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Alice Donut

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Alice Donut
OriginNew York City, United States
GenresGrunge, punk rock, psychedelic rock
Years active1986–1996, 2001–present
LabelsAlternative Tentacles,
Howler Records
Members
  • Tomas Antona
  • Stephen Moses
  • Michael Jung
  • Sissi Schulmeister
  • David Giffen
Past members
  • Richard Marshall
  • Ted Houghton
  • Tom Meltzer
Websitewww.alicedonut.com

Alice Donut is a punk rock band from New York City formed in 1986.[1] The band released six albums before splitting up in 1996. They reformed in 2001.

History

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1986–1996: Formation to split

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Alice Donut formed in 1986 after the demise of the Sea Beasts, a band at Columbia University, the name soon trimmed from the initial Alice Donut Liver Henry Moore, a play on "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore".[2] Ted Houghton, Tomas Antona, Dave Giffen and Tom Meltzer recruited drummer Stephen Moses and quickly found a substantial audience at CBGB. Guitarist Michael Jung soon replaced Meltzer. The band's first commercial release was the Donut Comes Alive album, released in 1988 on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label,[3][4] followed in 1989 with Bucketfulls of Sickness and Horror in an Otherwise Meaningless Life.[5][6]

In August 1990, the band's debut single, a cover version of "My Boyfriend's Back", preceded third album Mule, released the following month, and described by Trouser Press as "challenging and invigorating".[5][7][8] Revenge Fantasies of the Impotent was released in May 1991 (and later included in Andrew Earles' Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996),[9] and included an instrumental cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs".[5][10] Austrian born Bassist Sissi Schulmeister joined the band before the end of the year,[11] with Richard Marshall also joining on guitar.[5]

The band's fifth album, The Untidy Suicides of Your Degenerate Children, was released in September 1992; It was described by CD Review as "a peculiar mixture of ornate and wicked little bits about suicide, strippers, and a disgruntled ex-postal worker".[12] It would be over three years before the bands's next studio album, Pure Acid Park,[13] although a (mostly) live album, Dry-Humping the Cash Cow, came out in 1994.[5][14]

The band decided to call it a day after playing their 1,000th show, in London on November 25, 1995, and confirmed the split in February 1996.[15] The band's many shows between 1988 and 1996 included tours of the United States, Europe, and Japan,[1] including a performance at the Reading Festival in 1993.

Moses went on to briefly join Rasputina, while Antona and Schulmeister got married and relocated to Durham, North Carolina.[11][16]

Reunion

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In 2001, Alice Donut started recording and writing again and in 2003 Three Sisters, their first release after their hiatus, was recorded as a four-piece with Tom Antona on vocals, Michael Jung on guitar, Stephen Moses on drums and Sissi Schulmeister on bass.[16][17]

Guitarist Dave Giffen rejoined the group for Fuzz, which was recorded in Brooklyn's BC Studio with longtime co-producer Martin Bisi, mixed and engineered by Joel Hamilton, and released on September 5, 2006.[16]

The band's tenth studio album followed, Ten Glorious Animals, released in September 2009, again on Alternative Tentacles.[16][18]

In 2011, the band's 25th anniversary was marked with the documentary Freaks in Love.[16] In 2012, the Freaks in love compilation was released. Alice Donut still performs live on some occasions, like a show in 2014 in France and 2017 in Baltimore, MD at Ottobar.

On November 11, 2016, Tomas Antona stated on Facebook that Alice Donut are writing a new album. No completion or release date was given.

Musical style

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The band has been described as "punk...with elements of oddball country and funk" by Allmusic writer John Bush,[16] and as "abstract metal" by Andrew Earles.[9] The New Yorker described the band as a "dadaist punk ensemble" playing "oddball psychedelic noise-rock with a spiky sense of humor".[2] Trouser Press described the band as "a little bit Zappa, a little bit cacophonous punk", calling it "a belated East Coast response to the Dickies and Redd Kross".[8] Critics also drew comparisons with artists such as Butthole Surfers, Frank Zappa, and G.G. Allin.[6][8][9][13]

Members

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  • Tomas Antona – vocals, drums
  • Stephen Moses – drums, trombone
  • Michael Jung – guitar, keyboard, vocals
  • Sissi Schulmeister – bass, banjo, vocals, accordion, guitar
  • David Giffen – guitar, banjo, vocals
  • Richard Marshall – guitar, vocals (1990–1995)
  • Ted Houghton – Bass, vocals (1986–1990)
  • Tom Meltzer – guitar, vocals (1986–1987)

