Stabbing Westward
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2008-07-16T11:54:39Z
Twsx
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fixing genre capitalization mistakes per [[Wikipedia:MUSTARD#Capitalization|WP:MUSTARD]] -> [[Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_(capital_letters)#Musical_genres|MOS:CAPS]] + cleanup.
{{Infobox musical artist
|Name = Stabbing Westward
|Img =
|Background = group_or_band
|Origin = [[Chicago, Illinois]], [[United States]]
|Genre = [[Industrial rock]]<br/>[[Alternative rock]]
|Years_active = 1985 – 2002
|Label = [[Columbia Records]]<br/>[[Koch Records]]<br/>[[Sony Records]]
|URL = [http://www.stabbingwestward.com/ stabbingwestward.com]
|Past_members = [[Christopher Hall (musician)|Christopher Hall]]<br/>Walter Flakus<br/>Jim Sellers<br/>[[Andy Kubiszewski]]
}}
'''Stabbing Westward''' was an American [[industrial rock]] and [[alternative rock]] band. They formed in 1985 in [[Chicago, Illinois]] and began recording in the 1990s.
==History==
=== The Early Years, 1985-1992 ===
[[Christopher Hall (musician)|Christopher Hall]] and Walter Flakus decided to start an Industrial band by the name of Stabbing Westward. The phrase "Stabbing Westward" first appeared in a 1950s [[newsreel]] film that declares "Soviet Russia was expansively stabbing westward, knifing into nations left empty by war."[http://www.cdi.org/adm/651/]
Moving to Chicago in 1986, the original lineup consisted of Christopher on bass, Walter on keyboards, and Jim Clanin on guitar (Clanin later purchased, and as of 2004, operates the [[Dairy Queen]] in Macomb, IL). In 1990 a four song demo tape was recorded by an early conception of Stabbing Westward. This "EP" featured an early version of "Violent Mood Swings" (titled, "Violent Mood Swing") which eventually wound up on the compilation CD, ''The Cyberflesh Conspiracy''. Two of the three remaining demo songs were later reworked over the years and became "Shame" and "The Thing I Hate".
Hall took a brief break to tour with [[Die Warzau]] as that group's percussionist before continuing work on Stabbing Westward. Christopher and Walter later recruited [[Chris Vrenna]] ([[Nine Inch Nails]]) on drums, as Hall had met Vrenna when playing in Die Warzau. Vrenna played drums on all the demo recordings that ultimately landed Stabbing Westward their record deal with Columbia Records. Those demo recordings included Violent Mood Swings, Lies, and Nothing. They were recorded at a studio in Evanston IL and included Stuart Zechman on guitar. After Vrenna returned to Nine Inch Nails, the band hired Dave Suycott who was a high school friend of Walters.
=== The Ungod era, 1993-1995 ===
The trio added Wax Trax recording artist Stuart Zechman on guitar and David Suycott on drums. In 1993 the band recorded in Eden Studios; London, England with producer John Fryer. This resulted in their major label (Columbia Records) debut, ''[[Ungod]]'', which hit the streets in 1994. The band landed an opening slot on a Depeche Mode tour, but still album sales were sluggish.
David Suycott abruptly dropped out of the band toward the end of the Ungod tour. Andy Kubiszewski was called in to replace Suycott's position for the remainder of the shows. This fast replacement required Andy to learn all of Dave's parts while on his flight to meet with the band. Andy became a permanent fixture of Stabbing Westward.
Andy was the singer and chief-songwriter of the Cleveland-based band, [[Exotic Birds]]. Several songs off of various SW were actually demoed under the moniker Exotic Birds before the Exotic Birds dissolved in the early-90's. A few of the Stabbing Westward songs that Kubiszewski is responsible for include "Crushing Me," "What Do I Have To Do?," "Haunting Me" "Desperate Now" "Sometimes It Hurts" and "Perfect".
=== The Wither, Blister, Burn & Peel era, 1995-1997 ===
Stuart Zechman departed from the band after the Ungod tour, which left the members of Stabbing Westward to record all of the guitar parts on ''Wither, Blister, Burn & Peel'' themselves. The recording of their second album took place in a barn in Woodstock, NY. The band recruited Mark Eliopulos after the ''Wither, Blister, Burn & Peel'' recording sessions were completed to handle the live-element of the main guitar parts.
In 1996, the ''[[Wither Blister Burn & Peel]]'' LP became a success, landing them their first [[certified gold]] album, aided by the singles "Shame" and "What Do I Have to Do?" which granted the band heavy rotation on MTV and radio. Tour mates for this album included [[Sponge (band)|Sponge]], [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] and [[The Sex Pistols]].
=== The Darkest Days era, 1998-2000 ===
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Stabbing_Westward_1998.jpg|thumb|Stabbing Westward, circa 1998]] -->
Stabbing Westward relocated to [[Los Angeles]] where they began work on the 1998 album, titled ''[[Darkest Days]]''. Darkest Days was envisioned as a four-act story by the band (but never marketed as such). This is the only release featuring studio work by Mark Eliopulos. The first single, "Save Yourself," had success yet the album failed to sell as well as its predecessor. Stabbing Westward continued to tour with bands like [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]], [[The Cult]], [[Monster Magnet]], and [[Depeche Mode]], while playing numerous summer festivals.
