Biography
The Gits generated a lasting impact through their recordings during a brief career, though the sudden manner of the band's dissolution would ultimately define their legacy above all else. Their distinctive style fused early punk, hard rock, and gritty blues into an intense, singular approach that stood out against the grunge wave engulfing Seattle throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Fronted by the bold and magnetic Mia Zapata, the group appeared ready to reach wider audiences when both the band and its singer were cut short by her rape and murder during the summer of 1993.
Formed in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1986 by Zapata, guitarist Joe Spleen (also known as Andy Kessler), bassist Matt Dresdner, and drummer Steve Moriarty while all four attended Antioch College, the act first performed under the full name "The Snivelling Little Rat Faced Gits," drawn from a Monty Python sketch, before shortening it for everyday use. With assistance from Ben London of Alcohol Funnycar, the Gits laid down demo recordings in 1988 that later appeared officially as Kings & Queens. Relocating to Seattle, Washington, in 1989, the musicians took up residence in an abandoned house that doubled as their rehearsal space. Although their music diverged from the prevailing Pacific Northwest sound, the force of their live shows and Zapata's skill as a singer and performer attracted support from punk circles, political activists, outsider artists, and attentive rock listeners alike. The band issued its first single, "Precious Blood" b/w "Seaweed" and "Kings & Queens," in 1990; following two additional 45s in 1991, they completed their debut album, Frenching the Bully, issued by C/Z Records in 1992.
Frenching the Bully earned strong critical notices, prompting extensive touring across the United States and Europe that the group arranged independently without management and often without proper visas, depending instead on networks of fellow musicians and squatters. Their reputation as a potent live act, combined with college and independent radio airplay for the album, positioned the Gits among Seattle's most discussed bands precisely when Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden drew intense media focus to the local scene. Work on a second album progressed amid rising visibility and interest from major labels, yet remained unfinished after Zapata was raped and murdered on July 7, 1993, while walking home from an evening with friends; she was 27.
The killing initially divided the Seattle music community, as detectives first concentrated their efforts on Zapata's acquaintances under the assumption that the perpetrator must have been known to her. Her bandmates responded by retaining a private investigator, while local musicians organized benefit concerts and recordings that generated funds and attention for the case and sparked broader discussion of violence against women. Joan Jett, who admired the Gits, performed several shows alongside Spleen, Dresdner, and Moriarty; those performances yielded the album Evil Stig -- "Gits Live" backwards. In tribute, 7 Year Bitch titled their 1994 album Viva Zapata! and included the track "M.I.A." about the murder. Friends of Zapata also established Home Alive, a nonprofit providing self-defense classes and support networks for women.
The remaining members finished the second album in 1994, releasing it through C/Z as Enter: The Conquering Chicken. Two further collections of archival and unreleased material followed, after which Spleen, Dresdner, and Moriarty formed the Dancing French Liberals of '48. A 2003 "cold case" review by Seattle police led to DNA analysis of evidence from the original crime scene; matches directed investigators to Florida, where Jesus Mezquia had been arrested on burglary charges. Records confirmed Mezquia's presence in Seattle during July 1993, resulting in his 2004 conviction for Zapata's murder and a 36-year sentence. Zapata's story and the prolonged pursuit of justice became the focus of director Kerri O'Kane's 2005 documentary, The Gits.
Formed in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1986 by Zapata, guitarist Joe Spleen (also known as Andy Kessler), bassist Matt Dresdner, and drummer Steve Moriarty while all four attended Antioch College, the act first performed under the full name "The Snivelling Little Rat Faced Gits," drawn from a Monty Python sketch, before shortening it for everyday use. With assistance from Ben London of Alcohol Funnycar, the Gits laid down demo recordings in 1988 that later appeared officially as Kings & Queens. Relocating to Seattle, Washington, in 1989, the musicians took up residence in an abandoned house that doubled as their rehearsal space. Although their music diverged from the prevailing Pacific Northwest sound, the force of their live shows and Zapata's skill as a singer and performer attracted support from punk circles, political activists, outsider artists, and attentive rock listeners alike. The band issued its first single, "Precious Blood" b/w "Seaweed" and "Kings & Queens," in 1990; following two additional 45s in 1991, they completed their debut album, Frenching the Bully, issued by C/Z Records in 1992.
Frenching the Bully earned strong critical notices, prompting extensive touring across the United States and Europe that the group arranged independently without management and often without proper visas, depending instead on networks of fellow musicians and squatters. Their reputation as a potent live act, combined with college and independent radio airplay for the album, positioned the Gits among Seattle's most discussed bands precisely when Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden drew intense media focus to the local scene. Work on a second album progressed amid rising visibility and interest from major labels, yet remained unfinished after Zapata was raped and murdered on July 7, 1993, while walking home from an evening with friends; she was 27.
The killing initially divided the Seattle music community, as detectives first concentrated their efforts on Zapata's acquaintances under the assumption that the perpetrator must have been known to her. Her bandmates responded by retaining a private investigator, while local musicians organized benefit concerts and recordings that generated funds and attention for the case and sparked broader discussion of violence against women. Joan Jett, who admired the Gits, performed several shows alongside Spleen, Dresdner, and Moriarty; those performances yielded the album Evil Stig -- "Gits Live" backwards. In tribute, 7 Year Bitch titled their 1994 album Viva Zapata! and included the track "M.I.A." about the murder. Friends of Zapata also established Home Alive, a nonprofit providing self-defense classes and support networks for women.
The remaining members finished the second album in 1994, releasing it through C/Z as Enter: The Conquering Chicken. Two further collections of archival and unreleased material followed, after which Spleen, Dresdner, and Moriarty formed the Dancing French Liberals of '48. A 2003 "cold case" review by Seattle police led to DNA analysis of evidence from the original crime scene; matches directed investigators to Florida, where Jesus Mezquia had been arrested on burglary charges. Records confirmed Mezquia's presence in Seattle during July 1993, resulting in his 2004 conviction for Zapata's murder and a 36-year sentence. Zapata's story and the prolonged pursuit of justice became the focus of director Kerri O'Kane's 2005 documentary, The Gits.
Albums
Papierowa Dziewczyna
2007
Seafish Louisville
2000
Kings & Queens
1996
Enter: The Conquering Chicken
1994
Frenching The Bully
1992
Live
