Chi-Pig was a New Wave power trio hailing from Akron, Ohio. During the 1960s and 1970s, Susan Schmidt and Deborah Smith were active in several area bands, notably The Poor Girls, Cinderella's Revenge, and Friction. Around 1977, they teamed up with Richard Roberts to form Chi-Pig, taking their name from a local barbecue restaurant that sold both chicken and pork (whose sign featured a cartoon drawing of a pig with wings). The band was known for wearing flamboyant flamenco-style Latin-American outfits, even though this had nothing to do with their musical style. Despite active participation in the local music scene and national interest in the Akron area due to the popularity of Devo and Tin Huey, Chi-Pig was unable to land a record deal, ultimately folding in 1982.
Chi-Pig members Susan Schmidt and Deborah Smith co-wrote the Devo song "Gates of Steel" with Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh.[1]
Chi-Pig's music was made up of smart pop rock songs addressing the concerns of women living in a consumerist society with just a touch of humor on the side. Musically, Schmidt and Smith had developed a tight sound over their many years of playing together. Unfortunately, the band fell apart just as other female led groups such as The Go-Go's and The Pretenders were breaking out.
In 2004, the band finally released their album, Miami, consisting of material recorded in 1979.
In 2005, the band appeared in the PBS documentary, If You're Not Dead, Play, which detailed the Akron Sound that sprung out of the Ohioan punk rock and new wave scene in the second wave during the 1980s.
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2004 - Miami (Chi-Pig)