The day before the band was to fly to Hawaii to record the follow-up to Darkest Days with producer [[Bob Rock]], the band was dropped by [[Columbia Records]].
=== The "Self-titled" era, 2001-2002 ===
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Stabbing_Westward_2001.jpg|thumb|Stabbing Westward, circa 2001]] -->
Stabbing Westward signed to [[Koch Records]]. Mark Eliopulos left, thus, yet another guitar change ensued, resulting in the recruitment of Derrek Hawkins as both a studio musician and live musician for the band. The addition of producer Ed Buller to the project led to a new, somewhat softer sound. The self-titled album, ''[[Stabbing Westward (album)|Stabbing Westward]]'', was released in 2001 and featured the hit "So Far Away". Before a fifth LP could be recorded, Stabbing Westward formally announced that the band had broken up on [[February 9]], [[2002]].
=== After Stabbing Westward, 2003-current ===
* Lead singer Hall has formed the [[Los Angeles|L.A.]] based band [[The Dreaming (US band)|The Dreaming]].
* Walter Flakus has been working with [[The Clay People]] and Chokt.
* [[Jim Sellers]] and his wife have opened a natural foods market called [[Sellers Market]].
* Andy Kubiszewski has filled in as the drummer for a handful of [[Prick (band)|Prick]] shows, joined a new project called Affected with Chris Schleyer, has done some producing for the band [[t.A.T.u.]], produced a CD for a Cleveland band called State Of Being (Metropolis Records), has produced music for TV shows (including ''[[Monster Garage]]'', ''[[Monster House (TV series)|Monster House]]'', ''Johnny Zero'', ''[[Queer Eye for the Straight Girl]]'', and ''The Missy Elliot Show''), and has even formed a new production company with Ed Buller.
* Mark Eliopulos now plays guitar in the band, [[Violent New Breed (band)]].
* Derrek Hawkins now plays rhythm guitar with ex-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley on Ace's Rocket Ride tour.
==Members==
1992
* [[Christopher Hall (musician)|Christopher Hall]] - vocals, guitar
* Walter Flakus - keyboard
* [[Chris Vrenna]] - drums
1993-1995
* Christopher Hall - vocals, guitar
* Walter Flakus - keyboard, backing vocals
* Stuart Zechman - guitar
* Jim Sellers - bass
* David Suycott - drums
* Andy Kubiszewski - live drums (end of Ungod tour, 1995)
1995-1996
* Christopher Hall - vocals, guitar
* Walter Flakus - keyboard, guitar, backing vocals
* Jim Sellers - bass
* Andy Kubiszewski - drums, guitar, keyboard, backing vocals
1996-1999
* Christopher Hall - vocals, guitar
* Walter Flakus - keyboard, guitar, backing vocals
* Mark Eliopulos - guitar, backing vocals
* Jim Sellers - bass
* Andy Kubiszewski - drums, guitar, keyboard, backing vocals
1999-2002
* Christopher Hall - vocals, guitar
* Walter Flakus - guitar, keyboard, backing vocals
* Derrek Hawkins - guitar, backing vocals
* Jim Sellers - bass
* Andy Kubiszewski - drums, guitar, keyboard
==Discography==
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Year'''
| '''Title'''
| '''Label'''
|-
| 1992
| ''Iwo Jimma EP''
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Ungod]]''
| Columbia
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Wither Blister Burn & Peel]]''
| Columbia
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Darkest Days]]''
| Columbia
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Stabbing Westward (album)|Stabbing Westward]]''
| Koch
|-
| 2003
| ''[[The Essential Stabbing Westward]]''
| Sony
|-
| 2003
| ''[[What Do I Have to Do? (album)|What Do I Have to Do?]]''
| Sony
|}
===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|Year
!align="left" valign="top"|Song
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US Hot 100]]<small>
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[Modern Rock Tracks chart|U.S. Modern Rock]]<small>
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[Mainstream Rock Tracks chart|U.S. Main- stream Rock]]<small>
!align="left" valign="top"|Album
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|1994
|align="left" valign="top"|"Lies"
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="left" valign="top"|''Ungod''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|1994
|align="left" valign="top"|"Nothing"
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="left" valign="top"|''Ungod''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|1996
|align="left" valign="top"|"What Do I Have To Do?"
|align="center" valign="top"|60*
|align="center" valign="top"|11
|align="center" valign="top"|7
|align="left" valign="top"|''Wither Blister Burn & Peel''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|1996
|align="left" valign="top"|"Shame"
|align="center" valign="top"|69*
|align="center" valign="top"|14
|align="center" valign="top"|7
|align="left" valign="top"|''Wither Blister Burn & Peel''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|1998
|align="left" valign="top"|"Sometimes It Hurts"
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|39
|align="center" valign="top"|20
|align="left" valign="top"|''Darkest Days''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|1998
|align="left" valign="top"|"Save Yourself"
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|20
|align="center" valign="top"|4
|align="left" valign="top"|''Darkest Days''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|1999
|align="left" valign="top"|"Haunting Me"
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|34
|align="center" valign="top"|19
|align="left" valign="top"|''Darkest Days''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|2001
|align="left" valign="top"|"So Far Away"
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|21
|align="center" valign="top"|23
|align="left" valign="top"|''Stabbing Westward''
|-
|}
* "What Do I Have to Do?" and "Shame" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, due to the fact no commercially available singles were released for the songs.
