Gas Huffer was an American
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
band from
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
. They were known for their informal and comical lyrics and their antic-laden stage presence.
History
Gas Huffer classified themselves loosely in the
garage punk
A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include:
*Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicl ...
genre. The band created comic books with each album (drawn by all four members of the band, including Joe Newton, now deputy art director for ''
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 ...
'' magazine), that contain the lyrics to the songs. This was done for every album up to (and including) "Just Beautiful Music".
Gas Huffer played its final show – dubbed "The Last Huffer" – at Seattle's
Crocodile Cafe on January 14, 2006. Opening the show were
Girl Trouble from
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...
, and Canned Hamm from
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, British Columbia. At the conclusion of Girl Trouble's set, K.P. Kendall called Gas Huffer's Tom Price (who has been diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
) to the stage and presented to him a "Certificate of Achievement".
Prior to Gas Huffer, Tom Price played with
The U-Men
The U-Men were an American rock band, formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1980 and active until 1989. They toured extensively across the United States. Their musically "dirty" sound and off-the-wall sense of humor were a forerunner for the later ...
.
Tom Price and Don Blackstone currently play in the Tom Price Desert Classic. Matt Wright was also briefly a member in the band, having appeared in its debut 7". The Tom Price Desert Classic LP "HELL" was released in September 2014.
The term "huffer" often refers to a form of
substance abuse
Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...
known as
huffing.
Discography
Full-length
*''
Janitors of Tomorrow'' (1991) on Empty Records
*''
Integrity, Technology & Service'' (1992) on Empty Records
*''
One Inch Masters'' (1994) on
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid. Several ...
*''
The Inhuman Ordeal of Special Agent Gas Huffer'' (1996) on Epitaph Records
*''
Just Beautiful Music'' (1998) on Epitaph Records
*''
The Rest of Us'' (2002) on
Estrus Records
Estrus Records is an independent record label from Bellingham, Washington that makes surf, garage and trash rock music.
They have released such bands as Mono Men, The Drags, The Mummies, Supercharger, Impala, Man or Astro-man?, the Makers ...
*''
Lemonade for Vampires'' (2005) on Estrus Records
EPs
*''Beer Drinkin' Cavemen from Mars'' (1992) on Empty Records (European release only)
*''
The Shrill Beeps of Shrimp'' (1993) on Empty Records
Singles
*''Firebug'' (1989) on Black Label Records
*''Ethyl'' (1990) on Black Label Records
*''Mole'' (1992) on
Sympathy for the Record Industry
Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by John Mermis, known as Long Gone John. Notable artists who started on Sympathy and went ...
*''Washtucna Hoe-down'' (1992) on Hayseed Records
*''Beer Drinking Cavemen from Mars/Hotcakes'' (1992) 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 ...
*''Ooh Ooh Ooh!/Flaming Star'' (1996) on Lance Rock Records
*''Rotten Egg/Old Summertime'' (2000) on
Au Go Go Records
Au Go Go Records is a Melbourne, Australia based independent record label.
It was founded by Bruce Milne and Philip Morland from a house in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy in 1979 and was later operated by Greta Moon.
The label started releasing ...
Splits
*''King of Hubcaps'' (1991) split with
Fastbacks
Fastbacks are a Seattle, Washington, punk rock band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist Kurt Bloch (born August 28, 1960), and friends Lulu Gargiulo (guitar and vocals, born October 12, 1960) and Kim Warnick (bass and vocals, born April 7, ...
*''
Knife Manual'' (1992) split with
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River (band), Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner (guitari ...
(''You Stupid Asshole'') on Empty Records (pressed on saw-shaped clear vinyl)
*''Bad Guy Reaction'' (1992) Gearhead magazine split with Supercharger
*''Teach Me to Kill'' (1994) split with
Red Aunts
Music videos
* Hot Cakes (1992)
* Crooked Bird (1994)
* More of Everything (1994)
* Sixty Three Hours (1996)
* Smile No More (1996)
* Rotten Egg (1998)
Compilations
*''Another Damned Seattle Compilation'' Dashboard Hula Girl Records
*''Tracks and Fields: Kill Rock Stars Compilation''
*''Runnin' on Fumes''
*''
Punk-O-Rama Vol. 4: Straight Outta the Pit''
*''
Punk-O-Rama Vol. 3''
*''All Punk Rods!''
*''
Hype! The Motion Picture Soundtrack''
*''Twisted Willie''
*''Bite Back: Live at the Crocodile Cafe''
*''
Punk-O-Rama Vol. 1''
*''Dope, Guns 'N Fucking in the Streets Vols. 4–7''
*''Teriyaki Asthma Vols. 1–5''
*''Bobbing for Pavement: The Rathouse Compilation''
*''Empty Records Sampler''
*''
Street Sk8er''
External links
"Enduring Seattle band Gas Huffer shuts off the pump and floors it"– January 13, 2006
Interview on KUOWFebruary 3, 2006. 28 minute interview, with some music samples from ''Lemonade for Vampires''.
Retrospective Audio interview with Gas Huffer on the Jekyll and Hyde show, 106FM Jerusalem
{{Authority control
American musical quartets
Garage rock groups from Washington (state)
Epitaph Records artists
American garage punk groups
Indie rock musical groups from Washington (state)
Musical groups established in 1989
Musical groups disestablished in 2006
American psychobilly musical groups
Sympathy for the Record Industry artists
Rock music groups from Washington (state)