savantsounds: Dwarves

The Dwarves are an American punk band formed in Chicago, Illinois, as The Suburban Nightmare, in the late 1980s. They are currently based in San Francisco, California. Formed as a garage punk band, their career subsequently saw them move in a hardcore direction before settling into a punk rock sound.

History

The original members of the Dwarves began making music together in the mid-1980s as teenagers in the Chicago garage rock outfit, Suburban Nightmare. The group's original Paisley underground sound was evident on the band's 1986 Voxx Records debut Horror Stories, an album which, like many of its Paisley underground contemporaries, contained a number of mid-1960s Pebbles-inspired garage rock covers, including The Avengers' "Be a Cave man" and Shag's "Stop and Listen."^[1]

The band's sound began to evolve beyond its early garage roots with their second LP, Toolin' For A Warm Teabag, which saw the band drifting towards a more truculent punk rock sound. The band released Blood Guts & Pussy on Sub Pop in 1989. By this time the Dwarves had dropped their early psychedelic sensibilities and morphed into a proper hardcore punk band. The Blood Guts & Pussy LP was followed up by EP Lucifer's Crank released by No.6 Records, as well as another Sub Pop LP, Thank Heaven For Little Girls, both in 1991.

In 1993 the band issued a press release stating that their guitarist HeWhoCannotBeNamed had been stabbed to death in Philadelphia. Though this later turned out to be a hoax, the band even went as far as to attach a tribute to the "late" guitarist on their 1993 Sub Pop-released album Sugarfix. Sub Pop did not respond well to the hoax and summarily dropped the band from its label. The Dwarves reformed in 1997, releasing The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking and its 2000 followup The Dwarves Come Clean.^[1] In 2004 the band released The Dwarves Must Die, its first LP for the indie label Sympathy for the Record Industry.

Band members

Singer Blag Dahlia (Paul Cafaro), and guitarist HeWhoCannotBeNamed have always been the two core members of the group. The lineup has shifted around them, and currently consists of members "Fresh Prince of Darkness" on guitar and returning drummer Gregory Pecker (aka Gnarlie Watts). "Rex Everything" and KMFDM drummer Andy Selway (under the alias Dutch Ovens) are on again/off again members. Former members include "Wholley Smokes", "Dutch Ovens", "Clint Torres", "Tazzie Bushweed", "Thrusty Otis", "Crash Landon", "Chip Fracture" "Wreck Tom ", and "Vadge Moore", among others.

Music style

They are known for their simple, loud, yet nuanced punk repertoire, and controversial lyrics. Since the hardcore punk sound of their early days, they have recently developed more of a pop punk influence. Their shows have been notable for some aggressive fights on stage (with the audience and even a cop), and because HeWhoCannotBeNamed performs either in nothing but a jockstrap or totally nude, apart from his trademark wrestling mask, and makes no attempt to hide behind his guitar.

Albums

Their album covers were unusual - naked women, and a naked dwarf sodomizing a rabbit covered in blood, for their 1990 album Blood Guts & Pussy - followed up a decade later, with a similar theme, this time covered in soap suds, for Come Clean. The band was sacked from their previous label, Sub Pop over pranks such as the long-lasting hoax contending that guitarist "HeWhoCannotBeNamed" had died. They have recorded on several labels and recently joined Sympathy for the Record Industry.They also have a track listed on the Punk you compilation album.