Jonathan Fire*Eater
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Indie rock music |
Jonathan Fire*Eater was an American indie rock ensemble acknowledged as a significant catalyst in the post-punk revival movement within New York City.
The group consisted of Stewart Lupton (lead vocals), Tom Frank (bass guitar), Paul Maroon (guitar and pedal steel), Matt Barrick (drums), and Walter Martin (organ and keyboards). The band dissolved at the height of their success in 1998; following this, Maroon, Barrick, and Martin went on to establish The Walkmen.
History
Jonathan Fire*Eater originated from a childhood band known as The Ignobles. Each member attended the private St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. Initially, Lupton, Martin, and Barrick formed a ska group during their junior high years. Maroon later joined as guitarist, while Ryan Cheney served as the original singer. In 1993, after relocating primarily to New York City for college, Jonathan Fire*Eater was formed with Lupton taking over vocals and Tom Frank joining as bassist.
Their first album was released in 1995 through Third World Underground Records and included songs like "Christmastime, Halloween" and "To The Tigers." That same year, a self-titled EP on PCP Records bolstered their standing with dynamic tracks such as "The Public Hanging of a Movie Star" and "When Prince Was a Kid."
In 1996, the band issued the mini-album Tremble Under Boom Lights via The Medicine Label, showcasing refined compositions including "The Search for Cherry Red" and "Give Me Daughters." Critics lauded the record as powerful and intense despite minor imperfections. This release attracted considerable media attention and industry interest, leading to modeling opportunities with Calvin Klein and supporting slots for British acts Pulp and Blur. As Lupton remarked in 1996, record labels were aggressively courting them.
By early 1997, Jonathan Fire*Eater had secured a contract with David Geffen's newly established DreamWorks label. Their major-label debut Wolf Songs for Lambs, launched that year, garnered mixed critical reactions. Internal discord coupled with hesitance toward mainstream exposure culminated in their disbandment following their last show at Central Park’s bandshell in July 1998.
They were once characterized as "perhaps the most hyped young group that nobody has ever heard of."
Subsequent to the breakup, Maroon, Barrick, and Martin founded The Walkmen, while Lupton continued his musical pursuits with The Childballads, releasing their first album in 2007. He also toured alongside artists such as Cat Power and the Kills, and in 2009 put out an EP with The Beatin's that combined poetry and visual art collaborations. Tom Frank transitioned into journalism under the name T.A. Frank.
Stewart Lupton died on May 27, 2018, at age 43.
Legacy
As a forerunner to The Walkmen, Jonathan Fire*Eater played an influential role in shaping early New York post-punk revival acts like Interpol and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, often drawing comparisons to the Strokes. The Kills—also part of this scene—covered their song "The Search for Cherry Red", issuing it as a B-side on their single "Pull A U". Their story is documented in the 2017 publication Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City.
Albums
- Jonathan Fire*Eater (1995, Third World Underground)
- Wolf Songs for Lambs (1997, DreamWorks SKG)
Singles and EPs
- Jonathan Fire*Eater (EP, 1995, PCP)
- "Give Me Daughters" (1996, Deceptive)
- Tremble Under Boom Lights (1996, Medicine)
- "When the Curtain Calls You" (1997, Deceptive)
- "These Little Monkeys" (1998, Deceptive)
- "No Love Like That" (1998, DreamWorks)