Thin White Rope
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Thin White Rope was an American
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 ...
band associated with the desert rock and
Paisley Underground Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owi ...
subgenres, fronted by vocalist Guy Kyser. The band released five albums.


Origins

The band was formed in
Davis, California Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 66,850 in 2020, not including the on-campus population of the University of ...
, during a period spanning 1981 and 1982. Founding members Guy Kyser and Jozef Becker were in a band called the Les Z Boys in 1981. Becker and Kyser split off during the 1981-1982 period, and posted an ad at Skip's Music seeking a bass player and another guitarist. Roger Kunkel answered the ad, bringing in bass player Kevin Staydohar. The newly formed band played some of the same covers as the Les Z Boys, and also began to introduce original songs by Kyser. The name "Thin White Rope" was derived from
William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major Postmodern literature, postmodern author who influen ...
' description of human
semen Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is a bodily fluid that contains spermatozoon, spermatozoa which is secreted by the male gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphrodite, hermaphroditic animals. In humans and placen ...
in ''
Naked Lunch ''Naked Lunch'' (first published as ''The Naked Lunch'') is a 1959 novel by American author William S. Burroughs. The novel does not follow a clear linear plot, but is instead structured as a series of non-chronological "routines". Many of thes ...
''. It was suggested by a friend of Becker and agreed upon by the four original members during the 1981–1982 period.


Career

Steve Tesluk (bass) and Frank French (drums) joined the group in 1983, replacing Staydohar and Becker, both of whom left to join True West. In 1984, a four-track recording with about 14 songs was sent to a number of labels, and an additional demo was recorded in December with Scott Miller producing. At this time, Jozef Becker rejoined the group, replacing French. Lisa Fancher of
Frontier Records Frontier Records is an independent record label, started in 1980 in Sun Valley, Los Angeles by Lisa Fancher, a former employee of BOMP! Records and writer of the liner notes for the first album by The Runaways. History Frontier Records first ...
, who heard of Thin White Rope through a magazine review of the 14-song demo, signed the group to Frontier, and the band then recorded ''
Exploring the Axis ''Exploring The Axis'' is the first full-length album by Thin White Rope Thin White Rope was an American Rock music, rock band associated with the Palm Desert Scene, desert rock and Paisley Underground subgenres, fronted by vocalist Guy Kyse ...
''. Over time, the band retained singer/songwriter/guitarist Guy Kyser and guitarist Roger Kunkel, with a changing line-up of drummers and bass guitarists. Like
Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
, it was noted for its twin guitar attack, innovative use of feedback structures and oblique lyrics. ''The Rough Guide to Rock'' called Thin White Rope "one of the few worthwhile traditional American guitar rock bands of their era. While most of the essential groups of the time were pushing back the limits of the form, Thin White Rope had the distinction of managing to breathe new life into the genre." The band contributed a cover of
Roky Erickson Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. Called an "outsider genius," he was a founding member and the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic r ...
's "Burn the Flames" to the 1990
tribute album 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 ...
'' Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye''. British rock journalist Graeme Thomson attributed the band's 1992 breakup to their having "proved much too idiosyncratic to join the ranks of US breakout alternative bands", citing more successful contemporaries such as
R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...
, The Replacements,
American Music Club American Music Club was an American, San Francisco-based indie rock band, led by singer-songwriter Mark Eitzel. Formed in 1982, the band released seven albums before splitting up in 1995. They reformed in 2003 and released two further albums. ...
, and
Pixies Pixies may refer to: * Plural of Pixie * Pixies (band) The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim ...
. The double live LP ''The One That Got Away'' chronicled TWR's last show in
Ghent, Belgium Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
, on June 28, 1992. Guitarist Roger Kunkel went on to form the band Acme Rocket Quartet.


Critical response

According to Thomson's 2015 retrospective in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Thin White Rope "often made a slightly terrifying sound, but it was beautiful, too. Kyser wrote fantastic melodies, and while his charred voice could out-Beefheart
Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born 'Don Glen Vliet'; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the M ...
, it also possessed a quavering tenderness. Their use of twin guitars was as thrilling and distinctive as anything
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...
or
Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
achieved with 12 strings: coiling, concentric lines, overloaded and unfailingly malevolent, with brutally deployed and expertly controlled feedback. They were kind of funny, as well, though it’s impossible to explain why." The albums ''
Moonhead ''Moonhead'' is the second full-length album by Thin White Rope, released in 1987. Critical reception ''Trouser Press'' wrote that the album "alters the modus operandi a bit, stretching song lengths and forging a provocative, embryonic bond be ...
'' (1987) and '' In the Spanish Cave'' (1988) were praised as "remarkable albums, the finest examples of the band’s ability to capture and sustain a mood of roiling, heat-stroked intensity," and the band's later albums '' Sack Full of Silver'' (1990) and '' The Ruby Sea'' (1991) were cited as "a little patchier, but still mighty."


Discography

Studio Albums *''
Exploring the Axis ''Exploring The Axis'' is the first full-length album by Thin White Rope Thin White Rope was an American Rock music, rock band associated with the Palm Desert Scene, desert rock and Paisley Underground subgenres, fronted by vocalist Guy Kyse ...
'' (1985) *''
Moonhead ''Moonhead'' is the second full-length album by Thin White Rope, released in 1987. Critical reception ''Trouser Press'' wrote that the album "alters the modus operandi a bit, stretching song lengths and forging a provocative, embryonic bond be ...
'' (1987) *'' In the Spanish Cave'' (1988) *'' Sack Full of Silver'' (1990) *'' The Ruby Sea'' (1991) Live Album *'' The One That Got Away'' (1993) Compilation Albums *''
When Worlds Collide ''When Worlds Collide'' is a 1933 science fiction novel co-written by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie; they also co-authored the sequel '' After Worlds Collide'' (1934). It was first published as a six-part monthly serial (September 1932 through ...
'' (1994) *'' Spoor'' (1995) EPs *'' Bottom Feeders'' (1987) *''Red Sun'' (1988) *''Squatter's Rights'' (1991) Singles *"Skinhead" (1988) *"Ants Are Cavemen" (1990) *"Eye" (1991) *"Moonhead (live)" (1993)


References


External links

* Thin White Rope at AMG
TWR at TrouserPress





Davis 80s Music
- TWR & other Davis band photographs/stories
Rolling Stone Bio


{{Authority control Alternative rock groups from California Musical groups from Davis, California American neo-psychedelia groups Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1992