Barkmarket
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1987 in New York City, United States |
| Founder | Dave Sardy, John Nowlin, Rock Savage |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Rock music |
Barkmarket was a rock music ensemble established in New York City in 1987. The lineup featured vocalist and guitarist as well as principal songwriter Dave Sardy, bassist John Nowlin, and drummer Rock Savage.
The band's musical approach was intense and forceful, merging genres such as heavy metal, hardcore punk, and noise rock without confining themselves to one specific style.
History
In 1986, Barkmarket introduced an independent demo tape named BARKMARKET, followed by the 1987 release of the cassette 1-800-GODHOUSE recorded on a 4-track system. They secured a deal with Purge/Soundleague based in NYC. After issuing their sophomore album Easy Listening, the group transitioned to Triple X Records, which put out their third record, Vegas Throat, featuring avant-garde jazz guitarist Marc Ribot.
The album Vegas Throat attracted the interest of producer Rick Rubin, resulting in Barkmarket becoming among the initial artists signed to Rubin's label American Recordings. This label re-released Vegas Throat and also issued Gimmick alongside the Lardroom EP. Concurrently, they released the Peacekeeper EP through Man's Ruin Records.
Their concluding album, L. Ron (1996), signaled the band's dissolution as Sardy redirected his efforts toward a flourishing career producing and mixing for prominent rock groups such as System of a Down, Marilyn Manson, Wolfmother, Helmet, and Quicksand, as well as pop acts including Oasis and The Thrills.
Sardy intended for each record to reflect progress in multi-track recording technology: starting with 4-track on 1-800-GODHOUSE, advancing to 8-track on Easy Listening, then 16-track for Vegas Throat, 24-track on Gimmick, and finally returning to 4-track for L. Ron. The introduction of "Visible Cow" from L. Ron exemplifies this philosophy.
In 2010, Sardy earned recognition as a leading emerging film composer due to his work on scores for movies such as 21 and Zombieland.
Musical style
According to critic Stewart Mason, Barkmarket’s music is characterized by "noisy, rattling power" combined with experimental elements, demonstrated by the use of banjo and tape loops on "(Radio Static)" (from Gimmick) and acoustic slide guitar on "Visible Cow" (from L. Ron).
Sardy’s unpolished vocal delivery conveyed strange and vivid lyrics often infused with dark humor, enhancing the complexity of their hardcore sound. Examples include lines like "I bought a handgun made out of glass/I cut a hole in the side of a wild ass" ("Visible Cow"), while critic Ted Alvarez emphasized Sardy’s fusion of macabre wit and poetic distortion within the hardcore genre.
Studio albums
- 1-800-GODHOUSE (1988)
- Easy Listening (1989)
- Vegas Throat (1992)
- Gimmick (1993)
- L Ron (1996)
EPs
- Lardroom (1994)
- Peacekeeper (1995)