The Killer Shrews

The Killer Shrews were a short-lived trio with a remarkable avant-rock pedigree. Singer/guitarist Jon Langford led both the Mekons and the even scrappier Three Johns. Lead guitarist Gary Lucas had been both manager and bandleader for Captain Beefheart in the final years of the Magic Band, largely responsible for the musical direction of the Captain's classic last two albums, Doc at the Radar Station and Ice Cream for Crow. Bassist Tony Maimone was a founding member of Pere Ubu and his own experimental trio Drumhead, as well as an adjunct member of bands ranging from the Red Crayola to They Might Be Giants. (Langford's fellow Mekon Steve Goulding played the drums; Langford, Lucas, and Maimone shared songwriting duties.) On their sole album, recorded in a four-day session in August 1993 at Dave Trumfio's Kingsize Sound Laboratories in Chicago, the Killer Shrews mix up punky noise, country blues, avant-garde weirdness, and pure country in a way that recalls all three Shrews' other bands without one member's contributions overshadowing the others. Somewhat unfortunately, however, the Killer Shrews were always meant to be a one-shot collaboration and not an ongoing project.
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