Shorty was officially born in 1991 under the guise
of vocalist Al Johnson and guitarist Mark Shippy. Along with drummer
Todd Lamparelli and bassist Luke Frantom, they released three singles
and two albums. Their backgrounds were diverse, which contributed to
their unique sound. Shippy had formal instruction on piano and did a lot
of guitar experimentation, while Johnson had taken flute, piano, and
guitar lessons. Lamparelli learned the drums at an early age and
performed in school jazz ensembles. Frantom had taken up bass after
playing tuba in his high school marching band. When the four of them
finally developed Shorty, they made the unconscious decision to hone
chaotic blocks of loud rock noise pulling from influences as disparate
as Van Halen, drummer Stewart Copeland, Motörhead, and Gang of Four.
Johnson and Shippy met through mutual friends in
late 1986. At the time, Johnson was involved with the DeKalb, IL, hard
rock/gothic band Nursery, and Shippy was in a quasi-politico art rock
group called the Muckrakers from Crystal Lake, IL. In the spring of
1988, the two of them decided to form a new band, which led to their
decision to place an ad in a DeKalb newspaper. The responses they
received didn't amount to anything, and the duo seriously thought about
departing for England to see if they'd have better luck. Just as they
were preparing to pack their bags, they received a serious inquiry to
their ad from Lamparelli and Ciarrocchi. At the time, Lamparelli had
just quit playing drums and Anthony Ciarrocchi gave up singing in their
Chicago Heights thrash/punk rock outfit Tricot Mesh. Original bassist
Ciarrocchi and Lamparelli had known each other since childhood.
Together, the new four-piece began playing jangly noise rock under the
name Dragster, with Shippy and Johnson sharing guitar and vocal duties.
After discovering there was another band named Dragster, the group
renamed themselves Bomb. Once again, they found out that name was taken
as well. In the fall of 1988, Ciarrocchi parted ways with the band and
was replaced by bassist Tim Mescher. It was also at that time when
Mescher and Mike Greenleese, who were both members of Blatant
Dissent/Tar, chose Bomb's new name. As of January 1989, they were called
Snailboy, a term referring to a lethargic racehorse. As Snailboy, the
band released two singles, the first of which -- titled Mungo -- was
recorded with Ian Burgess and Brad Wood. Tar guitarist John Mohr
released the 7" in 1990 on his No Blow label, without any contracts
being signed. At this time, Snailboy was renting out the basement of a
farmhouse owned by one of Lamparelli's co-workers. For 50 dollars per
month, the band could practice any day they wanted and as late as they
wanted. It sounded too good to be true, and it was. The band encountered
many strange happenings on the property, which included geese running
around inside of the home, the co-worker's naked daughter defecating on
the floors, weasels crossing drainpipes over Johnson's head while the
band played, and amplifiers occupied by nests of baby mice.
After leaving the surreal practice space, the group
immediately began searching for the producer who would record their
second single. They admired the sound that Butch Vig was giving to bands
like Killdozer, the Laughing Hyenas, and the Bastards. When they
contacted Vig, he was in the process of recording Nirvana's
Nevermind,
but he made time to pencil in a slot for Snailboy. That August, the
group traveled to Madison, WI, where they spent two days recording with
Vig at Smart Studios. The second single, Spoo Heaven, appeared on the
Long Beach, CA, imprint Sympathy for the Record Industry around April of
1991. Following the release, Mescher was replaced by Frantom on bass.
Snailboy was living in the same house at the time of Mescher's
departure. Mescher was having differences with some of the band's
members, which stunted the group's development for a year. The decision
was made to hire Frantom because Johnson had been a longtime friend of
his, and they had played in Nursery together. Frantom was also
performing with the speed metal group A Goldfish Named Blade.
With the addition of a new bassist to Snailboy came a
new musical direction and band name. According to Shippy, he and
Johnson agreed on the new moniker for different reasons. Shippy had
always admired the unconventional playing of Guitar Shorty, while
Johnson liked the name because it was a common street name. The group
unofficially became Shorty in May of 1991 and decided to officially keep
the moniker in September. Atlanta, GA, label Worry Bird released the
band's first 7", Last One in My Mouth Is a Jerk, late that year. The
band also appeared on the DeKalb, IL, compilation On a Clear Day You Can
See Byron. In December of 1992, a friend of Shorty's who owned the
Madison, WI, label Bovine Records released a single culled from
eight-track material recorded with Steve Albini. The 7" was pressed and
titled Niggerhat. Shorty then began preparing songs for their first
full-length release. Around this same time, Tar was conducting a
European tour. While they were in Germany, guitarist John Mohr was
approached by an unknown man named Rene Herbst. He had heard the No Blow
single and told Mohr that he'd been trying to contact Shorty for a long
time to let the band know that he wanted to pay for their next album.
When Mohr returned to Illinois, he informed Shorty of the news and put
them in touch with Herbst. Shortly thereafter, Herbst sent money to the
band and told them to record with whomever they wanted, and Shorty chose
Albini. Shorty followed Herbst's desire to have Albini produce the
record. The group spent a week laying down songs at the Chicago
Recording Company and mixing them at Albini's home. Thirty five hundred
copies of Shorty's debut LP, Thumb Days, were pressed by the Southern
Germany based Gasoline Boost Records in April of 1993. Both Caroline and
Cargo records handled the American distribution, and the record sold
out prior to its official release date. The artwork and the music of the
album caught the attention of Skin Graft Records' owner Mark Fischer.
That September, Skin Graft issued Shorty's Kaput! 7" single. This was
followed by performances with Skin Graft labelmates Zeni Geva and the
Dazzling Killmen and an appearance on a John Peel compilation. The band
also began work on their next album, Fresh Breath, with Albini. As their
popularity in the underground began to spread, Shorty set out for a
European tour in April of 1994. The band spent a month on the road with
Champaign, IL, rock trio the Didjits. As they returned to America,
Frantom had some personal business matters he had to take care of, which
ultimately caused his separation from the band. Fresh Breath was
released as a 10" album that June, as the band was calling it quits. The
record featured guest vocals by John Forbes, a member of noise rockers
Mount Shasta. The group's mutual friend John Barrile was recruited to
play bass, and their first show with him in July 1994 at Lounge Ax
turned out to be the band's last. Barrile was nervous on-stage, and
Lamparelli was agitated because he couldn't hear the band clearly. To
top it all off, Skin Graft had scheduled Shorty to leave for the label's
Oops! Indoors! tour the following day, but the band canceled their
appearances. Shorty fell apart, and Johnson and Shippy were figuring out
the next step they needed to take musically when Shippy was struck by a
car. After he recovered from hemorrhaging and minor injuries, he and
Johnson gathered with their friends -- guitarist Todd Rittmann and
drummer Jim Kimball -- to begin working on a new group. After replacing
Kimball with Pat Samson, the new band became U.S. Maple. Shorty was
featured posthumously on the 1995 Zero Hour compilation Threadwaxing
Space Live: The Presidential Compilation and the 1997 Skin Graft
compilation Camp Skin Graft 33 Hits! Now Wave Vols. 1-3.
