Quasi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quasi
Weiss and Coomes with a Dalmatian
Background information
Origin	Portland, Oregon
Genre(s)	Indie rock
Years active	1993 - Present
Label(s)	Touch & Go Up
Associated acts	Sleater-Kinney Heatmiser
Website	http://www.theequasi.com/
Members
Sam Coomes Janet Weiss

For the prefix, see wikt:quasi-.

Quasi is an indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993, consisting of the ex-husband and wife team of Sam Coomes (vocals, guitar, roxichord, various keyboards) and Janet Weiss (drummer for the now-defunct band Sleater-Kinney) on vocals and drums. Quasi has been somewhat political since its inception, but their opposition to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq showed through in a straight-forward way with the release of "Hot Shit!" in 2003, particularly in the songs "White Devil's Dream" and "Master and Dog."

[edit] History

Quasi started recording as a duo in 1993 and played with various lineups in early live appearances, but eventually settled on playing live as a duo as well. They self-recorded and self-released a cassette and a CD that same year. They recorded "R&B Transmogrification" on "semi-pro" equipment and released it on Up in 1997. They recorded "Featuring "Birds"" in a "professional" studio and released it on Up in 1998.

In 1998 and 1999 they toured the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Japan opening for and serving as the backup band for Elliott Smith (who Coomes had toured with in Heatmiser) as well as touring on their own in the U.S. Europe. In 1999 they released "Field Studies" on Up and continued to tour. In 2001 They home-recorded "The Sword of God" on improved equipment and released it on Touch & Go. They released "Hot Shit!" in 2003 and "When the Going Gets Dark" in 2006, both on Touch & Go.

According to a recent post on their website, Coomes stated they are beginning to work on new material following the end of touring, and feels confident it may become one of if not their finest record to date. He also stated Janet has been playing with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Bright Eyes and John Doe whilst he has been working with Pink Mountain & played a couple shows with Jandek.