7000 Dying Rats

Chicago's 7000 Dying Rats, operating under that name since 1992, have performed a self-described straight-up comedy grind style through numerous lineup shifts. With at least 30 musicians contributing across recordings, the project functions more accurately as a collective than a conventional band. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Toney Vast-Binder characterized the situation by noting, "The lineup seems to be dictated by who ever we happen to be drinking with at the time." By the time of the 2001 album The Sound of No Hands Clapping, vocalist Josh Diebel remained the sole original member. The group nevertheless built a cult audience that values their tasteless humor and absurd song titles such as "My Nordic Butt Can Rule Nations" and "Cocaine Keeps Me Thin and Sexy" equally with the music itself.

Their initial proper release, after two demos and one split 7", arrived as a self-titled triple-7" boxed set on Stomach Ache Records that gathered those early recordings plus additional tracks. Compilation appearances include the 1999 500 Locked Grooves LP on RRR and the 1995 Throbbing Gristle tribute Entertainment Through Pain, also issued by RRR, where they shared space with Merzbow and Skullflower. Full-length output stayed limited: the debut album Fanning the Flames of Fire surfaced in 1998, leaving The Sound of No Hands Clapping as only their second long-player.