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Laughing Hyenas

From Alfawiki
Laughing Hyenas
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1985 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Defunct1995
Headquarters
Ann Arbor
,
United States
Area served
United States
Key people
John Brannon (vocalist)
ProductsMusic albums, EPs, singles

Laughing Hyenas was a post-hardcore group hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, active between 1985 and 1995, led by vocalist John Brannon, known for his work with Negative Approach. As noted by AllMusic, the band's early output centered on somber, dirge-like compositions featuring Brannon’s powerful singing style, gradually incorporating stronger elements of blues into their sound. Though they shared the stage with influential bands such as Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr., and Sonic Youth, commercial breakthrough eluded them, and internal conflicts ultimately led to their dissolution in the mid-1990s.

History

The band formed in late 1984 in Ann Arbor when John Brannon teamed up with Larissa Stolarchuk (later Strickland), inspired by a 1983 Detroit show by The Birthday Party. The original members were Brannon on vocals, Stolarchuk handling guitar duties, Mike Danner on drums, and Kevin Monroe on bass—who later took the surname Strickland. Their first live appearance took place in April 1985 as an opening act for Destroy All Monsters.

After spending a year honing their musical style, they independently issued a demo tape in 1986. Prior to recording their debut EP, drummer Mike Danner departed and was succeeded by Jim Kimball. Their first EP, Come Down to the Merry Go Round, came out in 1987 via Touch and Go Records, produced by the then-rising producer Butch Vig at Smart Studios. This partnership notably influenced Vig’s subsequent production work with artists like Nirvana.

In 1988, before embarking on a tour with Sonic Youth, Laughing Hyenas recorded their inaugural full-length album, You Can't Pray a Lie, again collaborating with Vig. Released by Touch and Go in 1989, it was followed by a European tour alongside labelmates Killdozer. Their sophomore album, Life of Crime (1990), also produced by Vig, coincided with another support tour for Sonic Youth’s Goo.

Around 1990, tensions arose within the group as Monroe and Kimball started side collaborations with Preston Cleveland (P.W. Long) from Wig. This partnership resulted in recording an Alice Cooper cover for Sub Pop’s singles club and performing live together. By spring 1991, Monroe, Kimball, and Long had formed the band Mule, departing Laughing Hyenas later that year.

To replace the departing rhythm section members, former Necros musicians Todd Swalla (drums) and Kevin Ries (bass) joined in 1992. They contributed to the Crawl EP recorded at Detroit’s White Room Studios with engineer Al Sutton. Ries left before the EP’s release due to personal difficulties and died shortly thereafter; he was succeeded by Necros bassist Ron Sakowski.

After revisiting earlier material for some time, the band composed and recorded their third album, Hard Times, produced by Doug Easley and Dan McCain at Easley McCain Recording. Released in January 1995, this album preceded the band's breakup later that year.

Post-breakup

Following the disbandment of Laughing Hyenas, John Brannon joined forces with former Gravitar guitarist Harold Richardson and bassist Ron Sakowski to form Easy Action in 1996. Despite changes in personnel over time, Easy Action remained active with regular performances as of 2023. Notably, during Negative Approach's reunion at Touch and Go's 25th Anniversary Block Party in Chicago in September 2006, Brannon performed alongside Richardson and Sakowski rather than original members; this lineup has continued to tour internationally under Negative Approach since then.

Guitarist Larissa Strickland passed away on October 3, 2006, at age 46. She was posthumously ranked number 181 on Rolling Stone's 2023 compilation of the 250 greatest guitarists.

Kevin Monroe stayed with Mule until their dissolution in 1996; Jim Kimball had exited earlier. Kimball went on to create The Denison/Kimball Trio with Duane Denison from The Jesus Lizard and collaborated with experimental artist JG Thirlwell in the project Foetus. In 1996, Kimball briefly joined The Jesus Lizard and contributed to their album Blue. As of 2023, he remains active with Chicago’s Ghost Forest.

Drummer Todd Swalla became part of Toledo-based shoegaze outfit Streamlined, releasing a self-titled album in 2001. He later played with blues-rock ensemble Boogaloosa Prayer across several records.

In 2018, Detroit’s Third Man Records reissued Laughing Hyenas’ complete discography on vinyl format, including additional bonus tracks.

Former members

  • John Brannon – lead vocals (1984–1995)
  • Larissa Strickland (also known as Larissa Stolarchuk) – guitar (1984–1995)
  • Jim Kimball – drums (1986–1991)
  • Kevin Strickland (Kevin Monroe) – bass guitar (1984–1991)
  • Ron Sakowski – bass guitar (1992–1995)
  • Kevin Ries – bass guitar (1992)
  • Todd Swalla – drums (1992–1995)

Studio albums

Singles and EPs

  • Stain demo cassette/EP (1986, independently released)
  • Come Down to the Merry Go Round EP (November 1987, Touch and Go Records) [Reissued by Third Man Records in 2018]
  • Candy (1988, Bob Magazine flexi-disc)
  • Here We Go Again 7" EP (August 1990, Touch and Go Records)
  • Crawl EP (October 19, 1992, Touch and Go Records) [Included in Third Man Records' 2018 reissue of Hard Times]
  • Covers: Stolen Tapes 92 to 94 double-7" (1995, self-released)

Compilation albums

  • Life of Crime/You Can't Pray a Lie (1990, Touch and Go Records)

Compilation appearances

  • "Dedications to the One I Love (Live)" featured on Howl 7 EP (1990, Howl)
  • "Public Animal #9" (Alice Cooper cover) included on Alice Cooper Tribute EP (1991, Sub Pop Records)
  • "Candy" contributed to Mesomorph Enduros compilation (1992, Big Cat)
  • "Solid Gold Hell" (The Scientists cover) on Set It on Fire! compilation (1993, Dog Meat)
  • "Shine" featured on Jabberjaw...Pure Sweet Hell compilation (1996, Mammoth Records)
  • "Just Can't Win" included in the American Pie 2 soundtrack (1996, Rubber Records)

Further reading

  • Laughing Hyenas, authored by Steve Miller. Published by J-Card Press. ISBN 979-8-9917394-0-5

External links

  • Comprehensive band biography and discography
  • [AllMusic profile for Laughing Hyenas]
  • [Trouser Press overview of Laughing Hyenas]
  • [Official Laughing Hyenas page at Touch and Go Records]
  • [Archived version of the Official 1988 Tour Diary]
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