Boss Hog

All-star N.Y.C. blues-punk combo Boss Hog was helmed by the husband-and-wife team of singer Cristina Martinez and singer/guitarist Jon Spencer, who'd previously teamed up in the legendary cult band Pussy Galore. The duo formed Boss Hog to fill a last-minute cancellation at the famed CBGB, earning instant notoriety when Martinez performed their debut show au naturel; guitarists Jerry Teel and Kurt Wolf, bassist Pete Shore, and drummer Charlie Ondras completed the lineup for 1989's EP Drinkin', Lechin' & Lyin'. In the wake of 1990's Cold Hands, Spencer formed the Blues Explosion, forcing Boss Hog onto the back burner; by the time the group returned in 1993 with Girl +, only Martinez and Spencer remained from the original lineup, with ex-Swan Jens Jürgensen assuming bass duties and Hollis Queens joining on drums. The record's success in indie circles resulted in a deal with major-label Geffen that yielded a self-titled 1995 LP; little was heard from Boss Hog throughout the remainder of the decade (although Spencer and Martinez had a baby), but in early 2000 the group finally resurfaced with Whiteout, featuring ex-Goats keyboardist Mark Boyce. Following the release of Girl Positive Plus in 2001, Boss Hog was quiet on the recording front (despite playing occasional live shows), but Martinez appeared as a guest artist on several albums by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Martinez and Spencer collaborated on a 2010 album with Solex, Amsterdam Throwdown King Street Showdown! While Boss Hog played a handful of shows in 2008, the band spent the better part of 16 years on hiatus as Martinez looked after her son and worked in the magazine publishing industry. That changed in 2016, when Martinez and Spencer announced that the group had two new recordings ready for release. Boss Hog -- whose lineup now featured Martinez, Spencer, Queens, Jürgensen, and Mickey Finn -- released an EP, Brood Star, in July 2016 via In the Red Records, with a short West Coast tour booked in support. A full-length album, Brood X, appeared in March 2017, and Boss Hog set out on a nationwide tour.
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