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PURTY MOUTH Walter Harley – electric bass
HISTORY Purty Mouth sprung mythologically complete from the fertile imaginations of Kurt B. Reighley and Mark Mitchell, talented gadabouts from Seattle’s thriving arts community. Coaxing local musician Graham Short into the role of musical director, they honed their vision of country & western, as viewed through the eyes of three gay men – a cocktail of countrypolitan, costume & camp. Since their first show on July 4, 2002, a number of talented players have passed through the ranks, with founding members Mark, Kurt, and Graham remaining the core of the group until Mark and Kurt retired from the Mouth in late 2005. Upon their retirement, and with their blessing, Graham rebirthed Purty Mouth, convening a new assortment of sexual and social deviants to pursue a new vision of boundless gay/post-gay Americana.
PERFORMANCE Reflecting its diverse musical, social, and sexual histories, Purty Mouth has continued to be an exotic and entertaining opener for a wide array of acts, including Neko Case, the Hidden Cameras, Momus, the Meat Purveyors, Carolyn Mark, El Vez, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, moth wranglers, Jim and Jennie & the Pinetops, and the Ditty Bops. In October 2004 the band traveled to Washington, D.C., to appear at the Freedom to Marry benefit WEDrock, where they shared the stage with Henry Rollins, Sandra Bernhardt, Bob Mould, Hedwig creator John Cameron Mitchell, Avenue D, and Richard Morel. Purty Mouth inaugurated its new lineup in June 2006 with a performance at Seattle Pride, at the Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheater. The second half of the year found the band hitting the Seattle club circuit, solidifying its reputation as a viable headliner, at the Tractor Tavern, the High Dive, the Mars Bar, Jules Maes Saloon, the Blue Moon Tavern, and the Comet Tavern. Local acts sharing bills with Purty Mouth have included the Wakefields, the Buttersprites, Miss Mamie Lavona the Exotic Mulatta and her White Boy Band, the Moondoggies, Brent Amaker & the Rodeo, the Half Brothers, Grownup Trouble, the Bouchards, and more.
MUSICPurty Mouth's ever-expanding program consists of originals by Graham, Mikey & Alyssa, with covers drawn from the catalogs of Kirsty MacColl, Highway 101, Wanda Jackson, Tammy Wynette, the Kendalls, the Beatles and Gram Parsons, with nods to the Nashville and Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtracks. Featuring the three-part harmony of Lori, Alyssa and Mikey, the band completed a four-song demo in May 2006 under the auspices of Steve Smith (formerly of Billy Moon), two songs of which can be heard at www.purtymouth.com. Lead-off track “Tapedeck in His Tractor” received airplay on Seattle’s premier community radio station, KEXP.
Live performances can be streamed on Purty Mouth’s For additional information, bookings, T-shirts, etc., |
