Artist description Darkly emotional Rock. We eat music. Crunchy. we've lost everything so many times. Lost everyone. These songs were written by angry 16-year-old boys who thought they had seen the worst that life could throw at them. i guess we weren't very imaginative compared to the cruelty of the real world. But hey, we're not bitter.

Music Style darkly emotional freak rock

Musical Influences Tool, Pink Floyd, Doors, Kiss, Sisters of Mercy, etc

Similar Artists none we can think of; sorry.

Artist History Original Three members met and formed Naked Fringe in Oct 95 (Jimmy, Twig, Tena). Went to a local music shop to put up an add for a guitarist, and picked up one that same day(Chuck/Konstantin). Played a number of shows in Northern Va, at Jaxx,Planet Nova, and other clubs in the area. March '98 we recorded the seven songs for Passing Strange. Shortly after, Tena left the band. After a long painful search we found Eric. Shortly after that Chuck wasn't sure he wanted to stay with Naked Fringe, and so he left.Because of personal disputes within the band, Eric was asked to leave. Twig and Jimmy were very unhappy for a very long time. and then...twig found one Mr. Michael Sager in a recording class who fortuitously had just left a disintegrating band. With a strange turn of events, twig's friend Adam's roommate turned out suddenly to have been a drummer for several years; It took a simple question from Sager at a club to obtain this information; which would have been much appreciated, had it been offered months ahead of time by the lethargic Adam. So....once again...we try to Forge a new sound; to find synergy among divergent influence and style. this music is about who we are, and where we've been. Hopefully, someone else can see a little of there own life reflected.

Group Members Jimmy: Bass, Guitar, Vox, and Keys . . Twig: Bass, Lyrics, and Vox . . Sager: Guitars, etc. . . Wall: Drums, special looks . . Furie 333: Synth, Samples, Digireedoo . . . ]]]STUDIO MUSICIANS[[[ . . Teena Lewis: Drums on Passing Strange . . Konstantin Kazhinsky: Guitar on Passing Strange

Instruments Bass, Guitar, Lungs, some Keys, and drums

Albums Passing Strange

Press Reviews How many times have we heard it on the news: Rock Band sued by Parents of Teen Suicide. We tend to roll our eyes and think, "How could anyone seriously think that the band is responsible for this kid's death? Well, hold onto your hats, folks--this is about to get ugly. Not one, but THREE couples are currently involved in litigation against the Northern Virginia Rock Band "Naked Fringe" over the seemingly unconnected deaths of their teenagers. None of the teens knew each other, none went to the same schools. The only common factor in the deaths was the music to which they chose to end their lives --Naked Fringe. Each had purchased the E.P. album "Passing Strange," either online, or at a local concert where Naked Fringe performed. The parents are alleging gross negligence and manslaughter in the cases Jackson v. Naked Fringe , Claiborne v. Naked Fringe, and Shipplet v. Naked Fringe . To make matters worse, one of the teens, Michael Shipplet(age 18), wrote in his suicide note, "...I wasn't sure if I could go through with this, but Naked Fringe gave me the strength I needed to make my decision.." As if this wasn't bad enough, unlike most Rock bands, the members of Naked Fringe show no remorse for the deaths. They have admitted that their music is intended for the purpose of "...providing a nice background soundtrack for kids to pull the plug." They have also admitted that they don't mind--in fact--"...think it's pretty cool..."--that their music may have inspired the suicides. Says Brendan"twig"Sheppard of Naked Fringe, "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke. That's all that life is--a perverted joke. I'm only alive today to spread my message to as many people as will listen. I am honored that these children responded so positively to our music. They could no longer take the joke that was their miserable, meaningless lives, and they decided to step out. Nietzsche wrote, 'My death, praise I unto you, the voluntary death, that cometh unto me because I want it,' and 'In your dying shall your spirit and your virtue still shine like an evening after-glow around the Earth: otherwise your dying hath been unsatisfactory.' Yeah, mutherfuckers." Jeff Wall, the band's drummer was asked if he felt remorse for the deaths of Shipplet and the other teens(aged 14 and 15). His answer: "Who?" Guitarist Michael Sager, when asked about his feelings regarding the lawsuit, responded, "Hey, man. There's no such thing as bad publicity." Sager then added, "I personally agree with Dickens - we need to decrease the surplus population. Futhermore, these kids obviously weren't thinking much, so therefore they just served to prove DeCarte right-'I think therefore I am,' vis-a-vis : I do not think, therefore I am not. You know, Darwinism rules!" The lack of remorse is appalling--but are they responsible for the affect of their message? This case may very well set a precedent by which future cases will be judged, perhaps even bringing into effect new censorship laws. As for the music itself, it seems pretty emotionally disturbing, with lines such as, "Do you remember when Everything was beautiful and Nothing hurt? No, you don't and neither do I. Do you remember when we were still Waiting for this? Now something sick inside is spreading." In all my years as a rock journalist, I have never before heard of a band that endorses teen suicide. Perhaps their refusal to accept legal counsel is responsible. We'll bring you more details on this story , as they develop. -Alter-nation Music, May '00 issue

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Location Annandale, VA - USA

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