Bitch Magnet - Umber & Star Booty

Bitch Magnet became part of the musical vernacular for a lot of folks writing songs in bands in the 90s who lacked a working knowledge of music theory or the ability to read sheet music. Along the lines of, "Ok let's do that noisy Sonic Youth thing to start and then we'll jump into the Bitch Magnet part. Cool? Cool."

Indeed it was the quietLOUDquietLOUD of Bitch Magnet which hooked a lot of us chomping @ the bit for the better days of Dinosaur or praying for the return of Slint. When Nirvana arrived with Nevermind the formula was a little stale and the once-dedicated quietLOUD contingent was halfway 'round the block to Lo-Fi town and Boredoms noise.

So this return to nostalgia is not so much to reassess my one-time fascination or to kick myself for being so smitten with something so simple (like I frequently do for my slight interest in latter day Die Kreuzen LPs - what the fock was that stuff?). This return is to celebrate a formula perfected. A celebration of its mastery, like Gallagher with a watermelon.

check out baby-faced Dave Grubbs.

______________________________

Part of the extended Squirrel Bait family tree, Bitch Magnet was one of two bands that guitarist David Grubbs joined in the wake of his departure. Unlike the other one, Bastro, Grubbs wasn't a charter member of Bitch Magnet, nor was he the leader; that duty fell to bassist/vocalist Sooyoung Park.

Much like Bastro, however, Bitch Magnet played a blistering and intellectual brand of post-hardcore punk, which often drew comparisons to Steve Albini's Big Black; they were also grouped with a more direct Squirrel Bait descendant, Slint, albeit more relentless and somewhat less nuanced. Sooyoung Park founded Bitch Magnet in 1986 while a student at Oberlin College in Ohio, joining with guitarist Jon Fine and drummer Orestes Delatorre (aka Orestes Morfin); despite their Oberlin roots, the trio was actually based in Chapel Hill, NC.

Bitch Magnet signed with the indie label Communion and debuted in 1988 with the Star Booty 12" EP, which was produced by Steve Albini himself and earned the band some notice on the underground rock scene. For the follow-up, 1989's full-length Umber, they added second guitarist David Galt (a later CD issue appended Star Booty as well). Galt's place was taken by David Grubbs later in 1989, and Grubbs toured with the group in between commitments with Bastro. Grubbs appeared on the EP Valmead and on Bitch Magnet's final album, Ben Hur, both issued in 1990. After Bitch Magnet's breakup late that year, all four members went on to other projects: Park formed the acclaimed Seam; Grubbs returned to Bastro, which evolved into the seminal Gastr del Sol; Fine played with Vineland and Don Caballero; and Orestes Morfin resurfaced in Walt Mink.

Hear