Biography
The Kung Fools were formed by Jim Blackwell (guitar/vocals), Tim Kelly (bass/vocals) and Ellen W. (drums/vocals) in a basement in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1992. Influenced by the Ramones, Slim Whitman, and professional wrestling, a six-song demo cassette was released in the summer of 1993 with the band playing every show they could get.
Ellen left in early 1995 and John Mulhouse (Bombsite, Saint Jude’s Day) took over drumming. A session was recorded shortly afterward and two songs, “Johnny B. Insane” and “Old Man and the Sea,” appeared on the “No Slow. …All Go!” 2xLP/CD of Minneapolis punk bands. The song “Riot” later appeared on the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Water” compilation on Just Add Water Records and “Animal” was included on the “It Should’ve Been a Record” CD, released on Ape City.
The band broke up in 1997 but reformed for a show in 2005 to celebrate the posthumous release of a 4-song 7” on Super Scenes Records.
A second reunion occurred for the Extreme Noise 20th Anniversary Festival in April 2014. “Modern Woes & Basement Shows,” a compilation of mostly previously unreleased material, was issued in an edition of 200 for the event. It is rumored that vocals will be added to several unfinished songs recorded in 1997 and this final session made available.
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