TWBA 101 ... a brief history of the cosmos

Let's start with the short version: Boy meets girl. Girl says she can sing. Boy invites girl to mom's basement for quick tryout with newly forming band. Girl opens mouth. Boy falls in love. The Whole Bolivian Army is born! (Cue soundtrack...)

If only it were that simple. Sure, the original boy and girl are still making googly eyes at each other on the stage, but, well... please note the following chart before we go any further:

Mind you, even the fancy equation above has a few faults. For one thing, it doesn't show all the drummers to grace the stage with us. Or the bass players. Oh, and it fails to highlight the times when we've been a five-piece band. But you get the idea. Maybe now you're ready for the long version.

It began innocently enough. Just north of Seattle, in a pleasant if slightly smug suburb, two boys, plenty old enough to buy a six-pack of animal beer at the local gas and sip but still young enough to entertain adolescent fantasies, were hashing out songs with a Roland drum machine in Mrs. Kite's basement. It was the early 1990s and grunge, though growing tired nationally, was still alive and kicking in the sweaty bowels of Seattle's ever-swank-and-hip club scene. "Is that Pearl Jam?" then drummer Art Chavez would quip months later as the band prepared to take the stage after another flannel-wearing quartet finished its set at the Off Ramp.

The two boys, former schoolmates Matt Kite (guitar) and Steve Miller (bass), had found not only a drummer but a singer, too. Fetching, diminutive, winsome -- Mary Beth Woistman (now Kite) turned heads as soon as she opened her mouth, from which poured forth enough high voltage to power the Emerald City in the dead of winter. Little girl. Big voice. "Hold on to her coattails," Steve's older brother whispered into his ear while recording the band's first demo, "she'll take you far."

Armed with quirky song titles like "Fish Dream" and "Yeast Infection Haiku," the newly formed band, having cut its teeth at the foot of Queen Anne in 1993 with a 5-song set at an open mike at the Romper Room, had already gained a modest amount of momentum when Art left the lineup. His exodus marked the beginning of a perplexing pattern that would soon put the members of Spinal Tap to shame. Good thing all eyes were on the 5'2" singer.

After releasing in 1995 an eclectic, if somewhat spastic EP entitled Hazen (named after the couple that loaned its services to the project: Dan Hazen, drums; Brenda Hazen, backup vocals and vicious cow bell), TWBA went to work solidifying its lineup with Dave Warburton on drums the following year. The result was its first full-length album, 1997's self-titled hodgepodge of artful bubble gum spaz rock (sic). Some of it was good. Some of it was not. Clearly, more than one direction was yearned for, thus with so much internal dissonance weighing heavily on the band's collective psyche, a secret and dastardly coup ensued, with bassist and cofounder Steve Miller the ultimate casualty. His replacement, Michigan transplant Jay Perry, emboldened budding songwriter Matt Kite to fully vent his spleen.

What followed was an orgiastic outpouring of often dark but occasionally cheeky material that made up the next two albums Spinner (1998) and Amnesty (1999). TWBA hit its stride, creatively and professionally, and many mountains were climbed and seas swum. Or is that swam?

With the apocalypse (Y2K) fast approaching, TWBA was running its own label, Gargantuan Records, and was playing an active role in the Seattle music community, spawning the foofy-free, estrogen-fortified Wilmafest and the grassroots co-op Gargantuan Productions. The band also donated performances and/or recordings to Amnesty International, Students Against Violence Everywhere, the Bread Alone Project, Home Alive, Seattle Peace Concerts, and the Washington State Arthritis Foundation, among others. Alas, it even headlined the fabled Crocodile Café on a Saturday night! But dark forces were conspiring to break its newfound rhythm.

Forgive us if our narrative suddenly lacks clarity, for here we come to a cluttered and confusing era, where the music and the muse were undercut by numerous personnel changes (Hello, Roger Johnson on drums! Hello, Chris Gunn on bass! Hello, Tommy Thew on second guitar!), personal decisions (Hello, parenthood! Hello, Port Townsend!), and well-intended but ill-conceived marketing decisions. Like most aspiring artist types, the band should have never been given the keys to the car. TWBA was only good at one thing. And it wasn't promotion (or follow through). Two albums emerged from the chaos: the moody and lovely Be (2001) and the mighty and angry War Stories (2003).

