Caterwaul was an American band, formed in 1987 in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, featuring Betsy Martin on vocals and mandolin, Mark Schafer on guitar, Fred Cross on bass and Kevin Pinnt on the drums. The ''

LA Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the large ...

'' compared their "tense, vibrant sound" to other bands with frontwomen such as

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...

and the

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

. Critic Steve Hochman described their style as "noisy, arty rock". They were signed to indie label I.R.S.

History

Singer Betsy Martin said that their influences were wide, citing "her own fondness for American "hillbilly" folk" and drummer Kevin Pinnt's interest for industrial noise music. She stated about their first albums: "there's a pull between aggressiveness and trying to keep innocence in our music". Their debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''The Nature of Things'' (1987) was released on Lost Arts Records. it included the single "A Flower and a Stone". Later in 1988, Caterwaul was signed by I.R.S. and they released an EP and several albums for the label; ''Beholden'' in 1988 and ''Pin and Web'' in 1989. When reviewing ''Pin and Web'', ''

Trouser press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' linked them to early

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

, writing that it was "clear, carefully crafted music". The single "The Sheep's A Wolf" taken from ''Pin and Web'', received airplay on Alternative rock radio stations in the US. '' Portent Hue'' was released in 1990. Fred Cross left the band after the Portent Hue tour, and they recruited Kelly Castro as their new bassist. They also added Stuart Smith as a second guitarist. The new lineup recorded ''Killer Fish'' in 1991, which was released in 1996 on Lost Arts Records.

Discography

*''The Nature of Things'' (Lost Arts Records, 1987) *''Scream: The Compilation'' (Geffen Records, 1987) *''Beholden'' (I.R.S. Records, 1988) *''Pin and Web'' (I.R.S. Records, 1989) *'' Portent Hue'' (I.R.S. Records, 1990) *''Killer Fish'' (Lost Arts Records, 1996)

References

External links

Discogs: Caterwaul discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caterwaul Alternative rock groups from Arizona I.R.S. Records artists Musical groups from Phoenix, Arizona