Quasi is an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band formed in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

in 1993 by former spouses

Sam Coomes Samuel J. Coomes (born April 23, 1964) is an American musician, and one half of the indie band Quasi, along with his ex-wife, drummer Janet Weiss. Coomes was also a member of the mid-1980s underground pop band The Donner Party and replaced Brand ...

(

vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound producti ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

rocksichord Rocky Mount Instruments (RMI) was a subsidiary of the Allen Organ Company, based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, active from 1966 to 1982. The company was formed to produce portable musical instruments, and manufactured several electronic piano ...

, various keyboards,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

) and

Janet Weiss Janet Lee Weiss (born September 24, 1965) is an American rock drummer, a member of Quasi (band), Quasi and former member of Sleater-Kinney. She was the drummer for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, leaving after the album ''Mirror Traffic'', and co ...

(vocals and

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

Joanna Bolme Joanna Bolme (born April 1, 1968) is an American multi-instrumentalist (primarily bass guitar) and recording engineer who works with several indie rock bands and artists, mainly in the Pacific Northwest. She has been the bass guitarist for Steph ...

performed and recorded with the group as a

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

from 2007 to 2011.

History

In 1990, Sam Coomes, Janet Weiss, and Brad Pedinov formed the band Motorgoat. The band released two self-released cassettes and one 7" single before dissolving in 1993. Coomes and Weiss then began recording as a duo in 1993 under the name Quasi. They played with various additional musicians in early live appearances, but eventually settled on playing live as a duo as well. They self-recorded and self-released a

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette (format) (or ''cassette tape''), a format that contains magnetic tape for audio, video, and data storage and playback * Compact Cassette, a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ...

and a CD in 1993. They recorded ''

R&B Transmogrification ''R&B Transmogrification'' is the second studio album by the United States, American indie (music), indie band Quasi (band), Quasi. It was released on March 25, 1997, on Up Records. Critical reception ''Record Collector'' wrote that the album is ...

'' in the Portland band

Pond's Pond's is an English brand of beauty and health care products, currently owned by Unilever. History Pond's Cream was invented in the United States as a patent medicine by pharmacist Theron T. Pond (1800–1852) of Utica, New York, in 1846. M ...

basement recording studio and released it on

Up Records Up Records was a Seattle based independent record label founded in 1994 by Chris Takino and Rich Jensen. Some of the label's best-known artists were Duster (band), Duster, 764-HERO, Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Quasi (band), Quasi and Tad (band ...

in 1997. They released two more albums with Up: ''

Featuring "Birds" ''Featuring "Birds"'' is the third studio album by the American indie rock band Quasi. It was released in 1998 by record label Up in the US and Domino in the UK. Several of the album's tracks were first created during sessions for Quasi's prev ...

'' in 1998 and '' Field Studies'' in 1999; both albums were recorded at Jackpot! Studios in

. In 1998 and 1999, they toured the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan opening for and serving as the backup band for

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, whe ...

(with whom Coomes had played in

Heatmiser Heatmiser was an American rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in October 1991. Consisting of Elliott Smith (guitar and vocals), Neil Gust (guitar and vocals), Brandt Peterson (bass; later replaced by Sam Coomes, frontman of Quasi) and Ton ...

) as well as touring on their own in the U.S. and Europe. In 2001, they home-recorded '' The Sword of God'' and released it on Touch & Go. They released '' Hot Shit!'' in 2003 and ''

When the Going Gets Dark ''When the Going Gets Dark'' is an album by Quasi. It was released on March 21, 2006, on Touch and Go Records. It was released in Europe by Domino Records. Track listing Personnel * Sam Coomes – guitar, vocals * Janet Weiss – drums, v ...

'' in 2006, both on Touch & Go in the U.S. and

Domino Recording Company Domino Recording Company, or simply Domino, is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called ...

in Europe. In 2009, the band signed with

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in February 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but it was orig ...

to release their next record. Quasi 1

Although Coomes and Weiss remain busy with other bands, Quasi tours fairly regularly. In 2007, they toured the U.S. with Touch & Go labelmates

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (sometimes written Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, or shortened to TL/Rx) are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured inte ...

. Just prior to that tour, Quasi announced that bassist Joanna Bolme, who had toured with Quasi in 2006 and plays with Weiss in

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks is an American rock band consisting of Stephen Malkmus, Mike Clark, Joanna Bolme and Jake Morris. Malkmus is the main singer and songwriter behind the influential 1990s indie rock band Pavement. History The Jick ...

, was a permanent member of the band. Bolme performed on Quasi's 2010 full-length ''

American Gong ''American Gong'' is the eighth studio album by Portland based indie rock band Quasi. It was released on February 23, 2010, on the labels Kill Rock Stars (US) Domino Records (UK). The deluxe 2-CD version of the album features a compilation di ...

