Chainsaw Kittens
While working at Shadowplay Records, Meade met Trent Bell, “a regular customer and loiterer,” and eventual lead guitarist to Chainsaw Kittens, who also won a Grammy as a producer in 2012. Bell informed Meade about a group of high schoolers that had a band and were about to kick out their singer. Bell suggested that Meade’s songs would be perfect for the band. Meade recalled, “I thought it was ridiculous, but I didn’t have any other options I could think of, so I decided to play the kids my songs.” After holding practice session for a month in 1989, Chainsaw Kittens were born, their name a nod to their trashy punk guitar sound and baby faces. Along with the other founding members—guitarist Mark Metzger, bass guitarist Kevin McElhaney, and drummer Ted Leader—Chainsaw Kittens recorded a demo and received a contract offer almost immediately from Mammoth Records. Whereas in Defenestration it was all tempered with a vaguely mainstream rock sensibility, Todd Walker’s main contribution to the band—the Chainsaw Kittens dove enthusiastically off the deep end, into the extreme waters of glam-pop-punk, full-on transvestitism, and openly gay lyrics. And while it had a lot do with creative statement, it was also the work of Meade’s increased understanding of his chosen industry: “I had a definite of what I wanted the Kittens to be,” Meade says. “I wanted to have a band that was signed and made records. A month, we made our first demo, and a month after that we were in negotiations with Mammoth Records.”
The band’s inaugural album, Violent Religion, introduced Chainsaw Kittens’ knack for creating fragile melodies and catchy pop choruses alongside twisted lyrics and powerful, raw guitars. The last track on Violent Religion, “She’s Gone Mad,” was covered by fellow-Norman based alt-rockers, The Flaming Lips on their album The Day They Shot a Hole in the Jesus Egg. Before touring in support of their debut, guitarist Trent Bell joined Chainsaw Kittens. While on the road, the band witnessed two additional changes to the lineup; Aaron Preston took over drumming duties, while Clint McBay replaced McElhaney on bass. With the new lineup, featuring Meade, Metzger, McBay, Preston, and Bell, the band recorded their sophomore effort, Flipped Out in Singapore, for which they employed the services of Nirvana’s Nevermind producer, Butch Vig. Released on Mammoth Records in 1992, the album, containing the songs "Connie I’ve Found the Door" and "High in High School," enabled the group’s profile and fan base to grow. Another song from Flipped Out in Singapore, “She Gets”, is featured on the soundtrack to William Friedkin’s 2006 movie, Bug starring Ashley Judd. Eventually, Clint McBay and Aaron Preston left the band, both landing on the lineup of straight-and-narrow alt-rockers For Love Not Lisa, who scored a song on the 1994 soundtrack for The Crow.
Meade installed Kittens-obsessed Chicagoan Matt Johnson on bass and Eric Harmon on drums, promoted Trent Bell to lead guitarist, and the Kittens set to work on their third album, Pop Heiress, with A-list producer John Agnello. Eventually because of strained relationship between Mammoth Records and Atlantic Records, Mammoth cut Chainsaw Kittens loose. Because the Smashing Pumpkins and Chainsaw Kittens had shared producers and toured together in the early 90’s, members of both bands had become friends. So when James Iha and D’arcy Wretzky of Smashing Pumpkins started their own independent label Scratchie Records, the available Chainsaw Kittens were the perfect place to start. In 1996, the Chainsaw Kittens released their self-titled album, Chainsaw Kittens, under Scratchie Records. Later, the band released a fifth full-length album, The All American, on Four Alarm Records. Despite limited exposure, The All American too received critical praise. Since 2001, Chainsaw Kittens have been on indefinite hiatus. The band reunited for a performance at the Norman Music Festival in Norman, Oklahoma on April 26, 2008.
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