{{Short description|American punk rock band}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Alice Donut | origin = New York City, United States | genre = Grunge, punk rock, psychedelic rock | years_active = 1986–1996, 2001–present | label = Alternative Tentacles,<br />Howler Records | website = {{URL|http://www.alicedonut.com}} | current_members = *Tomas Antona *Stephen Moses *Michael Jung *Sissi Schulmeister *David Giffen | past_members = *Richard Marshall *Ted Houghton *Tom Meltzer }}
'''Alice Donut''' is a punk rock band from New York City formed in 1986.<ref name=at>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110603231855/http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=alicedonut ''Alice Donut'' on Alternativetentacles.com]</ref> The band released six albums before splitting up in 1996. They reformed in 2001.
==History== ===1986–1996: Formation to split=== Alice Donut formed in 1986 after the demise of the Sea Beasts, a band at Columbia University, the name soon trimmed from the initial Alice Donut Liver Henry Moore, a play on ''Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore''.<ref name="TNY">''The New Yorker'', Volume 85, 2009, Issues 31-39, p. 11</ref> Ted Houghton, Tomas Antona, Dave Giffen and Tom Meltzer recruited drummer Stephen Moses and quickly found a substantial audience at CBGB. Guitarist Michael Jung soon replaced Meltzer. The band's first commercial release was the ''Donut Comes Alive'' album, released in 1988 on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label,<ref>Ankeny, Jason "[https://www.allmusic.com/album/donut-comes-alive-mw0000083228 ''Donut Comes Alive'' Review]", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref><ref name="Jenkins">Jenkins, Mark (1989) "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/04/07/alice-donut-rising-from-the-dead/7068525c-9578-4fb6-abf3-8a1d3995e89a/?noredirect=on Alice Donut Rising from the Dead]", ''The Washington Post'', April 7, 1989. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref> followed in 1989 with ''Bucketfulls of Sickness and Horror in an Otherwise Meaningless Life''.<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, {{ISBN|1-84195-335-0}}, p. 196</ref><ref name="Mason1">Mason, Stewart "[https://www.allmusic.com/album/bucketfulls-of-sickness-and-horror-in-an-otherwise-meaningless-life-mw0000201329 ''Bucketfulls of Sickness and Horror in an Otherwise Meaningless Life'' Review]", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref>
In August 1990, the band's debut single, a cover version of "My Boyfriend's Back", preceded third album ''Mule'', released the following month, and described by ''Trouser Press'' as "challenging and invigorating".<ref name="Strong" /><ref>Raggett, Ned "[https://www.allmusic.com/album/mule-mw0000311266 ''Mule'' Review]", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref><ref name="Robbins">Robbins, Ira & Sprague, David "[http://trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=alice_donut Alice Donut]", ''Trouser Press''. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref> ''Revenge Fantasies of the Impotent'' was released in May 1991 (and later included in Andrew Earles' ''Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996''),<ref name="Earles">Earles, Andrew (2014) ''Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996'', Voyageur Press, {{ISBN|978-0760346488}}, p. 14</ref> and included an instrumental cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs".<ref name="Strong" /><ref>Ankeny, Jason "[https://www.allmusic.com/album/revenge-fantasies-of-the-impotent-mw0000083264 ''Revenge Fantasies of the Impotent'' Review]", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref> Austrian born Bassist Sissi Schulmeister joined the band before the end of the year,<ref name="Schramm">Schramm, Stephen (2017) "[https://today.duke.edu/2017/12/blue-devil-week-rocker-blends-creativity-and-web-design Blue Devil of the Week: Rocker Blends Creativity and Web Design]", today.duke.edu, December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref> with Richard Marshall also joining on guitar.<ref name="Strong" />
The band's fifth album, ''The Untidy Suicides of Your Degenerate Children'', was released in September 1992; It was described by ''CD Review'' as "a peculiar mixture of ornate and wicked little bits about suicide, strippers, and a disgruntled ex-postal worker".<ref>''CD Review'', Volume 9, Issues 7-12, WGE, 1993</ref> It would be over three years before the bands's next studio album, ''Pure Acid Park'',<ref name="Stewart">Stewart, Allison (1995) "[https://books.google.com/books?id=My0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Alice+Donut%22&pg=PA28 ''Pure Acid Park'' Review]", ''CMJ New Music Monthly'', September 1995, p. 28. Retrieved December 14, 2018 via Google Books</ref> although a (mostly) live album, ''Dry-Humping the Cash Cow'', came out in 1994.<ref name="Strong" /><ref>Raggett, Ned "[https://www.allmusic.com/album/dry-humping-the-cash-cow-mw0000114135 ''Dry Humping the Cash Cow'' Review]", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref>
The band decided to call it a day after playing their 1,000th show, in London on November 25, 1995, and confirmed the split in February 1996.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20181215022218/http://www.mtv.com/news/505098/dunkin-donuts-alice-donut-calls-it-quits/ Dunkin' Donuts: Alice Donut Calls It Quits]", MTV, February 2, 1996. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref> The band's many shows between 1988 and 1996 included tours of the United States, Europe, and Japan,<ref name=at/> including a performance at the Reading Festival in 1993.
