Chainsaw Kittens
American alternative rock band
title: "Chainsaw Kittens" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["musicians-from-norman,-oklahoma", "musical-groups-from-oklahoma", "musical-groups-established-in-1989", "musical-groups-disestablished-in-2000", "alternative-rock-groups-from-oklahoma", "rock-music-groups-from-oklahoma", "1989-establishments-in-oklahoma"] description: "American alternative rock band" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainsaw_Kittens" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American alternative rock band ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Chainsaw Kittens |
| image_size | |
| origin | Norman, Oklahoma |
| genre | Alternative rock, glam rock |
| years_active | 1989–2000 |
| label | |
| current_members | Tyson Meade |
| Trent Bell | |
| Matt Johnson | |
| Eric Harmon | |
| past_members | Mark Metzger |
| Clint McBay | |
| Aaron Preston | |
| Kevin McElhaney | |
| Ted Leader | |
| :: |
| name = Chainsaw Kittens | image = | caption = | image_size = | alias = | origin = Norman, Oklahoma | genre = Alternative rock, glam rock | years_active = 1989–2000 | label = | associated_acts = | website = | current_members = Tyson Meade Trent Bell Matt Johnson Eric Harmon | past_members = Mark Metzger Clint McBay Aaron Preston Kevin McElhaney Ted Leader
The Chainsaw Kittens were a part of the American alternative rock scene, drawing from pop, glam rock, punk, new wave and British Invasion music.
Based in Norman, Oklahoma, its name a reference to the band members' youth and "chainsaw guitar sound", the Chainsaw Kittens were active from 1989 to 2000. the group gained attention with "thrift-store transvestism," which it abandoned when the look "started to overshadow the music." but maintained the presence of principal singer/songwriter Tyson Meade, previously of Norman alt-rock outfit Defenestration, and guitarist/producer Trent Bell.
Though the Kittens saw little commercial success during their period of activity, they have since won praise as "[a]rguably the best American band who never made it" in the 1990s heyday of alternative rock.
In the 1995 movie Empire Records, the character Mark, played by Ethan Embry, is wearing a "Chainsaw Kittens" t-shirt throughout the movie.
The band reunited for a performance at the Norman Music Festival in Norman, Oklahoma on April 26, 2008. The band reunited once more on September 8, 2017 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Norman music venue The Opolis.
On October 4, 2017, drummer Eric Harmon died from colon cancer at the age of 48.
Discography
Albums
- Violent Religion (Mammoth, 1990)
- Flipped Out in Singapore (Mammoth, 1992)
- Pop Heiress (Atlantic/Mammoth, 1994)
- Chainsaw Kittens (Mercury/Scratchie, 1996)
- The All American (Four Alarm, 2000)
EPs
- High in High School (Mammoth, 1992)
- Angel on the Range (Mammoth, 1993)
- Candy for You (Scratchie, 1996)
Singles
- "Mother (of the Ancient Birth)" b/w "Death-Sex Rattletrap" (Mammoth Records, 1990, MR 0019, Blue Vinyl)
- "Lazy Little Dove" b/w "Extinction Stomp" (Echostatic/Spacebaby, 1995)
- "Grandaddy's Candy" b/w "Bones in My Teeth" (Scratchie, 1996)
Others
- Bug (2007 soundtrack) (Lionsgate, Sony / RED Distribution, 2007) - track No. 3 "She Gets"
- Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth (soundtrack) - track No. 11 "Waltzing With A Jaguar"
References
References
- Raggett, Ned. "Chainsaw Kittens Biography". Allmusic.
- Sinclair, Tom. "Chainsaw Kittens". Trouser Press.
- Barsotti, Mark. (March 3, 1994). "The Kittens' Meow". Denver Westword.
- Thompson, Dave. (2000). "Alternative Rock". Hal Leonard Corporation.
- Triplett, Gene. (April 30, 2008). "Chainsaw Kittens reuniting". The Oklahoman.
- reporter, Chandler Kidd, arts & entertainment. "Opolis to celebrate 15th anniversary with special concert series". OU Daily.
- "Chainsaw Kittens Drummer Eric Harmon Dies".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::