Bongwater was an American psychedelic rock band, which formed in 1987 and dissolved in 1992. The group was founded by Ann Magnuson and Mark Kramer (who was also the founder of the Shimmy Disc record label), who had worked together previously in Pulsallama. The group also featured drummer David Licht and guitarists Dave Rick and later Randolph A. Hudson III. Guests included Fred Frith, Peter Stampfel and Fred Schneider.
If there was a band I kicked myself for missing out on when they were active, it's Bongwater. But I'm not sure you could call them a band in the traditional sense. Sometimes the best music makes you laugh out loud or just say to yourself "WTF" and on a consistent basis, that is what Bongwater's music does. Mark Kramer's winding layers of psychedelic-soaked sounds provided a shifting yet reliable base for bandmate Ann Magnuson's diverse, rather odd and poetic rants on a wide range of topics. Another notable feature were their covers, which were often radicalized takes on the originals. Even if it flopped, it was an interesting flop ("Bedazzled" from The Power of Pussy is a great example). I find it counterproductive to review each one of their albums, because they all follow the same general format, even though from album to album the tone does slightly change. All of their albums are recommended listening.
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