Joe Reineke-lead vocals, guitar
Steve Borgerding- bass, vocals
Sean Trudeau-drums(95-97)
Tom Galbraith- drums(95...played on "dirty bird")
Mark Zanandrea-guitar vocals(90-91)
MEICES
Meices [tape] (Two Car Garage) 1991
Not Funny Ha Ha EP (Two Car Garage) 1991
Greatest Bible Stories Ever Told (eMpTy) 1993
Tastes Like Chicken (London) 1994
Dirty Bird (London) 1996
Grunge was Sub Pop's lucky marketing term and helped carry some of the label's early groups (Soundgarden) to commercial success and others (Mudhoney) to critical acknowledgment. It's all rock'n'roll when the day's over, but if the loosely defined noise-pop genre had to have a typical representative, it might as well be San Francisco's Meices, a scrappy, loud, fun-loving garage-rocking trio led by singer/guitarist Joe Reineke.
Greatest Bible Stories Ever Told ain't even close to a theological tract, as Reineke and company storm through eleven hooky paeans to party tricks ("Pissin' in the Sink"), shoplifting (the speedy "Alex Put Something in His Pocket") and Los Angeles ("La La Land"). In between the hijinks and ear-piercing feedback, Reineke delivers one or two genuinely pretty/scruffy tunes ("This Way," "Didn't Wanna"), a three-chord raveup ("Don't Let the Soap Run Out"), a condescending anthem for snot-noses ("Hey Little Punker": "They look funny, but they're fun to party with") and a solid package of tuneful, muscular rock.
The Meices signed with London and brought friend Kurt Bloch of the Fastbacks in to record Tastes Like Chicken. Like its predecessor, the album has its share of silly, energetic charmers ("The Big Shitburger"), but Reineke offers introspection along with his sloppy guitars and three-minute-plus pop songs. Proving there's more to the Meices than just juvenile posturing, "Daddy's Gone to California" bridges the gap between the Bible Stories' thrashy ethos and Chicken's more dynamic material. Reineke's warbly vocals sometimes resemble Tom Petty's, and cuts like "Hopin' for a Ride," "Slide" and "Now" reveal a nice bittersweetness developing in the band's style.
Given the Meices' background and sharpening writing/playing skills, it's not surprising that Dirty Bird, co-written by Reineke and bassist Steve Borgerding and produced by Gil Norton, fits nicely alongside those Goo Goo Dolls albums on the shelf. Expressing more emotion than usual in his voice, Reineke packs dense guitar chunk and wry, sensitive lyrics into "Wow" (complete with horns and surf leads), "Disenchanted Eyes," "Hey Fella" and "Rosies on the Dole." The yelping "Hold It" reconnects the band to its sloppier past, while the semi-acoustic "Uncool" suggests just how uncomfortable the Meices will sound when they get around to making that long-awaited MTV Unplugged appearance.
The Meices broke up in early '97.
[Mark Woodlief/Ira Robbins]
"Taking on pop melodies from an overtly punk standpoint, the Meices' work combined the crunch and energy of street punk with the upbeat tempos and melodies of power-pop. More furious than acts like Green Day, the Meices' pop punk always lived up to the "punk" tag of its genre. After its dissolution, singer/guitarist Joe Reineke would move on to form the indie rock unit Alien Crime Syndicate."
----from aversion.com
ahhh...one of the finer bands to come out of the bay area! hey, how come the ikr 7 inch rekid isn't listed in that bio? =) it's still available if anyone is interested in obtaining a copy. on the ever so sexy, white vinyl!
I got shot in the foot at one of your shows in Charlotte, NC a long, long time ago when you played with Gas Huffer. I never did catch your set (for obvious reasons) but thanks for the CD's you sent home with my friend! -Eric
