Crimpshrine's origins are traced back to S.A.G. S.A.G. was formed in Berkeley, CA during the summer of 1982 by Jesse Michaels (of later Operation Ivy fame) (just 12 at the time) and Aaron Cometbus. The band mostly did just tape dubs with Jesse and Aaron trading off on instruments. It wasn't a functioning band until 1983 when Jeff Ott (at 12 years old) was brought in. Jeff played drums (even though they only had one drum). Jesse only sung, and Aaron played a guitar with only 3 strings. Later, they had changed their name to Revolution Through Apathy. S.A.G. had split up in early 1984. There were some rumors that Jesse was kicked out for smoking too much pot, so Jesse went one way and Aaron and Jeff went another. Jesse was Crimpshrine's original vocalist until he was not in the band. However, years later he came back and did some live backup vocals with Crimpshrine. There may be some tape dubs floating around, but other than that, the only released material that can be found by S.A.G. was one song- "I Had To Kill Some Ants Today" on Aaron Cometbus's "Lest We Forget" compilation. It was released in 1991 on tape by BBT Tapes. Other than that song, no other songs are known to be released by S.A.G. However, some S.A.G. lyrics were used in Operation Ivy in the end of Plea for Peace and some other songs such as Steppin' out.
After S.A.G.'s breakup, Aaron and Jeff switched off on instruments. Sometimes Aaron would play guitar and Jeff would play the synthesizer or piano or they would both play guitar. Eventually, Isaac (unsure of his last name) joined the band, first on violin, and then synthesizer. Lint from Operation Ivy played bass for a little while. This was the start of Crimpshrine. Finally, Crimpshrine became Jeff on guitar and Aaron playing drums and percussion. The only song used from those early Crimpshrine days on their later recordings was Tomorrow, which was originally an instrumental but eventually had words. In late 1984, Aaron was able to get a real drum set, and it was decided that Jeff would sing. The original plan was to have a female vocalist but that never happened. After going through 6 bassists (Ron, Chalky, Lint, and later Dave Ed, Spider, Suzie, David, Chris, Ben Weasel, and John J.) and one and a half years of confusion, Crimpshrine played their first show. However, their bassist decided to quit right before the show, so they had to get a replacement bassist learn 3 of their songs in 5 minutes. Pete Rypins joined the band in October of 1986 as the bassist and Crimpshrine finally began to play some real shows instead of playing in Jeff's basement most of the time. Their first demo was recorded in February of 1987. Then, they did 2 songs, Another Day and Rearranged, for the Turn It Around compilation. Their first EP, "Sleep, What's That?" was recorded in September of 1987 and released in January 1988 on Lookout Records.
They gained a second guitarist, Idon Bryant, prior to Sleep, What's That's release. He was not included on that album, but played on their second full-length, "Lame Gig Contest." It was rejected by Lookout Records, but put out by Musical Tragedies, a German label, with the lyrics translated from English to German in the sleeve. This is a very rare album to come across, however much of it was released in other Crimpshrine albums, such as Duct Tape Soup and The Sound of a New World Being Born.
The band was in various newspaper articles in their time, some describing them, others for their way of publicizing themselves. They would write "Crimpshrine" (which was a name they gave to a girl they knew with crimped hair) all over Berkeley High School's walls, as well as purple dots and other grafitti. Their principal actually supported the grafitti! One of their best articles was from in the Oakland Tribune, who went to BHS wanting to interview a band. They were interviewed by Maximum Rock N' Roll in 1988 as well.
After Lame Gig Contest came another EP, "Quit Talkin' Claude." Quit Talkin' Claude was released Claude was a renowned Berkeley scenester who was said to never shut up. Idon Bryant and Pete Rypins had left the band by that time. Pete was replaced by Paul Curran on bass. When Paul joined the band in 1988, Crimpshrine toured for awhile. His brother, Jack, was a roadie. Paul drove the Pinto they toured in. Jake was a roadie from time to time as well. He sang on one of their songs. Zak and Dennis were also roadies.
The 1989 release of Quit Talkin' Claude on Lookout Records was their farewell record, as they had split up. Quit Talkin' Claude was recorded in January of 1989 with Kevin Army, who worked with Operation Ivy and many other bands. After this release Crimpshrine was on some other compilations. Lookout released two retrospectives, containing some unreleased and hard-to-find Crimpshrine songs, The Sound of a New World Being Born and Duct Tape Soup. They made a split EP in 1988 with Boneyard and A Priori called Caution. It was released on Skene Records. They appeared on "The World's In Shreds" with the song Pretty Mess. It was an EP released in 1989 on the record label Shredder. Jawbreaker, Moral Crux, and A Priori appeared on this album as well. They appeared in 1993's "Benicia..." compilation put out by Take A Day on cassette. The song "Going Home" by Crimpshrine on that compilation is not known to be released on any other album. Other bands on it were Pinhead Gunpowder (Aaron's drumming) and Monsula. Crimpshrine were on some Lookout compilations. One of the obvious ones was The Thing that Ate Floyd, which contained many other of the Gilman era bands. They appeared with the song "Sanctuary" on Lookout's 1998 compilation Forward Till Death. They did a split with Mutley Chix in the No Idea Fanzine (issue 7). The Crimpshrine songs were Closed Doors Closed Minds, Caught Up, and Fucked Up Kid. Mutley Chix did Small Town, Big Hell and Lamp. Their real farewell album was a split single released in 1990 on the record label No Reality. It was called the Burning Bridges EP on their side. On the other side was Angel... Your Hair Looks Good! by G-Whiz. The two songs by Crimpshrine on their farewell album were Over the Years and The Direction of Things to Come. Over the Years was taken from their first demo which was recorded with Brian Edge at Gilman in January of 1987. It was recorded with Pete but not with Idon. The Direction of Things to Come was taken from their last studio recording session in January of 1989. It was recorded by Kevin Army. It featured Paul, Jeff, and Aaron.
