The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001, reformed briefly in 2006 and again from 2011 to present.
The early core members were Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), and John Curley (bass). The band rose up around the grunge movement, evolving from a garage band in the vein of the Replacements to incorporate more R&B and soul influences into their sound and image. They released their first album independently in 1988. The band then signed to the Seattle-based independent label Sub Pop. Their fourth album, Gentlemen in 1993, was their major label debut, released on Elektra Records. Pitchfork described them as "one of the few alt-bands to flourish on a major label" in the 1990s.
Dulli frequently claimed in interviews that the band would never get back together following their dissolution in 2001; however the group reunited in 2012.
Band history
Early years and Big Top Halloween (1986–1988) Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), John Curley (bass), and Steve Earle (drums) formed the band in Cincinnati late in 1986. The Afghan Whigs had evolved out of Dulli's previous band, the Black Republicans, a band that Curley later joined. Curley attended a number of Black Republicans shows and approached Dulli and "made it a point to tell the vocalist he was a better bassist than the one in the Black Republicans". Curley would introduce Dulli to McCollum, a frequent jam partner who was famed on the local Cincinnati scene for his innovative use of effects pedals. McCollum and Dulli would bond over their shared love of R&B, in fact the first song the Afghan Whigs ever rehearsed was a cover of the Temptations' "Psychedelic Shack". Dulli later described the intent behind the Afghan Whigs was to exist as "a cross between the Band, the Temptations, and Neil Young playing with Crazy Horse". The name the Afghan Whigs was coined by Curley "as a play on the Black Republicans".Gendron, p. 16
In the wake of the Black Republicans' breakup Dulli had decamped to Arizona, where he composed half the material for what would become the Afghan Whigs' debut album Big Top Halloween (1988), self-released on the band's own Ultrasuede label. "We were running through what were the first songs I'd ever written to do some demos, so we were playing really loose," Dulli recalls. "And then all of a sudden, I found out John was having covers made." While only a thousand copies of Big Top Halloween would be pressed initially, one of them managed to capture the attention of Jonathan Poneman, the co-founder of influential Seattle-based indie label Sub Pop, which signed the Afghan Whigs in 1989. Initially Sub Pop planned for the Whigs to release only a one-off single, but that soon led to a full-blown record contract with the label.
Signing to Sub Pop and Up in It (1989–1990) Upon signing to Sub Pop, the Afghan Whigs became the label’s second band to not originate in the Pacific Northwest region. In 1990, Sub Pop put out the Afghan Whigs' second album Up in It. Largely recorded by Nirvana producer Jack Endino and featuring the college-radio hit "Retarded", Up in It received a favorable reception with music critics upon release.
To support the album's release, the Afghan Whigs went on a package tour with Mudhoney and Boston underground band Bullet LaVolta. Up in It was followed by a limited edition single released by No.6 Records under the name "Ornament", which included vocals by Scrawl singer Marcy Mays (who would later contribute lead vocals to the band's song "My Curse" off the album Gentlemen).
Congregation and Uptown Avondale (1992) With the 1992 album Congregation and covers EP, Uptown Avondale, the band developed what would become their signature sound, blending soul with psychedelic sprawl and punk abandon. Critics noted the combination of Stax and Motown influences with indie rock sonics on the band's material. Uptown Avondale featured covers of hits by soul acts such as the Supremes.
Videos for notable Congregation songs like "Conjure Me" and "Turn On the Water" would receive airplay on MTV, which began to regularly cover the Afghan Whigs as a new band to watch. The Afghan Whigs would also tour extensively during this period, including a U.S. jaunt with Scottish indie rockers Teenage Fanclub.
Signing to Elektra and Gentlemen (1993) Building on the buzz that welcomed Congregation, the Afghan Whigs soon signed to a major label, Elektra Records, following a bidding war that resulted in a contract so lucrative, it featured a clause that allowed for the funding of a Dulli-scripted feature film that ultimately was never made. For their major label debut, the Afghan Whigs ensconced themselves in Ardent Studios in Memphis, where Big Star, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, and ZZ Top had recorded. The result of those sessions was the 1993 album Gentlemen.
Gentlemen received a positive review from Rolling Stone. Critics would go on to praise it for its unflinching, self-flagellating lyrics, and a decisive stylistic break with the grunge-style epitomized by Nirvana and Mudhoney. Gentlemen would place at No. 17 on The Village Voices "Pazz & Jop" critic's poll for 1993.
Gentlemen proved to be the Afghan Whigs' most commercially successful release, and by 1996 it had sold 130,000 copies in the United States. The singles "Debonair" (a Modern Rock Top 20 hit) and "Gentlemen" received regular airplay on MTV and college radio. Another album track, "Fountain and Fairfax" appeared on the television series My So-Called Life in 1994. The lead vocals on "My Curse" were sung not by Dulli, but by singer Marcy Mays of Scrawl – allegedly because the lyrics documenting the violent dissolution of a relationship were so personal, Dulli couldn't sing it.
