Chris Thompson - Monorchid, Circus Lupus, Skull Control?

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What happened to him? Does he have another new band yet? I love his voice.

I have one CL album, the one with the lighter on the front (Solid Bronze?), which I don't really like. The first Monorchid album (Let Them Eat...) is awesome, but the second, not so much. The first Skull Control EP (Beyond All Means of Capture) is also awesome, but the second (Zzzzz....) is pretty much summed up in the album name. But I love how pissed off he always sounds.

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:36 (twenty years ago) link

Solid Brass, "Mr. Pop Man" was a great song. Indignant rage is so cool.
Damn, I had a few Circus Lupus cassettes, I should replace them.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:40 (twenty years ago) link

I am in LOVE with Chris Thompson! (oh wait - nick posted this thread - whoops!) :) But yeah, that first Skull Control album makes me really happy.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:43 (twenty years ago) link

As far as I know, he's living in Chicago and maybe going to school or something. Uh, and don't forget Ignition. But anyway, yeah I wasn't a big fan of Circus Lupus for whatever reason, but the Monorchid and Skull Control totally fucking ruled (I saw the latter's last show ever). Apparently Andy Coronado and I wanna say Brooks Hedley (always forget how to spell his name) have a new band in L.A.

― hstencil, Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:48 (twenty years ago) link

Fury was also a pretty great, short and bittersweet like an electric sander in your face.

― jack cole (jackcole), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:51 (twenty years ago) link

i knew this thread was you, nick! i've never heard circus lupus, but i'm totally with you on the sc/mono assessments.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:51 (twenty years ago) link

The first Circus Lupus album still sounds pretty good (the second one sorted of sounds all the same). The Monorchid never made a recording that was anywhere near as fall-down-in-a-heap good as the live shows I saw. Interesting question, though. I imagine him being surly and tatooed somewhere . . .

― Lee G (Lee G), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:53 (twenty years ago) link

Tell me about Ignition, for I know nothing about them and allmusic is no help in this matter. Is this another Thompson band? Worth seeking out?

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:54 (twenty years ago) link

Ignition was Alec MacKaye, Chris Thompson, Chris Bald and Dante Ferrando and quite possibly my favorite DC band ever.

― hstencil, Thursday, 29 May 2003 15:58 (twenty years ago) link

i remember when skull kontrol first came out we were a little disheartened... cause monorchid was a little unusual... and skull kontrol was so straight up.

it still rocked. and rocked so well. and then suddenly, the doors of history opened up and i realized that half the skull kontrol songs were covers... and even their name seems and homage to the two early LA punk bands The Skulls and Kontrol....

from vermiform's website...
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH "The Sad Magician pt. 1 & 2" 7" (Capillary)
Marty Violence of (YOUNG) PIONEERS, is joined by Chris Thompson from SKULL KONTROL & IGNITION. 1999 crackpot new wave on a one sided, hand screened disk. $3

it's all good.
m.

― msp, Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:03 (twenty years ago) link

"The second one SORT of sounds all the same." That is.

― Lee G (Lee G), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:05 (twenty years ago) link

The Ignition page on Dischord. There's a Complete Services CD that's got like everything.

― hstencil, Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:11 (twenty years ago) link

that first monorchid album is a monster, if you accept the fact that they're just stringing together a bunch of disparate p-punk signifiers (roland howard/mick harvey guitar tone, mark e smith in a box, etc.), and of course 4 or 5 years before most people were. nothing else he's been involved in has really done anything for me.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:27 (twenty years ago) link

Weird, Marty Violence lives here in Richmond and works in the local trendy record store. I see him like every week. Never talked to him though. He was on the newer Bratmobile album too.

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:10 (twenty years ago) link

wasn't CT in second story window, too? their 7" was good ...

― tony bleach, Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:11 (twenty years ago) link

I love everything Chris Thompson does, and "Pop Man" especially is one of my favorite singles ever. Thanks for the Vermiform heads-up, msp: Thompson doesn't exactly go out of his way to publicise his efforts.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:16 (twenty years ago) link

I love the second Monorchid record. However the best thing he ever did is the Monorchid song on the "Lovitt Empire" 7"--my copy is long gone and I can't remember the name, but it's awesome. (My copy of the Lovitt Empire 7" was cool--I got it used and some weirdo had crossed out the Bluetip listing on the back and every Bluetip reference on the sleeve--???)

