SMEGMA

Smegma started in 1973 in Pasadena, California. Among it's original
members were Dennis duck, who later went on to help form bands such as "The
Human Hands" in the late '70's and "The Dream Syndicate" in 1982. Richard
Snyder went on to join Capt. Beefheart's Magic Band in 1979 as "Midnight
Hatsize Snyder".
Smegma left Pasadena for Portland, Oregon in 1975. They released "Glamour
Girl 1947" on the L.A.F.M.S. label, in 1979.
In the late seventies, they enjoyed the "punk" scene in Portland,
becoming favorites of bands like; "The Wipers" and "The Dead Kennedys" of
San Francisco.
Author Richard Meltzer joined Smegma in 1997 until 2003. 2003 also saw
Smegma collaborating with "Wolf Eyes" for an album titled "The Beast" and
Steve Mackay (saxophonist for The Stooges' "Fun House" LP and Violent Femmes
guest sax. player) for Smegma's "30 years of service" recording.
In 2004 Smegma toured the west coast with; Wolf Eyes, Comets On Fire, and
Rubber O Cement. where they were joined by Tom Recchion and Ace Farren Ford
in Los Angeles, introduced by Jello Biafra in San Francisco, and joined
again to play in San Francisco with Steve Mackay.
In 2005 Smegma headlined the KRAAK fest, in Hasselt Belgium. Where they
got very good reviews for the most part.
and on March, 17 2006, will Play in New York for the first time, at the
NO FUN FEST, in Brooklyn, New York
the following is a short bio written by Richard Meltzer from 1999;

Now in their 28th year of existence,Smegma are a so-called "noise band" if
not exactly by their own designation. Not that they would deny it, mind
you-noise as a station of sonic oompah certainly doesn't rankle their
metamusical ass. It's simply that other things figure more prominently on
their collective agenda: group improvisation with a heap of Unfinished
Sixties Business factored in (the real-time-from-Socratic mutilayered
equivalent of "I Am the Walrus," let's say).....Free Music in it's grandest,
and least superficial, sense (a la the denser moments of Ornette Coleman's
"Free Jazz")..a ritual fusing of any and all musics and non-musics at the
level of the hum, the blap, the tink, the boom. By design as well as chance,
every performance is an utterly NEW sonic event, one capable(some nights,
anyway) of changing the way an audience will actually "hear". (Y'know,
forever.)
Richard B Meltzer 1999

Smegma appeared at Freenoise Live on April 26 '06 Details