In recent years, the band has been regarded as influential by many of their peers, including Operation Ivy, Green Day , Jawbreaker , Screeching Weasel and Less Than Jake , among others. A tribute album to both Crimpshrine and Fifteen , called Can You Spare a Dime? , was released…
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The group broke up in May 1989 shortly after the release of the Quit Talkin’ Claude… EP. Cometbus went on to perform in Pinhead Gunpowder among many other bands, Ott went on to front Fifteen , Curran joined Monsula and Rypins became the bassist for Tilt and later the Tantrums.
Crimpshrine then embarked on their only United States tour in September 1988. The tour was a contentious one, with Idon Bryant and Pete Rypins abruptly leaving the band in Gainesville, Florida , and heading home. Stuck in Florida without a bassist, friends Ben Weasel and John Jughead of Screeching Weasel…
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Although closely associated with the Gilman Street Project , Cometbus was quick to note in a 1988 interview with Flipside magazine that they were not a direct product of Gilman, having been established as a band years before the launch of the club. “We helped them as much as they…
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After Rypins joined, they played shows sporadically during its early years, with vocalist Ott living on the streets of Berkeley for a time. In February 1987, the group recorded their first demo tape at 924 Gilman Street , which received enough circulation that Maximumrocknroll asked the band to record songs…
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Crimpshrine originally formed in 1982 under the name S.A.G. with Aaron Cometbus playing guitar and Jesse Michaels (later of Operation Ivy ) on vocals, both 13 years old. Michaels initially attempted to play guitar, but “didn’t know any chords, so I played with my thumb”. According to Cometbus, the band…
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