GREAT DEAD BANDS - Little My
Little My was a much loved East Bay trio - "The screwy Oakland-based rock band, whose bent-note sparseness, quirky lyrics, and ignitable live performances put them somewhere near the middle of a musical spectrum bookended by Ed's Redeeming Qualities and Thinking Fellers Union Local 282" who... well, here's a history nutshell from a SF WEEKLY article back in 1998:
Here's the quick Little My rockumentary: Singer Nathaniel Parsons (Nat), guitarist Matt Stahl, bassist Tynan Northrop, and drummer Adam McCauley met at CCAC in 1989. The short-lived lineup never got around to releasing a record before Parsons left to pursue art -- the first time. The band broke up, but Northrop soon reformed the outfit as a trio to make a record for a thesis project. She, Stahl, and McCauley carried on without Parsons for three or four years, honing a manic live act that regularly drew loads of other musicians to their shows.
GRAIN was that thesis project, a 6 song limited edition EP, which led to ASTHMA, a 7 song cassette album; IT'S FOOD AT BEST, a 4 song EP and their best known album; and ALL OF THE WATER, a 4 song 7".
All three are available through Electromotive Records, in Berkeley, CA. Song samples can be found here.
"Bottle" @Sproul Plaza. Adam McCauley (drums), Tynan Northrop (bass), Matt Stahl (guitar)
From SF WEEKLY:
Even though they'd made a definitive split, Parsons and the band continued to share a West Oakland studio for painting and practicing respectively. Stahl says one day someone caught Parsons jumping up and down and lip-syncing to the band's practice. After that, the other members easily lured him back to the group. More releases and many shows and even more bass players later, Parsons decided that he would leave once again in the summer of 1996, this time to study art at the University of Iowa. The impending collapse freed the band members. In its final six months, the outfit played all the time and recorded the 12 originals and the Souled American cover that appear on The Six Fingers of Rick, (their) first full-length record.
"Not Robert" - Little My @ the Starry Plough - Nat Parsons, Scottie Chapman, Adam McCauley, Matt Stahl
THE 6 FINGERS OF RICK was the last recording by the band, but not the last recording released; a 7" featuring the earlier trio lineup with the songs PAINT THAT TREE!/NATIONAL PARK STYLE got that honor.
Here's the quick Little My rockumentary: Singer Nathaniel Parsons (Nat), guitarist Matt Stahl, bassist Tynan Northrop, and drummer Adam McCauley met at CCAC in 1989. The short-lived lineup never got around to releasing a record before Parsons left to pursue art -- the first time. The band broke up, but Northrop soon reformed the outfit as a trio to make a record for a thesis project. She, Stahl, and McCauley carried on without Parsons for three or four years, honing a manic live act that regularly drew loads of other musicians to their shows.
GRAIN was that thesis project, a 6 song limited edition EP, which led to ASTHMA, a 7 song cassette album; IT'S FOOD AT BEST, a 4 song EP and their best known album; and ALL OF THE WATER, a 4 song 7".
All three are available through Electromotive Records, in Berkeley, CA. Song samples can be found here.
"Bottle" @Sproul Plaza. Adam McCauley (drums), Tynan Northrop (bass), Matt Stahl (guitar)
From SF WEEKLY:
Even though they'd made a definitive split, Parsons and the band continued to share a West Oakland studio for painting and practicing respectively. Stahl says one day someone caught Parsons jumping up and down and lip-syncing to the band's practice. After that, the other members easily lured him back to the group. More releases and many shows and even more bass players later, Parsons decided that he would leave once again in the summer of 1996, this time to study art at the University of Iowa. The impending collapse freed the band members. In its final six months, the outfit played all the time and recorded the 12 originals and the Souled American cover that appear on The Six Fingers of Rick, (their) first full-length record.
"Not Robert" - Little My @ the Starry Plough - Nat Parsons, Scottie Chapman, Adam McCauley, Matt Stahl
THE 6 FINGERS OF RICK was the last recording by the band, but not the last recording released; a 7" featuring the earlier trio lineup with the songs PAINT THAT TREE!/NATIONAL PARK STYLE got that honor.
Labels: 1990's, Indie Rock, San Francisco
posted by L. Rob Hubb | 4:20 PM
6 Comments:
In the UK, legendary radio DJ John Peel played "National Park Service" in the nineties and I've loved the song ever since. It still sounds great today. What a truly great band and a great blog post.
I love Little My!
I scrounged the internet for a while until I completed my collection. Including emailing Adam himself! (he's really awesome)
Long Live Little My
great band, kind of a west coast compliment to babe the blue ox from ny. perfect balance of jagged drive and melodic inventiveness. also in the same vein as sf contemporaries fibulator
Thanks for this nice article! Here's a brand new video of "Paint That Tree".
http://youtu.be/i5fuWcgEyGc
We may be hoping to play a show in the coming year (2015).
Adam sporting a Bearsville shirt, wicked.
Miracle of the internet.. like finding your high school sweetheart... Hi Adam and Matt wherever you are! Rick (5 fingered)
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