Crimpshrine fell apart in 1989 and the members went their separate ways. Jeff went into Fifteen, Aaron got involved with countless bands such as Pinhead Gunpowder (with Billie Joe Armstrong) and Astrid Oto. Paul was in Go Sailor and Shotwell Coho, and also did a stint with Sweet Baby; he now plays bass and sings in both Surrender and Onion Flavored Rings. Idon has been in a fairly popular East Bay hardcore punk, Strychine. Pete resurfaced in Tilt, and has been playing with The Tantrums for over 10 years. Check them out at their homepage or at their Myspace page. Crimpshrine, the heart and soul of the East Bay, lives on through the other members projects and through the people that still listen to them and are inspired by them today.
Caught Up
Crimpshrine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No room to think, too fucking stressed.
It's hard to stop when you're obsessed.
Careful what I say, everyone's
So quick to judge me.
This kind of support
Isn't doing much for me.
I need a chance to think straight.
All the questions in my head.
Sometimes I get so caught up
I need to stop before I lose touch
And let my chances pass me by...
Without feelings compromised.
Without feeling so confined.
With the city far behind.
Now I've left it all behind.
At least I've got my peace of mind.
I always knew I'd have to leave some day.
In the distance I can see the cars pass,
And garbage and broken glass trail out into the bay.
Thinking about what I want to do
With no one to tell me
Dreams can't come true.
I know they never will if I don't try.
Sometimes I get so caught up
I need to stop
Before I lose touch
And let my chances pass me by...
The lyrics to Crimpshrine's song "Caught Up" describe the frustrations and stress of living in the city and feeling like there is no room to breathe or think. The singer recognizes that they are becoming obsessed with their problems and that everyone around them is quick to judge. They need to get away, to take some time to contemplate and think about what they really want in life. They fear losing touch with their true self and their dreams if they do not take the time to step back and reflect. The singer realizes that they must leave the city in order to find the peace of mind they need to pursue their dreams.
The lyrics also suggest a sense of disillusionment with society, as evidenced by the "garbage and broken glass" that trail out into the bay. The singer feels constrained by societal norms and expectations and believes that they must break free in order to achieve their goals. The lyrics are relatable to anyone who has ever felt trapped or stifled by their environment or the opinions of others. The song ultimately encourages listeners to take control of their own lives and pursue their dreams, even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
In the city my mind's a mess.
Living in the bustling city has turned my thoughts into a jumbled mess.
No room to think, too fucking stressed.
With so much going on around me, I can't find a moment's peace and I'm completely overwhelmed.
It's hard to stop when you're obsessed.
My fixation on certain things in life makes it difficult to take breaks and tend to other important matters.
Careful what I say, everyone's so quick to judge me.
I have to be extra cautious about what I express because people are always so quick to criticize and judge me.
This kind of support isn't doing much for me.
Despite the presence of people who claim to support me, their efforts don't seem to be making much of a difference in my life.
I need a chance to think straight.
What I crave more than anything is some alone time to focus my thoughts and clear my head.
Take some time to contemplate all the questions in my head.
I have so many questions and so few answers that I'm in dire need of time to simply sit and ponder them all.
Sometimes I get so caught up I need to stop before I lose touch, and let my chances pass me by...
My single-minded focus on certain issues is so intense that sometimes I need to pause and refocus, lest I miss other valuable opportunities in life.
Without feelings compromised. Without feeling so confined. With the city far behind. Now I've left it all behind. At least I've got my peace of mind. I always knew I'd have to leave some day.
My journey for clarity includes leaving behind places, things and people that compromise my feelings and make me feel trapped. I knew I'd have to do this eventually, and now that I have, I feel much more at ease.
In the distance I can see the cars pass, and garbage and broken glass trail out into the bay.
Sometimes I like standing back and looking at the bigger picture of things, from afar, so I can see the world for what it truly is, albeit the chaos.
Thinking about what I want to do. With no one to tell me dreams can't come true. I know they never will if I don't try.
Without the naysayers around me, I'm able to think about what I truly want to accomplish in life, without feeling like I'm being held back. Even if there are obstacles, I know that it's worth it to try and pursue my dreams.
Sometimes I get so caught up I need to stop before I lose touch, and let my chances pass me by...
Again, I tend to get lost in my own thoughts from time to time, and need to actively remind myself to refocus so I don't miss important opportunities in life.
Contributed by Alaina E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Whippybox
I can't believe I never heard of this band. They're pretty cool. Billie Joe Armstrong brought me here lol.
Rockkley
does it mean that you never heard fifteen, replacements etc? oO
Gadiel Nathan
Billie joe!
Adrian Marusic
Yeah!
Whippybox
same
Julia Pavese
Same lol