Baboon

Exhibiting agile experimentations and building risky conceptions floating in between punk and the most traditional rock roots, Baboon's eclectic creations are ruthless shows of compositional expertise. Although an almost truly punk act, they add up the sound of instruments such as trombone, allowing them to go far beyond that narrowing style frontier. The band was formed in 1991 by Andrew Huffstetler (vocals, trombone), Bart Rogers (bass), Will Johnson (drums), and Mike Rudnicki (guitar, backing vocals). Their first move was the recording of two tapes, Ed Lobster and Sausage, which eventually promoted the group's performances in cities such as Fort Worth and Dallas. In 1992, Johnson left to join Centro-Matic, being replaced by Steven Barnett. Soon after the lineup change, Baboon recorded their first single "Save Me" for Direct Hit Records, months before their opening record for Silver Girl Records; "Tool" was another single. By 1994, the band signed their first contract for the release of their debut album with Grass Records. This was the necessary boost for the intense touring that followed during the rest of the year, taking the band both to the West and East Coast and leading to performances including one at the CMJ Convention. Leaving by the end of 1994, Bart Rogers was replaced by Bryan Schmitz, who left the year after, later replaced by Mark Hughes. Their debut album Face Down in Turpentine finally hit record stores that same year, and represented the best catch of the band's unique sound. Baboon then departed for several nationwide appearances that went on through 1995. One year later The Numb EP came out, which served as an intro for the band's second album, 1997's Secret Robot Control, released on Wind-Up. After several relentless performances throughout the U.S. Baboon recorded their third album, 1999's We Sing and Play. A live album, A Bum Note and a Bead of Sweat, in February of 2001, was their latest release.