Chris Mars
Encyclopedia
Chris Mars is an American
artist
and musician
. He was the drummer for seminal Minneapolis, Minnesota
alternative rock band The Replacements and later joined informal supergroup
Golden Smog
before launching a solo career. He is also a painter, and has more or less left music behind to concentrate on showing his artwork. He typically shows little interest in speaking about music.
, sabotaged a gig where he knew there would be a lot of record industry personnel in attendance by going to a novelty store and purchasing some bottles of stink juice.
Mars barely appeared on The Replacements' final album, All Shook Down
. He quit before the subsequent tour, unhappy with Paul Westerberg
's control of the band. The Replacements subsequently disbanded.
In late 2005, Mars rejoined the other two surviving Replacements, Paul Westerberg
and Tommy Stinson
, to record two new songs for a best-of compilation. He only sang backup on the two tracks while Josh Freese
did the actual drumming.
's Dave Pirner
and Dan Murphy
, it was essentially a D.I.Y. affair.
Mars was not interested in touring behind his third album, Tenterhooks
. Another band, The Wallmen, toured behind it with a cardboard cutout of Mars onstage. He would go on to release one more album, Anonymous Botch, before turning his attentions to his artistic career.
He generally likes to use oils or pastels, although he ventures into other media like acrylic and scratchboard
. He created a 13-minute animated film about his work titled The Severed Stream.
His work, which has fetched prices upwards of $30,000, has been featured throughout the United States and Canada. He has had solo exhibitions at Billy Shire Fine Arts, The Erie Art Museum, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Steensland Museum, Coker Bell Gallery, and the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He was the drummer for seminal Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
alternative rock band The Replacements and later joined informal supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Golden Smog
Golden Smog
Golden Smog is a loosely connected group of musicians comprised, at various times, of members of Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, The Honeydogs and Big Star...
before launching a solo career. He is also a painter, and has more or less left music behind to concentrate on showing his artwork. He typically shows little interest in speaking about music.
The Replacements
Mars detailed the kind of hellraising that he and the other Replacements indulged in when they were together in Rolling Stone's Alt Rock-A-Rama. Among other incidents, he wound up being thrown in jail for playing chicken with an unmarked police car. He also, in conjunction with bandmate Bob StinsonBob Stinson
For the baseball player, see Bob Stinson Bob Stinson was the founding member and lead guitarist for the American rock band The Replacements.-The Replacements:...
, sabotaged a gig where he knew there would be a lot of record industry personnel in attendance by going to a novelty store and purchasing some bottles of stink juice.
Mars barely appeared on The Replacements' final album, All Shook Down
All Shook Down
All Shook Down is the final album by the band The Replacements, released on September 25, 1990 .This album was originally intended to be band leader Paul Westerberg's solo artist debut. As a result of its initial intent, All Shook Down is marked by numerous session, side and journeyman-musicians,...
. He quit before the subsequent tour, unhappy with Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
's control of the band. The Replacements subsequently disbanded.
In late 2005, Mars rejoined the other two surviving Replacements, Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
and Tommy Stinson
Tommy Stinson
Thomas "Tommy" Eugene Stinson is an American musician best known for his work as the bassist for The Replacements and Guns N' Roses as well as the post-Replacements groups Bash & Pop, where he performed guitar duties, and Perfect...
, to record two new songs for a best-of compilation. He only sang backup on the two tracks while Josh Freese
Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
did the actual drumming.
Solo career
His first solo album was a revelation for fans and critics used to his fairly limited role in The Replacements. He wrote and sang the entire album and added guitar and keyboards to his drumming duties. Except for the presence of bassist J.D. Foster and brief contributions from Soul AsylumSoul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983.The band originally formed in 1981 under the name Loud Fast Rules, with the original line-up consisting of Dan Murphy, Dave Pirner, Karl Mueller and Pat Morley. The latter was replaced by Grant Young in...
's Dave Pirner
Dave Pirner
David Anthony "Dave" Pirner is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known for being the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock/grunge band, Soul Asylum.-Biography:...
and Dan Murphy
Dan Murphy
Dan Murphy is best known as the guitarist for the American band, Soul Asylum. He is also a member of Golden Smog.-History:...
, it was essentially a D.I.Y. affair.
Mars was not interested in touring behind his third album, Tenterhooks
Tenterhooks (album)
Tenterhooks was Chris Mars' third studio album. Its title comes from the tenterhooks used to stretch cloth.-Track listing:#"White Paddy Rap"#"Forkless Tree"#"Mary"#"Lizard Brain"#"Hate It"#"Brother Song"#"Water Biscuits"#"E.I.B. Negative"...
. Another band, The Wallmen, toured behind it with a cardboard cutout of Mars onstage. He would go on to release one more album, Anonymous Botch, before turning his attentions to his artistic career.
Painting career
His painting style, examples of which graced all of his album covers, is marked by nightmarish landscapes and grotesque, distorted figures. He draws inspiration from his older brother's struggle with schizophrenia.He generally likes to use oils or pastels, although he ventures into other media like acrylic and scratchboard
Scratchboard
Scratchboard or scraperboard is a technique where drawings are created using sharp knives and tools for etching into a thin layer of white China clay that is coated with black India ink. Scratchboard can also be made with several layers of multi-colored clay, so the pressure exerted on the...
. He created a 13-minute animated film about his work titled The Severed Stream.
His work, which has fetched prices upwards of $30,000, has been featured throughout the United States and Canada. He has had solo exhibitions at Billy Shire Fine Arts, The Erie Art Museum, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Steensland Museum, Coker Bell Gallery, and the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum.
Personal life
Chris Mars currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife, Sally Mars.Discography
- Horseshoes & Hand Grenades (1992)
- 75% Less Fat (1993)
- TenterhooksTenterhooks (album)Tenterhooks was Chris Mars' third studio album. Its title comes from the tenterhooks used to stretch cloth.-Track listing:#"White Paddy Rap"#"Forkless Tree"#"Mary"#"Lizard Brain"#"Hate It"#"Brother Song"#"Water Biscuits"#"E.I.B. Negative"...
(1995) - Anonymous Botch (1996)