Biography
Though active within the no wave milieu of downtown New York City alongside DNA, Teenage Jesus, and the Contortions, Social Climbers ranked among the more obscure art rock acts of the 1980s. Having relocated from Bloomington, Indiana, to Manhattan during the mid-1970s, singer and guitarist Mark Bingham began performing in multiple groups alongside Glenn Branca, who went on to establish Theoretical Girls. After encountering bassist Jean Seton Shaw and organist Don Connette, also known as A. Leroy, the three musicians established Social Climbers as a trio in 1979. Their sound blended restless post-punk elements with disco funk influences, unified through eccentric lyrics and rigid, mechanical beats driven by the backbeat of a Korg drum machine. The band's existence proved brief, leading the members to pursue individual paths by 1982. Drag City brought their sole album—a self-titled release that had first appeared as a set of three 7-inch singles—back into circulation in 2011 via compact disc, appending a pair of additional tracks.
Albums
