Underground heroes and keepers of the indie flame, Beat Happening are one of the most influential and critically respected bands of the last decade. Calvin, Heather, and Bret have been at it for over 10 years, assaulting the underground music community with a number of homemade cassettes, five proper albums, a retrospective CD, several singles, and a slew of like-minded releases on Calvin's K label. (K, in fact, were first to release Shonen Knife's music via cassette some 7 years before Kurt Cobain started spreading the gospel, and recently released a Teenage Fan Club 7"). Bands as diverse as Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Teenage Fan Club, and Nirvana claim to have been greatly influenced by Beat Happening's unique brand of two-chord tin-can pop noise.

Love 'em or hate 'em, Beat Happening are respected by most, revered by many, and deified by some. Their indie cred went through the roof in Summer 1991, when Calvin and his K cohort Candace hosted the International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia WA, during which they showcased over 50 bands whose only tie was that they hadn't succumbed to "the corporate ogre"--L7, Fugazi, the Melvins, Scrawl, Thee Headcoats, the Pastels, Jad Fair, Bikini Kill, Fastbacks, Seaweed, Mecca Normal, and more. The event was recently documented in part on the Internation Pop Underground Convention CD and double album on K.

Summer 1992 saw the reissue of the 1988 classic, Jamboree, as well as the release on the Simple Machines label of Fortune Cookie Prize, an album of Beat Happening covers by indie rock luminaries. This fall Beat Happening's fifth album, You Turn Me On, was released on Sub Pop, and is now followed by the reissue of 1989's Black Candy. (Follow? Incidentally, last year's Dreamy is still available from Sub Pop.)

"With but three instruments and a song--voice, guitar, stand-up drums--Beat Happening have more melody and feeling than most bands achieve in a lifetime."
--New York Times

"All rock is here, the arrogance, hunger, and repetition, distilled to its purest essence."
--Melody Maker

"Beat Happening are the most radically innovative force to blow across the Atlantic in a long time."
--Sounds

"A perfect record from a perfect band."
--Forced Exposure

(VERY SELECT) DISCOGRAPHY LPs

• Beat Happening, K, 1985
• Screaming Trees/BH collaborative mini-LP, Homestead, 1986
• "Jamboree", K/Rough Trade, 1988
• "Black Candy", K, 1989
• "Dreamy", K/Sub Pop, 1991
• "You Turn Me On", K/Sub Pop, 1992

7" singles

• "Our Secret," K, 1984
• "Look Around," K, 1987
• "Nancy Sin," K/Sub Pop, 1990
• "Red Head Walking," K/Sub Pop, 1990
• "Sea Hunt," Bi-Joopiter, 1991
• "Not a care in the world," Sub Pop, 1992 (Sassy magazine promotional single).

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Beat Happening are:

• Calvin Johnson
• Heather Lewis
• Brett Lunsford

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