Shoplifting was 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, formed in 2002 in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

.Serra, David:

Shoplifting Shoplifting (also known as shop theft, shop fraud, retail theft, or retail fraud) is the theft of goods from a retail establishment during business hours. The terms ''shoplifting'' and ''shoplifter'' are not usually defined in law, and genera ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

''. Shoplifting was composed of members

Hannah Blilie Hannah Blilie is an American musician who is the drummer of the American band Gossip (band), Gossip and formerly Chanti Darling and Shoplifting (band), Shoplifting. She has also performed with Sarah Dougher, Chromatics (band), Chromatics, Stilett ...

(drums/vocals), Chris Pugmire (vocals/guitar), Devin Welch (guitar), and Melissa Lock (bass), who replaced Michelle Nolan (bass).

History

Shoplifting entered the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

musical landscape in early 2003, quickly impacting a music community that (with a few exceptions) had grown stale and apolitical in the wake of the city’s gentrification, and the decreased visibility of

Riot Grrrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington, and the greater Pacific Northwest, and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. A subcultural movement ...

and other similarly radical movements. In that year, Shoplifting displayed a thirst for play and experimentation, playing shows in every imaginable sort of space (from elevator shafts to basements to the lawn of the state capitol), blindfolding audiences or giving them instruments, microphones and space to share, improvising performances, and collaborating in different mediums with a diverse array of artists and friends. They also toured with

Erase Errata Erase Errata was a band from San Francisco, California. History Erase Errata formed in Oakland, California, in 1999, and quickly earned national attention after the release of their first eponymous 7-inch single, and via tours with electro- rio ...

and King Cobra, self-released a cassette, actively organized against sexual violence in their community, and helped launch the Seattle chapter of Bands Against Bush, a national struggle of artists against the domestic and international terrorism and imperialism of the U.S. government. In early 2004, Shoplifting recorded with

Justin Trosper Justin Trosper is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, born in Olympia, Washington. He fronted the post-hardcore band Unwound from 1991 to 2002 and again since the band’s reunion in 2022. He has also been a member of bands su ...

(

Unwound Unwound () is an American post-hardcore band formed in 1988 in Tumwater and Olympia, Washington. It presently consists of vocalist-guitarist Justin Trosper, bassist Jared Warren, drummer Sara Lund, and guitarist Scott Seckington. Originally ...

) in Olympia and that summer released a 7" and an eponymous EP 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 ...

. They toured the U.S. in the summer of 2004, culminating in a protest show in Brooklyn on the eve of the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

. After the tour, Michelle left the band and relocated to the East Coast. Chris, Hannah, and Devin spent nine months regrouping and in the summer of 2005 emerged with a new member, bassist Melissa Lock, a friend hailing from

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

. The new lineup quickly bonded and toured the West Coast with Spider and the Webs. They then began recording their debut album, ''Body Stories'', with producer

Steve Fisk Steve Fisk is an American, Washington-based audio engineer, record producer and musician. As a musician, he has been in bands such as the instrumental alternative/indie rock band Pell Mell and the electronic band Pigeonhed. He has long been a ...

. ''Body Stories'' was released by

in March 2006. The band toured the U.S., including an East Coast stint with Mecca Normal and has been silent since.

continued to play drums with

The Gossip Gossip (or the Gossip) is an American indie rock band from Searcy, Arkansas, formed in 1999. For most of their career, the band has consisted of singer Beth Ditto, multi-instrumentalist Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell, and drummer Hannah Blil ...

until 2019. Devin Welch continues to play guitar in Seattle with the bands Flexions and Past Lives. Chris and Melissa now reside in Australia and play in New War.Schaeffer, René
Static Age ’09
''Mess + Noise'', November 30, 2009.

Discography

Albums * ''Body Stories'' (

) EPs * ''Shoplifting'' (Kill Rock Stars) * "Hegemony Enemy b/w Talk of the Town" (Kill Rock Stars) Compilations * ''Otis' Opuses'' (Kill Rock Stars) * ''Tracks and Fields'' (Kill Rock Stars) * ''Zum Audio Vol. 3'' (Kill Rock Stars) Other Discography * ''Practice/Live' Cassette'' (Self-Released)

References

External links

Band MySpace Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoplifting Punk rock groups from Washington (state) Indie rock musical groups from Washington (state) Musical groups from Seattle Riot grrrl bands Kill Rock Stars artists