Fastbacks were a

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, Washington, punk rock band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist

Kurt Bloch Kurt Bloch (born August 28, 1960) is an American songwriter, guitarist, engineer and record producer. Music career Bloch is best known as songwriter and lead guitarist of Fastbacks, and is a member of The Young Fresh Fellows. Record Produc ...

(born August 28, 1960), and friends Lulu Gargiulo (guitar and vocals, born October 12, 1960) and Kim Warnick (bass and vocals, born April 7, 1959), they disbanded in 2001. Their sound mixed a generally punk rock approach to vocals and sound textures with

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

py tunes and strong musicianship. Although these three band members remained fairly constant, they went through numerous drummers, including Duff McKagan, later of

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

. MTV's web page on the Fastbacks says that estimates at the number of Fastbacks drummers "range from 12 to 20." For most of the band's last decade, Mike Musburger filled this role, but other Fastbacks drummers before him (or when he took occasional breaks) included Bloch himself, Richard Stuverud (perhaps best known from War Babies,

Fifth Angel Fifth Angel is an American heavy metal band from Bellevue, Washington. Biography Fifth Angel was formed in the suburbs of Seattle in 1983, specifically, in the Bellevue area. The band's initial lineup consisted of Ted Pilot (vocals), James B ...

and his collaborations with

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, ...

's Jeff Ament, including Three Fish, Tres Mts. and RNDM), Nate Johnson and Rusty Willoughby (both of whom also played in both Flop and

Pure Joy Pure may refer to: Computing * A pure function * A pure virtual function * PureSystems, a family of computer systems introduced by IBM in 2012 * Pure Software, a company founded in 1991 by Reed Hastings to support the Purify tool * Pure-FTP ...

), John Moen (of the

Dharma Bums ''The Dharma Bums'' is a 1958 novel by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. The basis for the novel's semi-fictional accounts are events occurring years after the events of ''On the Road''. The main characters are the narrator Ray Smith, based on ...

, later of

Steven Malkmus Stephen Joseph Malkmus (born May 30, 1966) is an American musician best known as the primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Pavement. He currently performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and as a solo artist. ...

's Jicks and The Decemberists), Jason Finn (of the Presidents of the United States of America),

Dan Peters Daniel Joe Peters (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer for Mudhoney, having played with them since their formation in 1988. Prior to Mudhoney, he joined Bundle of Hiss when he was fifteen years old. He was also briefly the drummer for Nir ...

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. ...

, and

Tad Hutchison Tad or TAD may refer to: Places * Tad, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Tad City, Texas, a coastal unincorporated community located on Olsovsky Road (Suburb of Ganado) * Tad, Isfahan, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * Tad, Mark ...

of the Young Fresh Fellows. Several of these people also served at times as drummers in

The Squirrels The Squirrels are a novelty pop band based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1984 by lead vocalist Rob Morgan (founder, as well, of the ''Poplust'' zine), the band went through numerous lineups, but has stuck to the aesthetic that Peter Blecha ...

, a similarly long-lived band, and the Fastbacks' sometime label-mates on

PopLlama Records PopLlama Records is an independent record label founded by record producer Conrad Uno in Seattle, Washington, in 1984. After making several of his own demos in his basement studio, Uno would produce The Young Fresh Fellows' debut album ''The Fabu ...

, who bring a similar mix of strong musicianship and punk attitude to even poppier material. Contributing to the band's breakup was Kim Warnick's move to the band

Visqueen Visqueen is a brand of polyethylene plastic sheeting (typically low-density polyethylene) produced by British Polythene Industries Limited. It is the registered trade mark of British Polythene Limited in numerous countries throughout the world. ...

in 2001 through 2004. In summer 2010 Kim Warnick started a new band with Mikey Davis (

Alien Crime Syndicate Alien Crime Syndicate, often abbreviated to ACS, were a rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1997. From 1999 to the band's breakup in 2005, the lineup consisted primarily of Joe Reineke (vocals, guitar), Jeff Rouse (bass, backing vocal ...

Tommy Stinson Thomas Eugene Stinson (born October 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stins ...

