Squirrel Nut Zippers
| Squirrel Nut Zippers | |
|---|---|
 Performing in San Francisco, 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | Swing revival |
| Years active | 1993–2000, 2006–2010, 2016– |
| Labels | Mammoth |
| Website |
www |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
The Squirrel Nut Zippers is an American swing band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by James "Jimbo" Mathus (vocals and guitar), Tom Maxwell (vocals and guitar), Katharine Whalen (vocals, banjo, ukulele), Chris Phillips (drums), Don Raleigh (bass guitar), and Ken Mosher.
The band's music is a fusion of Delta blues, gypsy jazz, 1930s–era swing, klezmer, and other styles. They found commercial success during the Swing Revival of the late 1990s with their 1996 single "Hell", written by Tom Maxwell. After a hiatus of several years, the original band members reunited and performed in 2007, playing select dates around the U.S. and Canada.
In 2016, Jimbo Mathus and Chris Phillips reunited the band with a new lineup to tour in support of the 20th Anniversary of their biggest selling album, Hot.[1]
History
Swing revival
The band was founded by James "Jimbo" Mathus, formerly of Metal Flake Mother and Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves, and his then-wife Katharine Whalen in Carrboro, North Carolina, with Tom Maxwell, Chris Phillips, Don Raleigh, and Ken Mosher. The group made its debut in Chapel Hill a few months later. Stacy Guess (formerly of Pressure Boys) joined shortly after.
"Nut Zippers" is a southern term for a variety of old bootleg moonshine. The band's name comes from a newspaper story about an intoxicated man who climbed a tree and refused to come down even after police arrived. The headline was "Squirrel Nut Zipper." [2][3] It is also the name of a Squirrel nut caramel candy dating back to 1890.[4]
At first the band was categorized as lounge music with the band Combustible Edison. Then it was credited for contributing to the swing revival that occurred during the 1990s. The band was influenced by Johnny Ace, Cab Calloway, Django Reinhardt, Raymond Scott, Fats Waller, and Tom Waits. The breakthrough single "Hell", with its calypso rhythm, more closely aligned the band with the neo-swing movement.[3]
The Zippers's debut album, The Inevitable (1995), received airplay on National Public Radio, and its second album, Hot (1996), was certified platinum. Hot was also one of the first enhanced CDs, containing an interactive presentation created by filmmaker Clay Walker. In support of the album, the band toured with rock singer Neil Young. Perennial Favorites (1998) followed, then Christmas Caravan and Bedlam Ballroom.
The Squirrel Nut Zippers performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and at President Clinton's second inaugural ball. They appeared on the radio show Prairie Home Companion and on the television shows The Tonight Show, Late Show with David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.
The band recorded a version of "Under the Sea" which was going to be included on the DVD release of the movie The Little Mermaid, but Disney, owner of Mammoth Records, decided against it. The song was released on a greatest hits album instead.[5]
Zippers unzipped
By the early 2000s, the Zippers were inactive. Stacy Guess left two weeks before the recording of Hot in September 1995. He died of a heroin overdose on March 11, 1998. In a 2014 interview, Tom Maxwell said the song "Put a Lid on It" was inspired by Guess's addiction.[6] Don Raleigh departed in the middle of the Perennial Favorites sessions in November 1996 and was replaced by Stuart Cole. In July 1999, Maxwell quit, followed by Ken Mosher months later.
Jimbo Mathus and Katharine Whalen divorced. Maxwell and Mosher sued the remaining members in 2002 over management and royalty issues.[5] The case was settled out of court for $155,000 to cover unpaid royalties.[6]
Whalen released her debut album, Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squard. Mathus toured with Buddy Guy before forming his own band, Knockdown Society. Je Widenhouse and Reese Gray recorded and toured with Firecracker Jazz Band. Chris Phillips spent two years with the Dickies and William Reid from the Jesus and Mary Chain. His band The Lamps included members of the Bangles and The Connells.
Reunions
In early 2007, the band's official website and MySpace blog announced tour dates with a lineup consisting of Jimbo Mathus, Katharine Whalen, Chris Phillips, Je Widenhouse, Stuart Cole, and Will Dawson. With the proclamation "Ladies and Gentlemen...They're Back," the band performed concert dates throughout the U.S. and Canada in the spring and summer of 2007 and through 2008.
In late February 2009, Phillips sent an e-mail announcing a forthcoming live album called You Are My Radio, recorded in Brooklyn in December 2008.[7] The album title was later changed to Lost at Sea and was released on October 27 through Southern Broadcasting/MRI. They also announced plans for a studio album in 2010. The band taped a performance for NPR's Mountain Stage, which aired in mid-November.
The band announced a limited tour for the fall of 2016 with Mathus, Phillips, and vocalists Tamar A. Korn and Ingrid Lucia.[8]
Discography
- The Inevitable (1995)
- Hot (1996)
- Sold Out (1997)
- Roasted Right (1997)
- Perennial Favorites (1998)
- Christmas Caravan (1998)
- Bedlam Ballroom (2000)
- Lost at Sea (2009)[9]
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Rock Tracks [10] | US Air [10] | |||
| "Hell" | 1996 | 13 | 75 | Hot |
| "Put a Lid on It" | — | — | ||
| "Suits Are Picking Up the Bill"[9] | 1998 | — | — | Perennial Favorites |
| "Ghost of Stephen Foster"[11] | 1999 | — | — | |
References
- ↑ Gensler, Andy (June 6, 2016). "Squirrel Nut Zippers Reissuing 'Hot' - Listen to Unreleased 1991 Song 'The Puffer': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- ↑ Jimbo Mathus of The Squirrel Nut Zippers Explains the Band's Name Accessed: August 12, 2009
- 1 2 Yanow, Scott (2000). Swing. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. pp. 478–479. ISBN 0-87930-600-9.
- ↑ History of Squirrel Nut Zippers on the NECCO Candy Company website
- 1 2 Righi, Len (16 August 2007). "Ending Squirrel Nut Zippers' "hiatus' was a tough acorn to crack". The Morning Call. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- 1 2 Menconi, David (23 August 2014). "Tom Maxwell and Squirrel Nut Zippers go to "Hell" and back". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ↑ "Zippers Live Record News." Retrieved February 27, 2009.
- ↑ Cohn, Alison (13 January 2017). "Review – Squirrel Nut Zippers Revival Celebrates 20th Anniversary of "Hot"". 303 Magazine.
- 1 2 Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 925–926. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
- 1 2 "Squirrel Nut Zippers - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
- ↑ Squirrel Nut Zippers unveil new video online
- Milkowski, Bill (2001). Swing It: An Annotated History of Jive. Bob Nikard, ed., and Alison Hagge, ed. New York, New York: Billboard Books. pp. 251–254. ISBN 0-8230-7671-7.