Radish (band)

Radish were an American, self-proclaimed "Sugar Metal" band formed in 1993 by Ben Kweller, John David Kent, and Bryan Bradford.[1][2] They had three studio albums including Hello, Dizzy, Restraining Bolt and three singles.

Radish
OriginGreenville, Texas, United States
GenresPost-grunge
Years active1992–1999
LabelsMercury Records
MembersBen Kweller (Vocals, Guitar)
John Kent (Drums, Vocals)
Ryan Green (Bass 1992-1995)
Lorin Hamilton (Bass 1995-1996)
Bryan Blur (Bass 1996-1998)
Debbie Williams (Bass, Vocals 1998-1999)
Josh Lattanzi (Bass, Vocals 1999-end)
Joe Butcher (Guitar, Vocals 1998-1999)

History

The trio played locally in and around Greenville and recorded two independent releases, Hello (1994) and Dizzy (1996).[3] Kweller sent a copy of Dizzy to Guitarist Nils Lofgren, who grew up with Ben's dad in Maryland. Nils was impressed with Radish and recommended them to Roger Greenawalt, who was producing Lofgren's album at the time, Damaged Goods. Greenawalt took Radish into a studio, where they recorded a demo tape which was subsequently shopped around to record labels nationwide. After an unexpected bidding war, Radish eventually signed to Mercury Records to release the album Restraining Bolt, mixed by Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie.[1][2] The first single taken from the album, the UK-release "Little Pink Stars", gave them a top-40 hit in the UK, which was followed by "Simple Sincerity" which reached the top 50.[4] Radish made appearances on The Weird Al Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Late Show with David Letterman. The band toured several times in Europe, including opening slots for Faith No More and Main Stage at Reading Festival '97. Radish released three 7" singles and two CD singles.[5]

In 1998, Radish became a quartet featuring Joe Butcher (Polyphonic Spree, UFOFU) on lead guitar and Debbie Williams on bass. Radish went to Muscle Shoals Studio in Alabama to record the musically ambitious follow-up to Restraining Bolt, entitled Discount Fireworks. The band recorded with producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, The Lemonheads). While mixing Discount Fireworks in New York City, Kweller and Kent met bassist Josh Lattanzi, who became Radish's 5th and final bass player. As a result of PolyGram's merger with Universal Music Group, the 18-song album was never released and Radish soon secured a release from their contract with Mercury Records. After the band got released from Mercury, they continued to play the occasional show around Texas. In 1999, Ben moved up north to live with his girlfriend/future wife, Liz Smith. After living in Connecticut for a few months, the couple decided to move to Brooklyn, NY where Ben began his solo career and signed with ATO Records in 2001. Back in Texas, John Kent began to write songs of his own and formed the now-defunct band Pony League. He now fronts the band John David Kent and the Dumb Angels, and runs the indie label Blackland Records and The Vault Recording Studio in Celeste, TX.[6]

Discography

Studio albums
  • Hello (1994) (Self Released)
  • Dizzy (1996) (Self Released)
  • Restraining Bolt (1997) (Mercury Label)
  • Discount Fireworks (1998) (Mercury Label - Did not Release)[7]

Singles
  • "Dear Aunt Arctica" (1996), PolyGram
  • "Little Pink Stars" (1997), Mercury - UK #32[4]
  • "Simple Sincerity" (1997), Mercury - UK #50[4]

References
  1. Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Radish", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 935
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas "Radish at AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
  3. "Radish Discography". www.xanthein.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  4. "Radish", Chart Stats. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
  5. "Radish". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  6. Kaufman, Gil. "Former Radish Singer Ben Kweller Mounts Comeback At Age 20". MTV News. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  7. "Radish Discography". Xanthein.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
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