Sassy Magazine Cute Band Alert 1990 - 1994

Voting for Ian Svenonius as a write-in.

Blonde Redhead is my favorite but it doesn't seem fair to pick them. I remember liking Jale. And Magnapop, haven't heard that name in an eon.

Are we voting on the music, or on the cuteness?

Because, you know... Sloan.

Helium obv.

There's a ton of bands I genuinely love here (Chapterhouse! Velocity Girl! Luscious Jackson! That Dog! Heavenly! )

But... like, Sloan in 1993 were cuter than any power on earth could withstand.

I'm too lazy to do a bunch of google image searches so if you have a selection of cutest pics to share I'm sure no one would mind

surely gbv were the cutest

when asleep maybe

I always feel sad when I read these old articles and see how powerful alternative music had gotten. That they had enough charisma to be a "cute band". Times are much more cynical.

i have most of those issues. anyone want to see the actual "article"?

I thought those old Sassy magazines were online somewhere. I remember reading them a few years ago. I'll look...

Anyhow, here's a blast from the past. I like this. The singer looks like Belinda Carlisle:

http://youtu.be/Nnjd939cVWI

And Jale, from Subpop, also cute:

http://youtu.be/NF_9R2xCP2o

I think Sassy did a lot to drive that transition, of positioning indie rock bands as "cute bands" a la teen mags, in a teen mag.

Sassy was such a weird cultural artefact of the 90s -like I was just slightly too old for its target audience, and saw it as slightly cynical. But in retrospect, it seemed like such an astute positioning.

SASSY.

http://byt.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/2247505092_bca7be5e8b_o.jpg

http://brightestyoungthings.com/articles/dc-nostalgia-how-sassy-changed-ians-life.htm

The Sassiest Boy in America is, at the moment, not sounding at all sassy. He is unfailingly polite, kind and patient. It’s a bad sign.

Ian Svenonius, a 20-year-old Washington musician, has just been named the first winner of a nationwide search for the “most perfect boyfriend material a girl could ask for” by Sassy magazine, one of the country’s hottest teenage guides to life, love and the pursuit of guys like Ian.

The editors are pretty hyper about their choice: a “total babe” vegetarian punk philosopher with greased-back hair and a sweet, crooked smile-a genial rebel without the caustic. Imagine Tom Hanks doing James Dean.

I thought that was a young Chris Ott for a moment

that book is pretty good!

I remember seeing a Nation of Ulysses show a few months after that came out and either a bunch of folks had brought it to the gig for him to sign or he was selling them. I honestly don't remember which one, only that there were I'd guess a dozen or more people carrying copies of Sassy magazine.

Man that list makes me more nostalgic than a million listicles about how great 94 or 95 was

Like I even need to say SLOAN all the way. But I just did. Lots of great bands here though (That Dog for second place, Jale third).

voting poison idea obv

i used to have a sassy subscription but i threw away all the issues when i moved -- i thought '90s alternative culture was pretty silly even though i liked the music.

UNREST UNREST UNREST

but man what a list

In 1991 I entered Sassy's contest to become a staff member for a month, and won a spot. Then had to bow out due to a tonsillectomy. One of my greatest regrets in life. I'll go with Bratmobile for the crush vote for Allison Wolfe, Unrest for music. Wasn't Ian actually like 46 when he won Sassiest Boy.

I would love to see the pictures/articles that accompanied these. For nostalgia research purposes uh no reason.

As a large person it would be extremely hypocritical of me to be surprised that Poison Idea are on the list so, yeah, you go, Sassy magazine, 22.5 years ago! (Oof... that number is... probably bigger than the age I am in my head if I'm honest)

I got the biggest nostalgia punch reading That Dog's name and the bands from the list I can remember listening to in 2014 are Unrest, Scarce and Blonde Redhead, so maybe one of those is the right answer. Or maybe not.

voted for Sloan but what a bunch of 90s hot bands

(xp I should probably point out before someone else does that I'm British and didn't read Sassy at the time and don't get things, so feel free to fill me in on the so-90s ironic ~context~ but maybe my post can stand as a self-clowning edifice without anyone needing to do it for too many posts)

I hated pretty much everything about Sassy at the time but this list still hits the nostalgia button hard

voting poison idea obv

― Bill Nighy the Science Gighy (get bent)

please don't let chavez get robbed though!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKr45j6S_qQ

BTW, is that Barbara Manning in November 93. I'm guessing it has to be?

Unrest 4eva

Bands on this list I have never even heard of:

Beggar Weeds
Bad Trip
Quicksand
Mystery Machine
Raymond Listen
The Devlins

Unrest! Just look at these cuties:

http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2010/05/Unrest-Reunites.jpg

I have no clear idea of what Sassy actually was, but it is striking how not especially grunge this list is for its era

Bands on this list I have never even heard of:

Quicksand

You should listen to Slip immediately.

Ok!

Shouldn't have to add to my last comment but I will that the lack of non white folks is obviously even more striking, but you know that already

There was some more diversity on the Sassy / Sire Sampler from 1991:

Side One:
Betty Boo "Where are You Baby?"
Depeche Mode "Sea of Sin"
Bigod 20 "The Bog"
Book of Love "Alice Everyday"
Primal Scream "Come Together"
Ride "Vapour Trail"
The Ocean Blue "Between Something & Nothing"
Morrissey "Piccadilly Palare
The Might Lemon Drops "Unkind"
John Wesley Harding "Save a Little Room for Me"

Side Two:
Ice-T "Escape From the Filling Fields"
Paul Lekakis "You Blow Me Away"
S'Express "Nothing to Lose"
Danielle Dax "The Id Parade"
Merlin "I Like the Way That You Love Me"
Royal Crescent Mob "Time Bomb"
The JudyBats "Don't Drop the Baby"
Throwing Muses "Counting Backwards"
The Replacements "One Wink at a Time"

http://i.imgur.com/Vvy3nRh.jpg

Samplers containing last throw of the dice Replacements tracks = dud

Heavenly (is the Heavenly option)

https://musicglue-user-app-p-6-p.s3.amazonaws.com/originals/eb37f4c4-917c-39b1-20f2-3a9b550ffcaf
Got my vote

Everyone sleeping on some 90'S HOT:

http://blurtonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Luscious-Jackson-90s.jpg

^Trent Reznor's sister second from right.

Luscious Jackson are awesome

Chavez is scientifically the correct vote because 2 members were in other Cute Bands (Bullet Lavolta & Skunk).

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Fuck totally missed Poison Idea on there! Damnit!

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Many xp's to dlp9001 -- I still have a copy of that reader-produced issue! My sister won a spot too, in the art dept. She did some construction paper cutout illustrations for it. I was in school in NYC so she came out to stay for a few days and we visited the mag's office and met everyone. Good times! Sorry about your tonsillectomy.

I definitely remember that Sassy/Sire sampler kicking around my sister's tape collection.

You will never see the Beautiful South look as conspicuous in any poll ever again.

I have a physical copy of the sire sampler (inspiration for the poll), where would one u/l an mp3 in 2015?

I remember seeing beautiful south cds prominently displayed in a best buy in new jersey in 1995 and thinking that they might be a band that I should get around to checking out at some point. Have yet to do so. Even at the time they somehow looked remaindered at full price