The Dwarves are an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band formed in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and based in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

as of 2009.Gentile, John (2009)
Interview: Blag Dahlia of the Dwarves
", '' The A.V. Club'', April 13, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010 Formed as a garage punk band under the name Suburban Nightmare, their career subsequently saw them move in a hardcore direction before settling into an eclectic punk rock sound emphasizing intentionally shocking lyrics. They have been described as "one of the last true bastions of punk rock ideology in the contemporary musical age".The Dwarves
", '' Time Off'', 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010

History

The original members of the Dwarves began making music together in the mid-1980s as teenagers in the Chicago garage rock outfit, Suburban Nightmare, which was compared to The Sonics,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 311-312Carlson, Matt " ''Horror Stories'' Review,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, retrieved February 7, 2010 and which has been described as part of the

Paisley Underground Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owi ...

scene.Baker, Brian (2008)
Music: The Dwarves
", '' City Beat'', October 28, 2008, retrieved February 7, 2010 This era of the Dwarves is captured on ''Lick It (the psychedelic years 83-86)'' a 34 track collection put out by Recess records in 1999. The band became notorious for self-mutilation, on-stage sex, and taking hard drugs. Their live shows would often only last around fifteen minutes, occasionally cut short due to injury caused by spectators.Carlson, Matt " Dwarves Biography,

, retrieved February 7, 2010Ali, Lorraine (1993) "Violence Gets Dwarves 15 Minutes of Fame at Bogart's", ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', August 6, 1993"", '' London Free Press'', June 12, 2003, retrieved February 7, 2010 The band's sound began to evolve beyond its early garage roots with their second (nine-minute long) LP,Sprague, David
Dwarves
, '' Trouser Press'', retrieved February 7, 2010 ''Toolin' for a Warm Teabag'', which saw the band drifting towards a more truculent punk rock sound, influenced by GG Allin.DaRonco, Mike " ''Lucifer's Crank'' Review,

, retrieved February 7, 2010 Recess records issued ''Free Cocaine 86–88'' in 1999, a 39-song collection that shows the band's transition to the nihilistic style that took them to the Sub Pop era. The band released '' Blood Guts & Pussy'' on

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

in 1990. By this time the Dwarves had dropped their early psychedelic sensibilities and morphed into a hardcore punk band. The ''Blood Guts & Pussy'' LP was followed up by EP ''Lucifer's Crank'' released by No.6 Records, as well as another Sub Pop LP, the metal-punk '' Thank Heaven For Little Girls'', both in 1991. In 1993 the band issued a press release stating their guitarist HeWhoCannotBeNamed had been stabbed to death in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Though this later turned out to be a hoax, the band even went as far as to attach a tribute to the "late" guitarist on their 1993 Sub Pop-released album '' Sugarfix''. Sub Pop did not respond well to the hoax and summarily dropped the band from its label. The Dwarves reformed in 1997, releasing '' The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking'' (described by Adam Bregman of

as "the beginning of a new Dwarves...one that plays real songs, had a set list, and left the club unbloodied"),Bregman, Adam " ''The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking'' Review,

, retrieved February 7, 2010 and its 2000 follow-up '' The Dwarves Come Clean''. In 2004 the band released '' The Dwarves Must Die'', its first LP for the indie label Sympathy for the Record Industry, which featured guest appearances from Dexter Holland ( The Offspring), Nick Oliveri ( Queens of the Stone Age), Nash Kato ( Urge Overkill), and voice actor Gary Owens. Dahlia was assaulted by Josh Homme of QOTSA before a Dwarves show in Los Angeles in 2004, which saw Homme placed on summary probation for thirty-six months.Crandall, Bill & Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2004)
QOTSA Brawl With Dwarves
, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', November 11, 2004, retrieved February 7, 2010Levitan, Corey (2005)
Homme Sentenced for Brawl
''

'', June 10, 2005, retrieved February 7, 2010

In other media

In 2000 film '' Me, Myself & Irene'', Jim Carrey is seen singing along to Dwarves "Motherfucker", which Dahlia later said he got "tens of thousands of dollars" for.DuShane, Tony (2006)
Punker camp counselor? Blag Dahlia Dwarves' front man calls his solo show his 'camp counselor guy routine' -- with trademark unrepentant, politically incorrect lyrics
, '' San Francisco Chronicle'', June 1, 2006, retrieved February 7, 2010 In 2000, the band offered the track "River City Rapist" to

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

as his presidential campaign song. The Bush campaign did not use the song."Dwarves Offer Help to George W. Bush on the Road to the White House", PR Newswire, February 10, 2000 The Dwarves' cover of the Norwegian rock band Turbonegro's song "Hobbit Motherfuckers" from the Turbonegro tribute album "Alpha Motherfuckers" can be heard playing in the comic book store scene in the 2000s indie film "Ghost World" albeit without Blag Dhalia's profanity laden vocals. This song does not appear on the soundtrack album for the film. In 2009, Blag and HeWhoCannotBeNamed were immortalised as Bobbleheads by Aggronautix.Spacek, Nick (2009)
Dwarves Bobbleheads Now Available
", '' The Pitch'', August 18, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010

