Biography
Barkmarket, a New York art grunge trio, fused heavy rock with punk propulsion and occasional stretches of unhinged noise that echoed Sonic Youth or the early Butthole Surfers. Their sound often proved hard to categorize, yet the strongest recordings carried a rattling, high-impact force. Vocalist-guitarist David Sardy, bassist John Nowlin, and drummer Rock Savage formed the group in 1987 and issued the self-released demo 1-800-Godhouse the following year. The 1989 album Easy Listening caught the ear of Rick Rubin’s newly renamed American Recordings, which signed the band and released Vegas Throat in 1990.
Although their noisy hard rock style grew more marketable after 1991, Barkmarket waited until 1993 to deliver the next full-length, Gimmick, which was quickly followed by Lardroom in 1994. A move to Frank Kozik’s poster-artist-owned label Man’s Ruin yielded the Peacekeeper EP in 1995 and L Ron in 1996. By then Sardy’s parallel work as producer and engineer was eclipsing the band’s own projects, and Barkmarket dissolved quietly in 1997.
Although their noisy hard rock style grew more marketable after 1991, Barkmarket waited until 1993 to deliver the next full-length, Gimmick, which was quickly followed by Lardroom in 1994. A move to Frank Kozik’s poster-artist-owned label Man’s Ruin yielded the Peacekeeper EP in 1995 and L Ron in 1996. By then Sardy’s parallel work as producer and engineer was eclipsing the band’s own projects, and Barkmarket dissolved quietly in 1997.
Albums
