Karp

by Mike DaRonco"Dark," "ultra-cynical" and "heavy" have been the some of the adjectives used to describe the Tumwater, WA's Karp. First calling attention to themselves in '94 with their first full-length Mustache Wild on K Records, Karp laid it on thick by flaunting their fascination with the Melvins and Black Sabbath. The following year Suplex was released with the same tone and mood of their debut, but this time with more of a humorous bite in a sarcastic, middle finger in the air attitude. Whether it's dressing up as wrestlers or songs that rip on Hollywood, math and even pay tribute to 70's roller derby, it's evident that this three piece find it hard to take themselves very seriously. Following a tour of Japan, many singles on various labels and a split with New Jersey's Rye Coalition, (Karp clocking in a twelve-minute ditty called "Keep your Hands Off My Cake") their Self Titled LP was released in late 1997. Continuing on with their comic book like nilisism and guitars kept down to A chord, it would be Karp's most acclaimed, but unfortunately, their final release. After the demise of Karp in late 1998, guitarist Jared Warren moved on to swing it with Tight Bros. From Way Back When.