After TWBA lost its rhythm section en masse, Matt and Mary Beth toyed with the idea of going it alone, and producer Scott Ross captured the results on the atmospheric and experimental North by Nowhere (2006), the band's best listening album to date. TWBA briefly reformed a year and a half later, with Greg Strickland on bass, Chris G on drums, and Tommy on guitar, but the lineup only held together long enough to whip together a quick and punchy little EP, Morning After Food Poisoning in the South of France (2008), recorded at Tommy's not-quite-finished home studio.

Tired of beating its collective head against the proverbial wall, TWBA has since evolved into a rotating cast of players and projects, with the Kites the only remaining original members.

FAQ ... frequently asked questions

WHAT'S WITH THE NAME? Go rent Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

OK, WHO IS THE ARMY? That's a complicated question. Are you talking about the air-speed velocity of an African swallow or the European variety?

WHY DO THE SINGER AND GUITARIST HAVE THE SAME LAST NAME? MB and Matt are married. They have two cats and one true millennium baby, Gibson James Kite.

IS THAT GIBSON ON THE COVER OF BE? No, that's Emmett, son of photographer Patrick Hagerty, whose work has graced the pages of numerous national magazines and newspapers.

WHERE IS TWBA FROM? Seattle, sort of.

WHERE DO I GO TO VOLUNTEER FOR YOUR ARMY? Fire us an e-mail at twba1@msn.com and we'll set you straight.

THANK YOU ... thank you, thank you

The list of people who have helped us out over the years is legion, and we're almost afraid to try to thank anyone, lest we forget someone. But with so many people giving their time, talent, and/or resources to the cause, we'd be remiss not to try. So here goes:

Thank you to Bill Perez, for hosting this site on his own dime since the mid 90s; to Russell King and Tim Buckley, because everybody needs a sugar daddy (or two); to Claude Flowers, for invaluable input; to Derrick Galvan, for hustling harder than we did; to David Byers, who captured an entire era on film; to Shana Cannavaro, for being our PTVIP; to Scott Ross, for giving us more than we paid for; to all of our GARG brothers and sisters, especially Thornton Creek, who jumped into the trenches with us; to Marlina for her enthusiasm and marketing skills; to Dawn Birr, whose father's story helped inspire an album; to Sean and Gabriel and Doug and Rita and Ralph and Danielle and all the fans who have become friends; to our friends and families, for seeing us through the early parenting fog, among other adventures; to all our present and former members (we should form a super group!); and to anyone who has ever come to a show and cheered.

- Matt and Mary Beth

KITE, MARY BETH
Vocals, 1993-present

Where would we be without our voice? MB has been with us since the beginning and, as our fans will tell you, has always been what made us... us. She can wail, she can croon, she can drive a nail through a brick wall with a voice as smooth as pudding (at least that's what one fellow musician opined). Matt's not sure which he fell in love with first: her lovely voice or the woman delivering it.

KITE, MATT
Guitar, 1993-present

Matt writes the songs that make MB sing. The owner of several nicknames earned over the years (Diplo-Matt, Splash, Mr. Phat), Matt often finds himself yearning and dreaming and wishing and spurting forth. It's what he does best (don't ask him to pay the bills or balance the checkbook).

TOMMY THEW
Guitar, engineer, 2002-present

TWBA first met Tommy at a Slapdash show at the Sit & Spin many moons ago. A friendship was struck, and before we knew it, Tommy was recording Be (2001) and proclaiming it a fine recording. Then bass player Jay Perry, longing for more grrrr in our grrrr, soon began begging for a second guitarist while pointing out that Tommy was a guitarist. We finally called Tommy and asked, "Will you come and play with us?" He did just that on War Stories (2003), for which he brought his Marshall half stack.

