Seattle Weekly April 19th, 2006: Monica Nelson:
An influential female figure to Kathleen Hanna and the late Mia Zapata
(http://www.seattleweekly.com/2006-04-19/music/weekly-notable-shows.php)
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One of the premier and influential Northwest bands: punk/metal with a bluesy edge from April '86 to Jan 1990.
Relatively few releases under their belt, they spent most of the time (and minimal funds) playing live shows around the country as well as at home. The Obits were on bills with Green River, Mother Love Bone, Sonic Youth, Godfathers, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Alex Chilton, Catbutt, Screaming Trees, Coffin Break, The Gits, Babes in Toyland, The Lemonheads, Afghan Whigs, Napalm Beach, Descendents, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Dead Moon, The Witnesses and Hell Cows. Nirvana opened for the Obits (in the summer of '88 at Squid Row) as did Soundgarden (at Satyricon). For two years running they were invited to play The Annual Mayor's Ball, headlining the alternative stage in '89.
The live shows were legendary in many respects and far superior to some of their studio recordings. A revolving door rhythm section (each bringing their own exciting flavors to the table), the guitar manned by ROB LANDOLL could be commandingly urgent or intoxicatingly bluesy (a distinctive style that was widely appropriated after their demise), a frontwoman, never predictable from one show to the next. Sometimes a bluesy cat, sometimes a chainsaw roaring demon -and, you never knew if she was gonna lift her dress over her head, start doing stand up comedy, slug some guy in the audience she thought was being rude or begin crying whilst singing cuz something bad happened to her before the show. One of the most artless front persons ever on a Northwest stage -but backing her neuroticism up was lyrical content and melodies that were fiercely talented.Today, no matter what a bands and/or individual musicians contribution and their historical value to the scene, if only a few sentences (or perhaps nothing at all) can be googled about them (and we're talking about bands that existed-toured-released-got reviewed before newspapers and mags went online and everybody owned computers) well, it's like important links in the chain don't exist. if no record exists online". Please visit Portland Underground Museum page that's in the top friends
.UPDATE: THE OBITS ARE BACK FROM THEIR SUPER LONG LUNCH BREAK FROM EACHOTHER and have been playing live shows and have just released a 21 year retrospective CD consisting of a few previously released studio cuts,live radio and show performances, obscure 4 -tracks recordings and some brand new stuff.
A thousand were pressed and currently being sold in local Portland Oregon record stores and through CDBABY.COM and on ITUNES.
The Obits are currently working on next full length recording of all new material to be released next year and might be going on a few road trips.
