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Slapstick (band)

 

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Slapstick (band)



 
 
Slapstick was a punk-ska fusion band formed in Chicago by a group of friends from the Elgin area. The group took some cues from the seminal ska/punk outfit Operation Ivy
Operation Ivy (band)

Operation Ivy was an influential Ska punk band formed in Albany, California. The band consisted of frontman Jesse Michaels , Tim Armstrong , Matt Freeman , and Dave Mello ....
 and the gutturcoolal punk vocals of Crimpshrine
Crimpshrine

Crimpshrine was a punk rock band from Berkeley, California. It was formed by Aaron Cometbus, founder of the seminal punk rock zine Cometbus, and a friend, Jeff Ott....
, but developed their own unique style. The group was active from 1993 to 1996 on Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records

Asian Man Records is a small, DIY record label run by Mike Park out of his parents' garage in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, but the Asian Man label wasn't officially established until May 1996....
.

Releases
The only Slapstick release still in print is a self-titled 25-track CD called Slapstick
Slapstick (album)

Slapstick is a compilation of every song recorded by Chicago ska-punk band Slapstick . It was released by Asian Man Records in 1997....
 containing nearly every Slapstick song recorded.






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Encyclopedia


Slapstick was a punk-ska fusion band formed in Chicago by a group of friends from the Elgin area. The group took some cues from the seminal ska/punk outfit Operation Ivy
Operation Ivy (band)

Operation Ivy was an influential Ska punk band formed in Albany, California. The band consisted of frontman Jesse Michaels , Tim Armstrong , Matt Freeman , and Dave Mello ....
 and the gutturcoolal punk vocals of Crimpshrine
Crimpshrine

Crimpshrine was a punk rock band from Berkeley, California. It was formed by Aaron Cometbus, founder of the seminal punk rock zine Cometbus, and a friend, Jeff Ott....
, but developed their own unique style. The group was active from 1993 to 1996 on Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records

Asian Man Records is a small, DIY record label run by Mike Park out of his parents' garage in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, but the Asian Man label wasn't officially established until May 1996....
.

Members


  • Brendan Kelly
    Brendan Kelly (musician)

    Brendan Kelly is the bassist/vocalist of Chicago-based Punk rock band The Lawrence Arms, as well as guitarist/lead vocalist in The Falcon . Kelly's former bands include Slapstick and The Broadways....
    : vocals
  • Dan Andriano
    Dan Andriano

    Daniel Michael Andriano is the bassist and co-vocalist for the punk band Alkaline Trio. Formerly the bassist for the ska-punk band Slapstick and singer/bassist for Tuesday , Andriano joined the band after original bassist Rob Doran left in late 1997....
    : bass, backing vocals
  • Dan Hanaway: trumpet, backing vocals
  • Matt Stamps: guitar
  • Rob Kellenberger: drums
  • Peter Anna: trombone


Releases


The only Slapstick release still in print is a self-titled 25-track CD called Slapstick
Slapstick (album)

Slapstick is a compilation of every song recorded by Chicago ska-punk band Slapstick . It was released by Asian Man Records in 1997....
 containing nearly every Slapstick song recorded. Slapstick held two reunion shows to raise money for a friend of Brendan's; the second show was recorded by Dan Andriano's father and can be purchased on DVD through Asian Man Records. The DVD features commentary by Brendan and Rob.

Breakup and legacy


Slapstick broke up because we couldn't write songs together anymore. Dan or I would bring a song in and Matt, Danny and Rob wouldn't like it. Conversely, those three would bring in songs and Dan and I wouldn't like them. The creative process stagnated. it has a lot to do with the fact that none of us really ever liked ska a lot. It was a phase for all of us and once we got through the phase, writing ska became hard to do (not to mention silly). We had different ideas about what direction Slapstick should go, and there was no other resolution. We are all still great friends though.
- Brendan Kelly

The members of Slapstick went on to form a number of notable groups. Andriano, Stamps and Kellenberger formed Tuesday
Tuesday (band)

Tuesday was a pop punk/emo band that was formed by three ex-members of the Chicago Ska band Slapstick after the latter's 1996 breakup. Dan Andriano , Matt Stamps , and Rob Kellenberger released their first EP Early Summer on Asian Man Records in 1997....
. Likewise, Kelly and Hanaway formed The Broadways
The Broadways

The Broadways were a short-lived punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The group formed in 1996 after the dissolution of the influential ska-punk band Slapstick , with their vocalist Brendan Kelly and trumpet player Dan Hanaway combining with Rob DePaola and Tricky Dick guitarist Chris McCaughan....
 with Rob DePaola and Tricky Dick guitarist Chris McCaughan
Chris McCaughan

Chris McCaughan is the guitarist and vocalist in the band The Lawrence Arms. Chris was formerly the guitarist for the bands Tricky Dick and The Broadways ....
. Tuesday eventually broke up in 1998 when Andriano joined Matt Skiba
Matt Skiba

Matthew Thomas Skiba is the lead singer and guitarist of Alkaline Trio. He has previously been a member of various bands including Jerkwater , Blunt, and The Traitors ....
 in Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio is a punk rock band from Chicago, consisting of Matt Skiba on guitar/Singing, Dan Andriano on bass guitar/Singing, and Derek Grant on Drum kit/backing vocals....
. The Broadways also broke up in 1998 with Kelly and McCaughan starting The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms

The Lawrence Arms are an United States punk rock Band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999 in music and currently recording for Fat Wreck Chords....
, still active today. A little later, Hanaway and DePaola started The Honor System
The Honor System

The Honor System is a punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois which formed after the breakup of The Broadways....
. In 2004, Andriano, Kelly, Neil Hennesey and Todd Mohney formed the 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." Supergroups tend to be short-lived, often lasting only for an album or two....
 The Falcon
The Falcon (band)

The Falcon is a Chicago-based punk rock supergroup . The band features The Lawrence Arms members Brendan Kelly and Neil Hennessy on Drum kit, as well as Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano ....
.

The Lawrence Arms recently performed Slapstick songs at the Asian Man Records 11th anniversary show after years of refusing, and occasionally mocking, fans' requests to play them at shows. They have since added "Broken Down" to setlists on their 2007 tour, where they headline shows with American Steel
American Steel

American Steel is an American punk rock band formed in 1995 in Oakland, California. When offered their first show, the group took their name from the block-long sign on the warehouse across the street....
 and their own side-projects, Sundowner
Sundowner

Sundowner may refer to:* Sundowner , a model of Mazda truck* Sundowner , the solo acoustic project of Chris McCaughan* Sundowner , a model of Beechcraft airplane...
 and The Falcon, as support..

See also


Slapstick Family Tree
Slapstick Family Tree

Slapstick was a ska/punk rock band that was influential in the Elgin, Illinois/Chicago punk scene during their time. Their legacy lives on with the various members parting ways to create new music in new bands....