GREG STRICKLAND
Bass, 2007-present

Greg, a former schoolmate of Mary Beth's, has been playing the bass since he was 11. He discovered Rush a couple years later and has never been the same. Along with being a monster bass player, Greg likes to customize his basses and has been known to drill holes in them, saw off various pieces, etc. We can't wait for you to hear him! But don't try to watch his fingers too closely. You'll get dizzy.

MATT BLECKERT
Drums, 2010-present

Stay tuned for more info on our newest -- and LAST -- drummer!

FORMER MEMBERS
For a list of previous members, go HERE.

BEEN THERE ... done that

7/15/10 Broadway Farmers Market (Tacoma, WA)
6/26/10 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon (Seattle, WA)
6/19/10 Meeker Days (Puyallu, WA)
6/18/10 Meeker Days (Puyallup, WA)
6/18/10 Edmonds Arts Festival (Edmonds, WA)
6/12/10 Maple Valley Days (Maple Valley, WA)
5/15/10 U-District Street Fair (Seattle, WA)
4/11/10 Skylark (Seattle, WA)
3/13/10 LWUMC (Kirkland, WA)
2/20/10 The Mandolin Cafe (Tacoma, WA)
11/7/09 Jet Artist Cooperative (Tacoma, WA)
10/2/09 The Mandolin Cafe (Tacoma, WA)
1/17/09 2 Wheel Blues Showroom (Lakewood, WA)
9/2/08 6th Ave Farmers Market (Tacoma, WA)
8/27/08 The Sunset (Seattle, WA)
8/10/08 Skylark (Seattle, WA)
7/9/08 High Dive (Seattle, WA)
6/14/08 Super Saturday (Olympia, WA)
6/13/08 Edmonds Arts Festival (Edmonds, WA)
5/23/08 Allen Creek Malawi benefit show (Marysville, WA)
8/2/07 Summer Nights at the Food Coop (Port Townsend, WA)
9/23/06 Green Frog Acoustic Tavern (Bellingham, WA)
9/7/06 Summer Nights at the Food Coop (Port Townsend, WA)
8/26/06 Hotwire Coffee (Shoreline, WA)
8/5/06 Farmers Market (Port Townsend, WA)
7/14/06 Sirens (Port Townsend, WA)
7/08/06 Hop Vine (Seattle, WA)
5/12/06 Sirens (Port Townsend, WA)
10/15/04 Noon Moon Café (Moses Lake, WA)
9/25/04 Sirens (Port Townsend, WA)
9/18/04 Panamonica's (Tacoma, WA)
8/6/04 Music in the Park (Olympia, WA)
7/20/04 Summer Concert Series (Bellingham, WA)
7/16/04 Bite of Seattle (Seattle, WA)
6/12/04 Super Saturday (Olympia, WA)
4/17/04 Lakepointe (Kenmore, WA)
2/28/04 Pogacha's (Issaquah, WA)
11/22/03 Stuart's Coffee House (Bellingham, WA)
10/25/03 Conan's Pub (Portland, OR)
10/18/03 Rocksport (Seattle, WA)
10/16/03 Wild Buffalo (Bellingham, WA)
9/26/03 Sirens (Port Townsend, WA)
9/19/03 Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater (Seattle, WA)
8/1/03 Central Saloon (Seattle, WA)
7/18/03 Patti Summer's Cabaret (Seattle, WA)
7/13/03 Seahawks Stadium (Seattle, WA)
6/20/03 Doc Maynards (Seattle, WA)
