The Queers, The Ataris

The Queers are punk rock band formed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1982. Their sound is heavily influenced by the Ramones and '60s bubblegum pop and their songs often feature humorous and juvenile lyrics. The original line up consisted of Joe King (2) (Vocals/Guitar), Tulu (2) (Vocals/Bass), and Wimpy (2) Rutherford (Drums). The band released one 7" EP with this line up. In 1984, the band released a second 7", this time with Tulu on drums, Wimpy singing, and Keith Hages playing bass. The band split shortly afterwards but Joe would occasionally use the name throughout the '80s, playing with various line-ups (King's most frequent collaborators were JJ Rassler (guitar) and Hugh O'Neill (2) (drums)) for sporadic shows in Boston and New Hampshire, although there were no recordings created at this time, and by the end of the decade the band had pretty much become inactive.

In 1990, King and O'Neill decided to get the band going again and recorded the band's first LP, "Grow Up". Around the same time, The Queers became acquainted with Screeching Weasel, beginning a long-term association between the two bands. After the "Grow Up" LP, King and O'Neill met Chris Barnard, aka B-Face, who would join as the group's bassist and this would constitute the "classic" Queers line-up (although O'Neill would be in and out of the band and the band would generally tour with a second guitarist). The group signed with Lookout! Records in 1993 for the album "Love Songs For The Retarded" (produced by Ben Weasel) and stayed through 1996's "Don't Back Down". After that, the classic line-up split for good, with B-Face quitting due to growing tension between him and Joe and O'Neill being diagnosed with brain cancer (he would pass away in January 1999).

The Queers would continue with Joe recording and touring with an ever-rotating cast of backing musicians. The band jumped to Hopeless Records for 2 LPs and returned to Lookout! in 2002 for one album before departing the label for good, eventually reclaiming all their albums from the label in 2006 due to a lack of royalty payments. The band currently records for Asian Man Records.

In 2001, the original line up of Joe King, Wimpy, and Tulu reunited and recorded and EP under the name "Drunken Cholos".


Formed in 1996, The Ataris went on to sell hundreds of thousands of albums on small independent label Kung Fu Records before signing to Columbia Records in 2001.?? In 2003, the band released their career-defining album,??So Long, Astoria, which sold over a million copies and spawned the hits,??In this Diary, The Saddest Song??and??Boys of Summer.?? Headlining multiple Warped Tours and selling out major tours of their own, the classic line-up disbanded in 2004.??