Discography

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Demos

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  • Dork Me Bangladesh (1987)

Albums

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Studio

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  • Donut Comes Alive (1988), Alternative Tentacles
  • Bucketfulls of Sickness and Horror in an Otherwise Meaningless Life (1989), Alternative Tentacles
  • Mule (1990), Alternative Tentacles
  • Revenge fantasies of the impotent (1990), Alternative Tentacles
  • The Untidy Suicides of your Degenerate Children (1992), Alternative Tentacles
  • Pure Acid Park (1995), Alternative Tentacles
  • Three Sisters (2004), Howler
  • Fuzz (2006), Howler
  • Ten Glorious Animals (2009), Alternative Tentacles

Live

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  • Dry-humping the Cash Cow (1994), Alternative Tentacles – live

Compilations

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  • Freaks in Love (2011), Alternative Tentacles – compilation
  • Poof. (2013), MVD

Singles and EPs

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  • "My Boyfriend's Back"/"Demonologist" 7" (1990), Alternative Tentacles
  • "Get A Life" 7" (1990), Vital
  • The Ass Trilogy 12" (1991), Alternative Tentacles
  • "Love Rollercoaster"/"Egg" (1991), Rave – split with Da Willys
  • "Magdalene" 7" (1992), Alternative Tentacles
  • "Blood On The Tundra"/"Bottom Of The Chain" 7" (1993), HeartFirst – split with Ice Princess
  • "Medication" 7" (1993), Alternative Tentacles
  • "Nadine" 7" (1994), Alternative Tentacles
  • Michael Gerald's Party Machine Presents 7" (1996), Touch and Go – split with Killdozer
  • Free Electric State 7" (2010), 307 Knox – split with Free Electric State

VHS

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  • Video Monstrosity (1994), Alternative Tentacles

DVD

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  • London, There's a Curious Lump in My Sack (2004), Punkervision
  • Freaks in Love: :: A Quarter Century in Underground Rock with ALICE DONUT (2012)
  • Poof. (2013), MVD

References

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  1. ^ a b Alice Donut on Alternativetentacles.com
  2. ^ a b The New Yorker, Volume 85, 2009, Issues 31-39, p. 11
  3. ^ Ankeny, Jason "Donut Comes Alive Review", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  4. ^ Jenkins, Mark (1989) "Alice Donut Rising from the Dead", The Washington Post, April 7, 1989. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  5. ^ a b c d e Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 196
  6. ^ a b Mason, Stewart "Bucketfulls of Sickness and Horror in an Otherwise Meaningless Life Review", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  7. ^ Raggett, Ned "Mule Review", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  8. ^ a b c Robbins, Ira & Sprague, David "Alice Donut", Trouser Press. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  9. ^ a b c Earles, Andrew (2014) Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996, Voyageur Press, ISBN 978-0760346488, p. 14
  10. ^ Ankeny, Jason "Revenge Fantasies of the Impotent Review", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  11. ^ a b Schramm, Stephen (2017) "Blue Devil of the Week: Rocker Blends Creativity and Web Design", today.duke.edu, December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  12. ^ CD Review, Volume 9, Issues 7-12, WGE, 1993
  13. ^ a b Stewart, Allison (1995) "Pure Acid Park Review", CMJ New Music Monthly, September 1995, p. 28. Retrieved December 14, 2018 via Google Books
  14. ^ Raggett, Ned "Dry Humping the Cash Cow Review", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  15. ^ "Dunkin' Donuts: Alice Donut Calls It Quits", MTV, February 2, 1996. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  16. ^ a b c d e f Bush, John "Alice Donut Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  17. ^ Buchanan, Jason "Three Sisters Review", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018
  18. ^ Cooke, Jennifer (2009) "Alice Donut, Ten Glorious Animals", PopMatters, September 29, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2018

Further reading

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  • Peterson, Karla (26 March 1993). "Alice Donut's rock is an acquired taste -- or lack thereof". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  • Reinert, Jed (30 June 2000). "Alice Donut saved the best album for last". Intelligencer Journal. Lancaster, PA.
  • Righi, Len (21 October 2006). "Coming full circle ** All the right ingredients in place for full Alice Donut band reunion". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA.
  • Blush, Steven (2016). New York Rock: From the Rise of The Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB. St. Martin's Press. p. 276. ISBN 978-1-250-08361-6.
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