Lutefisk (band)

Lutefisk was an American alternative rock band based in Los Angeles. It was active in the 1990s as part of LA's "Silver Lake" alternative music scene, during which time it released two studio albums on Bong Load Records and recorded a third unreleased record for A&M Records.

Lutefisk
Album cover for Lutefisk's unreleased third album, recorded for A&M Records
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California
GenresAlternative rock
Years active1990s
LabelsBong Load Custom Records
Past membersDon Burnet (aka Dallas Don), Beale Dabbs (aka Frosting), Brandon Jay (aka Quasar), Jeff Watson[1][2]

History

Lutefisk's frontman, Don Burnet, was formerly the frontman of the band Plain Wrap during the 1980s, and led the band 3D Picnic from 1986 to 1992.[3] Burnet had also played drums for Beck before becoming Lutefisk's guitarist.[4] The founding of the band was related to the curing of a "premature midlife artistic crisis", faced by Burnet the age of 30.[3] The name of the band refers to lutefisk, a dried fish dish prepared with lye of Scandinavian origin, which 'window of success' as a recipe is, according to Garrison Keillor's book Pontoon rather small. According to Burnet, the band's name is about playing pop songs hard to stomach.[3]

Lutefisk released its first album, Deliver From Porcelain: Theme and Variations, in 1995 on Bong Load Custom Records. It was named the 10th best local album of the year by Mike Boehm in the Los Angeles Times.[5] In 1996, Lutefisk performed at Lollapalooza on the indie stage.[4]

They released their second and final album, Burn in Hell Fuckers, on the same label in 1997. Its name derives from a phrase the band's frontman, Don Burnet, wrote on the wall of their recording studio after it was robbed. Burnet wrote the phrase because he hoped it might scare away the burglars if they returned.[3] Lutefisk recorded Burn in Hell Fuckers on a 4-track, which they wore out during the album's production.[2] It received mixed reviews from critics, particularly pertaining to the band's cover of Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music". Critics who wrote favorably of the cover included Steven Mirkin, who praised the cover as "near perfect",[6] and Curtis Bonney, who wrote that it "plunges into the radioactive whirlpool and comes out mangled, nearly (and hilariously) unidentifiable."[7] Conversely, Randy Roberts said the band's decision to cover it "makes one question the band's musical judgment from the first note to the last."[8] The album was awarded a three-star rating by Jeff Salamon, who described the album's sound as "a cross between the Grifters and Frank Zappa".[9]

The August 2009 issue of Spin Magazine included Lutefisk in their article SPIN's 100 Greatest Bands You've Probably Never Heard Of.[10]

Discography
  • Deliver From Porcelain: Theme and Variations (Bong Load Custom, 1995)
  • Burn in Hell Fuckers (Bong Load Custom, 1997)

References
  1. Boehm, Mike (12 January 1995). "A Fine Tune of Events on Vinyl and Cassette". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  2. Vander Zanden, Vanessa (7 May 1997). "Lutefisk adds an extra 'fisk' for their fans in live shows". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  3. Boehm, Mike (7 March 1997). "Times Good for the Noise in the Band". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  4. Reece, Douglas (13 July 1996). "LA's Silver Lake: Fertile Bohemian Spawning Ground". Billboard. p. 21. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  5. Boehm, Mike (29 December 1995). "1995: The Year In Review : Mike Boehm's Top 10 Albums Of 1995". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  6. Mirkin, Steven (14 February 1997). "Burn in Hell F---ers!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  7. Bonney, Curtis (2 April 1997). "Recordings". SF Weekly. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  8. Roberts, Randy (February 1997). "Burn in Hell Fuckers!". CMJ. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  9. Salamon, Jeff (14 March 1997). "Record Reviews". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  10. Eddy, Chuck (2009-08-01) [2009]. "Unsung: the 100 greatest bands you've (probably) never heard". Spin. Vol. 25 no. 8. pp. 72–3.
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