Pegboy is an American

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band from

Chicago 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 ...

, Illinois with a relatively large

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

. They were founded in 1990 by

John Haggerty John Haggerty (born October 17, 1960, Chicago) is an influential Chicago guitarist. Haggerty was a member of Naked Raygun from 1983 to 1989. Upon leaving Naked Raygun, He formed the band Pegboy with brother Joe Haggerty, Steve Saylors, and Larr ...

(ex-guitarist for

Naked Raygun Naked Raygun is an American punk rock band that formed in Chicago in 1980. The band was active from 1980 to 1992, along with reunion shows in 1997, and since 2006. Naked Raygun have cited various bands as influences, including Buzzcocks, Wire, ...

), along with his brother

Joe Haggerty Joe Haggerty is the drummer for Pegboy and is known for his dense, energetic, relentless and varied drumming style. In the mid-1980s he was the drummer for the Chicago punk band Bloodsport. In 1987, three of the members of Bloodsport, including H ...

(drums, formerly of

The Effigies The Effigies are an American punk rock band from Chicago. The band played its first show in 1980 and was active initially for approximately a decade, undergoing multiple personnel changes (with frontman John Kezdy the only constant) before disban ...

), Larry Damore (vocals/guitar), and Steve Saylors (bass). Both Damore and Saylors had been members of the Chicago-based hardcore band

Bhopal Stiffs The Bhopal Stiffs was an American hardcore punk band formed in Chicago in 1985 by singers/guitarists Larry Damore and Vince Marine, bassist Steve Saylors, and drummer Dave Schleitwiler. The band name is a reference to an ecological disaster whi ...

, whose 1987 demo had been produced by John Haggerty. Pegboy's 1990 debut EP, "Three-Chord Monte", was also the first release by

Quarterstick Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. To ...

, an offshoot of

Touch and Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. To ...

. Steve Saylors dropped out in 1992 after job commitments prevented him from touring.

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

, a longtime friend of the band, filled the bass slot on the "Fore" EP. Former Naked Raygun bassist

Pierre Kezdy Pierre Kezdy (January 4, 1962 – October 9, 2020) was an American bass player, known for playing with various Chicago punk bands, including Naked Raygun, Pegboy, Strike Under, Arsenal, and Trial By Fire. He was also the younger brother of ...

became the permanent bass player in 1994. After the reformation of Naked Raygun, Mike Thompson took over for Kezdy on bass. Pegboy supposedly played a "farewell" show on New Year's Eve in 1999 but then denied that it was really a "farewell" show a few years later when they returned to live action. Pegboy toured through the summer of 2009 with Face to Face and Polar Bear Club.

Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rise Against's mu ...

Tim McIlrath Timothy James McIlrath (born November 3, 1978) is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is vegetarian and straight edge. Early and personal life Mc ...

Alkaline Trio Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago. The band's current members are Matt Skiba (guitar, vocals), Dan Andriano (bass, vocals), and Atom Willard (drums). Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Doran, and drummer Glenn Por ...

Matt Skiba Matthew Thomas Skiba (born February 24, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as the vocalist and guitarist of the punk rock band Alkaline Trio, and served as the co-lead vocalist and guitarist of Blink-182 from 2015 to 2022. Skiba's ...

, as well as

Hot Water Music Hot Water Music is an American punk rock band formed in October 1994 and based in Gainesville, Florida. Since their formation, the group has consisted of Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard on shared lead vocals and guitars, bass guitarist Jason B ...

Chuck Ragan Charles Allen Ragan (born October 30, 1974) is an American singing, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the guitarist and vocalist of the band Hot Water Music. Ragan has also released a variety of solo material, including a series of 7-inch ...

and

Shai Hulud Shai Hulud is an American metalcore band formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, in 1995, and later based in Poughkeepsie, New York. The band is named after the giant sandworms in Frank Herbert's novel ''Dune''. The two mainstay members of Shai Hulu ...

's Matt Fox are big Pegboy fans.