5/23/03 Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater (Seattle, WA)
5/9/03 Rialto Theater (Tacoma, WA)
4/26/03 Sirens (Port Townsend, WA)
10/5/02 Central Saloon (Seattle, WA)
8/10/02 Summer Concert Series (Bellingham, WA)
7/19/02 Bite of Seattle (Seattle, WA)
7/6/02 U-District Farmer's Market (Seattle, WA)
5/26/02 Pike Place Market Street Festival (Seattle, WA)
5/19/02 U-District Street Fair (Seattle, WA)
5/11/02 Shakabrah Java (Tacoma, WA)
4/27/02 Apple Blossom Festival (Wenatchee, WA)
4/12/02 Shoboat (Tacoma, WA)
3/28/02 ToST (Seattle, WA)
3/16/02 Central Saloon (Seattle, WA)
12/1/01 Easy Street Records (Seattle, WA)
11/3/01 The Central (Seattle, WA)
10/26/01 Borders Books (Tacoma, WA)
10/20/01 U-District Farmer's Market (Seattle, WA)
10/16/01 United Way Benefit (Issaquah, WA)
9/22/01 Fremont Oktoberfest (Seattle, WA)
8/26/01 Seattle Peace Concerts (Seattle, WA)
8/24/01 Stuart's Fringe Festival (Bellingham, WA)
8/18/01 Wild Buffalo alley party (Bellingham, WA)
8/12/01 Issaquah Music Festival (Issaquah, WA)
7/27/01 Aquafest (Lake Stevens, WA)
7/21/01 Shoboat (Tacoma, WA)
7/15/01 Yakima Folklife Festival (Yakima, WA)
7/7/01 Easy Street Records (Seattle, WA)
6/30/01 Hopvine Pub (Seattle, WA)
6/29/01 Taste of Tacoma (Tacoma, WA)
6/23/01 Elysian (Seattle, WA)
6/16/01 Microbrewfest (Kirkland, WA)
6/8/01 Sirens (Port Townsend, WA)
5/27/01 Pike Place Market Festival (Seattle, WA)
5/24/01 Wild Buffalo (Bellingham, WA)
5/20/01 U-District Street Fair (Seattle, WA)
5/6/01 Apple Blossom Festival (Wenatchee, WA)
12/8/00 Speakeasy (Seattle, WA)
11/4/00 Rockrgrl Conference (Seattle, WA)
10/20/00 Sit & Spin (Seattle, WA)
9/30/00 Stuart's Coffee House (Bellingham, WA)
9/23/00 Elysian (Seattle, WA)
8/12/00 Bite of Portland (Portland, OR)
7/30/00 Art on the Ave (Tacoma, WA)
7/28/00 Aquafest (Lake Stevens, WA)
7/23/00 Bite of Seattle (Seattle, WA)
7/8/00 Summer Jam (Federal Way, WA)
6/30/00 The Harmon (Tacoma, WA)
6/17/00 Fremont Fair (Seattle, WA)
6/17/00 Edmonds Arts Festival (Edmonds, WA)
6/9/00 Tonic Lounge (Portland, OR)
6/3/00 WOW Hall (Eugene, OR)
5/28/00 Pike Place Market Festival (Seattle, WA)
5/20/00 The Harmon (Tacoma, WA)
5/12/00 OK Hotel (Seattle, WA)
5/6/00 3B (Bellingham, WA)
4/15/00 Stuart's Coffee House (Bellingham, WA)
4/14/00 Tractor Tavern (Seattle, WA)
3/24/00 Up & Up (Bellingham, WA)
3/19/00 Music Millennium (Portland, OR)
3/18/00 Mt. Tabor (Portland, OR)
3/11/00 The Harmon (Tacoma, WA)
2/26/00 Old Town Ale House (Seattle, WA)
2/11/00 2 Louie's Ballroom (Blaine, WA)
2/5/00 The Drink (Seattle, WA)
1/21/00 Graceland (Seattle, WA)
1/14/00 Father John's (Bellingham, WA)
