Paw (band)

Paw was an American alternative rock band from Lawrence, Kansas, that was formed in 1990. The band's original lineup consisted of vocalist Mark Hennessy, guitarist Grant Fitch, bassist Charles Bryan, and drummer Peter Fitch. They released two studio albums – Dragline and Death to Traitors, the EP Home Is a Strange Place and the B-side and outtake collection Keep the Last Bullet for Yourself before disbanding in 2000. Hennessy, Grant Fitch, and later bassist Jason Magierowski reformed in 2008 for several performances.

History

Paw was formed in 1990 in Lawrence alongside Kill Creek and Stick. Their work from this era can best be characterized as aggressive rock with melodic undertones, or 'Southern rock' as Hennessy explained in an MTV interview. They were frequently cited by industry insiders as potentially "the next Nirvana" and a bidding war erupted to sign them.^[1][2][3] The band signed a three-album deal with A&M Records during the height of the grunge wave, and released their first album, Dragline, in 1993. Their most well-known songs from this period included the singles "Lolita", "Jessie", "Couldn't Know", "The Bridge" and "Sleeping Bag", all of which received moderate rotation on the radio and on Headbanger's Ball, MTV's hard rock/heavy metal showcase. Paw toured the UK in 1993 supporting Tool with Headswim (months after Tool's UK support slot with Rage Against The Machine), introducing the band to an audience outside of America. The band recorded two sessions for BBC Radio 1's rock show in 1994 (during which they played the Reading Festival). Their songs "Jessie", "Pansy" and "The Bridge" were used in the 3DO, PC, Sega Saturn and PlayStation versions of the video game Road Rash.

In 1995, the band released its second album, Death to Traitors, on A&M Records. During this period, the band evolved by adding more instrumental and country elements to soften their hard rock edge. The band toured Europe and the UK in early 1995. While the album received favorable reviews from the press, sales were less successful, and Paw was dropped by A&M in 1996, before their contract was fulfilled.

In 1998, Grant Fitch, Peter Fitch and Dan Hines formed the band Palomar and released the album World Without Horses. A reviewer described Palomar as "a gentler and more melodic sound than Paw."^[4] Paw also released a full-length compilation of B-sides and rarities entitled Keep the Last Bullet for Yourself on their own label, Outlaw Records. Paw still played together during this period, and both World Without Horses and Keep the Last Bullet for Yourself were released on these shows.

In 2000, founding members Hennessy and Fitch signed Paw with Koch Records and released the mini-album Home Is a Strange Place the same year. The new album incorporated a more pronounced "stripped-down" blues element. After that they split.

In 2008, after being scheduled on the same bill between their post-Paw bands, Hennessy and Fitch returned and played together on June 6, 2008, at the Revival Tent at the Wakarusa Festival in Clinton Lake, Kansas. The performance included the songs "Couldn't Know", "Home Is a Strange Place", "Death to Traitors", "Sunflower", "Hope I Die Tonight" and "Dragline".^[5] The band played its first headlining reunion show in Lawrence on Saturday, October 4, 2008, at The Bottleneck.^[6]

Post-Paw activities

Hennessy's book of poetry, Cue the Bedlam (More Desperate with Longing Than Want of Air), was published in December 2005 by Unholy Day Press.^[7] He shared vocals with Mike Ratzo (bass guitar, vocals and guitar), Justin Parr (drums), Brody Buster (guitar, harmonica and keys), Heather Lofflin (vocals and guitar), James Garvic (bass guitar and guitar) and Kurt Nesbitt (bass guitar) in The Diamond Heart Club in Lawrence, from 2006-2007. They will reformed under the name 1950 D.A. (without Garvic and Nesbitt).^[8] Around the web can be find a song by The Diamond Heart Club, under the name of Track 5, which is instead a previous version of Return To Zero by 1950 D.A.

