Aaron Detroit
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Aaron Detroit is an American musician,
zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...
writer and music journalist. He was first recognized as a
zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...
writer during his mid-teens in 1992.


Musical output

Detroit's musical career began in the
No Wave No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and r ...
and
Hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...
scenes of the mid-1990s in
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
and the
Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
. His bands included Martha Dumptruck (named after a character from the 1988 film ''
Heathers ''Heathers'' is a 1988 American teen dark comedy crime film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, K ...
'') and the spoof-
metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...
band Miss Thing. In 1997, Aaron performed as the lead vocalist for the San Francisco-based dark-punk band The Little Deaths which featured Mikel Delgado of Cinnamon Imperials and later, Whysol Lane, Scott Bradley of Bumblescrump and, initially, Trixie of Kreviss. His style has been described as "informed by feminine sensibilities, balanced by a masculine yelp". The Little Deaths became part of the San Francisco Bay-Area's late-1990s musical renaissance which spawned bands such as Subtonix,
The Phantom Limbs The Phantom Limbs were a rock band formed in Oakland, California, in 1999. The group combined the unusual keyboard-driven compositions of Stevenson Sedgwick with an aggressive, punk-influenced rhythm section and a very odd singer, Loto 'Hopeless' ...
,
Erase Errata Erase Errata was a band from San Francisco, California. History Erase Errata formed in Oakland, California, in 1999, and quickly earned national attention after the release of their first eponymous 7-inch single, and via tours with electro- rio ...
, The Vanishing and the
7 Year Bitch 7 Year Bitch was an American punk rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band was active between 1990 and 1997 and released three albums over that time. The band formed at the same time as the emergence of the riot grrrl sub-genre, which is a ...
offshoot, Clone. The Little Deaths toured and played shows with bands such as
The Need The Need is an American queercore band formed by the singer and drummer Rachel Carns and the guitarist Radio Sloan in Portland, Oregon, in the mid-1990s. After issuing a series of seven-inches on labels including Kill Rock Stars and Outpunk, ...
,
Le Tigre Le Tigre (, ; French for "The Tiger") is an American art punk and riot grrrl band formed by Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill), Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning in 1998 in New York City. Benning left in 2000 and was replaced by JD Samson. ...
, The Haggard and
Imperial Teen Imperial Teen is a San Francisco–based indie pop group made up of Roddy Bottum (Faith No More), primarily on guitar/vocals; Will Schwartz (also of Hey Willpower), primarily on guitar/vocals; Lynn Truell (née Perko, formerly of Sister Dou ...
extensively until 2000. They released one critically acclaimed album entitled ''Destination: Sexy'' on New York–based
Queercore Queercore (or homocore) is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifically ...
label Heartcore Records in 1999. The Little Deaths went through several line-up changes before disbanding in 2002. Between 2000 and 2002, Aaron performed several performance art pieces in San Francisco with his short-lived and mostly electronic
Dark Wave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...
musical project, Ghost Hips, and with former Little Deaths guitarist Clay Walsh. In 2002, he appeared in the ''Queer Punk'' issue of infamous punk publication ''
Maximum RocknRoll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly online zine of punk subculture and radio show of punk music. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and ...
''. Included was an interview with Cookie Tuff of Subtonix and Aaron, as well as his participation in a round-table style discussion between several queer-identified musicians, including Martin Sorrondeguy of
Los Crudos Los Crudos is an American hardcore punk band from Chicago, Illinois active from 1991 to 1998 and from 2006 onward. Comprising all Latino members, the band paved the way for later Spanish-speaking punk bands in the United States and helped to ...
and
Limp Wrist Limp Wrist is an American punk rock band, who formed in 1998. Featuring members of Los Crudos, Hail Mary, Devoid of Faith, By the Throat, and Kill the Man Who Questions, the band plays short, fast hardcore punk, hardcore music, and covers them ...
, and Gary Fembot and Iraya Robles of Sta-Prest. Between 2002 and 2004, he played synthesizers and sang in Secret Skin (originally called Last Dance), a
Rozz Williams Rozz Williams (born Roger Alan Painter; November 6, 1963 – April 1, 1998) was an American singer and songwriter known for his work with the bands Christian Death, Shadow Project (with musician Eva O), and the industrial project Premature E ...
-inspired collaboration with Cookie Tuff. They released the track "Taped Up and Boxed In" on the Cochon Records compilation ''Nostalgia Del Buio'' alongside tracks by musical peers, The Vanishing,
The Phantom Limbs The Phantom Limbs were a rock band formed in Oakland, California, in 1999. The group combined the unusual keyboard-driven compositions of Stevenson Sedgwick with an aggressive, punk-influenced rhythm section and a very odd singer, Loto 'Hopeless' ...
, and
Lost Sounds Lost Sounds was a dark wave band from Memphis, Tennessee that was formed in 1999. The band was made up of Rich Crook on drums, Patrick Jordan on bass, Jay Reatard on synth, guitar, and vocals, and Alicja Trout on synth, guitar, and vocals. The b ...
. The band also recorded an EP, ''Horrible Prettiness'' that has yet to be released officially. Now living and working in Los Angeles, CA, Aaron Detroit has since collaborated with
Dame Darcy Dame Darcy Pleasant (born June 19, 1971, Caldwell, Idaho), better known by the pen name Dame Darcy, is an alternative cartoonist, fine artist, musician, cabaret performer, and animator/filmmaker. Her "Neo-Victorian" comic book series '' Meat C ...
in the
Dark Wave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...
band Death By Doll (whose CD entitled ''Gasoline'' featuring Detroit was released by Emperor Penguin Recordings on October 31, 2006 ) and toured the US with the project in the Fall of 2006. Detroit is currently running The Lovers' Will Records & Press, a
boutique A () is a retail shop that deals in high end fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in anc ...
record label and
chapbook A chapbook is a type of small printed booklet that was a popular medium for street literature throughout early modern Europe. Chapbooks were usually produced cheaply, illustrated with crude woodcuts and printed on a single sheet folded into 8, 1 ...
press. In April 2010, The Lovers' Will released a deluxe vinyl LP edition of '' The Ventriloquist'' by
KatieJane Garside Katrina Jane Garside (born 8 July 1968) is an English singer, songwriter, and visual artist. She is known for her musical projects in an eclectic range of genres including noise rock, alternative metal, acoustic, and neofolk, and vocals that rang ...
's Folk Noir band, Ruby Throat.


