Crimpshrine

Crimpshrine was a punk rock band from Berkeley, California, active in the 1980s. Drummer Aaron Cometbus and vocalist Jesse Michaels, who were both about thirteen years old, founded the group in 1982 under the name S.A.G. Despite having only one drum and a three-string guitar tuned to a barre chord, they were determined to make music. They later recruited their friend Jeff Ott, then twelve, and the lineup shifted, with Ott eventually taking over vocals while Cometbus moved from guitar to drums. They chose the name Crimpshrine after a nickname for a girl with bleached and crimped hair, and Cometbus said the change reflected their desire to leave their early incarnations behind.

Crimpshrine’s early years were marked by experimentation. Ott briefly played synthesizer and piano, and at various times they included a violinist named Isaac and bassist Tim Armstrong (then known as Lint). In October 1986 Pete Rypins joined as bassist; only after his arrival did the band start playing house parties and small shows around the East Bay. As the local punk community coalesced around the 924 Gilman Street warehouse, Crimpshrine made their first demo tape there in February 1987. The cassette circulated widely enough that Maximumrocknroll asked them to contribute two songs, “Another Day” and “Rearranged,” to its compilation Turn It Around!. Working with producer Kevin Army at Dangerous Rhythm Studio, they recorded additional material that impressed Lookout Records co-founder David Hayes, who released their debut EP, Sleep, What’s That?, in January 1988.

The band’s momentum increased when guitarist Idon Bryant joined, adding a second guitar, and they entered Dancing Dog Studios to record a full-length album. Lookout declined to release it, so the group compiled tracks from those sessions with earlier recordings and issued the album Lame Gig Contest in Germany through the label Musical Tragedies. In September 1988 Crimpshrine embarked on their only United States tour. Midway through the trip, Bryant and Rypins left the band in Gainesville, Florida. Ben Weasel and John Jughead of Screeching Weasel drove from Chicago to help fill in, and Cometbus later returned the favor by drumming for Screeching Weasel at a couple of shows. Paul Curran was subsequently recruited to play bass, and he and his brother Jack drove a Ford Pinto to rejoin the tour. In January 1989 the band recorded their final EP, Quit Talkin’ Claude…, at Dancing Dog Studios.

Crimpshrine disbanded in May 1989 shortly after the release of Quit Talkin’ Claude…. The members moved on to other projects: Cometbus joined Pinhead Gunpowder and numerous other bands; Ott went on to front Fifteen; Curran became a member of Monsula; and Rypins later played bass for Tilt and The Tantrums. Although they never gained mainstream recognition, their peers in groups such as Operation Ivy, Green Day, Jawbreaker, Screeching Weasel and Less Than Jake have cited Crimpshrine’s music as important to the East Bay punk community. A tribute album titled Can You Spare a Dime?, featuring covers of songs by both Crimpshrine and Fifteen, was released in 1998, and the band appears in the 2017 documentary Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk. Cometbus has emphasized that while they rehearsed and played at the Gilman Street venue, they were not solely a product of the club and contributed as much to the community as they benefited from it.

Members

• Aaron Cometbus – drums (1984-1989), guitar (1982-1984)
• Jeff Ott – vocals and guitar (1984-1989), drums (1983-1984)
• Pete Rypins – bass (1986-1988)
• Idon Bryant – guitar (1988)
• Paul Curran – bass (1988-1989)
• Jesse Michaels – vocals (1982-1984)
• Tim Armstrong – bass (1984)

Selected Discography

• Sleep, What’s That? (1988) – EP released on Lookout Records
• Lame Gig Contest (1989) – album combining sessions from Dancing Dog and earlier recordings
• Quit Talkin’ Claude… (1989) – EP recorded in January 1989
• Split EPs – Closed Up, Caught Up and Fucked Up with Mutley Chix (1989), Burning Bridges with G‑Whiz (1989) and Better Half / Sanctuary with Jawbreaker (1993)
• Compilations – Duct Tape Soup (1992) and The Sound of a New World Being Born (1998)