Gossip (band)

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Gossip
Gossip in Super Bock Super Rock 2007
Background information
Origin	Searcy, Arkansas, United States
Genre(s)	Indie rock, dance-punk, queercore, garage rock (early), punk blues (early)
Years active	1999–present
Label(s)	Back Yard Recordings, Kill Rock Stars, K, Dim Mak, Columbia
Associated acts	Le Tigre, The Blood Brothers
Website	www.gossipyouth.com
Members
Beth Ditto, Brace Paine, Hannah Blilie
Former members
Kathy Mendonca

Gossip (formerly The Gossip) are a three-piece American indie rock band fronted by Beth Ditto, guitarist Nathan Howdeshell a.k.a Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie ^[1]. The band was relatively unknown until they hit success with their third studio album, Standing in the Way of Control.

Contents 1 Formation and early history 2 Mainstream success 3 Move to major label 4 Artistry 5 Members 5.1 Former members 6 Discography 6.1 Studio albums 6.2 EPs 6.3 Live albums 6.4 Remix albums 6.5 Singles 6.6 Compilations 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Formation and early history

Gossip was formed in 1999 in Olympia, Washington with vocalist Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine, and drummer Kathy Mendonca. In 1999 the Independent record label, K Records, released The Gossip's first recording, their eponymous debut EP, The Gossip in 1999.

Since the formation of the band, Ditto has been considered controversial by the mainstream for being open about her weight and homosexuality, and not holding back when it comes to discussing fellow musicians.

Their next release was their first album That's Not What I Heard and was released by the record label Kill Rock Stars on January 23, 2001. In between the release of their second album, they released the EP Arkansas Heat on May 7, 2002. Movement, the group's second studio album, followed one year later and was released on May 6, 2003. In November 2003, two months after the release of their first live album Undead in NYC on September 9, drummer Kathy Mendonca left the band to pursue a career as a midwife. Established punk drummer Hannah Blilie joined to replace her. In 2005, the band performed at North East Sticks Together.

The first release featuring new drummer Hannah Blilie was the band's next album Standing in the Way of Control. It was released on January 24, 2006 on Kill Rock Stars and later on in 2006 on UK independent label Back Yard Recordings.

[edit] Mainstream success

The group's hit song "Standing in the Way of Control" was written by Ditto as a response to the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment which would have outlawed same-sex marriage in the United States. "Nobody in the States was that surprised or shocked by what Bush did, but it made everyone I know feel helpless and cheated," Ditto commented. "I wrote the chorus to try and encourage people not to give up. It's a scary time for civil rights, but I really believe the only way to survive is to stick together and keep fighting." A remix of the song by Soulwax also gained popularity in the UK when it featured in the advertising for the television programme Skins on Channel 4 in 2007. The album Standing in the Way of Control has since earned Gold Record Status in the UK.

Gossip's first UK TV appearance was on BBC1's Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, where they performed "Standing in the Way of Control" this led to another invitation to the show in June 2009, where 'Heavy cross' from their current album Music For Men was performed. This led to many more TV appearances, including lead singer Beth Ditto being the guest host of channel4's The Friday Night Project, alongside Justin Lee Collins and Alan Carr.

[edit] Move to major label

As reported on Pitchfork in March 2007, the group have signed to Music With a Twist, a subsidiary of Sony Music Label Group, concentrating on LGBT music acts.^[2] Beth Ditto appeared nude on the front cover of the UK music magazine NME (cover dated June 2, 2007). During the summer of 2007, Gossip was a part of the multi-artist True Colors Tour 2007 ^[3], which traveled through 15 cities in the United States and Canada. The tour, sponsored by the Logo channel, began on June 8, 2007. Hosted by comedian Margaret Cho and headlined by Cyndi Lauper, the tour also included Debbie Harry, Erasure, Rufus Wainwright, The Dresden Dolls, The MisShapes, The Cliks and other special guests. Profits from the tour went to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

Gossip are based in Portland, Oregon and have played with bands such as Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre, CSS, Erase Errata, Mika Miko, Panther, Comanechi, and Mates of State. Furthermore, Gossip opened for the Scissor Sisters for three dates on their tour in November 2006, but in NME magazine singer Ditto complained that she disliked performing for an audience who didn't "know their Ramones."^{[citation needed]}

On June 24, 2007 Gossip closed the Glastonbury Festival, playing the final set on the John Peel stage during which Ditto gave a tribute to the late John Peel. Gossip also performed the following year, on the pyramid stage.

Gossip launched the Live in Liverpool album in the UK and the US in April 2008. The album was produced by Rick Rubin. The album also features a DVD of their live performance. A new studio album called Music For Men was released on June 22, 2009.

[edit] Artistry

Their style has been described as "a soul or gospel" voice with "a sort of funky punk soundtrack". ^[4] In fact, their music is the result of many influences : the band stated a liking for post-punk bands Birthday Party and Siouxsie And The Banshees^[5] but also for other genres like dance and hip-hop.^[6]

[edit] Members

• Beth Ditto – vocalist, piano (1999–present)
• Brace Paine – guitar, bass (1999–present)
• Hannah Blilie – drums (2004–present)

[edit] Former members

• Kathy Mendonca – drums (1999–2003)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

• That's Not What I Heard (2001)
• Movement (2003)
• Standing in the Way of Control (2006)
• Music For Men (2009)

[edit] EPs

• The Gossip (1999)
• Arkansas Heat (2002)
• Real Damage (2005)
• GSSP RMX (2006)

[edit] Live albums

• Undead in NYC (2003)
• Live In Liverpool (2007)

[edit] Remix albums

• RMXD (2007)

[edit] Singles

• "Standing in the Way of Control" (2005 Le Tigre Remix) UK #64
• "Listen Up!" (2006) #88
• "Standing in the Way of Control" (2006) (2007 re-entry through downloads) UK #13
• "Standing in the Way of Control" (2007 Re-release) UK #7, UK Indie #1, Ireland #25
• "Listen-Up" (Re-Release 2007) UK #39
• "Jealous Girls" (2007) UK #89, UK Indie #3
• "Heavy Cross" (2009) UK #37, Australia #34, Italy #8

[edit] Compilations

• Silver Monk Time – a tribute to the monks (2006), Play Loud! Productions

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gossip (band)

• Official website
• Official Twitter
• Gossip at MySpace
• The Gossip UK tour 2009 DailyMusicGuide
• The Gossip (Live review)
• Kill Rock Stars Factsheet
• Punkcast #840 video clip from Knitting Factory NYC Sep 15, 2005
• 2006 Live Shots on Flickr
• After Ellen interview with Hannah Blilie, Oct 2007

v • d • e Gossip Beth Ditto · Brace Paine · Hannah Blilie Kathy Mendonca Albums That's Not What I Heard · Movement · Standing in the Way of Control · Music For Men EPs The Gossip · Arkansas Heat · Real Damage · GSSP RMX Live albums Undead in NYC · Live In Liverpool Singles "Standing in the Way of Control" · "Listen Up!" · "Heavy Cross" Related articles Kill Rock Stars · Riot Grrrl