Band members

Singer Blag Dahlia (a.k.a. Julius Seizure, born Paul Cafaro),Ritchie, Ryan (2007)
Blood, Guts and Literacy: Blag Dahlia steps out from behind the Dwarves to wax hysterical
", '' OC Weekly'', July 12, 2007, retrieved February 7, 2010 and guitarist HeWhoCannotBeNamed (a.k.a. Pete Vietnamcheque) have always been the two core members of the group. The lineup has shifted around them, and currently consists of members " Rex Everything" on bass and vocals, " The Fresh Prince of Darkness" on guitar and "Snupac" on drums. Former members include " Dutch Ovens", " Gregory Pecker", "Chip Fracture", "Wholley Smokes", "Clint Torres", "Tazzie Bushweed", "Thrusty Otis", "Crash Landon", "Wreck Tom", "Hunter Down" and " Vadge Moore", among others. Drummer Josh Freese appears on many Dwarves recordings.

Musical style

The Dwarves are known for their simple, loud, yet nuanced punk repertoire, and controversial lyrics. Since the garage punk sound of their early days, they developed a more direct

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 ...

sound, often identified as " scum punk" due to the intentional perversity of the lyrics. Around the turn of millennium, the Dwarves developed more of a manic pop punk influence. Bits of hardcore, surf rock, pop,

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

, and rock 'n' roll all factor into the band's current punk rock sound. Their shows have been notable for some aggressive fights on stage (with the audience and even a cop), and because HeWhoCannotBeNamed performs either in nothing but a jockstrap or totally nude, apart from his trademark "Rey Mysterio" wrestling mask.

Cover art

Many of the band's album covers are controversial, often featuring dwarf actor Bobby Faust with an assortment of naked women, sometimes with sacrilegious themes such as re-enacting the Crucifixion. Faust posed sodomizing a rabbit covered in blood for their 1990 album '' Blood Guts & Pussy''Carlson, Matt " ''Blood Guts & Pussy'' Review,

, retrieved February 7, 2010 - followed up a decade later, with a similar theme, this time covered in soap suds, for '' Come Clean''.

Side projects

* Former drummer Sigh Moan formed Specula with Specter Spec, releasing the ''Erupt'' album in 1995. * Blag Dahlia has worked as a producer for Joey Santiago's band The Martinis,The Martinis' Joey Santiago on...
, '' CMJ New Music Monthly'', Issue No. 123/124, p.6 and is also half of the duo The Uncontrollable with Nick Oliveri.Baker, Brian (2010)
UNPLUGGED AND UNCONTROLLABLE: Stoner-rock vet Nick Oliveri explores his dark side on Death Acoustic
, '' Cleveland Scene'', February 3, 2010, retrieved February 7, 2010Kerr, Dave (2006)
Nick Oliveri: Mondo Uncontrollable
, '' The Skinny'', October 13, 2006, retrieved February 7, 2010 * Blag Dahlia has also performed solo acoustic sets, which he described as his "camp counselor guy routine", released a bluegrass album, ''Blackgrass'' in 1995 under the name Earl Lee Grace. * Blag Dahlia was a part the side project Penetration Moon, which released a sole single, "Fifth a Day", in 1991. * Blag Dahlia has published three books, ''Armed to the Teeth with Lipstick'' (1998), ''Nina'' (2006), and ''Highland Falls'' (2022). * Blag Dahlia sings "Doing the Sponge" in the ''

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...

'' episode ''The Chaperone'', which originally aired on Nickelodeon October 2, 1999. "Doing the Sponge" is written by Salt Peter (Peter Straus), former bassist for the Dwarves.Chun, Gary C.W. (2004)
Punk with pomp
, '' Honolulu Star-Bulletin'', December 3, 2004, retrieved February 7, 2010 * Blag Dahlia's most recent side project is pop/rock band Candy Now!, which he formed with Angelina Moysov of Persephone's Bees. * HeWhoCannotBeNamed has released two solo albums, which have featured guest appearances from his fellow Dwarves members, including Blag Dahlia. "Humaniterrorist", a vinyl only release in 2012, and "Love/Hate", a compact disc-only release in 2013. * Blag Dahlia on Vocals recording The Who's "The Kids are Alright" with Peted on guitar of The Adicts and Cell Block 5 * Blag Dahlia sings vocals on the Royce Cracker single "Who Put the Methamphetamine in Mr. Everything". * Rex Everything sings vocals on the Royce Cracker single "Doin' Whatche Say". The Royce Cracker Dwarves split 7-inch was released on Zodiac Killer Records (ZKR038) in 2009.Zodiac Killer Records (2009)
Royce Cracker Dwarves Split
, January 13, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010Royce Cracker (2009)
Royce Cracker Dwarves Split
, January 13, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010 * Marc Diamond plays guitar, and Andy Selway plays drums on the Royce Cracker single "Meth Stop Calling". * Snupac is the vocalist for hardcore punk band Get A Grip.

