Worst student write-up in a while
This Friday’s Free At Noon will be rocking to the blended sound of that ’80s underground legend, Meat Puppets. One of those golden progenitors of American indie rock, Meat Puppets was formed in 1980 under guitarist brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood with their friend, drummer Derrick Bostrom. Holding a solid punk core, the trio grabbed the attention of listeners and SST execs early on for their dedication to the hard, fast, and unrehearsed. They signed onto the label, and in 1982 their eponymous debut carved the band a loud, furious niche in punk history. Their second release, Meat Puppets II, was a never-before-heard fusion of acid country and solid rock, but of course more punk than anything else. The American underground music scene would never be the same.
With releases like the smoothed out Mirage and the heavy rock Huevos, Meat Puppets built their reputation for avant garde, punk-based music. Overlying it with rock, country, and even psychedlic folk, the trio had soon gained quite a following. Their decision to go major was bolstered by Kurt Cobain’s invitation to perform a few of the Meat Puppets songs together in New York, and the band pushed into mainstream success during the ’90s, but broke up soon after.
In 2006, Curt asked fans if they would like to see the original line up back together, and the response was overwhelmingly yes. Despite Bostrom’s reluctance, the Kirkwood brothers decided to bring back this staple American punk act for a new full-length album, Rise to Your Knees. Adding Primus drummer Tim Alexander, Meat Puppets is as loud and fast as ever. Their latest album, recorded during the winter of 2008, is tight, whimsical, and rocking. Released this May, Sewn Together still has that ever-present taste of punk that makes it undeniably Meat Puppets—and will make this one undeniably good Free At Noon.
