The Belgian Waffles!

The Belgian Waffles!
The Belgian Waffles!
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Background information
Origin	Bloomington, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky
Genres	Experimental, Noise Rock, Freeform Jazz, Krautrock, Psychedelic Rock, Avant-Garde, Punk Rock
Years active	1986 - 2006, 2014
Labels	Adept Recordings, Gubbey Records, Dollar Store Revolt
Associated acts	Black Kaspar, The Sick City Four, Suspected Terrorists, Kark, Sapat, Hoosier Pete, Crappy Nightmareville, Witchypoo, Unwound, Secret Drum Band
Website	The Belgian Waffles! on Musical Family Tree

The Belgian Waffles! are an anarchist collective originally based out of Bloomington, Indiana but later based out of Louisville, Kentucky. Forming in 1986 and moving to Louisville in 1995, The Belgian Waffles! had quickly been cited as leaders of the Louisville "free jazz" movement (Alongside Crappy Nightmareville)^[1] though The Belgian Waffles! refute the jazz label. The band would compose free-form sounds ranging from deconstructed blues to psychedelic kraut rock to punk, often with spoken word vocals or even rambling poetry. The band attained a reputation in the Louisville scene for their crushing and loud shows, often leading to the band getting banned from some venues and even fights.^[2]

Through their twenty year run the band released a single 7" amid a wide range of DIY-produced CD-Rs, often containing either studio recordings, improvisations of full live sets.

History[]

The Belgian Waffles! would form circa 1986 in Bloomington, Indiana with Tony Woollard, Matt Whitaker and Sean McCloud as the founding members, with Bill Zink joining not long after. The early days of the band saw them in DIY venues, often with a rotating lineup. The band performed in various parts of the Midwest, often sharing the stage with a wide range of artists be it avant-garde, punk rock or even nationally known bands such as Big Black.^[3] Eventually Dan Willems, Chris Willems and Heather Floyd would join the band in 1990, establishing the sextet lineup that remained thereafter though on occasion the band would perform as a trio, quartet or quintet when certain members were unavailable.

The band would release two studio/live cassettes in the early 1990s (1992's Soundman's Delight and 1995's Tulip Engine.) and perform in Indiana and Kentucky. In 1995 all six members of the group would re-locate to Louisville and release their eponymous 7" EP the next year. The band also notably performed with locals such as King Kong and Crappy Nightmareville and performed at the Destroy All Music! Festival in Chicago.^[4] Throughout the years the band were a staple in the Louisville underground scene, regularly performing at venues such as The Rudyard Kipling.

The band would host a 20th anniversary performance at The Rudyard Kipling on 21 January 2006. However five months later The Belgian Waffles! would disband, with Bill, Dan, Chris and Heather moving on to other projects such as The Suspected Terrorists, The Sick City Four and Black Kaspar. The core sextet lineup would reunite and perform at the fifth annual Cropped Out on 26 September 2014.^[5]

Discography[]

The_Belgian_Waffles!_20th_Anniversary_Show_01_21_06 — The Belgian Waffles! 20th Anniversary Show 01 21 06

The_Belgian_Waffles!_Live_at_JWAC — The Belgian Waffles! Live at JWAC

Soundman's Delight (Studio Album) (1992, UGCO Records)
Tulip Engine (Studio/Live Cassette) (1995, Adept Recordings)^[6]
The Belgian Waffles! (7" EP) (1996, Adept Recordings)
4tet 2 Nov 97 (Live Album) (1998, Adept Recordings)^[7]
Relaxin' At Caritas (Studio Album) (1999, Adept Recordings)
Flat Black Huey/Live in Chicago (Live Album) (1999, Adept Recordings)^[8]
TBW! 3 (Live Album) (1999, Adept Recordings)
TBW! 4 (Live Album) (2000?, Adept Recordings)^[9]
The Sparks Show (Live Album) (2000, Adept Recordings)^[10]
Punk/Jazz (EP) (2003, Adept Recordings)^[11]
Live 2003 (Live Album) (2020, Dollar Store Revolt)

Members[]

Last Known Lineup[]

Matt Whitaker - Bass, Flute (1986 - 2006, 2014)
Tony Woollard - Guitar, Trumpet, Cornet, Vocals (1986 - 2006, 2014)
Bill Zink - Guitar, Drums (1986 - 2006, 2014)
Dan Willems - Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Guitar (1990 - 2006, 2014)
Chris Willems - Tenor Saxophone, Guitar (1990 - 2006, 2014)
Heather Floyd - Drums, Trumpet, Soprano Saxophone (1990 - 2006, 2014)

Past Members[]

Sean McCloud - Drums? (1986 - ?)
Chet Chmielewski - Keyboards, Turntables, Electronics (1988 - ?)
Sara Lund - Drums (1989 - ?)
Vid Warren - Trumpet, Mayhem (1988 - ?)
Ed Emmer - Poetry, Ranting (1989)
Ian Rans - Performer (1990)
Alex Cosby - Performer (Unknown Time Period)
Bill Weaver - Poetry, Ranting (Unknown Time Period)
Jim Manion - Drums (Unknown Time Period)
Bob Wagner - Drums (Unknown Time Period)
Keith Welch - Drums (Unknown Time Period)
Eric Rensberger - Clarinet (Unknown Time Period)

External Links[]

References[]

[1] The Belgian Waffles! via Wayback MachineCOMPOSITION VS FREEDOM, accessed 4 July 2020

[2] The Belgian Waffles! via Wayback Machine

[3] Setlist.fm

[4] Adept Recordings

[5] Setlist.fm

[6] The Belgian Waffles! via Wayback Machine

[7] The Belgian Waffles! via Wayback Machine

[8] The Belgian Waffles! via Wayback Machine

[9] The Belgian Waffles! via Wayback Machine

[10] The Belgian Waffles! via Wayback Machine

[11] Adept Recordings via Wayback Machine

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