) called Cali Giraffes. The Fastbacks reunited for a one-off live performance 8 July 2011 at the West Seattle Summer Music Festival, featuring the core trio of Bloch, Warnick, and Garguilo, along with Mike Musburger on drums, their first official show together since their break-up a decade ago. They later reunited in September 2018 for a benefit concert, in aid of fellow Seattle musician Andrew McKeag.

Discography

Albums

* 1987: ''...And His Orchestra'' ( PopLlama) * 1990: ''

Very, Very Powerful Motor ''Very, Very Powerful Motor'' is the second studio album by the Fastbacks, released in 1990 on PopLlama Records. The second track, "Apologies," is a cover of a Pointed Sticks song. Critical reception ''Trouser Press'' wrote that the album "give ...

'' (PopLlama) * 1991: ''Never Fails, Never Works'' (Blaster!) - UK compilation of EPs * 1992: ''The Question is No'' (

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a 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, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are oft ...

) - compilation * 1993: '' Zücker'' (Sub Pop) * 1994: ''

Answer the Phone, Dummy ''Answer the Phone, Dummy'' is an album by the American band Fastbacks, released in 1994. The band supported the album with a North American tour. Production The album was produced by Kurt Bloch, who also wrote the songs. For the first time in th ...

'' (Sub Pop) * 1996: ''New Mansions in Sound'' (Sub Pop) * 1999: ''The Day that didn't Exist'' ( spinART) * 2016: ''Now is the Time'' (No Threes) compilation * 2018: ''If You Want To Slow Down, Step On The Gas'' (

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

) compilation recorded between 1985-1990

Singles

* 1981: "It's Your Birthday" / "You Can't Be Happy" (No Threes) * 1989: "Wrong Wrong Wrong" / "In America" - (Subway) - UK * 1989: "In The Winter" / "It Came To Me In A Dream" (Subway) - UK * 1990: "Lose" (Steve Priest Fan Club) - split with Gas Huffer * 1991: ''The Answer Is You'' ("My Letters"/"Whatever Happened to ?"/"Impatience"/"Above the Sunrise") (Sub Pop) 2-single set * 1992: "Run No More" / "Really" (Who Cares?) * 1992: "Now Is the Time" / "Sometimes" / "Was Late" (Ded Beet) * 1993: "They Don't Care" / "Out of the Charts" - (PopLlama) * 1993: "Gone to the Moon" - "Go All the Way" (Sub Pop) * 1994: "Wait It Out" / "The Jester" (Munster) * 1995: ''Rat Race / I Live In A Car / Telephone Numbers'' (Gearhead Records) - Split with The Meices * 1996: ''Just Say'' (Sub Pop) * 1996: ''All In Order'' / ''Answer The Phone, Dummy'' / ''Allison'' (Birdtime Bird Co.) * 1996: ''And After All'' / ''Marionette'' (Birdtime Bird Co.) * 2011: ''Come On Come On'' / ''I Can't Hide'' (Super Fan)

EPs

* 1982: ''Fastbacks Play Five of Their Favorites'' (No Threes) * 1984: ''Everyday Is Saturday'' (No Threes) * 1989: "In The Summer/You Can't Be Happy/Everything I Don't Need/Queen of Eyes" (No Threes/SPFC) * 1993: ''Gone To The Moon'' (Sub Pop) * 1996: ''Alone In A Furniture Warehouse Scaring You Away Like A Hotel Mattress'' (Munster) - Spain * 1998: ''Win Lose or Both'' (PopLlama)

Contributed tracks to

* 1981: '' Seattle Syndrome Volume One'' (Engram) track 6, "Someone Else's Room" * 1986: ''Let's Sea'' (

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent mus ...

) track A-4, "Don't Eat That, It's Poison" * 1986: ''Monkey Business: Green Monkey Records 1986 Compilation'' (Green Monkey) track 8, "Time Passes" * 1988: ''

Sub Pop 200 ''Sub Pop 200'' is a compilation released in the early days of the Seattle grunge scene (December 1988). It features songs (many of them first releases and otherwise unattainable) from Tad, The Fluid, Nirvana, Steven "Jesse" Bernstein, Mudhoney ...

