Veruca salt

Early years

Nina Gordon and Louise Post met through a mutual friend, actress Lily Taylor , in 1991. For some time the group existed as an acoustic duet, but it was soon decided to assemble a full-fledged team. They were joined by bassist Steve Lack and Nina Gordon's brother, drummer Jim Shapiro. Having formed its composition, the team proceeded to record a demo. Four tracks got to the debut demo cassette: “Get Back”, “All Hail Me”, “Wolf” and the subsequently unreleased “Halloween Day”. The group handed over their cassette to several labels, starting to perform in small clubs. This demo got a lot of attention to the band, and after several concerts Veruca Salt signed a contract with a small independent label Minty Fresh.

Success

At Minty Fresh, the band released the single "Seether" in March 1994. The composition gained popularity and instantly became a radio hit ^[1] , soon achieving success on the charts. The American Thighs debut album was released on Minty Fresh Records on September 27, 1994 and received the status of “gold” ^[2] , and Veruca Salt went on tour with Hole. Thus, in less than a year, Veruca Salt turned from a newbie into a sensation Chicago music scene. For the group, a struggle broke out between major labels - DGC , Island , Epic , Maverick , and others. ^[3] It is indicative of how the group took criticism - the press compared them to Nirvana , although Veruca Salt arose under the influence of indie rock , shugaise and pop rock - in particular, such bands as My Bloody Valentine , Pixies , The Breeders and Big Star ^{[4] [5]} . Meanwhile, Minty Fresh was even asked to stop broadcasting the single “Seether” because the album was not yet ready ^[3] . As a result of this hype, the group signed a contract with Geffen Records . American Thighs sold over a million copies. ^[6] The Hole tour was followed by a tour with PJ Harvey in 1995. In collaboration with Steve Albini in 1996, the group released EP Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt . The second studio album, Eight Arms To Hold You, was produced by Bob Rock , known for working with Metallica and Aerosmith . On this disc, Veruca Salt perfected the elements of power pop , adding to the sound of hard rock . Like the debut American Thighs , the album reached gold status. This time, the hit song “Volcano Girls” became a hit. After recording the album, drummer Jim Shapiro left the group, his place was taken by drummer Letters to Cleo Stacy Jones. With him, Veruca Salt shoot two videos (the singles Volcano Girls and Shutterbug) and go on a world tour to support Eight Arms To Hold You .

Nina Gordon's departure

After recording the Eight Arms To Hold You album, drummer Jim Shapiro left the band because he considered himself only a temporary drummer ^{[7] [8]} . During and after the recording of Eight Arms To Hold You, creative and personal disagreements between the leaders of the group - Nina Gordon and Louise Post made themselves felt. The takeoff of the team was interrupted by the departure of Nina Gordon ^[9] . Music critics have characterized this gap as “the greatest soap opera since Fleetwood Mac and Husker Du ” ^[10] . After some time, Veruca Salt left and bassist Steve Lack with drummer Stacy Jones. Through the efforts of the Louise Post, the group continued to exist. Impressed by the breakup of the band and breaking up with Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl, she wrote the album Resolver , with songs such as “Officially Dead” and “Used To Know Her”. In an updated composition, the team introduced the Resolver record in May 2000. In 2003 and 2005, the band released EP Officially Dead and Lords Of Sounds and Lesser Things , continuing to experience constant changes in the lineup. During this period, guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick became the second key member of Veruca Salt . From 2006 to 2008, the composition included the future bass player of The Smashing Pumpkins Nicole Fiorentino . March 14, 2012 on the official website, the team announced unlimited leave.

Reunion

According to Nina Gordon, she felt a desire to perform again with the Louise Post, having learned in 2012 about the Mazzy Star reunion:

“I wrote to her by email:“ Mazzy Star is giving a concert, should we not follow suit? ”And she replied:“ Perhaps we better start with coffee. ” ^[11]

The group managed to get together in its gold composition in the summer of that year. March 15, 2013 Veruca Salt officially announced the reunion of the group in the original composition: Louise Post (guitar, vocals), Nina Gordon (guitar, vocals), Steve Lack (bass), Jim Shapiro (drums). On September 29, the team announced work on new material. In 2014, the group released the EP MMXIV , containing new songs “It's Holy” and “The Museum of Broken Relationships”. July 10, 2015 the team released a new full-length album "Ghost Notes". The record hit the charts, and music critics positively accepted this disc, emphasizing the emotional depth of the record. ^{[12] [13] [14] [15]}

Albums

• American Thighs - (1994)
• Eight Arms to Hold You - (1997)
• Resolver - (2000)
• IV - (2006)
• Ghost Notes - (2015)

Mini Albums

• Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt EP - (1996)
• Officially Dead EP - (2003)
• Lords of Sounds and Lesser Things EP - (2005)
• MMXIV EP - (2014)

Current composition

• Louise Post - solo guitar, vocals (1993—2012, 2013 - present)
• Nina Gordon - rhythm guitar, vocals (1993-1997, 2013 - present)
• Steve Lack - bass (1993-1998, 2013 - present)
• Jim Shapiro - drums, backing vocals (1993-1997, 2013 - present)

Former members

• Stephen Fitzpatrick - guitar (1999-2012)
• Stacy Jones - Percussion (1997-1998)
• Jimmy Madla - Percussion (1999-2005)
• Kelly Scott - drums (2005-2012)
• Suzanne Sokol - bass, backing vocals (1999-2000)
• Gina Crosley - bass, backing vocals (2000-2002)
• Nicole Fiorentino - bass, backing vocals (2006-2008)

• Official site Veruca Salt
• Official Twitter
• Veruca Salt at Last.FM
• Official Veruca Salt Youtube Channel