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Velocity Girl.

MEMBERS

John Barnett,(1988)

Bridget Cross, (-1990)

Bernie Grindle, (-1990)

Archie Moore,

Brian Nelson, (1990-)

Kelly Riles,

Sarah Shannon, (1990-)

Jim Spellman, (1990-)

HOMETOWN

Washington, D.C.

MOST POPULAR

¡Simpatico!

GREATEST HITS

Audrey's Eyes
Crazy Town
I Don't Care if You Go
My Forgotten Favorite
Not at All
Sorry Again

ALSO

VELOCITY GIRL at Slumberland

VELOCITY GIRL at Sub Pop

VELOCITY GIRL at All Music

DESCRIPTION

Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, although it was generally known as a Washington, DC-area band. The band released three albums and a abundance of singles before splitting up in 1996.

RELATED ARTISTS

AIR MIAMI (Bridget)

BIG JESUS TRASHCAN (Brian)

BLACK TAMBOURINE (Archie/Brian)

HEARTWORMS (Archie)

HIGH BACK CHAIRS (Jim)

STARRY EYES (Jim/Kelly/Sarah)

UNREST (Bridget)

Velocity Girl
live and in concert
Photo by [unknown]

Brian, Jim, Sarah, Kelly, Archie [L to R]
Photo by [unknown]

Jim, Sarah, Brian, Kelly, Archie
Photo by [unknown]

ORIGINAL BAND NAME

The Gotterdammacrats

PRIMARY SONGWRITER

Archie Moore

RECORD LABELS ASSOCIATED WITH

Slumberland,
Sub Pop

MORE FILMS

Audrey's Eyes

Crazy Town

I Can't Stop Smiling

Nothing

Sorry Again

FILM

NOT AT ALL

Performed live (with original member Bridget Cross) at 9:30, Washington, D.C., 1990.

ALWAYS / MALIBU

Performed live (with original member Bridget Cross) at 9:30, Washington, D.C., 1990.

BIOGRAPHY

Marrying the feedback-drenched sonic assault of the British shoegazer scene with the melodic immediacy of classic pop - an approach critics dubbed "bubblegrunge" - Velocity Girl emerged as one of the most successful and acclaimed indie rock bands of the early '90s. Their roots lay in the short-lived Gotterdammacrats, which formed in Silver Spring, MD in September 1988 around the nucleus of singer/guitarist Archie Moore, bassist Kelly Riles, guitarist John Barnett, and drummer Berny Grindel. Barnett exited following the first performance, and after playing a series of gigs as a three-piece, the group welcomed vocalist Bridget Cross in the summer of 1989 and adopted the name Velocity Girl, borrowing the moniker from an early B-side by the then-obscure British band Primal Scream. As the year drew to a close, the band made its recorded debut with "Clock," a contribution to the compilation What Kind of Heaven Do You Want?, the first release on the fledgling local label Slumberland. Drummer Jim Spellman replaced Grindel in the fall of 1990, and after completing the single "I Don't Care if You Go," Cross left the lineup early the following year; she soon resurfaced in another seminal D.C. indie band, Unrest.

Singer Sarah Shannon was tapped as Cross' replacement, and a week after adding second guitarist Brian Nelson - Moore's bandmate in the pioneering Black Tambourine - Velocity Girl entered the studio to record its breakthrough single, 1991's "My Forgotten Favorite." The record was a major college radio favorite, and brought the group to the attention of the Sub Pop label, which released a split single featuring Velocity Girl and fellow D.C.-area band Tsunami in early 1992. Velocity Girl remained with Sub Pop to issue its 1993 full-length debut Copacetic - a much-acclaimed set featuring the singles "Crazy Town" and "Audrey's Eyes," its ingratiating noise-pop approach proved pivotal in expanding Sub Pop's image beyond that of merely a Seattle grunge label, and at the time Copacetic was the second biggest seller in the company's history, behind only Nirvana's Bleach. The follow-up, Simpatico, was even more successful, generating the minor hit "Sorry Again." 1996's Gilded Stars and Zealous Hearts was far less fulfilling creatively and commercially, however, and after completing the album Shannon relocated to Seattle. The group's days were clearly numbered, and a U.S. tour culminated in a farewell show at Baltimore's 8x10 Club that September. After Velocity Girl dissolved, Shannon, Riles, and Spellman reunited in the short-lived Starry Eyes, while Moore - who also helmed a side project, the Heartworms - later resurfaced as a member of the acclaimed the Saturday People.

- Jason Ankeny, All Music

DISCOGRAPHY

SINGLES

I Don't Care If You Go
My Forgotten Favorite
split single with Tsunami
split holiday single with Tsunami
Crazy Town
Audrey's Eyes
Sorry Again
I Can't Stop Smiling
Labrador
Your Silent Face
Seven Seas
Nothing
split single with Chisel
split single with Magnapop

ALBUMS

Velocity Girl [collection]
Copacetic
¡Simpatico!
Gilded Stars and Zealous Hearts

COMPILATIONS

The Pre-Moon Syndrome
What Kind of Heaven Do You Want?
Teen-Beat Fifty
Screw
Sassy
One Last Kiss
Fortune Cookie Prize
WMBR Presents: Clear The Room!
Lutz R. Mastmeyer: Sub Pop Employee
Lime Lizard
The Machines 1990-1993
Club Spangle Number Two
Curtis W. Pitts: Sub Pop Employee
The John Peel Sub Pop Sessions 1989-1993
Tomorrow's Hits Today
CMJ New Music September, No.13
That Virtua Feeling
Street Mix, Music from Volkswagen (Vol.1)
Say Hello To The Far East
Score! Twenty Years of Merge Records

SOUNTRACKS

Clueless

RELATED

Air Miami
Black Tambourine
Bridget / Kathi / Doug
The Highback Chairs
Peter Hayes
Julie Ocean
Maybe It's Reno
Piper Cub
Heartworms
The Saturday People
Sarah Shannon
Starry Eyes
Unrest
Whorl

SONGS

57 Waltz
A Chang
The All-Consumer
Always
Anatomy of a Gutless Wonder
Audrey's Eyes
Blackzilla
Blue In Spite
Breaking Lines
Candy Apples
Catching Squirrels
Clock
Copacetic
Crazy Town
Creepy
Diamond Jubilee
Drug Girls
Finest Hour
For The Record
Forgotten Favorite
Formula 1 Throwaway
Gilded Stars
Go Coastal
Here Comes
Hey You, Get Off My Moon
I Can't Stop Smiling
I Don't Care If You Go
I Don't Care If You Go (Acoustic)
It's Not For You
Just Like That
Labrador
Lisa Librarian
Living Well
Lose Something
Marzipan
Medio Core
Merry Christmas, I Love You
Not At All
Nothing
One Word
The Only Ones
Pop Loser
Pretty Sister
Rubble
Same Old City
Seven Seas
Sorry Again
Stupid Thing
Tales of Brave Aphrodite
There's Only One Thing Left to Say
Tripping Wires
Wake Up, I'm Leaving
Warm / Crawl
What You Left Behind
What You Say
Why Should I Be Nice to You?
Your Silent Face
You're So Good to Me
Zealous Heart