My girlfriend hates all my music but loves my Circus Lupus tapes.

― adam (adam), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:18 (twenty years ago) link

second story window! haven't heard that band name in forever. was he in that band? i thought ssw was a san diego band. i could be wrong however. that's more an old impression from years ago that anything based on fact.

― msp, Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:38 (twenty years ago) link

Chris Thompson wasn't in Second Story Window. That was some of the guys from Candle and Heroin.

I think his band progression was something like this:

Ignition > Fury > Circus Lupus > Las Mordidas > Monorchid > Skull Kontrol > Red-Eye'd Legends

Marty from Young Pioneers/Catholic Church/etc. was supposed to be in Red-Eye'd Legends, but then Chris moved from Virginia to New York, and ended up using that name with a bunch of other people.

No idea if he's resurrected the name and is playing with people in Chicago, but I'm pretty sure he moved there for work.

As for the quality of his output, Let them Eat... is probably my favorite thing he's been on, but most of the Monorchid releases (including that second album) were quite good. And they were a mess live. The first time I saw them that was in a good way, but the next two times was really, really disappointing. Same with Skull Kontrol. They were awesome one of the time I saw them, and okay the other two times.

― die9o (dhadis), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:51 (twenty years ago) link

And as for that new post-Skull Kontrol band, I think they're called Wrangler Brutes, though they were originally going to be called Ooga-booga. The line-up, as mentioned earlier, includes Andy Coronado and Brooks Headley, plus Cundo (from Fast Forward) and Sam McPheeters (from Born Against & Men's Recovery Project).

― die9o (dhadis), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:54 (twenty years ago) link

The song on the Lovitt Empire 7-inch is Red Meat, which is indeed awesome.

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 18:00 (twenty years ago) link

Red-Eye'd Legends.... that's weird cause a rumor a long time ago i heard was that he was gonna be in red eye... which kim thompson helped out with... that's a little band that sharon cheslowe and tim green did... sort of a precursor to the coterie exchange both of them are doing now.

coincidence or phenomenon?

(thanks for the info on second story window... i thought they had san diego connections...)

the mention of wrangler brutes being their next band sparks my memory as well.
m.

― msp, Thursday, 29 May 2003 18:55 (twenty years ago) link

it's THOMSON (no P) and I never liked his bands due to bitter memories of bad love gone wrongwrongwrong. i think he also played on one of the early unrest records too.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 29 May 2003 19:27 (twenty years ago) link

coterie exchange was really bizarre live what does that record sound like msp?

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 29 May 2003 19:28 (twenty years ago) link

it's similar. it's more polished. what we saw live was kind of falling apart.

she's got more stuff coming soon. both toyo and troubleman are breathing up her google.com to get something out.

thanks for the spelling correction... i get my pee everywhere... ahem...!

winkity,
m.

ps email... must email.

― msp, Thursday, 29 May 2003 19:33 (twenty years ago) link

senor gygax:

it is, indeed, thompson...though he is married to kim thomson.

― higgins, Thursday, 29 May 2003 19:57 (twenty years ago) link

thanks higgy baby, i owe you a champale.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 29 May 2003 20:00 (twenty years ago) link

i often listen to s.c.'s "new rock critic" when i read the local music press. somehow i feel better.

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Thursday, 29 May 2003 20:14 (twenty years ago) link

In 1996 I had the Monorchid on my radio show in Pittsburgh, with Jerry Busher on drums in place of Tom Allnut (who was way too loose and sloppy for that band, IMO). With Jerry they played their songs about twice as fast and it was the best I ever heard them. The following night I drove out to Kent, OH to see them shut down a pizza parlor w/ the Warmers and Skinner Pilot -- Monorchid that night was one of the greatest rock shows I've ever witnessed. Every other time I saw them was just not so tight.

Best bill I ever saw them on: w/ Melt-Banana, Arab on Radar, the 1985 and Shale. Holy shit.

― mosurock (mosurock), Thursday, 29 May 2003 23:52 (twenty years ago) link

the tricksy hobbit, gygax, is right. it is thomson and not thompson. doubters may refer themselves to www.dischord.com. i guess that means i get the car tonight, higgins.

