My Dad Is Dead

My Dad Is Dead was a recording project of musician Mark Edwards. The project began in Cleveland, Ohio in 1984. My Dad Is Dead has released twelve full-length albums before it officially ended in 2011. A new group called Secular Joy was formed later that year in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[2]

My Dad Is Dead
OriginCleveland, Ohio, U.S.
GenresPost-punk, indie rock, college rock[1]
Years active1984 (1984)–2011
LabelsScat, Homestead, Emperor Jones, St. Valentine, Unhinged, Vital Cog
Associated actsThermos Of Happiness, Riot Architecture, Secular Joy
Websitewww.mydadisdead.com
Past membersMark Edwards
Jeff Curtis
John McEntire
Chris Burgess
Scott Pickering
Tim Gilbride
Matt Swanson
Shayne Ivy
Scott Lasch

History

Mark Edwards first played drums during the very early portion of the 1980s, performing in the bands Thermos of Happiness and Riot Architecture before they both dissolved by 1984.[3] In August that same year, Edwards began to learn guitar and started to write music under the name of My Dad Is Dead. Early live shows consisted of him performing guitar and vocals with percussion duties done by a drum machine.[4] The name of the project was taken from the fact that both of Edward's parents were dead by the time he was only 21 years old.[3]

After the independent release of a self-titled cassette album in 1985, Edwards released ...and He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore through local label St. Valentine in 1986. A second LP album, titled Peace, Love and Murder came out a year later on Birth Records. Edwards was signed onto Homestead Records in early 1988, and released three albums through them: The Best Defense, Let's Skip The Details, and finally The Taller You Are, the Shorter You Get, the last of the three being released in 1989.[5] Let's Skip The Details also marks as the first release by the project to feature musicians other than Edwards, allowing for My Dad Is Dead to tour as a full band.

The Shine double seven-inch, Chopping Down the Family Tree, and Out of Sight, Out of Mind were all released via Scat Records in 1990, 1991, and 1993 respectively. In 1990 they recorded a session for the John Peel show on BBC Radio 1 with songs Without a Doubt, Water's Edge and Nothing Special.

1995 saw the split Emperor Jones/Trance Syndicate release For Richer, for Poorer, and also the My Dad Is Dead entry in the Hello Recording Club subscription EP series. Emperor Jones also released Everyone Wants the Honey But Not the Sting in 1997. In 2002, Vital Cog issued The Engine of Commerce. A Divided House and A New Clear Route were issued independently on Edwards' self-run Unhinged imprint in 2005 and 2009, and in 2011 the project officially came to an end. In January 2012 Edward's new band, Secular Joy, released the album, Made for Better Things.

Discography

Albums

Extended plays
  • Shine 2x7" (Scat Records, 1990)
  • My Dad Is Dead, also known as the Hello EP (Hello Recording Club, 1995)

Compilations
  • The Best Defense (Homestead Records, 1988)
  • Shine(r) (Emperor Jones/Trance Syndicate, 1996)

Compilation appearances
  • "Time Has Come Today", from Human Music (Homestead Records, 1989)
  • "Old Toys or A Boat", from split 7" with Prisonshake (Scat Records, 1990)
  • "Flesh Colored House", from split 7" with Bastro (Clawfist, 1990)
  • "Time and Again", from Hotel Cleveland Vol III (Scat Records, 1991)
  • "Where's Our Reason", from split 7" with Rastro! (Simple Machines, 1993), later compiled on Working Holiday! cd (Simple Machines, 2004)
  • "Second Thoughts" and "Nothing Special", from Cle Magazine cd (1995)
  • "Mysterious Ways", from Cleveland Squawks CD, included in Cle Magazine (1997)
  • "Just Pretending", from Pet Sounds Volume 1 (Vital Cog, 2000)
  • "The Memory of Your Kiss", from split 7" with Duochrome (Vital Cog, 2001)

References
  1. Earles, Andrew (2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996 (First ed.). 400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN: Voyager Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-7603-4648-8. Retrieved May 5, 2017.CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. Parker, Chris (20 July 2011). "My Dad is Dead bids a redemptive farewell". Indyweek.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  3. McClelland, Michael. "My Dad Is Dead Interview". Furious.com. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  4. Bush, John. "AllMusic Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  5. Ebenhoh, Jim. "Frequency Squared Interview". Frequencysquard.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2005-04-11.
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