'' and continued to tour with them through the first half of 2011. In June 2011, Quasi posted an update on their official Facebook page, announcing that they would be returning to their original two-piece lineup for "the foreseeable future" and thanking Bolme for her time with the band. They released their next album, ''

Mole City ''Mole City'' is the ninth studio album by the American indie band Quasi. The album was officially announced by the band via a video trailer in May 2013, with a track listing and pre-orders made available the following June. It was released on ...

'', in 2013. In addition to her work in the Jicks, Weiss was the primary drummer for the group

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member Janet We ...

, and has recently played with Bright Eyes,

John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used in the British, Canadian, and American legal systems, when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law ...

and

Wild Flag Wild Flag was an American four-piece indie rock supergroup based in Portland, Oregon and Washington, D.C. The group consisted of Carrie Brownstein (vocals, guitar), Mary Timony (vocals, guitar), Rebecca Cole (keyboards, backing vocals) and Jan ...

, while Coomes has been working with Pink Mountain and on his solo project, Blues Goblins. He has also played with

Jandek Jandek is the musical project of Sterling Smith (born October 26, 1945), a Houston, Texas-based American Lo-fi music, lo-fi Folk music, folk singer. Since 1978, Jandek has independently released over 120 albums while granting an interview extreme ...

, and has appeared on several

Built to Spill Built to Spill is an American indie rock band that formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1992. Centered on lead vocalist and guitarist Doug Martsch, the only permanent member, Built to Spill has released nine albums since its inception. Martsch originall ...

albums. The group reactivated in 2020 with a one-off release via Bandcamp. In February 2023, Quasi released their 10th studio record, '' Breaking the Balls of History'' 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 ...

Discography

Albums

* ''Quasi'' (cassette) (1993, self-released) * ''

'' (1997, Up) * ''

'' (1998, Up /

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...

) * '' Field Studies'' (1999, Up / Domino) * '' The Sword of God'' (2001, Touch & Go / Domino) * '' Hot Shit!'' (2003, Touch & Go / Domino) * ''

'' (2006, Touch & Go / Domino) * ''

'' (2010,

/ Domino) * ''

'' (2013, Kill Rock Stars / Domino) * '' Breaking the Balls of History'' (2023,

)

EPs and singles

* Split 7" with

Bugskull Bugskull is an American musical group originally from Portland, Oregon, United States, that performed and recorded during the 1990s and early 2000s. According to a local newspaper, the Portland Mercury Review, discussing a one-off comeback conc ...

(1994) * ''Kill Rock Stars Singles Club'' 7" (1998,

) * "The Poisoned Well" b/w "California" (1998) * Split 7" with Mars Accelerator and Space Pants (2000) * "The Sword of God" (2001) * ''Tour 7"'' (2001) * ''Hot Shit Tour'' CD (2003) * ''Interprets'' (2013, Kill Rock Stars / Domino) – covers EP released both as a standalone EP and with pre-orders of Kill Rock Stars' limited edition colored 2-LP version of ''Mole City''; includes covers of

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

's "Don't Stop Me Now",

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

's "War Pigs",

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

's "Let's Get It On", and

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock, power pop and New wave music, new wave,

Compilations

* '' Early Recordings'' (1996, Key Op; 2001, Touch & Go) * ''Crash Course for the Ravers: A Tribute to the Songs of David Bowie'' (1996, Undercover Records) – song: "Sound and Vision" * ''Colonel Jeffrey Pumpernickel: A Concept Album'' (2001, Off Records) – song: "Which Side Are You On, Colonel?" * '' Fields and Streams'' (2002, Kill Rock Stars) – song: "Queen Majesty" * ''Live Shit'' (2003, Touch & Go / Domino) – included with some versions of ''Hot Shit!'' * ''PDX Pop Now! 2004'' (2004, PDX Pop Now!) – song: "23 & 24" * '' Quasi Self Boot 93-96'' (2006, self-released) – tour-only release * ''Score! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers!'' (2009,

Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expand ...

) – song: "Beautiful Things" (

The 3Ds The 3Ds were a New Zealand noise pop band based from Dunedin, together from 1988 to 1997. They recorded three albums and several EPs, the best known of which is ''The Venus Trail'' (1993). They achieved commercial and critical success worldwid ...

cover) * ''So Far So Good: A Quasi Anthology'' (2010, Kill Rock Stars) – released as part of the deluxe 2-CD edition of ''American Gong'' * ''Comfort & Joy: A Holiday Compilation Benefiting Homeless Youth'' (2013, Analog Ghost Recordings) – song: "Christmas on Credit" * ''Battle Hymns'' (2017, self-released) – song: "Ballad of Donald Duck & Elmer Fudd"

References

External links

Official Quasi home page
*
Recordings of Quasi in concert, hosted on the Archive.org Live Music Archive
{{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from Oregon Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Touch and Go Records artists American rock music duos American musical trios Musical groups established in 1993 Family musical groups 1993 establishments in Oregon