Since we’re doing our indie comics in context roundtable, I thought I’d post a couple examples of indie comics performers who also play indie rock.
Here’s Brian Chippendale’s band Lightning Bolt.
Here’s a link to Lee Relvas’ project Rind.
Here’s Lavendar Diamond, a Ron Rege, Jr. project.
And hey, here’s the Summer Januaries, a project by Sean Michael Robinson, comics creator and sometime HU contributor.
If you’ve got any other examples of indie comics creators making music, share them in comments. Or just tell us what you’ve been listening to this week.
Chippendale was also in Mindflayer with Mat Brinkman, another member of Fort Thunder.
Archer Prewitt of Sof Boy fame is a musician:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7z3ptbv6jg
This is a tangent, but Al Columbia turned an entire issue of an Alan Moore comic he drew into an album cover for Sebadoh. Here’s the story behind that:
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/02/the-day-indie-rock-defeated-alan-moore-al-columbia-reveals-what-happened-to-big-numbers-4/
For a long time Zak Sally played bass for the band Low.
And Chris Ware played drums for Big Black until they replaced him with a machine. I think he did a story about it in one of the early Acme Novelty Libraries.
that’s interesting about chris ware & big black.
gary panter did a post-punk album – pray for smurph – in the early 80s. it’s not on youtube, unfortunately.
there’s also the bonus flexi disc “single” Precambrian Bath, that came with Elvis Zombies.
The thing about Chris Ware is a joke. (Quite funny, too.)
Is that last one about Chris Ware true? It sounds like a joke.
When I first heard about Jeffrey Lewis I thought he seemed like a stereotypical whiney alt comics, alt rock guy but his stuff grew on me quickly and I think he is very good. He has had far more success with music than comics, although sometimes it sounds like he’d rather be more successful in comics. I read one comic and it was okay, parts of history, autobio and Wolverton style humor, but I think his music is far better.
Loads of comics guys probably have a small band going. Robert Crumb, Arthur Suydam, Glenn Chadbourne, Jesse Santos. I think James Kochalka, Kazuo Umezu and Keizo Miyanishi (Onna) had more success (have to acknowledge some are pursuing it more seriously than others).
I’d be interested to hear about more. I might make a thread about it on ILoveMusic forum.
Just looked around a bit and there are threads for bands/musiciands appearing in comics; songs about comic characters. Found this Bowie comic…
http://found-objects.livejournal.com/2555300.html#cutid1
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Black_Pus/
Black Pus is Brian Chippendale’s one-man noise band. CAN YOU HANDLE IT? I sure can’t, though there’s some fun drumming.