Veruca Salt (band)

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Veruca Salt
Current Lineup. From Left: Stephen Fitzpatrick, Kellii Scott, Nicole Fiorentino, and frontwoman Louise Post
Background information
Origin	Chicago, IL, USA
Genre(s)	Alternative Rock
Years active	1993–Present
Label(s)	Minty Fresh Outpost Beyond Music Sympathy For The Record Industry
Members
Louise Post Stephen Fitzpatrick Kellii Scott Nicole Fiorentino
Former members
Nina Gordon Suzanne Sokol Jimmy Madla Gina Crosley Jim Shapiro Stacy Jones Steve Lack Mareea Patterson Michael Miley Eva Gardner Toby Lang

Veruca Salt is an alternative rock group of the 1990s and 2000s.

[edit] Biography

[edit] 1993 - 1998: Formation and Success

Named after a character from the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Veruca Salt was formed in Chicago by Louise Post (guitar/vocals), Nina Gordon (guitar/vocals), Steve Lack (bass) and Jim Shapiro (drums). The band's first release was "Seether"/"All Hail Me" on Minty Fresh Records, an independent label, in 1994. The single was a success and Veruca Salt accompanied Hole on a tour, before releasing their debut full-length LP, American Thighs, which eventually reached gold status.

After signing to Geffen Records, the band quickly gained in popularity as "Seether" became an MTV hit. A stopgap EP produced by Steve Albini, Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt, was released in 1996. Veruca Salt's popularity skyrocketed after their second full album, Eight Arms to Hold You, was released in 1997. Produced by Bob Rock, the album generated the hit lead single "Volcano Girls", which gained exposure as the opening theme to teen comedy Jawbreaker. Shapiro left the band soon after the release of Eight Arms and was replaced by Stacy Jones (of Letters to Cleo and now American Hi-Fi).

Songwriting duties were shared between Gordon and Post, though the two seldom collaborated. Rather, each would typically submit a complete song to the group and sing the lead vocal on that song, while the other would submit backing vocals. Critics often cited the harmonies between Gordon and Post as one of the band's major strengths.

[edit] 1998 - 2005: Gordon's Departure, Reformation and Resolver

In 1998, Gordon left the band acrimoniously to pursue a solo career (her debut album Tonight and the Rest of My Life was released in 2000). The undisclosed dispute between Gordon and Post has been described as "one of the greatest rock soap operas since Fleetwood Mac or Hüsker Dü."^[1]

Post recruited a new band, consisting of Stephen Fitzpatrick (guitar), Suzanne Sokol (bass) and Jimmy Madla (drums), and continued to record and perform under the Veruca Salt moniker. The new band signed with Beyond Records. The debut album with the new lineup was 2000's Resolver.

December 2002 saw the release of both Resolver and lead single "Born Entertainer", in Australia through Embryo Records / MGM. Following the release of "Born Entertainer" Embryo Records / MGM released the single "Officially Dead" which contained newly recorded tracks as well as a remix of 'the Same Person. The band toured Australia, including the "Splendour in the Grass" festival alongside bands such as Placebo and Coldplay. 'Yeah Man' was released as a radio only single and like "Officially Dead".

After planning to take some time to step away from the music industry the band once again toured and performed at some festival shows in Australia. The tour took in the capital cities as well as performances at both the "Falls Festival" and the newly created Southbound festival in Perth.The band completed the 2 week tour and upon arrival back in the United States performed a show at the iconic "Viper Room". The band debuted the tracks 'Blissful Queen' and 'Circular Trend' live, both would end up on the album "IV"

[edit] 2005 - Present: Third Incarnation and Fourth Album

2005 saw the release of a new EP and lineup; the band now consists of Post, Fitzpatrick, with drummer Kellii Scott and bassist Nicole Fiorentino, and the band completed a tour of America during the fall. The EP, released independently at the band's live shows and via their website, aptly entitled, Lords of Sounds and Lesser Things, included six new songs. The title of the EP is an extract from Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. This preluded the full length album, "IV", released in September 2006. "IV" has thus far failed to chart on the Billboard 200, however the situation is subject to change as a video for lead single So Weird was released to American radio at the end of October. The band is currently on an extensive tour of the USA. Veruca Salt is expected to complete a tour of both Australia and the UK throughout the coming year.

Also contributing to lackluster sales of "IV" is the low availability of the album; many stores have it available for purchase online, but not in stores. This situation is thought to be due to the limited shipping power of the small alternative label the band are currently signed with, Sympathy For The Record Industry.

[edit] Discography

[edit] See also

• List of alternative music artists

[edit] References

1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Resolver: Review". All Music Guide. Retrieved August 18, 2005.

[edit] External links

• Veruca Salt's official web site
• Veruca Salt's official message board (Louise is an active member.)
• All Music Guide entry for Veruca Salt
• Veruca Salt at MySpace.com
• Veruca Salt Lyrics