Zine writing

His
transgressive Transgressive may mean: *Transgressive art, a name given to art forms that violate perceived boundaries *Transgressive fiction, a modern style in literature *Transgressive Records, a United Kingdom-based independent record label *Transgressive (l ...
style of
prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...
, a mix of fantasy and reality often touching on themes such as power imbalance and frequently death, was found in his long-running ''Swirlies'' self-publication and later in ''Homocore Detroit'', a publication for one of the many Homocore chapters active in the early to mid-1990s. ''Swirlies'' also included many notable interviews such as
7 Year Bitch 7 Year Bitch was an American punk rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band was active between 1990 and 1997 and released three albums over that time. The band formed at the same time as the emergence of the riot grrrl sub-genre, which is a ...
and Babes in Toyland.


Music writing

In 2006, he became a regular contributor to SuicideGirls.com's Newswire as a music editor. His contributions include a notable interview with rock singer
Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
. His music writing can also be found on the
Amoeba Music Amoeba Music is an American independent music Record shop, store chain with locations in Berkeley, California, Berkeley, San Francisco, and Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It stocks media, primarily music, but also fi ...
web site.


Quotes

"I Feel Like 2001 is 1981, with the super-fast advancement of technology, art damage, people doing lots of coke, all this nihilism. And it scares me, and I want to talk about that and what my identity as a human being is. So much of what was written about The Little Deaths was about our sexualities...I never got asked much beyond that...it got irritating...it was really boring." From the March 2002 issue of MRR.


Discography

* ''Cholesterol 7"'' (single), with Martha Dumptruck (1997) released by Bitch Kitty Inc. * ''Miss Thing'' (demo cassette), with Miss Thing (1997) released by Starbreath Tapes * ''Destination: Sexy'' (album), with The Little Deaths (1999) released by Heartcore Records * ''Nostalgia Del Buio'' (compilation), with Secret Skin (2004) released by Cochon Records * ''Horrible Prettiness'' (EP), with Secret Skin (2004) ''unreleased'' * ''
Gasoline Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...
'' (album), with Death By Doll (2006) released by Emperor Penguin Recordings


References


Other sources

*


External links

*
Death By Doll Home PageThe Little Deaths Home PageAaron Detroit's interview with Marilyn MansonAaron Detroit's interview with Al Jourgensen of MinistryThe Lovers' Will Records & Press
{{DEFAULTSORT:Detroit, Aaron Living people American punk rock singers American performance artists American LGBTQ singers American LGBTQ songwriters Queercore musicians American gay musicians Gay singers Gay songwriters Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American LGBTQ people American gay writers