This was a neat find from my visit to
Antique World this past weekend. Purchased sound unheard (my take on the old phrase "sight unseen"), what little info I was able to glean online regarding
Naomi's Hair is that they arose from the same Gainesville, FL scene that brought us Less Than Jake and For Squirrels (taking most of their cues from the latter I should add). The proceedings kick off with the brilliant, sassy punk corker "Tilt-a-Whirl," a cover of an obscure
Gizmos song, decked out in shades of Twin/Tone era 'Mats and early Snatches of Pink. That nugget of gold is followed up by the chugging, anti-war screed "Tinker, Tailor" which wouldn't sound too far out of place on a vintage REM record.
Tara gets more eclectic on side two, thanks in part to the speedy, bluegrass-indebted melee, "Caroline," while the jangly but ever so wry "Con But For" and "Bobbies Prom Dress" highlight Naomi's Hair's budding pop charm. Am very curious if there's more where this came from...
01. Tilt-a-Whirl
02. Tinker, Tailor
03. Without a Sound
04. One Shot
05. Caroline
06. Con But For
07. Bobbies Prom Dress
08. Lovin' Babe
Hear
Tara was their second release. The first was a cassette called Bag Truck. There's also another full length that came after (on Figurehead Records) called Chum, which like Nirvana, just so happened to have a baby swimming underwater on the cover. Which was first? Hmmmmm. The CD version also contained Tara. There are some scattered comp tracks and a final 7". They may have started in Gainesville but are known for being from Orlando.
ReplyDeleteI had Chum it was one of my favorite albums , any idea how to get another copy?
DeleteAwesome Jeffrey. Thanks for the full skinny on these guys. This is why I love the blogosphere.
ReplyDeleteI must be misreading this. A band in 1989 took most of their cues from a band five years later?
ReplyDeleteI adore For Squirrels, by the way.
Well, it was probably actually the other way around come to think of it. Dare I say the two bands shared members? Florida is a pretty small state after all.
ReplyDeleteNaomi's Hair was from Orlando - though they may have had a member from the Gainesville area as well. Marty (the bass player had previously played in the great REM/Byrds-sounding Orlando band The Green Today)! Paul (Guitar/vocals) & Ken (drums/vocals) from The Green Today later helped form The Lears with me in 1990.
ReplyDeleteGreat Band!
ReplyDeleteNaomi's Hair started in Gainesville, Fl then moved to Orlando where they picked up bass player Marty Everett. They had a CD called "Chum" released in the early 90s that has the "Tara" EP on it. It was produced by John Croslin of The Reivers.
They were a scorching live act that, in my opinion, they never really captured on tape.
Yep, looks like I'm definitely going to have to find a copy of Chum...somewhere... Thanks for chiming in everybody.
ReplyDeleteMy tribute page to Naiomi's Hair, with some tracks from both albums: http://jasperjohnny.com/naiomis-hair/
ReplyDeleteThose were great times and great music. I remember them fondly. Actually, Martin Everett is my brother-in-law.
ReplyDeleteThese guys were OUR heroes... THANK YOU for puting this up. Steak & Shake, bitches!!!!
ReplyDeleteI should mention: I worked as a soundman for a few years throughout the southeast, and Naomi's Hair came up all of the time! Plus... Sublime mentions them in their "thank u" track. whomp...
ReplyDeleteWithout a sound- my favorite song for sure. Oh the memories.
ReplyDeleteMy brother got me into this album, sadly, after they had broken up. I believe it was a road trip to Mexico and back in 96. Can we please start a movement for a reunion show??????? Seriously. I listen to Chum about once every couple of weeks...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CchIs2bLHg8
ReplyDeletediy video for "Caroline" from the album Chum
great memories. thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteNaiomi's Hair had a small reunion show December 2014 in Orlando, FL. I did not attend but I hope there will be more. This post needs a re-up!
ReplyDeleteHey Jeffrey. I just fixed the link. That's awesome they reunited. I may have more NH to share in the new year. Stay tuned.
ReplyDeleteFrom the reunion show https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xJm9NOi_lqE
ReplyDeleteCirca '93 I took some film-making classes at USF (in Tampa) with a member of this band. I don't remember his name, but I do remember him talking about how Naomi's Hair had an album cover of a baby underwater and we joked about suing Nirvana to get money to make films. (The cover's aren't really all that similar -- it wall all joking about!) Mark Street was the instructor and some friends in the class were Mike Baldwin and Tim Wilson. If you're out there, give a shout, eh?
ReplyDeleteYour film as I recall was beautifully shot. You tooled about in a canoe to film objects such as dining utensils tied to trees. I recall how crisp and clear it was, perfectly lit with the light shining off the silverware and the water. Very good images for an old 16mm Bolex.
Technically, you were way ahead of the rest of us!
Don't know how I missed this the first time around. Looking forward to hearing it. Seeing Gainesville mentioned with the first song titled "Tilt-A-Whirl" I wondered if it might be the same song associated with the Vulgar Boatmen (one version of which was in Gainesville). Then I read the reference to the song as being from the Gizmos (which was the band Dale Lawrence of the Vulgar Boatmen came into). Sure enough, same song given a punkier take! Can't wait to hear the rest.
ReplyDeleteThis web site has all of "Chum" available for streaming/download:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jasperjohnny.com/hair/
Lotta memories: saw them all at Club Nowhere on Bennett Drive (Aaron and Tammy!): the Crowd, Disco Biscuit, Van Gogh's Ear, Braile Closet, Giant Man, Gargamel, .... great times.
Hi, would you please re-up?
ReplyDeletethank you very much
In 1985 I saw a small rehearsal in Gainsville. Joel was the drummer then. I can't remember the guitar player, he also lived there. I believe the band's name was in honour of a school friend, Naomi, who unfortunately had taken her life sometime before.
ReplyDeletecheers
Marcelo
Marcelo, your are right. Naomi was a girl in South Florida who committed suicide while we were in high school. The band formed in Gainesville. Great band. It truly shows that so much of success in the music industry is based on chance - being in the right place at the right time. All of these guys were talented. My personal favorite was always "Con But For". Gainesville ... Those were great times in the 1980's.
ReplyDeleteYes, I had an interesting time in Gainsville in 85. Used to hang out with Matt Jackson and Joel(s?). Was another of the band’s member Scott? Cheers
DeleteChum on ebay....
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ebay.com/itm/354171527198
I saw them live in Orlando in the early Nineties, lead would break guitar strings and the bassist jumping up and down, drummer ripped, the best band Ive ever heard and the best live act I've ever seen. Rush is the only three man band that could compare, the bass lines are something you never hear. "Without a sound" is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about now, but from 88-92, when I lived about 1.5 hrs from Gainesville, you could walk down the main drag on a weekend night and see a live band in every bar. And there were many. These were great bands
DeleteI wonder why it never blew up as big as say, Chapel Hill. I know some G-ville bands broke big, but there were so many good ones.
It was a good time for live music. Bigger out of town bands would play the Hardback Cafe and shows were 5 or maybe 10 bucks, max. I saw quite a few gigs there. For some reason I tried to sneak in to see Helios Creed Got caught!