U.S. Maple
U.S. Maple | |
---|---|
Skin Graft | |
Members | Al Johnson Mark Shippy Todd Rittman Adam Vida |
Past members | Pat Samson |
U.S. Maple was an American noise rock band. The group formed in Chicago in 1995. The band consists of Al Johnson (lead singer), Mark Shippy (guitarist), Pat Samson (drummer), and Todd Rittmann (guitarist).
History
Formation and first single
U.S. Maple was formed in 1995 at DeKalb's Northern Illinois University by former members of Shorty and the Mercury Players. Two members from each band met at the corner of Grand and Western Avenues, and as the band would reveal later on their website, began discussing how the group could erase rock and roll from their collective minds. The assembled group set out to devise a working method for reorganizing Rock and Roll, keeping only what they felt were its most important core elements. Recognizing they were kindred spirits, the group decided then and there to unite in an attempt to realize some of their musical ambitions.[1]
U.S. Maple inherited vocalist Al Johnson and guitarist Mark Shippy from Shorty, while drummer Pat Samson and second guitarist Todd Rittman were transplants from the Mercury Players. The band's first recording came in the form of a two-song 7" single produced by Doug Easley and recorded in September 1995 at Easley Studios in Memphis, Tennessee (during these sessions a cover version of AC/DC's "Sin City" was also recorded, and eventually released on Skin Graft's "Sides 1-4" 7" compilation). U.S. Maple's first single featured the songs “Stuck” and "When a Man says Ow!” The independent label Skin Graft Records took an interest in the band and signed them to the label, releasing the "Stuck" single in the fall of 1995.[2]
Skin Graft
The band recorded their first album,
When the band returned home from their European tour they recorded a second single featuring a cover of the 1961 Dion and the Belmonts hit "The Wanderer", as well as an original composition, "Whoa Complains."[2] In 1997, the band returned to Solid Sound Studios to record their second album, again with producer Jim O'Rourke. This session produced the album Sang Phat Editor, which was released by Skin Graft Records in June 1997.[2]
Move to Drag City
In the fall of 1998 U.S. Maple left Skin Graft, signing to
In 2001 the band released their fourth album,
Discography
Singles
- "Stuck" (Skin Graft, 1995)
- "The Wanderer" / "Whoa Complains" (Sonic Bubblegum, 1996)
Albums
- Long Hair in Three Stages (Skin Graft, 1995)
- Sang Phat Editor (Skin Graft, 1997)
- Talker (Drag City, 1999)
- Acre Thrills (Drag City, 2001)
- Purple On Time(Drag City, 2003)
Related acts
Al Johnson and Mark Shippy were both previously in Shorty (1991–1994). Shippy, along with former U.S. Maple drummer Pat Samson are now in Miracle Condition. Shippy also plays in two-piece band Invisible Things with Jim Sykes.[3]
Todd Rittmann now leads Chicago-based Dead Rider, in addition to being a member of Drag City band, Singer.[4] He was formerly a guitarist in The Mercury Players and Cheer-Accident.
Johnson made appearances both live and on record with no-wave band Lake of Dracula,[5] (1995–1997) where he was billed simply as "The Manhattanite", alongside members of The Scissor Girls, The Flying Luttenbachers, and Couch.
References in other media
Chicago punk/rock band
In the film High Fidelity (2000), a number of scenes which take place in the record store display a U.S. Maple poster attached to the front of the counter. Frontman Al Johnson cameos in the film as an obsessive collector who is repeatedly turned away from buying a particularly rare record (the French import of Safe as Milk by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band).
References
- ^ a b c "U.S. MAPLE Band Page". Skingraftrecords.com. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
- ^ a b c d "U.S. Maple | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ "Time AS One Axis, by Invisible Things". New Atlantis Records. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
- ^ "Singer | Drag City". Dragcity.com. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
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