Medicine
US indie rock crew featuring Beth Thompson (b. 12 June 1967, St Louis, Missouri, USA; vocals), Brad Laner (b. 6 November 1966, Los Angeles, California, USA; vocals, guitar), Jim Putnam (b. 30 September 1967, Hollywood, California, USA; guitar), Jim Goodall (b. 9 May 1952, Burbank, California, USA; drums) and Ed Ruscha (b. Edward Joseph Ruscha, 14 December 1968, Inglewood, California, USA; bass). Each of this membership had performed as part of other bands. Thompson had worked with Four Way Cross, Laner with Savage Republic and Steaming Coils, Putnam with SDF, Magic Beard and Bus Engines, Ruscha with SDF, Maids Of Gravity, Pita Hawks, Magic Beard and Dumb Speedway Children. The eldest member of the sect, Goodall has seen service with such established bands as the Platters, Flying Burrito Brothers and Canadian Sweetheart. Taking their name from an old Throbbing Gristle song, the group made their bow in Long Beach, California, in September 1991 (they had already been picked up for radio broadcast by west coast alternative radio guru Rodney Bingenheimer). Signed to English label Creation, they made their recorded debut in August 1992 with Aruca, which prefaced a well-received debut album. However, they would leave the UK independent's roster shortly afterwards, and sightings were fewer thenceforth until the release of SOUNDS OF MEDICINE, a mini-album with remixes by Billy Corgan ( Smashing Pumpkins) and Robin Guthrie ( Cocteau Twins). Again, this could hardly be described as light-hearted fare, but as Thompson declared to the press: ‘I'm happy to make dark music. Fortunately you can't really make out our words so nobody's going to come to us and say we caused so and so's suicide’.