Coachwhips was a
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
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 ...
, formed in 2001. The band consisted of
John Dwyer (vocals, guitar), John Harlow (drums) and Mary Ann McNamara (keyboards, backing vocals, tambourine). In their second incarnation, Val-Tronic played keyboard/tambourine, and Matt Hartman (former guitarist for
Cat Power
Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist.
Born in ...
and multi-instrumentalist for
Sic Alps
Sic Alps were an American garage rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 2004 by Mike Donovan and Adam Stonehouse, they released music on Siltbreeze, Drag City, Woodsist and several other independent record labels.
After signin ...
) played drums.
Coachwhips are known for their stripped-down, unpolished garage rock and completely unintelligible lyrics, a sound that is similar to
The Oblivians
The Oblivians are an American garage punk trio that has existed since 1993. In the 1990s, their blues-infused brand of bravado, crudely recorded music made them one of the most popular and prominent bands within the underground garage rock scen ...
and
The Gories
The Gories are an American garage punk trio that formed in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in 1986. They were among the first 1980s garage rock bands to incorporate overt blues influences. The band features Mick Collins (of The Dirtbombs), Dan ...
.
Band members
*John Dwyer - guitar, vocals
*John Harlow - drums (2001–2003)
*Mary Ann McNamara - keyboards, tambourine, backing vocals (2001–2003)
*Matt Hartman - drums (2003–2005)
*Val(tronic) - keyboard, tambourine (2003–2005)
Discography
Splits
* ''Split 7" with A Tension'' (Kimosciotic, 2003, KSR-006)
* ''Split 7" with Trin Tran'' (Show And Tell Recordings, 2004, SAT 005)
* ''Split 7" with Intelligence'' (Omnibus Records, 2005, omni036)
Albums
* ''Hands On The Controls CD'' (Black Apple Records, 2002, 002)
* ''Get Yer Body Next Ta Mine LP'' (Show And Tell Recordings, 2002, SAT 003)
* ''Get Yer Body Next Ta Mine CD'' (
Narnack Records
Narnack Records is an independent record label founded in 2000. The label developed in New York City's underground music scene and quickly became known for its ability for developing new artists Coachwhips, OCS, Langhorne Slim, Thee Oh sees, ...
, 2003, NCK 7002)
* ''
Bangers Versus Fuckers'' (Narnack Records, 2003, NCK 7009)
* ''Peanut Butter And Jelly Live At The Ginger Minge LP/CD'' (Narnack Records, 2005, NCK 7024)
* ''Double Death CD'' (Narnack Records, 2006) (a collection of rarities and b-sides, it also comes with a DVD showcasing their live shows.)
* ''Hands on the Controls LP'' (
Castle Face Records, 2013)
Equipment
In a 2005 interview with
SLUG Magazine, Dwyer claims the band steals telephones for use in their music from hotel rooms every time the band stays in a hotel on tour, which he says is why the band is usually not invited back to the hotels they have visited.
References
Other sources
* Evert
Coachwhips''Grunnenrocks.nl''. Accessed June 16, 2007.
External links
Podcast Interview w/ John Dwyer - Nov 2007Show & Tell Recordings
* Coachwhips @ Allmusicbr>Coachwhips "Body And Brains" live in Jamaica Plain, MA 2004 @ Esprit de CorpsLive video from the Burn My Eye TV show
{{Thee Oh Sees
Musical groups from San Francisco
American noise rock music groups
Garage punk groups
Musical groups established in 2001
Musical groups disestablished in 2005
Garage rock groups from California