Satanicide

Satanicide are an American, New York City-based

In the late 1990s, Dale May (a photographer) and Phil Costello[7]^[8] were in a group called Peanut 23.^[1] Peanut 23's quirky original songs were far from successful.^[1] One night, both Dale and Phil put on their girlfriends' wigs and spent the evening "acting like a couple of kids in from Jersey, kicking over trash cans, talking the talk."^[1] After a positive reception that night to an uninvited, impromptu performance on a club's stage, Dale and Phil decided to form their own band.^[1] Drummer Andrew Griffiths was recruited from a trip hop band called Puracane, and bassist Pemberton Roach was added to complete Satanicide.^[1]

In August 1999, Satanicide played the Maxwell's music club in Hoboken, New Jersey.^[9] Previously used to getting perhaps 30 people to come out for a Peanut 23 show, Satanicide brought in hundreds.^[1] In January 2003, Satanicide played a gig at the Sundance Film Festival in support of a short film made by the band.^[1]

By March 2003, Satanicide were a popular act on the New York music scene.^[10] Their humorous stage shows were viewed as creating a certain mood which allowed for improvized audience embellishment.^[10] The William Morris Agency agreed to represent Satanicide and worked with the band to produce a film treatment for a television series.^[1] However, Dale and Phil's songwriting chemistry did not translate into scriptwriting chemistry and the treatment was tabled.^[1]

Four years after they formed, Satanicide sought to replace bassist Pemberton Roach in August 2003 because Pemberton "secretly liked Billy Joel."^[1][11] In advertising for the bassist position, Satanicide listed the required qualifications as musical "chops"; "hott [sic] girlfriend to share with band"; "disposable income to buy coke, booze and whores"; and "when hearing the Dave Matthews Band, must be overcome by impulsive desire to kill."^[11] Darediablo's Jake Garcia took over as the Baron's younger brother Vargas Von Goaten in 2003. The current bassist is Sebastian Von Goaten.^[6]

In September 2004, the website heatherband.com was created.^[12] In December 2004, Satanicide announced that they had changed their name to Heather, listing heatherband.com as their website.^[13] In addition, the group became "the group formerly known as Satanicide", jettisoning the big-hair wigs and at least some of the shtick.^[13] In July 2005, Satanicide announced that they were getting together for a reunion performance at the Bowery Ballroom, a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City.^[14] Some question whether they in fact broke up in the first place.^[14]

By May 2005, Satanicide had appeared in a

In 2007, Phil co-founded Tragedy: All Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees and Beyond, with New York City musician Royce Peterson.[16]

In 2008, Patrick Quade became Satanicide's bassist, assuming the stage name "The Baron Klaus von Goaten IV".^[17] From 2012 to 2014, Tragedy's Royce Peterson joined Satanicide on lead guitar, under the stage name "Rolls Royce Peterson".^[18]

Presentation

In the Satanicide act, the band members hurl themselves into the crowd to scatter their fans as a way of mocking the rocker practice of

• Dale May – lead singer[19]
• Phil Costello – guitarist^[19]
• Andrew Griffiths – drummer^[19]
• Patrick Quade – bassist

Discography

• Heather – 2003^[20] The title track of Satanicide's debut album, Heather, is a Bic-lighter ballad about a girl whose name "everybody knows . . . from reading the bathroom stalls."^[1][21] Also on the album is a Dungeons & Dragons game tribute called "20 Sided Die" that summons the spirit of Ronnie James Dio, as well as a Bon Jovi-like ode to the big city called "NYC 2 Nite".^[1]
• Cradle the Balls – 1997^[20]

See also

• The Darkness

References