Soophie Nun Squad


Soophie Nun Squad is a DIY punk rock band from North Little Rock, Arkansas known for their jubilant stage performances which typically include costumes, puppet shows, and a large amount of crowd participation. The number of members varies from 6 to 11, but always includes a bass guitar player, a drummer, a guitarist and at least three lead singers. They are also known for bizarre song structures and topics, such as "Donkey Call" in which the singers proclaim they are giving up automobiles in favor of riding donkeys and encourage audience members to do the same and give their "Donkey Call", or loudly make the sound of a donkey.

Biography

Soophie Nun Squad formed in the fall of 1992 as a four-piece called The Schwa Sound, but renamed themselves by February 1993 at news that friends Chip King and Mark Lowe had started a band entitled "Schwa". Soophie Nun Squad's first show was April 24, 1993 on the back lawn of the Arkansas Governor's Mansion, at the request of Governor Jim Guy Tucker's daughter Anna. Initially, Soophie Nun Squad drew from such diverse musical influences as Moss Icon, Primus, Chino Horde, Anthrax, The Four Tops, Beastie Boys, and Heavenly. As new members joined the fray through the years, Soophie Nun Squad became a sonic melting pot, primarily influenced by Big Boys, Salt N Pepa, R. Kelly, Public Enemy, Laurie Anderson, Rites of Spring, David Bowie, and 69 Boyz, and became increasingly more focused on the relationship between their songs and performative narratives tying disparate movements into a larger body of music.
Soophie Nun Squad has been inactive since performing on June 21, 2006, in Braunschweig, Germany. Some material and concepts for newer SNS songs found outlets in WAIT, Divorce Chord, Humanola, and HoneyBeast. The band was scheduled to play their final concerts at a show for Towncraft (film) on May 18, 2007, and the following night in North Little Rock, AR, until Mark Lierly broke his wrists and the shows were cancelled.
Soophie Nun Squad's tours are as follows:
  • July 1997 – eastern U.S. tour
  • June/July 1998 – eastern/southern U.S. tour
  • June 1999 – midwestern U.S. mini-tour
  • July 1999 – western U.S. tour
  • June/July 2000 – eastern U.S. tour
  • July/August 2001 – U.S. tour
  • April 2002 – European tour
  • May 2003 – Midwestern U.S. tour
  • September/October 2003 – European tour
  • August 2004 – eastern U.S. tour
  • July 2005 – southern U.S. tour
  • May 2006 – midwestern U.S. mini-tour
  • May/June 2006 – European tour
Soophie Nun Squad's members were scattered across the United States but remain tied to the Little Rock punk scene. In 2015, four members reside in California; one lives in Bloomington, Indiana; two live in Providence, Rhode Island; one lives in New York City; while four remain in Little Rock, Arkansas. Band members have also lived in and participated in the scenes of Kansas City MO, Philadelphia PA, New York NY, and Savannah GA.
Due to the intimacy of Soophie Nun Squad performances, critics and historians generally agree that the band could never be as successful in a large venue. Despite this, the band has gained a huge international cult following, due in part to extensive touring.
Soophie, a Lhasa Apso owned by the drummer and one singer's family, is named after the band.

Soophie Nun Squad's chronological lineup

  • Mike Lierly — voice, puppets, guitar
  • Mark Lierly — drums
  • Eli Monster — bass
  • Nate Powell — voice, puppets
  • Dustin Clark — guitar, voice
  • Mikael Wood — voice, keyboard, guitar, puppets
  • Tim Scott — turntables, electronics, voice, keyboard, trombone, puppets
  • Maralie Armstrong — voice, keyboard, accordion, whistles, puppets, costumes, props
  • Asa Newell — guitar, puppets
  • Alan Short — buckets, puppets
  • Michael Motley — percussion, keyboard
  • Kristine Barrett — voice, keyboard, puppets
  • Electric Dukes — voice, beats, electricity

Auxiliary members

  • Nathan Wilson — interpretive martial arts performance, skit writer, roadie
  • Emil Heiple — skit writer, roadie
  • Lee Buford — tour drums
  • Justin Collins — percussion
  • Mary Chamberlin — roadie

Discography

  • May 1994 — "We Ate Slayer" demo
  • August 1994 — "We Rule the World" demo
  • March 1995 — "vs. the USA" 7"
  • May 1995 — 5 songs, "The Dogtown Chronicles" comp tape
  • May 1995 — live song, Anna Newell's VHS compilation
  • August 1995 — "Takes Manhattan" demo
  • June 1996 — 1 song, "We've Lost Beauty" comp LP
  • April 1997 — "Dino" 7"
  • March 1998 — "Don't Let Them Take You Alive" CD
  • August 1998 — 1 song, "Heartbreakers and Rumpshakers" comp 7"
  • January 2000 — "The Devil, The Metal, The Big Booty Beats" LP/CD
  • January 2000 — 1 song, "A Compilation For Heroes" comp CD
  • April 2000 — 1 song, "Defeated Food Not Bombs Benefit" comp CD
  • July 2001 — 1 song, "Listen To What I'm Made Of" comp 2xCD
  • July 2001 — 1 song, Phyte/Magic Bullet Records sampler CD
  • October 2001 — 1 song on "Ride" BMX VHS zine
  • April 2003 — split LP/CD with Abe Froman
  • September 2003 — "Passion Slays the Dragon" LP/CD
  • November 2004 — 3 songs, "Rootbeer and Molotovs" comp CD
  • June 2005 — 1 live song, "Plan-it-X Fest 2004" comp DVD
  • August 2005 — 1 song, Localist Magazine comp CD
  • December 2005 — 1 song, "If It Ain't Cheap, It Ain't Punk" comp CD
  • March 2006 — 1 song, "All The Days Are Numbered So" comp CD/zine
  • May 2007 — "Towncraft" DVD/2xCD documentary