Limp (band)
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Limp was an American
pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
band formed in 1994, with strong influences in both
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
and
ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...
, hailing from the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
. Limp released three
studio albums An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...
on Honest Don's, a subsidiary label of
Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is an independent record label based in San Francisco focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) and his wife at the time, Erin Burkett in 1990. ...
, as well as an EP released on Fueled by Ramen, before their 2002 breakup.


History

Limp formed in 1994 with founding members Phil Ensor (vocals, guitar) and Serge Verkhovsky (bass), and would later borrow
Dance Hall Crashers Dance Hall Crashers (often abbreviated to DHC) is an American ska punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California. Initially founded by former Operation Ivy members Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, the band has had a fluid lineup over its caree ...
member Scott Goodell to be the band's first drummer. They recorded a demo that was given to Marty Gregori of
Bracket A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. They come in four main pairs of shapes, as given in the box to the right, which also gives their n ...
, which was later passed along to Michael Burkett at
Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is an independent record label based in San Francisco focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) and his wife at the time, Erin Burkett in 1990. ...
. The demo caught the labels interest and initially, a 7" record was planned for release. After recording "Clear Color" and "Bug Dance", a full-length album was instead offered on the labels recently launched subsidiary, Honest Don's. The outcome would be Limp's debut '' Pop & Disorderly'' released in 1997. The album was recorded as a four-piece featuring Ensor, Verkhovsky, second guitarist Billy Bouchard and new drummer Johnny Cruz. Overall, the album showcased a strong
pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
influence, with major focus on vocal harmonies, two traits the band would continue to exercise throughout their career. Although Ensor provided
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
for almost the entire album, Bouchard would supply them on "Eighteen", as well as "
Holiday Road "Holiday Road" is a 1983 single composed and recorded by American guitarist/singer Lindsey Buckingham. Written for the 1983 film ''National Lampoon's Vacation'', it was also used in the film's sequels '' National Lampoon's European Vacation'' (19 ...
", a cover of the
Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with ...
song from the 1983 film ''
National Lampoon's Vacation ''National Lampoon's Vacation'', sometimes referred to as simply ''Vacation'', is a 1983 American black comedy road film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Chris ...
''. Following two tours with
Less Than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Buddy Schaub (trombone), Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxophone) and Matt Yonker ...
, drummer
Vinnie Fiorello Vincent "Vinnie" Fiorello (born June 24, 1974) is an American rock musician and businessman. He co-founded the ska punk band Less Than Jake in 1992, and was the band's drummer and lyricist until 2018. He also founded the record labels Fueled b ...
presented Limp with the opportunity to issue a release on his label, Fueled by Ramen. This would result in the ''Fine Girl'' EP released in 1998, which gathered leftover songs from ''Pop & Disorderly'' and included new songs that would see later release on the band's second album. This would also mark the debut of guitarist Douglas Sangalang, formerly of
Screw 32 Screw 32 was a Berkeley, California, Berkeley/East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay-area US punk rock band. Their name has many supposed origins, the most popular stating that it is derived from an anti-skateboarding measure on the ballot ...
, who had recently replaced Bouchard, although due to the songs chosen, both guitarists would make an appearance on the EP. That same year, Limp released a four-song 7" of older material on Coldfront Records, that Ensor and Verkhovsky recorded with original drummer Hammon, as a three-piece in August 1996 at
Westbeach Recorders Westbeach Recorders was a recording studio in Hollywood, California famous for recording punk rock groups, such as Bad Religion, Avenged Sevenfold, NOFX, Rancid, the Offspring and Pennywise. History It was established in 1985 by Bad Religion g ...
with producer
Greg Hetson Greg Hetson (born June 29, 1961) is an American musician. He is best known as the guitarist for the influential punk rock bands Circle Jerks and Bad Religion. He is known for his high energy stage antics which people have coined the term "The He ...
. In February 1999, Limp released ''
Guitarded ''Guitarded'' is the second album by the San Francisco Bay Area pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It ...
'', their second album for Honest Don's, recorded the previous year over the course of seven months, between a slew of tours. The album, which featured a slightly more mature sound, was a modest success on college radio and earned more airplay than any previous Honest Don's release. Perhaps done sarcastically, Limp thanked
Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto (drummer), John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers (bassist), Sam ...
in the
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
, a band they were increasingly becoming more confused with, however the two bands did play together in 1997, before either attained much notoriety. Around the time ''Guitarded'' was released, Limp were being courted by
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...
following the suggestion of
Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
, an acquaintance of the band who were also on the label at the time. Shortly after, interest dissolved following
major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...
consolidation and many existing labels cutting their rosters. Citing fatigue from constant touring, the band decided to take some time off. Limp returned in 2002, with their third and most ambitious album for Honest Don's, the self-titled ''
Limp A limp is a type of asymmetric abnormality of the gait. Limping may be caused by pain, weakness, neuromuscular imbalance, or a skeletal deformity. The most common underlying cause of a painful limp is physical trauma; however, in the absence ...
''. Like the band's previous releases, the album was produced by
Ryan Greene Ryan Greene is an American record producer, sound engineer, former owner of Crush Recording Studios in Scottsdale, Arizona and founder of Area 52 Entertainment in Los Angeles, California. He has worked with many artists including Jay-Z, Lita For ...
at Motor Studios in
San Francisco, California 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 ...
. ''Limp'' demonstrated a more straightforward
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
sound, as compared to the pop punk approach of previous albums. Sangalang departed prior to the album's recording, marking the return of Bouchard, who had not appeared on a Limp album since the band's 1997 debut, ''Pop & Disorderly''. Bouchard's return was not intended to be permanent however, as made evident in the liner notes, which listed him separately from the other band members. The album also featured an appearance from Karina Deniké of Dance Hall Crashers on "Get Away". ''Limp'' would be the band's final album before breaking up later that year.


Band members

* Phil Ensor – vocals, guitar * Serge Verkhovsky – bass * Johnny Cruz – drums Former members * Billy Bouchard – guitar, vocals * Dan McLintock – guitar, backing vocals * Douglas Sangalang – guitar, backing vocals * Gavin Hammon – drums


Discography

Albums EPs * ''Fine Girl'' (1998) Fueled by Ramen * ''Limp'' (1998) Coldfront Records Compilation appearances * ''Honest Don's Welcome Wagon'' (1997) Honest Don's * ''Expose Yourself'' (1997)
Go-Kart Records Go-Kart Records was an independent record label specializing in punk rock located in New York City that was most active from 1995 to 2005. It also has a European division in Mannheim, Germany. History In its May 1999 issue, ''Guitar World'' ...
/Black Rat Recordings * ''The Year of the Rat'' (1998) Fueled by Ramen * ''Honest Don's Greatest Shits'' (1998) Honest Don's * ''
Short Music for Short People Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known a ...
'' (1999)
Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is an independent record label based in San Francisco focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) and his wife at the time, Erin Burkett in 1990. ...
* ''Music to Listen to Music By'' (1999) Coldfront Records


References

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- Truepunk.com - Interview with Serge Verkhovsky
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- Poppunk.com Zine - Issue 10
{{DEFAULTSORT:Limp Punk rock groups from California American musical trios Pop punk groups from California Fueled by Ramen artists