― jack cole (jackcole), Friday, 30 May 2003 00:38 (twenty years ago) link

also, i dont like george benson for the same reason gygax doesnt like chris thomson. last but not least, i get the champale.

― jack cole (jackcole), Friday, 30 May 2003 00:42 (twenty years ago) link

glad to see this thread. Circus Lupus and the Monorchid got a lot of play on my old college radio show.. dug out a tape the other day of Dischord bands with "blue baby" and other tunes on it. I think Circus Lupus actually kinda scared me at first.. I did enjoy Skull Kontrol live opening for Shellac, that is probably the reason why I am hard of hearing sometimes.

― daria g, Friday, 30 May 2003 02:42 (twenty years ago) link

one month passes...

For the record its Thomson not Thompson
Currently now playing is the Red Eyed Legends version 3.0 from richmond to nyc to chicago. The chicago verison in my humble opinion if the most rockin. all new members, all new songs.
We'll have record out on gsl in the late fall.
Apologies for not playing in by-the-book bands that satisfy all the pre-requisites for fame, fortune, and lame ness.
ps: super genius has been remastered and sounds incredible, you are finally hear a lot of stuff that you weren't before.

― chris thomson, Monday, 28 July 2003 15:51 (twenty years ago) link

yay!

― NA (Nick A.), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:55 (twenty years ago) link

Adam / N.A : I could be wrong, but I think the Lovitt Empire song was "Southern Fried Wonton" (a different, far superior version) and "Red Meat" was on the Gravity 7".

It's a bit of a dead horse now, but yeah, Chris Thompson rules. I love everything he's done, for the most part.

― roger adultery, Monday, 28 July 2003 16:00 (twenty years ago) link

Ha - still mispelling his name after being corrected by the man himself - c/d?

― NA (Nick A.), Monday, 28 July 2003 16:59 (twenty years ago) link

i was right! someone owes me a champale!

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 28 July 2003 20:36 (twenty years ago) link

three months pass...

http://www.pataphysics-lab.com/journal/archives/002455.html

chris thomson interview... info about the new band etc. (kind of strange considering chris posted to this thread, but...)

― msp, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 03:19 (twenty years ago) link

Nice interview! Bummed I missed Red Eyed Legends at Mighty Robot, heard it was good. Wrangler Brutes are amazing, people. Also, I like the Quails, Seth from Circus Lupus' new band.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 05:53 (twenty years ago) link

three months pass...

I saw Red Eyed Legends last night. It was a good time. It was a very good time. Lots of people decided to stay home watching the Oscars, but not us! Take that, suckaz!

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:50 (twenty years ago) link

two years pass...

this came up in random. so i will take the time to say: if you don't own that first monorchid record u r a fucking tool and should go do so RIGHT NOW.

i've warmed up considerably to much else he's done since my first post on this thread.

― shabba ranks (dubplatestyle), Friday, 13 October 2006 04:12 (seventeen years ago) link

Just listened to Skull Control last night! Wishing and hoping he has something else on the go someday soon. Didn't the Red Eye Legends pack it in?

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Friday, 13 October 2006 16:37 (seventeen years ago) link

no i'm pretty sure rel are still a band. still never heard.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 13 October 2006 18:55 (seventeen years ago) link

skull control was sweet. i need to check out monorchid, i heard they were even better.

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 13 October 2006 19:00 (seventeen years ago) link

they were.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 13 October 2006 19:02 (seventeen years ago) link

The Quails! That was / is the group that had some Erase Errata connections, right? I have 2 of their discs, & have enjoyed them when I remember to put them on.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 13 October 2006 19:03 (seventeen years ago) link

six years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXuuiM7Zo2A

― joe bogus (am0n), Thursday, 30 May 2013 22:02 (ten years ago) link

two years pass...

Monorchid live set just uploaded by Chunklet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1LDLAzaTHA&feature=youtu.be

― Immediate Follower (NA), Wednesday, 26 August 2015 16:14 (eight years ago) link

Can a mod fix the thread title after all these years? Thomson.

― andrew m., Wednesday, 26 August 2015 20:03 (eight years ago) link

I was just thinking about the Monorchid / Circus Lupus the other day because I heard an old Ink and Dagger song and remembered how much I liked that particular Swiz-y style of singing in hc. You don't really hear it much anymore.

― Wimmels, Thursday, 27 August 2015 00:49 (eight years ago) link

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