Sewer Trout
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Sacramento, California , United States |
| Products | Punk rock music |
Sewer Trout was a punk rock group originating from Sacramento, California, established in 1985. Their energetic bass rhythms and brisk tempos significantly shaped the sound of various California pop punk acts throughout the 1990s. The band’s roster featured Jim MacLean handling lead vocals and bass, his brother Hal MacLean on drums, Keith Lehtinen on guitar and backing vocals, and eventually Erik Benson joining as a second guitarist. Benson's inclination toward progressive rock contributed to his exit following a challenging performance. Subsequently, Jim and Hal teamed up again with Erik in projects like Oyster Toilet Mango and the Well Hung Monks. The band dissolved when Jim relocated to Corvallis, Oregon to pursue graduate studies, where he initiated Elmer, a group blending bluegrass, hillbilly, and punk influences that carried forward Sewer Trout’s punk ethos.
History
The MacLean siblings composed many early Sewer Trout tracks during 1984; at that time, Jim was attending Sacramento State University while Hal was still in high school. Jim recorded bass parts onto cassette tapes which he sent to Hal, who then layered drum sections over them. They produced a demo during their breaks and invited their high school acquaintance Keith Lehtinen to play guitar. In 1985, Hal joined Jim at Sacramento State as Keith moved to San Francisco. Sewer Trout quickly became a prominent fixture in the nascent 924 Gilman Street community, making their first appearance on the Maximumrocknroll compilation Turn It Around! released in October 1987. Their debut record came out the same year through Lookout! Records, followed by multiple releases on Lookout!, Very Small Records, and their independent label One Shot Flop. In 1997, all their recordings were consolidated into From the Forgotten Memories of Punks Failed Hopes and Dreams Loom, with vinyl reissues issued in 2021 by Lava Socks and Dead Broke Records.
The band maintained a close relationship with David Hayes, co-founder of Lookout! Records and proprietor of Very Small Records, who played an instrumental role in promoting Sacramento’s punk scene by including numerous local acts on his label's compilations.
On December 1, 2005, Sewer Trout’s Myspace page revealed that Jim MacLean had died by suicide shortly after Thanksgiving weekend, stating: "MacLean took his own life Monday or Tuesday after the Thanksgiving weekend. Jim may be gone, but his music will live forever."
Band members
- Jim MacLean – lead vocals, bass (1985–1990) (deceased)
- Keith Lehtinen – guitar, backing vocals (1985–1990)
- Hal MacLean – drums (1985–1990)
- Erik Benson – guitar (1988)
Releases
- From the Bowels of Suburbia Emerge... (demo) (1985)
- Songs About Drinking (EP) – Lookout! Records (1987)
- Sewer Trout for President (EP) – One Shot Flop (1988)
- Flawless (10-inch EP) – Very Small Records (1989)
- From the Forgotten Memories of Punks Failed Hopes and Dreams Loom – Spa Records (1997)
- Meet the Sewer Trout (LP) – Lava Socks and Dead Broke Records (2021)
Compilation appearances
- "Sewer Trout for President" on Lethal Noise, Vol. 2 – David Hayes self-released cassette (1987)
- "Wally and the Beaver Go to Nicaragua" on Turn It Around! – Maximumrocknroll (1987)
- "Sex Trout" on We've Got Your Shorts (EP) – Fascist Food Records (1988)
- "Vagina Envy" on The Thing That Ate Floyd – Lookout! Records (1988)
- "Bang 'Ol Lulu" and "Holiday in Romania" on Alone in This World – Bat Guano Records (1989)
- "Holiday in Romania" on Four Two Pudding – Very Small Records (1993)