Asylum Street Spankers
| Asylum Street Spankers | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Austin, Texas, USA |
| Genres | Progressive folk, jazz blues, ragtime, roots rock, comedy rock |
| Years active | 1994–2011 |
| Labels | Spanks-a-Lot, Yellow Dog |
| Website | www |
| Members | Christina Marrs Nevada Newman Mark Henne Morgan Patrick Thompson Shawn Dean (The Unknown Wrestler) Charlie King Trevor Smith Thrad Lee |
| Past members | see former members |
The Asylum Street Spankers, formed in Austin, Texas in 1994, were a band whose music was rooted in early 20th century American musical forms.
In 2006, the band's satirical anti-war video "Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your SUV" surpassed 1 million hits in two months on YouTube. In January 2011 the band won The 10th Annual Independent Music Awards in the Gospel category for God's Favorite Band. The band dissolved after a final tour in spring 2011.
Founded by Christina Marrs, Wammo and Guy Forsyth after a party at the Dabbs Hotel along the Llano River in Texas in 1994. The band began by busking on the streets of Austin and playing for tips in bars. In their earliest days, the Spankers' repertoire consisted almost entirely of country, blues, jazz, swing and Tin Pan Alley songs dating from the 1890s to the 1950s with a particular emphasis on the 1920s and 1930s. The band developed a raucous and irreverent sound, focusing on musicianship and theatricality. Several early members were actors and nearly all members have been multi-instrumentalists. Until 2004 they played most of their concerts without any amplification. This resulted in a heightened theatricality to the shows.
The band derived its name from Austin's Guadalupe Street, where they would often busk and where they played a number of their early shows. At one time Guadalupe Street was nicknamed "Asylum Street" because it led to a state psychiatric hospital. The term "spanker" is an old musician's term for "one who plays his instrument vigorously and proficiently".
With the departure of Guy Forsyth in 1997 the Spankers began playing more original songs, most written in the roots styles the band was familiar with. By 1999 only Marrs and Wammo remained of the original line-up. Reconstructing the band, Marrs and Wammo began including more cross-genre experimentation, intricate arrangements and vocal harmonies, and humorous songs, sometimes with pointed social and cultural commentary. Also in 1999, Marrs and Wammo founded Spanks-a-Lot Records to release their music. With complete creative control, the band began increasing the frequency of their sales and profits. Spanks-a-Lot has released two DVDs documenting the group's live show.
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