John Curley Update
John Curley, former bassist for the Whigs, sent along an email about his current projects. What follows is an excerpt from that email. It’s great to know John’s still active in the music community (and has a new band!).
“I’m still running Ultrasuede.
One of the better bands I’ve worked with lately is Shesus from Dayton, OH. Their CD, Shesus Loves Me, Loves Me Not just came out on Narnack Records. The Greenhornes 3rd CD, Dual Mono has been out for a while on Telstar but that’s another one worth picking up. Cincinnati bands Ruby Vileos, The Wolverton Bros. and Culture Queer have some really good recordings in various stages of completion, too.
I’ve also been working on another very cool project that I can’t really mention, yet.
I’ve started playing in a band again, too. The trio doesn’t yet have a name and we probably won’t be touring or playing out of Cincinnati because I now have 2 awesome little girls (ages 3 yrs. and 7 mos.) and Dave, the drummer has 3 kids. Anyway, if I could tour, I’d still be in the Whigs! The guitar player is named Austin, which is somewhat ironic. I’m pretty exited about it, though.
Michael Horrigan and I got to play a couple shows together over the winter as part of a recording project we’re doing with a NYC songwriter-piano player-actor named Todd Almond. We met during the Cincinnati production of Hedwig and The Angry Inch, which we all worked on during the summer of 2001. (I did sound.) Billy Alletzhauser, former Ass Pony and currently in Ruby Vileos (who was also in Hedwig) is the guitar player. We did the basic tracks in a 100-year-old theater in New Hampshire during a week long session in last January. It looks like Hedwig will be making another run at Ensemble Theater Cincinnati this summer so we’ll probably finish Todd’s CD during that time. Musically, it’s nothing like the Whigs but since most of the songs are about fucking, there is some common ground.”
Twilight Coming Soon
The first “official” word on the new Twilight Singers release can be found on their old website, thetwilightsingers.com. The album’s title, “Blackberry Belle,” and “coming soon.” The retro design and use of the old site URL leads me to believe that Columbia will be the affiliated label.
A Note to Our Visitors
Welcome to Summerskiss.com, a complete resource for fans of the Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers, and all things Dulli.
We’re still adding to the site and making changes. Some links may be broken and some functionality may be missing. We apologize for the inconvenience; but you’ve stumbled upon us in the early stages of development. We hope to be fully operational by late April, 2003. So look around, sign up in the forum; but don’t get frustrated if things aren’t working properly. Come back soon. It will be worth the wait.
A Little Bit of Soul
The Afghan Whigs may or may not have met in a jail cell; but the boys from Cincinnati, Ohio, did love trouble.
Original band members were: Rick McCollum (b. 14 July 1965, Kentucky, USA; guitar), Steven Earle (b. 28 March 1966, Cincinnati, USA; drums) and John Curley (b. 15 March 1965, Trenton, New Jersey, USA; bass), and frontman Greg Dulli (b. 11 May 1965, Ohio, USA; vocals/guitar).
After releasing an independent album (Big Top Halloween), the band was signed to Seattle’s famed Sub Pop Records. While their sound was gritty and raw, like their labelmates, the Whigs injected elements of country, blues, and most strikingly, R&B into their music. After two full-length releases and a slew of singles for Sub Pop, the band moved to the big leagues with their breakthrough album, Gentlemen.
Gentlemen drew heavily on the band’s past themes; but put a fresh spin on the traditional concept album. The videos for “Debonair” and “Gentlemen” got regular airplay on MTV. Steve Earle was replaced by Paul Buchignani.
Dulli, a closet actor and film fan, had a starring role as the voice of John Lennon in the film “Backbeat.” The band was rounded out with members of Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and REM. The film streak continued as the Afghan Whigs performed in the movie “Beautiful Girls.” The film soundtrack was quickly followed with the release of “Black Love,” the Whigs second major label release.
Even darker than its predecessors, “Black Love” took the Whigs into corners and alleys, unraveling a noir drama. The funk infused “Going to Town” and striking “Honkey’s Ladder” proved their worth to fans; but did not manage to break through to radio success. Upset with the efforts of their label, the Whigs managed to break contract and head to Sony/Columbia.
In 1998, the Whigs released their most upbeat and pop album, 1965. The musicianship and fierceness were still there; but they were prefaced with a new, fun attitude. The band was also joined by a new drummer, Michael Horrigan. Critics loved the album, and the tour supporting it was possibly the best of their career.
Citing “geographic differences,” the band split up in 2001.
Dulli continues to create music with the Twilight Singers, and as a solo artist. He also owns the Shortstop bar in Los Angeles. John Curley runs Ultrasuede Studios in Cincinnati, and Rick McCollum lives in Minneappolis.
The Gutter Twins: Saturnalia The long awaited debut from Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan
Order CD at Amazon.com