Current members

* Larry Damore — vocals, guitar (1990–present) *

— drums (1990–present) *

— guitar (1990–present) *Herb Rosen — bass (2022–present)

Former members

* Steve Saylors — bass (1990-1992) *

J. Robbins James Robbins, better known as J. Robbins, is an American rock musician. Career Robbins began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led five of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, Channels (band) ...

— bass (1992, temporary replacement for the

Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Emerg ...

tour) *

— bass (1993 — on ''Fore'') (died 2024) *

— bass (1994-2007 ) (died 2020) * "Skinny" Mike Thompson - bass (2007-2022)

Discography

Albums

* 1991 - ''

Strong Reaction ''Strong Reaction'' is the debut album of Pegboy. It was released in 1991 through Quarterstick Records. Critical reception ''Trouser Press'' wrote that "quibbles about the occasionally melodramatic lyrics, in which the passage into adulthood di ...

'' (

Quarterstick A quarter stick, colloquially known as the , is a large firecracker that falls within a range of dimensions roughly between and . These salutes typically carry 25grams of flash powder but in rare occasions have been measured and can contain upwa ...

) * 1994 - ''

Earwig Earwigs make up the insect order (biology), order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cercus, cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincer (biology), pincers on ...

'' (Quarterstick) * 1997 - ''

Cha Cha Damore ''Cha Cha Damore'' is the third album by Pegboy. It was released on October 14, 1997, through Quarterstick Records. Critical reception ''Ox-Fanzine'' wrote that "the Pegboy variant of melodic guitar punk deliberately aims to avoid catchy tralal ...

'' (Quarterstick)

Singles and EPs

* 1990 - ''

Three-Chord Monte ''Three-Chord Monte'' is an EP by Pegboy, released in 1990 through Quarterstick Records. Track listing Personnel ;Pegboy *Larry Damore – drums *Joe Haggerty – vocals *John Haggerty – guitar *Steve Saylors – bass ...

'' EP (Quarterstick) * 1991 - "Field of Darkness"/"Walk on By" 7" (Quarterstick) * 1993 - '' Fore'' EP (Quarterstick) * 1996 - ''Dangermare'' (Split with Kepone) 7" (Quarterstick)

Compilation appearances

* 1995 - ''Vagabonds Of The Midwestern World: Fighting Songs By Thin Lizzy'' (Anti-Gravity) (1995) - "Emerald" * 1995 - ''Hear Ya! Winter 1994-1995-The Caroline Distribution CD Sampler'' ( Caroline) - "Sinner Inside" * 1998 - ''Touch And Go & Quarterstick Records'' (Touch And Go/Quarterstick/Boa) - "Dog Dog" * 1999 - ''Of Things To Come'' (Better Youth Organization) - "Fade Away" * 2000 - ''Magnetic Curses: A Chicago Punk Rock Compilation'' (Thick) - "Chutes And Ladders"

Tribute to

* 2006 - ''The World I Know-A Tribute To Pegboy'' (Underground Communique)

Videography

* "Sinner Inside" * "Strong Reaction" * "Through My Fingers"

Reception

* "With roots in such seminal Chicago bands as Naked Raygun and Effigies, Pegboy sounds as if it would have been right at home during the punk upheaval of the late `70s." (Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune, 1991) * "A barrage of industrial-strength noise from the North blasted through Liberty Lunch on Saturday, when the Jesus Lizard and Pegboy combined with Kepone for a galvanizing concert that brought their autumn tour to a close. All three record for Chicago's fiercely independent Touch and Go combine, which specializes in abrasive guitars over relentless rhythms and a minimum of melody." (Don McLeese,

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The distribution of the following ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', '' ...

, 1994) * "The band has a knack for writing anthemic choruses in the tradition of guitarist John Haggerty's former band, Naked Raygun."(Review of ''Strong Reaction'', Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune, 1991) * "This workmanlike band inherits the Chicago muscle 'n' melody tradition of Naked Raygun." (Review of ''Earwig'', Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune, 1995)

References

External links

Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records

Official Myspace page
* * {{Authority control Punk rock groups from Illinois Musical groups from Chicago Musical groups established in 1990 Quarterstick Records artists