1/8/00 Mt. Tabor (Portland, OR)
12/18/99 Rupert's (Seattle, WA)
12/18/99 KCMU Live Room (Seattle, WA)
12/11/99 Outa Bounz (Lynnwood, WA)
12/9/99 The Swiss (Tacoma, WA)
12/5/99 The Fenix (Seattle, WA)
11/20/99 Rainbow (Seattle, WA)
11/6/99 Susie's Hollywood Café (Yakima, WA)
10/28/99 Tractor Tavern (Seattle, WA)
10/16/99 Broadway Performance Hall (Seattle, WA)
7/17/99 Hop Vine (Seattle, WA)
7/3/99 Alki Music Fest (Seattle, WA)
6/12/99 Rainbow (Seattle, WA)
5/22/99 OK Hotel (Seattle, WA)
5/16/99 Viking Fest (Poulsbo, WA)
5/8/99 Up & Up (Bellingham, WA)
4/16/99 Raindancer (Seattle, WA)
4/10/99 Hop Vine (Seattle, WA)
3/26/99 Colourbox (Seattle, WA)
3/13/99 Rainbow (Seattle, WA)
3/13/99 Tower Records (Seattle, WA)
3/12/99 Outback Jack's (Spokane, WA)
3/6/99 ABC Annex (Auburn, WA)
2/27/99 Off Ramp (Seattle, WA)
2/12/99 ABC Annex (Auburn, WA)
1/23/99 Central Saloon (Seattle, WA)
1/16/99 Crocodile Café (Seattle, WA)
1/2/99 4th Ave Tavern (Olympia, WA)
11/21/98 Doublewide (Bellingham, WA)
11/20/98 Outback Jack's (Spokane, WA)
11/14/98 Capitol Theater (Olympia, WA)
11/14/98 Bulldog News (Olympia, WA)
11/13/98 Colourbox (Seattle, WA)
11/7/98 WOW Hall (Eugene, OR)
11/6/98 Berbati's Pan (Portland, OR)
10/24/98 Black Box (Mercer Island, WA)
10/23/98 Land Trust Hall (Vashon Island, WA)
10/16/98 4th Ave Tavern (Olympia, WA)
10/10/98 Elysian Brewing Co. (Seattle, WA)
9/25/98 U-Sports Bar (Seattle, WA)
9/19/98 Port Townsend High School (Port Townsend, WA)
9/12/98 Colourbox (Seattle, WA)
8/29/98 Off Ramp (Seattle, WA)
8/14/98 KGRG Awards Banquet (Enumclaw, WA)
7/17/98 Bite of Seattle (Seattle, WA)
7/12/98 Seattle Peace Concert (Seattle, WA)
7/3/98 Sit & Spin (Seattle, WA)
6/25/98 Shark Club (Kirkland, WA)
6/20/98 Fremont Fair (Seattle, WA)
6/12/98 Tony's Coffee House (Bellingham, WA)
6/6/98 Lake Forest Inn (Kenmore, WA)
6/22/98 Planet Hot Rod (Fife, WA)
5/17/98 KGRG Local Motion Show (Auburn, WA)
5/9/98 Colourbox (Seattle, WA)
5/7/98 Crocodile Café (Seattle, WA)
4/9/98 Shark Club (Kirkland, WA)
4/3/98 ABC Annex (Auburn, WA)
3/14/98 Hannah's (Olympia, WA)
3/7/98 Rocksport (Seattle, WA)
2/25/98 Fenix (Seattle, WA)
2/6/98 U-Sports Bar (Seattle, WA)
1/30/98 Java Jump (Fife, WA)
1/21/98 Jillian's (Seattle, WA)
1/10/98 Crocodile Café (Seattle, WA)
12/18/97 Tractor Tavern (Seattle, WA)
12/11/97 Parkers (Shoreline, WA)
12/6/97 Odyssey (Seattle, WA)
11/15/97 Sub Zero (Seattle, WA)
11/9/97 KISW's "Seattle Zone" (Seattle, WA)
11/8/97 Central Tavern (Tacoma, WA)
11/7/97 Channel 29 Live! (Seattle, WA)
10/31/97 Russell's Sports Inn (Bellingham, WA)