Grant Fitch and Dan Hines are currently playing and performing with drummer Jason Jones in The New Franklin Panthers, in Lawrence.^[9][10] They have released on bandcamp.com Hot Dogs Are Cool: In III Movements on February 1, 2008^[9] and the EP Circus Act on January 13, 2011.^[10] Grant self-released Gman Rides Again on July 26,^[11] 2012, and re-released World Without Horses under the name Grant Finch and Palomar^[12].

In 2014, Mark Hennessy formed Godzillionaire with Justin Parr (Drums), Benjamin White (Guitar) and Michael Dye (Bass) and released various songs.^[13][14] They have released, on September 28, 2016, their first album, $mall ¢hange.^[15]

Members

• Mark Hennessy – vocals (1990–2000, 2008)
• Grant Fitch – guitar (1990–2000, 2008)
• Peter Fitch – drums (1990–1998)
• Charles "Chuck The Truck" Bryan – bass guitar (1990–1994)
• Jason Magierowski – bass guitar (1995–1996, 2000, 2008)
• Dan Hines – bass (1996–1998)

Session members

• Paul Boblett & John "Speck" Licardello - Additional Bass on Death To Traitors
• Steve Henry - Additional Guitar on Home Is A Strange Place
• J. Hall - Additional Drums on Home Is A Strange Place

Discography

Studio albums

• Dragline (1993)
• Death to Traitors (1995)

EP

• Home Is a Strange Place (2000)

Rarities Compilations

• Keep the Last Bullet for Yourself (1998)

Palomar's World Without Horses

1. Beggars Love Thieves
2. Deer Park Road
3. Pocketknife
4. Substance Of The Saints
5. World Without My Soul
6. Walk Into The Sky
7. Watermark
8. Birds Of Prey
9. On The Hoof
10. I Live In Darkness

In the bandcamp re-release Pocketknife is placed as the first track

Singles

• "Lolita/One More Bottle" demo (vinyl single) 1992
• "Sleeping Bag/Hard Pig" demo (vinyl single) 1992
• "Sleeping Bag" (CD single) 1993 (B-Sides: Imaginary Lover (Atlanta Rhythm Section cover), Suicide Shift and Slow Burn)
• "Jessie" (CD single) 1993 (B-Sides: Jessie (Acoustic live at WERS-FM, Studio C Boston, MA on 11/29/93) and I Know Where You Sleep. Some versions contain instead the BBC Radio One sessions of November 7, 1993)
• "Couldn't Know" (CD single) 1993 (B-Sides: Suicide Shift and Imaginary Lover)
• "Surrender" (CD promo) 1994 (Cheap Trick cover from the S.F.W. soundtrack)
• "Hope I Die Tonight" (CD single) 1995 (B-Sides: School (Nirvana cover) and Kid Cotton)
• "Traitors And Covers" (promo EP) 1995 (Tracks: Built Low, Last One, Death To Traitors, School and Surrender)
• "Seasoned Glove" (tour promo CD) 1995 (Tracks: Seasoned Glove, Max The Silent, Hope I Die Tonight, Jessie, Couldn't Know, I Know Where You Sleep and School)
• "Max the Silent" (CD promo) 1995

Tracks from bootlegs

• Death To Traitors outtakes: Remora, 30 Days, The Kitchen Is No Place For A Man, Learn To See, Year Of The Locust, Texas (alternate version), Lost Highway and Goodbye Dress
• Strangeland Soundtrack outtake: Street Justice (Twisted Sister cover)
• Live outtakes: Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac cover, portion of which introduced Lolita in early shows), a "Pink Floyd tribute jam" (in one occasion, Kansas '98, Mark's voice started giving out pretty bad towards the end, and for giving him a break they started an instrumental jam. However Mark sang some verses from Pink Floyd's Mother), Innocuous and Filled Up (in one occasion, 1999 at the CBGB's, a friend of the band named Steve Tulipana substituted for Mark and with him they played these two songs. When Mark returned they rerecorded Innocuous as Betty & Mike along with, apparently, the unfindable Amnesia), and Simple Man (cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd from their last show in 2000)
• Home Is A Strange Place outtakes: Two Brothers and St. Jude (early version of Palomar's Substance Of The Saints)

References

External links

• Paw's official website