| Squirrel Nut Zippers |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS | |
| retro-swing ensembles | |
| musical groups established in 1993 | |
| american musical groups | |
| north carolina musical groups | |
| the triangle, north carolina | |
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Squirrel Nut Zippers is a U.S. band formed in 1993 as a salute to 1920s and 1930s Big Band Swing Music . The band's name comes from a brand of hard candy, Squirrel Nut Zippers , a peanut and caramel candy. ORIGINS The band was founded by Jim "Jimbo" Mathus, formerly of Metalflake Mother and Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves , and Katharine Whalen after they moved from Chapel Hill, North Carolina to the nearby town Efland. The rest of the band came together soon after, and the group made its live debut in Chapel Hill a few months later. The band formed during the Swing Music Revival of the 1990s . Unlike such bands as Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy , who were influenced more by the crisp big band style of the 1940s , Squirrel Nut Zippers follow the more energetic, rougher sounds of the 1920s Hot Jazz infused with Bluegrass influences. ALBUMS While the band's first Album , ''The Inevitable'' ( 1995 ), passed by relatively unnoticed, the band became quite well-known in the South through their continuous touring. Their second album, ''Hot'' ( 1997 ), caught the attention of the modern music scene, however, mainly on the weight of the album's best-known song, "Hell". After becoming a staple on such influential radio stations as Los Angeles 's KROQ , the album quickly went Gold . PERSONNEL CHANGES Stacy Guess, horn player in the band before it achieved national recognition, died of a heroin overdose in March 1998. In July 1999, singer-guitarist Tom Maxwell left the band. SUCCESS With the band's success came mixed reviews. Many critics disliked the band's sometimes Camp lyrics and claimed that they were mocking hot jazz, not paying tribute. Some called the band's style "sloppy" and "amateurish." Others, however, labeled the band's music as "genuine homage" to the best of the era and lauded the energetic rhythms and upbeat music. The band has performed in a segment on '' Sesame Street '', where they are playing in a lounge while teasing Fat Blue . Their song "Put A Lid On It" features prominently in Contact (musical) . Although many criticized the show for its lack of original music, it was also widely acclaimed and won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Musical. The song "Hell" is central to the pilot episode of the Showtime series Dead Like Me . MEMBERS
DISCOGRAPHY Albums
Singles SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINK |
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