9/20/97 Sub Zero (Seattle, WA)
9/13/97 3-B (Bellingham, WA)
9/6/97 Capitol Theater (Olympia, WA)
9/4/97 Crocodile Café (Seattle, WA)
8/30/97 Central Tavern (Tacoma, WA)
8/22/97 Jimmy Z's (Everett, WA)
7/29/97 Crocodile Café (Seattle, WA)
7/26/97 U-Sports Bar (Seattle, WA)
7/25/97 Cosmos (Bellingham, WA)
6/29/97 Ballard Firehouse (Seattle, WA)
6/20/97 U-Sports Bar (Seattle, WA)
6/19/97 Area 51 (Seattle, WA)
6/7/97 Ballard Firehouse (Seattle, WA)
6/6/97 ABC (Auburn, WA)
5/28/97 Colourbox (Seattle, WA)
5/18/97 Java Jump (Fife, WA)
5/17/97 U-Sports Bar (Seattle, WA)
5/9/97 Jimmy Z's (Everett, WA)
2/28/97 SeaTac Community Center (SeaTac, WA)
2/25/97 Colourbox (Seattle, WA)
2/14/97 Java Jump (Fife, WA)
2/2/97 U-Sports Bar (Seattle, WA)
1/21/97 Seattle Rep. Theater (Seattle, WA)
1/15/97 Colourbox (Seattle, WA)
1/10/97 Seattle Rep. Theater (Seattle, WA)
1/1/97 Seattle Rep. Theater (Seattle, WA)
12/27/96 Jimmy Z's (Everett, WA)
12/20/96 U-Sports Bar (Seattle, WA)
12/11/96 Giggles (Seattle, WA)
11/11/96 Romper Room (Seattle, WA)
10/30/96 Colourbox (Seattle, WA)
10/20/96 Seattle Rep. Theater (Seattle, WA)
10/15/96 Ballard Firehouse (Seattle, WA)
10/5/96 Rendezvous (Seattle, WA)
9/14/96 Renezvous (Seattle, WA)
8/25/96 Everett Naval Commons (Everett, WA)
7/6/96 Rendezvous (Seattle, WA)
7/4/96 Jimmy Z's (Everett, WA)
6/19/96 Jimmy Z's (Everett, WA)
6/15/96 Casino's (Everett, WA)
5/31/96 Garfield's (Everett, WA)
3/20/96 Off Ramp (Seattle, WA)
3/16/96 Bogey's (Seattle, WA)
2/10/96 Bogey's (Seattle, WA)
1/30/96 Colourbox (Seattle, WA)
1/3/96 Off Ramp (Seattle, WA)
12/9/95 Club Broadway (Everett, WA)
12/4/95 Off Ramp (Seattle, WA)
11/30/95 Gibson's (Seattle, WA)
11/21/95 Ballard Firehouse (Seattle, WA)
11/10/95 Metropolis (Seattle, WA)
10/28/95 Madison's Café & Music House (Seattle, WA)
10/4/95 Ballard Firehouse (Seattle, WA)
9/29/95 The New World (Seattle, WA)
9/22/95 Metropolis (Seattle, WA)
8/27/95 Taste of Shoreline (Shoreline, WA)
8/25/95 Under the Rail (Seattle, WA)
5/6/95 Beatnix (Seattle, WA)
4/29/95 Rendezvous (Seattle, WA)
4/20/95 Beatnix (Seattle, WA)
4/14/95 Rendezvous (Seattle, WA)
9/16/94 Gibson's (Seattle, WA)
4/26/94 Romper Room (Seattle, WA)
4/6/94 Swan Café (Seattle, WA)
3/23/94 The Trestle (Everett, WA)
3/7/94 Noble China (Kent, WA)
2/28/94 Romper Room (Seattle, WA)
2/8/94 Romper Room (Seattle, WA)
12/20/93 Romper Room (Seattle, WA)
12/4/93 Off Ramp (Seattle, WA)
8/30/93 Off Ramp (Seattle, WA)
8/11/93 Swan Café (Seattle, WA)
7/?/93 The Ditto (Seattle, WA)
5/?/93 The New World (Seattle, WA)
4/?/93 Romper Room (Seattle, WA)
3/?/93 Romper Room (Seattle, WA)