!!!
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Update Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist !!! (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell), also known as Chk Chk Chk, is an American band from Sacramento, California.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Formed in 1996 by lead singer Nic Offer, members of !!! came from other local bands such as the Yah Mos, Black Liquorice and Pope Smashers. They are currently based in New York City. The band's ninth album, Let It Be Blue, was released in May 2022.
History
!!! was formed in the fall of 1996 by the merger of members of the groups Black Liquorice and Pope Smashers, while on tour. After a successful joint tour, the two bands decided to mix the disco-funk with more aggressive sounds and integrate the hardcore singer Nic Offer from the Yah Mos. Offer has cited Depeche Mode and OMD as influences.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The band's name was inspired by the subtitles of the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy, in which alveolar click consonants of the San people's Juǀʼhoan language were represented as "!". However, as the bandmembers themselves say, !!! is pronounced by repeating thrice any monosyllabic sound. "Chk Chk Chk" is the most common pronunciation,<ref name=sea/> and the URL of their official website and the title of their Myspace page suggest it is the preferred pronunciation.
The band's full-length debut record came out in 2000 as a self-titled album on the label Gold Standard Laboratories. This was followed in 2003 by the single "Me and Giuliani Down By the School Yard", a lengthy track combining house beats with sinewy basslines, psychedelic guitars, and simple lyrics which quote the title song of the musical Footloose.
A second full-length album, Louden Up Now, was released on Touch and Go in America and on Warp Records in Europe in June 2004. In June 2005 !!! released a new EP covering "Take Ecstasy with Me" by The Magnetic Fields, and "Get Up" by Nate Dogg. The following December, the original drummer for the band, Mikel Gius, was struck and killed by a car while riding his bike.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
They released their third album, Myth Takes in 2007.<ref name=sea>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
!!! is composed of Mario Andreoni (guitar), Dan Gorman (horns/percussion/keys), Nic Offer (vocals), Rafael Cohen (bass/various electronic devices), Chris Egan (drums) and Meah Pace (vocals).
Vocalist and drummer John Pugh officially left the band in 2007 to concentrate on his new band Free Blood.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Vocalist Shannon Funchess stood in for Pugh during much of their 2007 tour.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The band also shared membership with the similar, defunct group Out Hud (including Tyler Pope, who has played with LCD Soundsystem and written music for Cake).<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Following the release of Myth Takes in 2007, !!! continued to evolve their dance-punk sound with a series of albums, including Strange Weather, Isn't It? (2010), Thr!!!er (2013), As If (2015), Shake the Shudder (2017), and Wallop (2019).
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
US Elec. <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
FRA <ref name="fr">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
JPN <ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> |
UK <ref name="zobbel">Template:Harvnb</ref> | |||
| !!! |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Louden Up Now |
|
— | 4 | 169 | — | 135 | |
| Myth Takes |
|
195 | 3 | 134 | 36 | 135 | |
| Strange Weather, Isn't It? |
|
— | 13 | 112 | 54 | — | |
| Thr!!!er |
|
— | 18 | 117 | 62 | 121 | |
| As If |
|
— | 18 | — | 80 | — | |
| Shake the Shudder |
|
— | — | — | 153 | — | |
| Wallop |
|
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|
— | — | — | 166 | — |
| Let It Be Blue |
|
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}}</ref>
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
EPs
- Lab Series Vol. 2 [GSL26] (Split with Out Hud, 1999, Gold Standard Labs)
- Live! Live! Live! (November 20, 2004, Beat Records, Japan only)
- Yadnus (2007)
- Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass E.P. (November 2010)
- Daytrotter Session (May 29, 2013, Daytrotter Studio [Rock Island, IL])
- R!M!X!S (January 8, 2014, Japanese Import, WAP359D)
- MEGAM!!!X Vol.1: Shake Shake Shake (March 21, 2018)
- Certified Heavy Kats (July 31, 2020)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Singles
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| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK <ref name="zobbel" /> | |||
| "The Dis-Ease/The Funky Branca" | 1998 | — | Template:N/a |
| "Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A True Story)" | 2003 | 84 | Louden Up Now |
| "Pardon My Freedom" | 2004 | — | |
| "Hello? Is This Thing On?" | 74 | ||
| "Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A Remix)" | — | ||
| "Take Ecstasy With Me/Get Up" | 2005 | 213 | Template:N/a |
| "Heart of Hearts" | 2007 | — | Myth Takes |
| "Must Be the Moon" | — | ||
| "AM/FM" | 2010 | — | Strange Weather, Isn't It? |
| "Slyd" | 2013 | — | THR!!!ER |
| "One Girl / One Boy" | — | ||
| "And Anyway It's Christmas"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
— | Template:N/a |
| "All U Writers" | 2015 | — | As If |
| "Freedom '15" / "Sick Ass Moon" | — | ||
| "Bam City" / "Ooo" | — | ||
| "I Feel So Free" (Lost Souls of Saturn Remix) | 2016 | — | Template:N/a |
| "The One 2" | 2017 | — | Shake the Shudder |
| "Dancing Is the Best Revenge" | — | ||
| "Serbia Drums" | 2019 | — | Wallop |
| "I'm Sick of This/So We Can F*ck" | 2020 | — | Template:N/a |
| "Do the Dial Tone" | — | Certified Heavy Kats | |
| "Walk It Off" | — |
Other projects
- !!! (1997, tour cassette)
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
- Template:Official website
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Pages with broken file links
- Indie rock musical groups from California
- Musical groups established in 1996
- American dance-punk musical groups
- American post-punk revival music groups
- Warp Records artists
- Musical groups from Sacramento, California
- 1996 establishments in California
- Touch and Go Records artists
- !!!