==Miscellanea==
{{trivia|width=full|date=May 2007}}
{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
* The first Stabbing Westward song to appear on an album was the 1990 demo version of "Violent Mood Swings." The 1992 album is named ''Cyberflesh Conspiracy''.
* The anime' movie, ''[[Tekken: The Motion Picture]]'', an adaptation of the popular video game series, featured the song "Save Yourself" from the ''Darkest Days'' album.
* "The Thing I Hate" was used in the opening sequence of the [[Sony PlayStation]] video game, ''[[Duke Nukem: Time to Kill]]''.
* Stabbing Westward was one of many bands to be the subject of a [[Wesley Willis]] song.
* A remix of the song "Waking Up Beside You" can be heard in various scenes in the movie ''[[The Crow: Salvation]]''.
* The band's lyrics were written by Christopher Hall, Stuart Zechman and Andy Kubiszewski.
* Walter Flakus is currently an on-air host for [[XM Satellite Radio]] (as "StabWalt").
* "Violent Mood Swings," from the album ''Ungod'', was remixed and played in the [[Kevin Smith]] movie, ''[[Clerks]]''.
*The songs "Lies," "Lost" and "Can't Happen Here," from the ''Ungod'' album, were featured in the movie ''[[Mortal Kombat (film)|Mortal Kombat]]''. However, because the band did not think the movie would do well in theaters, they opted not to allow the songs on the official soundtrack. A marketing mistake, as the album and movie went on to become quite popular.
*The song "What Do I Have to Do?" was featured in the 1997 movie, ''[[Masterminds (film)|Masterminds]]'', as the opening sequence to the film, but was not featured on the soundtrack.
*An acoustic set was recorded on April 3, 1999 at the radio station [[KNDD|KNDD 107.7 The End]] in [[Seattle, Washington]] entitled ''The End Sessions''. The set list is as follows (in order):
<blockquote>Waking Up Beside You<br/>
Shame<br/>
Drowning<br/>
Haunting Me<br/>
What Do I Have To Do?<br/></blockquote>
*Acoustic versions of "So Far Away" and "Wasted" were also featured on a special bonus disk available with the ''Stabbing Westward'' album from [[Best Buy]] as a limited release in 2001.
*A live acoustic set, recorded on radio station [[Q101]]'s "[[Mancow's Morning Madhouse]]," included the songs "What Do I Have to Do?" and "Sometimes it Hurts."
*"So Far Away," "Happy," "Perfect," "I Remember" and a cover of [[The Carpenters]] song "[[Top of the World (The Carpenters song)|Top of the World]]" were all performed live acoustically on Australian radio station [[Triple M]], during "[[Andrew Denton|The Andrew Denton Breakfast Show]]."
*Stabbing Westward's song, "Torn Apart," was also featured on the ''[[Spawn (film)|Spawn]]'' soundtrack album, remixed by [[Josh Wink]].
*Stabbing Westward features on the soundtrack to ''[[Not Another Teen Movie]]'' with the song "Bizarre Love Triangle," originally released by [[New Order]].
*The song "Nothing" appeared in the movies ''[[Bad Boys (1995 film)|Bad Boys]]'' and ''[[Johnny Mnemonic (film)|Johnny Mnemonic]]''.
*The song "Save Yourself" appears in the trailer for the 2006 movie, ''[[The Covenant (film)|The Covenant]]'', in the 1998 film, ''[[Urban Legend]]'', as well as in the [[Daria]] episode "Ill".
*The film "[[Escape from L.A]]". features Stabbing Westward's song "Dawn".
*Stabbing Westward's song "What do I Have to Do?" was featured in the first season finale of the hit [[The WB|WB]] television series, ''[[Smallville (TV series)|Smallville]]'', during the opening sequence.
==External links==
*[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bmev8b5b4bsqe All Music Guide entry for Stabbing Westward]
*[http://www.myspace.com/thedreaming The Dreaming Myspace Page]
*[http://www.mtv.com/news/bands/stabbing_westward.jhtml @ MTV News Archive]
* [http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/doowop/4/id18.htm Fortune City entry for Stabbing Westward]
* {{Last.fm|Stabbing+Westward|Stabbing Westward}}
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1985]]
[[Category:American industrial music groups]]
[[Category:American alternative rock music groups]]
[[Category:Illinois musical groups]]
[[Category:Chicago musical groups]]
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