Discography

Albums

* ''A Hard Day's Nightmare'' (as The Surburban Nightmare) LP (Midnight Records, 1985, MIR LP 109) * '' Horror Stories'' LP ( Voxx Records, 1986, VXS 200.037) * ''Toolin' For A Warm Teabag'' LP (Nasty Gash Records, 1988, NG 001) * '' Blood Guts & Pussy'' LP (

, 1990, SP 67) * '' Thank Heaven for Little Girls'' LP (Sub Pop, 1991, SP 126) * '' Sugarfix'' LP (Sub Pop, 1993, SP 197) * '' The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking'' LP (Theologian Records, 1997, T53) * '' The Dwarves Come Clean'' LP ( Epitaph Records, 2000, 86575 1) * ''How To Win Friends And Influence People'' (Reptilian Records, 2001, REP 068) * '' The Dwarves Must Die'' (2004) * '' The Dwarves Are Born Again'' (2011) * '' The Dwarves Invented Rock & Roll'' (2014) * ''Radio Free Dwarves'' (Riot Style Records / Greedy) (2015) * ''Take Back The Night'' ( Burger Records / Greedy) (2018) * ''Concept Album'' (2023) * ''Keep It Reel'' (2024)

Compilations

* '' Free Cocaine'' DLP ( Recess Records, 1999, RECESS No. 51) * ''Lick It'' DLP (Recess Records, 1999, RECESS No. 52) * ''Greedy Boot 1'' (2005) - only available from their website * ''The Dwarves Concept Album'' (Greedy, 2023)

Live

* ''Toolin' for Lucifers Crank'' (1996) * ''Fuck You Up and Get Live'' (2005) * ''Radio Free Dwarves'' (2015)

EPs

* ''Lucifer's Crank'' cassette EP (self issued, 1988, reissued on 7-inch by Rough Trade No.6 (Karbon), 1991, KAR 13/7) * ''We Kill Cock Throbbin cassette-EP (self-issued, 1988) *
Underworld / Lies / Down By The River
' (

, 1993, SP 183B) * ''Fake ID, Bitch 10-inch Vinyl'' (2011)

Singles

* "Lick It" 7-inch (Ubik, 1988) * "She's Dead" / "Fuckhead" 7-inch (

SP50, 1990) * "Drugstore" / "Detention Girl" / "Astro Boy" / "Motherfucker" 7-inch (Sub Pop SP81, 1990) * "Sit on My Face" / "I Wanna Kill Your Boyfriend" (by Seizure) split 7-inch (Sympathy For the Record Industry, SFTRI 132, 1991) * "Lucky Tonight" / "Speed Demon" / "Dairy Queen" 7-inch (Sub Pop SP21/163, 1992) * "Anybody Out There" / "Who Cares" 7-inch (Sub Pop SP84/254, 1993) * " That's Rock 'n' Roll" / "I'm a Man" 7-inch (Sympathy For The Record Industry SFTRI 280, 1994) * ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (But Blondes Don't Like Cripples)'' 7-inch EP (Man's Ruin MR005, 1995) * "I Will Deny You" / "The Dwarves are Young and Good Looking" / "One Life to Live" 7-inch (Reptilian REP018, 1997) * "We Must Have Blood" / "Surfing the Intercourse Barn" 7-inch (Man's Ruin MR051, 1997) * ''Dwarves/Royce Cracker'' 7-inch Vinyl/CD ( Zodiac Killer Records ZKR038, 2009) * "Trailer Trash" 7-inch (Recess Records, 2014) * "Get Up & Get High" 7-inch (No Balls Records, 2014) * "Gentleman Blag" 7-inch ( Fat Wreck Chords, 2015) * "Fun to Try" 7-inch (Burger Records, 2015) * Dwarves/ Svetlanas split 7-inch (Altercation Records, 2016)

Videos

* ''Fuck You Up and Get Live'' DVD (2004) * ''FEFU'' DVD (2006)

Music videos

* I'm a Living Sickness (1986) * Drugstore (1990) * We Must Have Blood (1997) * Over You (2000) * Salt Lake City (2004) * FEFU (2004) * Massacre (2005) * Stop Me (2011) * The Band That Wouldn't Die (2011) * You'll Never Take Us Alive (2012) * Devil's Level (2018)

Compilation appearances

* 1990: ''Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking In the Streets Volume Five'' ( Amphetamine Reptile Records, track "Lesbian Nun") * 1999: '' Short Music for Short People'' ( Fat Wreck Chords, track "The Band That Wouldn't Die") * 2017: ''Punk against Trump'' (Denizen Records, track "Trailer Trash")

References

External links

Official band websiteBlag Dahlia in Loren Cass FilmFour questions with The Dwarves lead singer Blag DahliaFeature: The New Pop Idol: Candy Now and Blag Dahlia?!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwarves Epitaph Records artists Hardcore punk groups from Illinois Musical groups from Chicago American garage punk groups Sympathy for the Record Industry artists Garage rock groups from Illinois 1985 establishments in Illinois