Moses went on to briefly join Rasputina, while Antona and Schulmeister got married and relocated to Durham, North Carolina.<ref name="Schramm" /><ref name="Bush">Bush, John "[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alice-donut-mn0000005985/biography Alice Donut Biography]", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref>
===Reunion=== In 2001, Alice Donut started recording and writing again and in 2003 ''Three Sisters'', their first release after their hiatus, was recorded as a four-piece with Tom Antona on vocals, Michael Jung on guitar, Stephen Moses on drums and Sissi Schulmeister on bass.<ref name="Bush" /><ref>Buchanan, Jason "[https://www.allmusic.com/album/three-sisters-bonus-video-mw0000205294 ''Three Sisters'' Review]", Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref>
Guitarist Dave Giffen rejoined the group for ''Fuzz'', which was recorded in Brooklyn's BC Studio with longtime co-producer Martin Bisi, mixed and engineered by Joel Hamilton, and released on September 5, 2006.<ref name="Bush" />
The band's tenth studio album followed, ''Ten Glorious Animals'', released in September 2009, again on Alternative Tentacles.<ref name="Bush" /><ref>Cooke, Jennifer (2009) "[https://www.popmatters.com/111576-alice-donut-ten-glorious-animals-2496084701.html Alice Donut, Ten Glorious Animals]", PopMatters, September 29, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2018</ref>
In 2011, the band's 25th anniversary was marked with the documentary ''Freaks in Love''.<ref name="Bush" /> In 2012, the ''Freaks in love'' compilation was released. Alice Donut still performs live on some occasions, like a show in 2014 in France and 2017 in Baltimore, MD at Ottobar.
On November 11, 2016, Tomas Antona stated on Facebook that Alice Donut are writing a new album. No completion or release date was given.
==Musical style== The band has been described as "punk...with elements of oddball country and funk" by Allmusic writer John Bush,<ref name="Bush" /> and as "abstract metal" by Andrew Earles.<ref name="Earles" /> ''The New Yorker'' described the band as a "dadaist punk ensemble" playing "oddball psychedelic noise-rock with a spiky sense of humor".<ref name="TNY" /> ''Trouser Press'' described the band as "a little bit Zappa, a little bit cacophonous punk", calling it "a belated East Coast response to the Dickies and Redd Kross".<ref name="Robbins" /> Critics also drew comparisons with artists such as Butthole Surfers, Frank Zappa, and G.G. Allin.<ref name="Mason1" /><ref name="Robbins" /><ref name="Earles" /><ref name="Stewart" />
==Members== * Tomas Antona – vocals, drums * Stephen Moses – drums, trombone * Michael Jung – guitar, keyboard, vocals * Sissi Schulmeister – bass, banjo, vocals, accordion, guitar * David Giffen – guitar, banjo, vocals * Richard Marshall – guitar, vocals (1990–1995) * Ted Houghton – Bass, vocals (1986–1990) * Tom Meltzer – guitar, vocals (1986–1987)
==Discography==
===Demos=== * ''Dork Me Bangladesh'' (1987)
===Albums=== ====Studio==== * ''Donut Comes Alive'' (1988), Alternative Tentacles * ''Bucketfulls of Sickness and Horror in an Otherwise Meaningless Life'' (1989), Alternative Tentacles * ''Mule'' (1990), Alternative Tentacles * ''Revenge fantasies of the impotent'' (1990), Alternative Tentacles * ''The Untidy Suicides of your Degenerate Children'' (1992), Alternative Tentacles * ''Pure Acid Park'' (1995), Alternative Tentacles * ''Three Sisters'' (2004), Howler * ''Fuzz'' (2006), Howler * ''Ten Glorious Animals'' (2009), Alternative Tentacles
====Live==== * ''Dry-humping the Cash Cow'' (1994), Alternative Tentacles – live
====Compilations==== * ''Freaks in Love'' (2011), Alternative Tentacles – compilation * ''Poof.'' (2013), MVD
===Singles and EPs=== * "My Boyfriend's Back"/"Demonologist" 7" (1990), Alternative Tentacles * "Get A Life" 7" (1990), Vital * ''The Ass Trilogy'' 12" (1991), Alternative Tentacles * "Love Rollercoaster"/"Egg" (1991), Rave – split with Da Willys * "Magdalene" 7" (1992), Alternative Tentacles * "Blood On The Tundra"/"Bottom Of The Chain" 7" (1993), HeartFirst – split with Ice Princess * "Medication" 7" (1993), Alternative Tentacles * "Nadine" 7" (1994), Alternative Tentacles * ''Michael Gerald's Party Machine Presents'' 7" (1996), Touch and Go – split with Killdozer * ''Free Electric State'' 7" (2010), 307 Knox – split with Free Electric State
===VHS=== * ''Video Monstrosity'' (1994), Alternative Tentacles
===DVD=== * ''London, There's a Curious Lump in My Sack'' (2004), Punkervision * ''Freaks in Love: :: A Quarter Century in Underground Rock with ALICE DONUT'' (2012) * ''Poof.'' (2013), MVD
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{cite news |last=Peterson |first=Karla |date=26 March 1993 |title=Alice Donut's rock is an acquired taste -- or lack thereof |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune}} * {{cite news |last=Reinert |first=Jed |date=30 June 2000 |title=Alice Donut saved the best album for last |newspaper=Intelligencer Journal |location=Lancaster, PA}} * {{cite news |last=Righi |first=Len |date=21 October 2006 |title=Coming full circle ** All the right ingredients in place for full Alice Donut band reunion |newspaper=The Morning Call |location=Allentown, PA}} * {{cite book |last=Blush |first=Steven |author-link=Steven Blush |date=2016 |title=New York Rock: From the Rise of The Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ezTpDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA276 |publisher=St. Martin's Press|page=276|isbn=978-1-250-08361-6}}
==External links== * {{Official website|http://www.alicedonut.com}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110603231855/http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=alicedonut The Alternative Tentacles biography] * {{IMDb title|qid=Q123511968|title=Freaks in Love}}
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Category:Alternative Tentacles artists Category:Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Category:Punk rock groups from New York (state) Category:Musical groups from New York City Category:1986 establishments in New York City Category:Musical groups established in 1986