Tar Babies

Emerging from Madison, Wisconsin, the Tar Babies ranked among the more obscure acts on SST's celebrated roster and delivered a singular punk-funk approach frequently likened to labelmates the Minutemen alongside the Texas-based Big Boys. Their sound incorporated touches of psychedelia, jazz, and avant-noise skronk, moving rapidly past early hardcore origins toward a scratchy yet danceable, groove-driven hybrid that featured horns and George Clinton-style jamming. The group coalesced from the remnants of Madison hardcore punk outfit Mecht Mensch following that band's 1982 dissolution. Guitarist/vocalist Bucky Pope, bassist Robin Davies, and drummer Dan Bitney launched the project with the 1982 EP Face the Music, released locally on Bone Air. Funk elements sharpened noticeably on their second outing, 1985's Respect Your Nightmares, drawing SST's interest. The band's initial SST full-length, 1987's Fried Milk, marked the point at which their punk-funk synthesis fully solidified. For the next release, 1988's No Contest, they amplified the funk connection through added horns—primarily from woodwind player and multi-instrumentalist Tony Jarvis—while also dabbling in Washington, D.C.-style go-go. Their third and final SST album, 1989's Honey Bubble, closed that chapter. After a short break that brought some membership changes, Pope reassembled the Tar Babies with second guitarist Bobby Vienneau and fresh horn player Andrew Lawton; this configuration recorded the 1991 album Death Trip for the independent Sonic Noise imprint before the group split for good. Dan Bitney relocated to Chicago and became a percussionist and effects manipulator in the influential post-rock ensemble Tortoise, while also contributing to Isotope 217 and various other area endeavors. Pope and Davies later joined forces again as the Bar Tabbies for occasional hometown performances, and Davies' son Jesse Collins-Davies played in the preteen hardcore band Old Skull.