Veruca Salt (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Veruca Salt


Img_capt = Current Lineup. From Left: Stephen Fitzpatrick, Kellii Scott, Nicole Fiorentino, and Louise Post
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genre = Alternative rock
Power pop
Years_active = 1993 - present
Label = Minty Fresh
DGC Records
Outpost
Beyond Music

MGM/Embryo
Sympathy for the Record Industry
Current_members = Louise Post
Stephen Fitzpatrick
Kellii Scott
Nicole Fiorentino
Past_members = Nina Gordon
Suzanne Sokol
Jimmy Madla
Gina Crosley (touring bassist)
Jim Shapiro
Stacy Jones
Steve Lack
Mareea Paterson
Zach Ingraham (touring drummer)
Solomon Snyder
Michael Miley (touring drummer)
Eva Gardner (touring bassist)
Toby Lang (touring drummer)

Veruca Salt is an American alternative rock band founded in 1993, which gained popularity in the '90s with hit singles "Seether", and "Volcano Girls."

Biography

1993 - 1998: Formation and Growth

Named after the spoiled rich girl from the novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", Veruca Salt was formed in Chicago by Louise Post (guitar/vocals) and Nina Gordon (guitar/vocals). Post and Gordon were introduced through mutual friend and actress Lili Taylor, and began playing music together. They wrote songs for a year and a half before being joined by Gordon's brother, Jim Shapiro, on drums and Steve Lack on bass. The band had done a handful of shows when Jim Powers of Minty Fresh Records asked to sign them to the independent label. [Eric Blair Interview With Louise Post, 2006 " [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnzd_c7xIk] "] The band's first release was the single "Seether"/"All Hail Me" on Minty Fresh Records, in 1994. The single was a success and Veruca Salt accompanied Hole on a tour, before releasing their debut full-length LP, "American Thighs", which eventually reached Gold status.

After signing to Geffen Records, the band quickly gained in popularity as "Seether" became an MTV hit. A stopgap EP produced by Steve Albini, "Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt", was released in 1996.

Veruca Salt's popularity skyrocketed after their second full album, "Eight Arms to Hold You", was released in 1997. Produced by Bob Rock, the album generated the hit lead single "Volcano Girls", which gained exposure as the opening theme to teen comedy "Jawbreaker". Veruca Salt performed another single, "Shutterbug", on "Saturday Night Live" however, instead of the featured musical group performing two songs as had been tradition, the musical performances were split between Sting and Veruca Salt. Shapiro left the band soon after the release of "Eight Arms" and was replaced by Stacy Jones (of Letters to Cleo and now American Hi-Fi). Jones toured with the band on the "Eight Arms" tour, but never recorded with them.Fact|date=April 2008

Songwriting duties were shared between Gordon and Post, though the two seldom collaborated. Rather, each would typically submit a complete song to the group and sing the lead vocal on that song, while the other would submit backing vocals. Critics often cited the harmonies between Gordon and Post as one of the band's major strengths.Fact|date=April 2008

1998 - 2005: Gordon's Departure, Reformation and "Resolver"

In 1998, Gordon left the band to pursue a solo career (her debut album "Tonight and the Rest of My Life" was released in 2000). The undisclosed dispute between Gordon and Post has been described as "one of the greatest rock soap operas since Fleetwood Mac or Hüsker Dü." [Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. " [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:blfm968ohep2 "Resolver": Review] ". "Allmusic". Retrieved August 18, 2005.]

Post, now the only original band member, recruited a new band, consisting of Stephen Fitzpatrick (guitar), Suzanne Sokol (bass) and Jimmy Madla (of 'Blind Venetians' and 'Anger Cake')(drums), and continued to record and perform under the "Veruca Salt" moniker. The new band signed with Beyond Records. The first album with the new lineup was 2000's "Resolver".

Suzanne Sokol was let go at the end of 2000. Post's friend, Gina Crosley, took her place. The new line-up toured in the summer of 2001, and spent time promoting "Resolver" in the UK. Crosley and Post then moved to L.A. where they lived together and wrote songs that appeared on the "Officially Dead" EP. Crosley is credited for co-writing "Smoke & Mirrors", but left the band before the record was released. She also worked on songs that later appeared on "IV", but no credit is officially given.

December 2002 saw the release of both "Resolver" and lead single "Born Entertainer", in Australia through Embryo Records/MGM. Following the release of "Born Entertainer", the label released the single "Officially Dead", which contained newly recorded tracks as well as a remix of "The Same Person". The band toured Australia, including the Splendour in the Grass festival alongside bands such as Placebo and Coldplay. "Yeah Man" was released as a radio only single.

After planning to take some time to step away from the music industry the band once again toured and performed at some festival shows in Australia. The tour took in the capital cities as well as performances at both the Falls Festival and the newly created Southbound festival in Perth. The band completed the 2 week tour and upon arrival back in the United States performed a show at the Viper Room. The band debuted the tracks "Blissful Queen" and "Circular Trend" live, both would end up on the album "IV".

2005 - Present: VSIV

In 2005, the band went through another line-up change with Sokol and Madla leaving, being replaced by Solomon Snyder on bass and Michael Miley on drums for the recording of the EP "Lords of Sounds and Lesser Things" "(LOSALT)". The band then went on tour as Post, Fitzpatrick, drummer Kellii Scott, and bassist Nicole Fiorentino. "LOSALT" was released and sold independently at the band's shows and via the website and included six new songs. The title of the EP is an extract from Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God". This preceded the full-length album, "IV", released September 2006, accompanied by a U.S. tour. "IV" failed to chart in the US; lead single "So Weird" was released to radio at the end of October 2006, however a video was never produced and the single failed to receive any significant radio play.

The band recently recorded a cover of Neil Young's song "Burned" for a 2007 Breast Cancer Benefit album due for release in October 2007.

Discography

ee also

*List of alternative music artists

References

External links

* [http://www.verucasalt.com/ Veruca Salt's official web site]
*MySpace|verucasalt|Veruca Salt
*allmusicguide | id=Bpeq8b594tsqa
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/verucasalt Veruca Salt] at "Rolling Stone"