Sta-Prest (band)
Sta-Prest is a queercore band from San Francisco that was active in the 1990s.
Musical career
The band first made its appearance on the queercore record label Outpunk Records, on its compilation Outpunk Dance Party. Soon afterwards they released their first EP, Vespa Sex, also on Outpunk, followed later by a 7" single. Like other bands influenced by the nascent riot grrrl scene in Olympia, Washington, New York no wave, and European post-punk, core members of Sta-Prest - Aloofah (Iraya Robles), Dudley Manlove (Gary Fembot), and Professor Swish (Mark Bishop) - adopted pseudonyms, swapped instruments between songs, and practiced a consensus-based approach to song composition. A revolving membership included Tetley, Twi Tybat, Clutch-y-Spun, and Scout. Their avant-pop sound and combination of male and female vocals were unique in the Queercore scene.
After Outpunk Records ceased to exist, the band recorded for the label Kill Rock Stars, releasing their final 7" ep. As well, they produced a video for one of their songs for the Kill Rock Stars video compilation, Kill Rock Stars Video Fanzine, which also included a short movie by member Gary Fembot, called The Oners.
In 1997, the band appeared in performance in the seminal documentary film She's Real, Worse Than Queer by Lucy Thane.
In 2002, Aloofah, (Iraya Robles) and Dudley Manlove, (Gary Fembot), appeared in Maximum Rocknroll's "Queer Punk" issue, featured in a discussion with the queer-identified musicians Martin Sorrondeguy of both Los Crudos and Limp Wrist and Aaron Detroit of The Little Deaths.
Spin-off bands from Sta-Prest include Feelings On A Grid, with Dudley Manlove a.k.a. D.M. Feelings (Gary Fembot) and Le Grid, a.k.a. Stanley Lamontagne, both heavily influenced by the sounds and aesthetics of the electropunk bands Suicide and The Screamers.
Professor Swish, now Mmothra, privately released a recording of ambient digital loopscapes after the style of Nurse with Wound and :zoviet*France, entitled Neurotic Styles. Gary Fembot now plays keyboards and sings with the band Puce Moment.
Dudley Manlove (Gary Fembot) and Professor Swish (Mark Bishop) recorded as The Swishin' Duds, and are included on the soundtrack of the 2008 movie The Lollipop Generation by G.B. Jones, in which Gary Fembot appears in a cameo role.
Discography
- "Nelly Strut/Suspiria" on Outpunk Dance Party, Outpunk Records OUT12CD
- Vespa Sex EP on Outpunk Records OUT15
- "Lets Be Friendly With Our Friends/You Are The Company Spy" on Outpunk Records OUT19
- "Form Fitting/Diffy Peeps" on Kill Rock Stars Mailorder Freaks Singles Club, 1998
- Kill Rock Stars Video Fanzine No. 2