Fastbacks


Fastbacks are a Seattle, Washington, punk rock band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist Kurt Bloch, and friends Lulu Gargiulo and Kim Warnick, they disbanded in 2001 but have reunited multiple times. Their sound mixes a generally punk rock approach to vocals and sound textures with poppy tunes and strong musicianship.
Although these three band members have remained fairly constant, they have gone through numerous drummers, including Duff McKagan, later of Guns N' Roses. MTV's web page on the Fastbacks says that estimates at the number of Fastbacks drummers "range from 12 to 20." For much of the band's heyday, Mike Musburger filled this role, but other Fastbacks drummers before him included Bloch himself, Richard Stuverud, Nate Johnson and Rusty Willoughby, John Moen, Jason Finn, Dan Peters of Mudhoney, and Tad Hutchison of the Young Fresh Fellows. Several of these people also served at times as drummers in The Squirrels, a similarly long-lived band, and the Fastbacks' sometime label-mates on PopLlama Records, who bring a similar mix of strong musicianship and punk attitude to even poppier material.
Contributing to the band's 2001 breakup was Kim Warnick's move to the band Visqueen in 2001 through 2004. In summer 2010 Kim Warnick started a new band with Mikey Davis called Cali Giraffes.
The Fastbacks reunited for a one-off live performance 8 July 2011 at the West Seattle Summer Music Festival, featuring the core trio of Bloch, Warnick, and Garguilo, along with Mike Musburger on drums, their first official show together since their 2001 breakup.
They later reunited in September 2018 for a benefit concert, in aid of fellow Seattle musician Andrew McKeag.
Following a series of archival releases, the Fastbacks released the new single "A Quiet Night" in February, 2023.

Discography

Albums

  • 1987: ...And His Orchestra
  • 1990: Very, Very Powerful Motor
  • 1991: Never Fails, Never Works - UK compilation of EPs
  • 1992: The Question is No - compilation
  • 1993: Zücker
  • 1994: Answer the Phone, Dummy
  • 1996: New Mansions in Sound
  • 1999: The Day that didn't Exist
  • 2024: ''For WHAT Reason!''

    Compilations

  • 2016: Now is the Time compilation
  • 2018: If You Want To Slow Down, Step On The Gas - compilation recorded between 1985 and 1990
  • 2020: Zucker 2020 - expanded and remixed version of 1993 album

    Singles

  • 1981: "It's Your Birthday" / "You Can't Be Happy"
  • 1989: "Wrong Wrong Wrong" / "In America" - - UK
  • 1989: "In The Winter" / "It Came To Me In A Dream" - UK
  • 1990: "Lose" - split with Gas Huffer
  • 1991: The Answer Is You 2-single set
  • 1992: "Run No More" / "Really"
  • 1992: "Now Is the Time" / "Sometimes" / "Was Late"
  • 1993: "They Don't Care" / "Out of the Charts" -
  • 1993: "Gone to the Moon" - "Go All the Way"
  • 1994: "Wait It Out" / "The Jester"
  • 1995: Rat Race / I Live In A Car / Telephone Numbers - Split with The Meices
  • 1996: Just Say
  • 1996: All In Order / Answer The Phone, Dummy / Allison
  • 1996: And After All / Marionette
  • 2011: Come On Come On / I Can't Hide
  • 2023: A Quiet Night / ''Outer Space''

    EPs

  • 1982: Fastbacks Play Five of Their Favorites
  • 1983: Orangeman hath no home here
  • 1984: Everyday Is Saturday
  • 1989: "In The Summer/You Can't Be Happy/Everything I Don't Need/Queen of Eyes"
  • 1993: Gone To The Moon
  • 1996: Alone In A Furniture Warehouse Scaring You Away Like A Hotel Mattress - Spain
  • 1998: ''Win Lose or Both''

    Contributed tracks to

  • 1981: Seattle Syndrome Volume One track 6, "Someone Else's Room"
  • 1986: Let's Sea track A-4, "Don't Eat That, It's Poison"
  • 1986: Monkey Business: Green Monkey Records 1986 Compilation track 8, "Time Passes"
  • 1988: Sub Pop 200 track 10, "Swallow My Pride"
  • 1991: Another Damned Seattle Compilation track 18, "Hit or Miss"
  • 1992: on International Pop Underground Convention track 19, "Impatience"
  • 1992: International Pop Underground Convention' track 19, "Impatience"
  • 1992: Hodge Podge & Barrage from Japan track 9, "Trouble Sleeping"
  • 1992: Estrus Gearbox track 2, "Hot Rods To Heaven"
  • 1992: 20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions! track 2-6 "Rocket Man"
  • 1993: ...And The Fun Just Never Ends track 8, "You Can't Be Happy"; track 8, "Love You More" - Germany
  • 1993: Say Hello To The Far East track 1, "Go All The Way"
  • 1994: 13 Soda Punx track 5, " I'm Cold"
  • 1994: "Whole Wide World" - The Subway Organisation Label 1986-1990 track 14, "In The Winter"
  • 1994: The World of The Zombies track 6, "Hung Up On A Dream"; track 9, "Just Out Of Reach"
  • 1995: 20 Supersonic Mega Explosive Hits track 19, "Rocket Man" - Italy
  • 1995: Oh Canaduh! track 8, "Won't Have To Worry"
  • 1995: Screaming Life track 9, "What's It Like" - included with the book Screaming Life: A Chronicle of the Seattle Music Scene
  • 1996: Bite Back / Live at the Crocodile Cafe's track 5, "Always Tomorrow"
  • 1996: Home Alive - The Art of Self Defense track 1-3, "Time & Matter"
  • 1996: Hype! The Motion Picture Soundtrack track 1, "K Street" ; track 22, "Just Say"
  • 1996: Paydirt track 7, "I Can't Win"; track 17, "No Information"
  • 1997: Dictators Forever Forever Dictators Vol. II track 16, "Exposed" - Spain
  • 2001: Give the People What We Want : The Songs Of The Kinks track 12, "Waterloo Sunset"
  • 2004: Truth Corrosion and Sour Bisquits
  • 2013: What Have We Wrought? A Mike Atta Benefit Compilation track 1-6, "Fast Enough"

    Live

  • 1988: Bike • Toy • Clock • Gift - self-released as a tape in 1988, re-released on No Threes Records in 1989, CD released in 1994 on Lucky Records
  • 1991: In America
  • 1996: Here They Are... Live At the Crocodile... - Canada
  • 2021: Mural Amphitheater, Seattle, WA August 25, 1986 - archival live recording

    Video

  • 2004: Hype! The Sound of a Musical Explosion DVD