Black Love era (1996) Following the promotion of Gentlemen, the Afghan Whigs further expanded into the public eye. In 1996, Dulli served as executive producer for the soundtrack for the Ted Demme film Beautiful Girls. The Afghan Whigs appeared in the film as a bar band and contributed two songs to the soundtrack: Frederick Knight's "Be for Real" and Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe". Dulli also was the only musician other than Dave Grohl to appear on the debut album from Foo Fighters.
Eventually, work began on the Afghan Whigs' fifth full-length album, which would be called Black Love upon its release in 1996. The band started writing demos in March 1995; the recording took place in both Seattle and Memphis-based studios featuring new drummer Paul Buchignani, who had replaced Steve Earle.
Although previous releases explored liquor-drenched obsession, secrets and misery, Black Love stepped into a darker, seedier and complex side of Dulli's persona, passionately taking his obsession with murder and paranoia to their logical ends. Dulli himself noted that the songs had a conceptual framework that reflected the structure of a film, influenced by noir-influenced writer James Ellroy and violent neo-noir films like Blood Simple. Other influences included pulp fiction novels, Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon and the crime photographs of Weegee. Other lyrical inspirations included the troubled life of Temptations singer David Ruffin for the song "Blame, Etc." The album opener, "Crime Scene Part One", was allegedly influenced by the story of then-unproduced screenplay for the film The Million Dollar Hotel.
Commercially, Black Love peaked at No. 79 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The album also received critical praise for capturing the power of the Whigs' live show in a studio recording; its lush yet funky musicality garnered comparisons to the Rolling Stones in their 1970s-era prime and standing out once again from the day's more conventional alternative rock in its distinctive embrace of black-music idioms. The Whigs promoted Black Love with extensive touring, including a jaunt of large venues opening for a Neil Young tour that also featured Jewel.
Legal dispute with Elektra and signing to Sony/Columbia for 1965 (1998) In the wake of Black Love commercial disappointment, the Afghan Whigs said they suffered neglect and dishonest business dealings with their label, Elektra. Eventually, the two parted ways and the Whigs signed to Columbia Records for their next album, 1965. The unamicable parting resulted in Dulli being treated for depression, providing subject matter for songs like "Neglekted" which was featured on the band's next full-length effort. The song had originally been named "Sylvia" as a swipe against then-Elektra head, Sylvia Rhone.
After a year's hiatus during which Dulli began another project known as the Twilight Singers, the Afghan Whig's went to Daniel Lanois' famed studio in New Orleans to record 1965, named after the year both Dulli and Curley were born. Influenced again by film noir, as well as the urban wordplay of rappers like Nas, 1965 received positive reviews in the press, praising, in particular, the band's continued flair for blending soul styles with rock. In addition to their headlining dates, the Afghan Whigs went on tour with Aerosmith as the classic rock group's opening act. During the live dates for 1965, Dulli got in an altercation with a stagehand following an Austin, Texas concert date and suffered a head injury that left him in a coma. Two months after Dulli's recovery, however, the group returned to the road.
Break up (2001) In 2001, the Afghan Whigs broke up by circulating a press release announcement which was picked up by the major music press. In it, the band claimed their geographic disparity and family obligations of its core members made it impossible for them to create new material together. In further interviews, Dulli clarified that theirs was an amicable split, and did not necessarily represent an "official breakup".
Reunion (2006, 2011–present)
In 2006, the Afghan Whigs temporarily reunited. The lineup recorded two new tracks ("I'm a Soldier" and "Magazine") featured on their retrospective titled Unbreakable: A Retrospective 1990–2006, released on June 5, 2007, through Rhino Records, which critics noted rated on a par with the band's material released during its prime.
The band would not perform again until a December 7, 2011, press release from the promoters of All Tomorrow's Parties announced that the Afghan Whigs would reunite and play at their I'll Be Your Mirror events on May 27, 2012, in London, followed by an appearance at Pier 36 in New York City on September 22, 2012. A week later it was announced that the band would also be performing at both Primavera Sound festivals in 2012. In April of that year, it was revealed that the revitalized the Afghan Whigs would be playing the 2012 edition of Lollapalooza. Dulli clarified in interviews that playing the Afghan Whigs with Curley on a 2010 solo tour and meeting with McCollum anew during that period directly led to plans of reforming for live performance.
On May 22, 2012, the reunited the Afghan Whigs (minus drummer Steve Earle) made their debut performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, playing one new song, the soul cover "See and Don't See", and old favorite "I'm Her Slave" from Congregation. The reunited Whigs played their first full concert the next night at Manhattan venue the Bowery Ballroom, receiving critical accolades from the major media. "Regardless of how the surprising reunion of The Afghan Whigs turns out, their show last night at the Bowery Ballroom will go down as the '90s alt-rock heroes' greatest concert ever", Glenn Gamboa wrote in Newsday; meanwhile, Steve Kandell noted in a Spin review: