Lard

Lard is an American industrial rock band founded in 1988 as a side project bringing together Jello Biafra on vocals, Al Jourgensen on guitar, Paul Barker on bass, and Jeff Ward on drums, with other Ministry members joining at different points along the way.

How the project started

The band began in 1988 with Biafra, formerly of Dead Kennedys, teaming up with Jourgensen and Barker of Ministry, plus Ward, who had toured with Ministry. Over the years, Lard also included Bill Rieflin, Mike Scaccia, and Rey Washam.

Politics and humor in the lyrics

Lard’s songs are described as angrily political, with the war on drugs showing up as a recurring theme, and the writing often carries a sharp sense of humor alongside the anger.

Live activity and the rare shows

Lard has not officially toured and has played live only a handful of times, mostly around the San Francisco area, where Biafra lives and runs Alternative Tentacles. The band played during Ministry’s 1988 tour and across Ministry dates in 1989 and 1990. Later performances mentioned in the bio include a show in Chicago after finishing the recording of The Last Temptation of Reid, an appearance at the end of a Ministry concert in Los Angeles on March 24, 2003, and sets on Ministry’s Evil Doer tour in San Francisco on September 26, 2004, Portland on September 28, 2004, and Seattle on September 29, 2004.

Because the key members stay busy with other projects, the bio presents full scale touring as unlikely.

Talk of new material

In a March 2009 interview, Jourgensen said he and Biafra were working on a new Lard album planned for recording in Jourgensen’s El Paso studio. In a January 2010 interview, Biafra said a new album was unlikely, explaining that the two had discussed it for years but had not been able to lock in time to put it together. The bio also notes that in a 2020 interview Jourgensen said he and Biafra planned to make a new Lard album soon, with songs being shared back and forth by email.

Albums

• The Last Temptation of Reid (1990, Alternative Tentacles, CD, LP, cassette)
• Pure Chewing Satisfaction (1997, Alternative Tentacles, CD)

Extended plays

• The Power of Lard (1989, Alternative Tentacles, CD, LP, cassette)
• 70’s Rock Must Die (February 2000, Alternative Tentacles, CD, LP)

Single

• “I Am Your Clock” (1990, Alternative Tentacles), also included on certain versions of The Last Temptation of Reid

Compilation appearances

• “Drug Raid at 4am” on The Bat Is Back, An Alternative Tentacles Records Sampler (1992, Alternative Tentacles)
• “Forkboy” on Natural Born Killers, A Soundtrack for an Oliver Stone Film (1994, Nothing Records)
• “Forkboy” on Selections From Natural Born Killers, A Soundtrack for an Oliver Stone Film (Nothing Records and Interscope Records)
• “Forkboy” on The Futility of a Well Ordered Life (Alternative Tentacles)
• “Forkboy” on Music from and Inspired by Natural Born Killers, an Oliver Stone Film (1996, Nothing Records and Interscope Records)
• “I Wanna Be a Drug-Sniffing Dog” on Mind the Gap Volume 14 (1997, Gonzo Circus)
• “I Wanna Be a Drug-Sniffing Dog” on The Virus That Would Not Die! (Alternative Tentacles)
• “Generation Execute” on Rock Sound Volume 9 (Rock Sound)
• “The Power of Lard” on The New, the Classic & the Unexplored (1998, Visions Magazine)
• “The Power of Lard” on The Record Shop, 30 Years of Rough Trade Shops (V2 Records, Inc.)
• “Ballad of Marshall Ledbetter” on Movie Madness (2000, Riffage Records)

Members

• Jello Biafra
• Al Jourgensen

Past members

• Paul Barker
• Jeff Ward
• Bill Rieflin
• Mike Scaccia
• Rey Washam