Cows were a post-hardcore/punk blues band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They were known for a unique mixture of punk rock and blues played with large amounts of noise and surreal humour; their music is often considered noise rock. Their CD releases are often difficult to find, as most of them are out of print, with the exception of Whorn and Orphan's Tragedy. Some of their albums, such as their deb
ut album, Taint Pluribus Taint Unum, were never released in CD format. They have a star on what is probably the most famous venue in the area, First Avenue. After disbanding, Shannon Selberg went on to front the band Heroine Sheiks. Origin[edit]
The band was formed in 1986 by Kevin Rutmanis on bass, Thor Eisentrager on guitar, then front man Norm Rogers and on drums Kevin's younger brother Sandris Rutmanis. Norm Rogers left the band in January 1987 to dedicate his time to drumming for the Jayhawks, returning in 1990 as the drummer. Shannon Selberg become the front man in February 1987. Sandris left the band in January 1989. Live performances[edit]
The band are notorious for their raucous live performances. Acts the band have performed onstage include kicking people in the front row, spitting on the stage, throwing the microphone stand into the crowd, throwing food at the crowd, drawing on themselves, among others. Lead singer Shannon Selberg's trademark is that he has a tattoo illustrating the game Hangman on his body that reads "F_CK" and another tattoo of an anchor with the word "DAD" on top of it. One reviewer wrote about the band's shows, "I have no doubt that the Cows know how to play their instruments. What I don't understand is why they refuse to tune them." Band members[edit]
Shannon Selberg – Vocals, Bugle, Trumpet, Trombone (1987–1998)
Kevin Rutmanis – Bass (1987–1998)
Thor Eisentrager – Guitar (1987–1998)
David van der Steen – Fifth Udder (1987–1992)
Sandris Rutmanis – Drums (1987–1988)
Tony Oliveri – Drums (1988–1990)
Norm Rogers – Drums (1990–1995)
Freddy Votel – Drums (1995–1998)
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
Taint Pluribus Taint Unum – Treehouse Records, 1987
Daddy Has a Tail – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1989
Effete and Impudent Snobs – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1990
Peacetika – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1991
Cunning Stunts – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1992
Sexy P*e Story – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1993
Orphan's Tragedy – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1994
Whorn – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1996
Sorry in Pig Minor – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1998
Singles and EPs[edit]
Chow 7" – Treehouse Records, 1988
Slap Back 7" – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1990
Plowed EP – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1992
Woman Inside 7" – Insipid Records, 1992
Cow Island 7" – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1994
The Missing Letter Is You EP – Thick Records, 1998
Split with Melvins – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 2012
Compilations[edit]
Old Gold 1989-1991 – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1995
Orpheus’ Travesty – KMFMT Records, 1998 (A retrospective album put together by Kevin Rutmanis and Freddy Votel and sold before their final concert)
Stunning C***s – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 2014 (Demos from Cunning Stunts)
Stunning C***s Vol. 2 – Amphetamine Reptile Records, 2015 (Demos from Cunning Stunts)
References[edit]
^ "Cows: Biography" Cows' Biography as written by Allmusic. cited August, 2009
^ Founding members
^ "Cows: Mark's Record Reviews" Mark Prindle Review Site. cited August, 2009
