by request
Artist Biography by Kathleen C. Fennessy
The name would seem to indicate that the Aints were a
Saints tribute band -- or that they were driven more by negative than
positive energy -- but that isn't quite right. Nor is it completely
wrong. Unlike most "tribute" bands, the Aints included an original
member -- Ed Kuepper -- who was part of the project from the start. In
fact, he instigated it. Although Saints songs were definitely part of
the program (especially during its inception), so were Kuepper
originals. He has claimed that the Aints were basically an attempt to
reclaim the excitement of the Saints back when they were based in
Brisbane, Australia, in the early '70s. The name came from a bass drum
head that belonged to former drummer Ivor Hay. The "S" in Saints had
worn off, thus leaving the word aints. After guitarist/songwriter
Kuepper left the now Sydney based band in 1978, singer/songwriter Chris
Bailey kept the Saints going with a variety of different lineups (he has
also recorded a number of solo albums). This didn't sit well with
Kuepper, who went on to form his own band, the Laughing Clowns, which
would raise a jazzy ruckus of their own until 1985. Kuepper proceeded to
issue several well-received solo recordings before forming the Aints,
which sounded a little like the early (punk) Saints mated with some of
the Clowns more avant-garde tendencies. They had little in common with
latter period Saints or even Kuepper's solo work, both of which were
more pop-oriented. The band debuted in 1991 when Kuepper took the stage
at the Harold Park Hotel on April 13, with Kent Steedman (from the
Celibate Rifles) on bass and Tim Reeves (from T. Rex) on drums. The
resulting limited-edition live recording, the grungy S.L.S.Q. ("Slightly
Limited Sound Quality"), featured eight tracks -- mostly Saints
material -- including cover songs such as "River Deep, Mountain High"
(Ike and Tina Turner), a staple of Saints set lists, and Del Shannon's
"Runaway." The original LP also included a limited-edition 7" single,
featuring the Saints' classic "(I'm) Stranded," recorded on the same
date. S.L.S.Q. was subsequently issued on CD (despite its status as an
"official bootleg"). Released later the same year, Ascension took its
title from the John Coltrane recording of the same name and cover art
from the Stooges' Funhouse. The band's first studio effort was laid down
in two days, just as the Saints debut, (I'm) Stranded, had been. While
the songs on S.L.S.Q. were mostly Kuepper/Bailey compositions, those on
Ascension were new Kuepper originals. The lineup had also changed, with
Steedman and Reeves replaced by Artie Sledge on bass, Mark Dawson on
drums, and Tim Hopkins on saxophone. Of Kuepper, Melody Maker noted in
their review of the blistering disc, "The man is a God." Clearly the
Aints were perceived -- in Australia and the U.K. at least -- as more
substantial than a mere tribute band or side project. The same lineup
recorded 1992's similar follow-up effort, Autocannibalism. The title
implied that the band were now "cannibalizing" themselves rather than
the work of the Saints or the Laughing Clowns (Kuepper's fiery guitar
work also bore comparison to Neil Young and Television's Tom Verlaine).
As with its predecessor, Autocannibalism featured only six songs, but
wasn't an EP -- three of the tracks topped eight minutes (just as
Ascension's sprawling title-track clocked in at 11 minutes). 1993 saw
the release of Cheap Erotica, a CD-only EP featuring tracks from all
three Aints recordings, including "(I'm) Stranded," and 1995 brought
forth Shelf-life Unlimited!! Hotter Than Blazing Pistols!!!, a
remastered full-length collection, also drawing from the first three
releases. While Kuepper has since pulled the plug on the Aints, his solo
career continues unabated. But it isn't as if he ever stopped -- the
entire time he was in the Aints, he was recording solo material,
including some of his more highly regarded efforts, most notably Honey
Steel's Gold.
Tracklist
| 1 | You Can't Please Everybody | 8:22 |
| 2 | Other Side Of The Creek | 5:38 |
| 3 | Linda And Abilene | 10:25 |
| 4 | Ill Wind | 5:55 |
| 5 | Red Aces | 8:20 |
| 6 | The Aints Go Pop-Camping | 3:40 |
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