'' (Sub Pop) track 10, "Swallow My Pride" ( Green River cover) * 1991: ''Another Damned Seattle Compilation'' ( Dashboard Hula Girl) track 18, "Hit or Miss" ( The Damned cover) * 1992: on '' International Pop Underground Convention'' (

) track 19, "Impatience" (live) * 1992: ''International Pop Underground Convention (

) track 19, "Impatience" * 1992: ''Hodge Podge & Barrage from Japan'' (1 + 2 Records) track 9, "Trouble Sleeping" * 1992: ''Estrus Gearbox'' (

Estrus The estrous cycle (, originally ) is the set of recurring physiological changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian therian females. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous p ...

) track 2, "Hot Rods To Heaven" * 1992: ''20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions!'' (Pravda) track 2-6 "Rocket Man" * 1993: ''...And The Fun Just Never Ends'' (Lost And Found) track 8, "You Can't Be Happy"; track 8, "Love You More" - Germany * 1993: ''Say Hello To The Far East'' ( Sony Records) track 1, "Go All The Way" * 1994: ''13 Soda Punx'' (Munster / Top Drawer) track 5, " I'm Cold" * 1994: ''"Whole Wide World" - The Subway Organisation Label 1986-1990'' (Midi Inc.) track 14, "In The Winter" * 1994: ''The World of

The Zombies The Zombies are an English Rock music, rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American chart-topper, hit in 1964 with "She's Not ...

'' (PopLlama) track 6, "Hung Up On A Dream"; track 9, "

Just Out Of Reach ''Just Out Of Reach'' is an album by pop singer Perry Como released by RCA Records in 1975. Track listing # "Let's Do It Again" (Tony Hatch, Jackie Trent) - 2:59 # "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" (John D. Loudermilk) - 2:40 # "Here, There and Ev ...

" * 1995: ''20 Supersonic Mega Explosive Hits'' (Runt) track 19, "Rocket Man" - Italy * 1995: ''Oh Canaduh! (A Collection of Canadian Punk Rock Covers)'' (Lance Rock) track 8, "Won't Have To Worry" * 1995: ''Screaming Life'' (Sub Pop) track 9, "What's It Like" - included with the book ''Screaming Life: A Chronicle of the Seattle Music Scene'' (HarperCollins) * 1996: ''Bite Back / Live at the Crocodile Cafe's'' (PopLlama) track 5, "Always Tomorrow" * 1996: ''Home Alive - The Art of Self Defense'' (

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

) track 1-3, "Time & Matter" * 1996: ''Hype! The Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (Sub Pop) track 1, "K Street" (Live); track 22, "Just Say" * 1996: ''Paydirt'' (Sub Pop) track 7, "I Can't Win"; track 17, "No Information" * 1997: ''Dictators Forever Forever Dictators Vol. II'' (Roto) track 16, "Exposed" - Spain * 2001: ''Give the People What We Want : The Songs Of The Kinks'' (Sub Pop / Burn Burn Burn / Right Now) track 12, "Waterloo Sunset" * 2004: ''Truth Corrosion and Sour Bisquits'' (Book Records) * 2013: ''What Have We Wrought? A Mike Atta Benefit Compilation'' (Burger / Gasatanka / Munster) track 1-6, "Fast Enough"

Live

* 1988: ''Bike • Toy • Clock • Gift'' - self-released as a tape in 1988, re-released on No Threes Records in 1989, CD released in 1994 on

Lucky Records Lucky Records is the name of several different record labels. Lucky Records - Tokyo Lucky Records of the 1930s was a record label based in Tokyo, Japan, which specialized in issuing American popular music to the Japanese audience. Lucky was f ...

. * 1991: ''In America'' (Smilin' Ear) (2x7") * 1996: ''Here They Are... Live At the Crocodile...'' (Lance Rock) - Canada

Video

* 2004: ''Hype! The Sound of a Musical Explosion'' DVD (Republic)

References

External links

on the ''Trouser Press'' site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fastbacks, The Musical groups from Seattle Pop punk groups from Washington (state) PopLlama Records artists Sub Pop artists SpinART Records artists