games, but after they got booed on the first night, the next two nights were cancelled. They were to play along with fireworks during the post-game "Skyblast" shows. On December 5, 2007, Fat Wreck Chords released a flash MP3 holiday bonus sampler called ''Hanuk-Comp'' containing "The Boxer", originally released on the 1997 ''Garf'' single. There is also a downloadable podcast that features commentary from Fat Mike and Floyd during breaks between songs in which the next album is revealed. The compilation ''Have Another Ball!'' was released on July 8, 2008; it comprises all the B-side recordings from the ''Have a Ball'' singles, plus covers of "Sodomy" (from '' Hair'') and Diana Ross's "

Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) "Theme from ''Mahogany'' (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" is a song written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin. It was initially recorded by American singer Thelma Houston in 1973, and then by Diana Ross as the theme to the 1975 Motown/ Par ...

". Fat Wreck Chords released '' Go Down Under'' on February 1, 2011, featuring covers of five songs by Australian artists. On September 13, 2011 (in anticipation of a tour of Japan) Fat Wreck Chords released a 5-song EP, '' Sing in Japanese''. In a Reddit AMA on January 28, 2014, Fat Mike revealed the next album theme would be "Divas". Featuring covers of

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

, '' Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!'' was released on May 13, 2014 on Fat Wreck Chords. On November 30, 2018, they released a cover of "

Santa Baby "Santa Baby" is a song performed by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer in an attempt ...

". On June 7, 2019, Chris Shiflett took part in a Reddit AMA. When asked about The Gimmes he revealed he is "No longer involved", although he did not specify exactly when he left the band. He noted that "When the Gimmes decided to start releasing songs that I didn't play on it was time for me to leave", adding in another comment that it was "on bad terms". In May 2021, the band announced a livestream event called ''Saturday Night Special''. The lineup for the show will be Spike Slawson, Joey Cape, Scott Shiflett, CJ Ramone, and Pinch, with Fat Mike making a guest appearance.

Members

Me first and the Gimme Gimmes in concert

* Spike Slawson (of

Swingin' Utters Swingin' Utters (often typeset as $wingin' Utter$, and originally called Johnny Peebucks and the Swingin' Utters) is a Californian punk rock band that formed in the late 1980s.Bush, JohnSwingin' Utters Biography, Allmusic, retrieved September 30 ...

and Re-Volts) – lead vocals (1995-present) * Fat Mike (of NOFX) – bass, backing vocals (1995-present) *

(of

Lagwagon Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the band's tour van, which ca ...

) – guitar, backing vocals (1995-present) *

(of Lagwagon and RKL) – drums (1995-present) Past members * Chris Shiflett (of Foo Fighters and No Use for a Name) – guitar, backing vocals (1995-2019) "Fill-in" members for tours * Brian Baker (of

Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitar ...

and Bad Religion) filled in for Shiflett in 2006. * Chris Shiflett's brother, Scott Shiflett (of Face to Face and Viva Death), has been filling in for him on the band's most recent tours. * NOFX guitarist

Eric Melvin Eric Scott Melvin (born July 9, 1966) is an American musician and founding member of the punk rock band NOFX. Melvin sings backup vocals on most NOFX songs and wrote the guitar riffs for NOFX songs such as the intro for " Leave It Alone". His v ...

filled in for Fat Mike on bass during the 2007

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an tour and 2008 and 2013 Australian tours. * Adam Stern from Youth Brigade and Royal Crown Revue filled in for Fat Mike on bass; Mark Mortenson from Screw 32 filled in for Dave Raun on drums; Grant McIntire also from Screw 32 filled in for Joey Cape on Guitar; and Barry d'live Ward from

Rich Kids on LSD Rich Kids on LSD (RKL) was a Californian hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Montecito, California, a suburb of Santa Barbara. They were associated with the "Nardcore" scene that evolved out of nearby Oxnard. Their music expanded over the year ...

and Crosstops filled in for Chris Shiflett on guitar during the 1996 Tour. *

Warren Fitzgerald Warren Fitzgerald (born September 15, 1968) is an American punk rock guitarist, songwriter, and record label owner. He is best known for being the guitarist of The Vandals and Oingo Boingo. He is also co-founder of Kung Fu Records, along wi ...

of The Vandals &

Lindsay McDougall Lindsay "The Doctor" McDougall (born 9 March 1978) is an Australian rock guitarist and radio presenter. Since 1996, he has been the lead guitarist in punk rock band, Frenzal Rhomb alongside lead singer Jay Whalley. He has co-written songs with f ...

of Frenzal Rhomb filled in on guitars during the band's participation in the 2003 Livid Festival in Australia. * Since 2014, Jay Bentley of Bad Religion has been the usual "fill-in" member on bass for Fat Mike. * On the Spring 2017 tour, Chris Cheney of

The Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 199 ...

and also

of Frenzal Rhomb filled in on guitar for Chris Shiflett. * On their first South America tour in April 2018,

of Frenzal Rhomb filled in on guitar for Chris Shiflett. * Christopher Ward, aka CJ Ramone joined for the 2018 Summer Tour. Invited by Jay Bentley. CJ was back again on 9/8/21 in Columbus, OH to launch a tour opening for Violent Femmes and

Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk bandLife Is Good Out Now
Floggingmolly.c ...

. * Stacey Dee of Bad Cop/Bad Cop fills in for

on (at least some) dates on the European Tour 2019, while

of Frenzal Rhomb returned to cover for Scott Shiflett. * John "The Swami" Reis of Rocket from the Crypt. On 9/8/21 he made his debut opening for Violent Femmes and Flogging Moly. Spike was the only original Gimme. * Andrew "Pinch" Pinching, drummer for The Damned. On 9/8/21 he was a Gimme in Columbus, Ohio. On 10/22/22 he was a Gimme in Fort Lauderdale, Florida * Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham of

Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...

. On 9/8/21 he was a Gimme in Columbus, Ohio.

Costumes

The Gimmes have a gimmick of wearing quirky matching costumes during their live shows. Some of the themes match the albums, such as when they dress in cowboy outfits to accompany the album '' Love Their Country'' or in drag as various characters from musicals in '' Are a Drag''. They have also worn pajamas, red suits, cheerleader outfits, shiny suits and fezzes, and, during one show in

Camden, NJ Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 U. ...

on the

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...

, dressed as the band

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

(who in turn dressed as The Gimmes). Easily the most common and popular costume set are their matching

Hawaiian shirt The aloha shirt (), also referred to as a Hawaiian shirt, is a style of dress shirt originating in Hawaii. They are collared and buttoned dress shirts, usually short-sleeved and made from printed fabric. They are traditionally worn untucked, but ...

s of varying styles and colors over the years.

Discography

Albums

* '' Have a Ball'' (1997) * '' Are a Drag'' (1999) * '' Blow in the Wind'' (2001) * ''Take a Break'' (2003) * '' Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah'' (2004) * '' Love Their Country'' (2006) * '' Have Another Ball'' (2008) * '' Sing in Japanese'' (2011) * '' Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!'' (2014) * '' Rake it In: The Greatestest Hits'' (2017)

References

External links

Fat Wreck Chords label official web site
*
Audio interview with Fat Mike and Joey CapeMe First and the Gimme Gimmes Live Review
{{Authority control Cover bands Fat Wreck Chords artists Musical groups established in 1995 Pop punk groups from California Punk rock groups from California Rock music supergroups American supergroups