Me First And The Gimme Gimmes

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes are a punk rock group from San Francisco, United States, active from 1995 to the present. They are a cover band built around members of several other punk and rock acts, with personnel drawn from Swingin’ Utters, NOFX, Foo Fighters and Lagwagon, and they play as schedules allow.

Line-up and touring members

The studio core consists of Spike Slawson on vocals, Fat Mike on bass, Joey Cape on guitar and backing vocals, Dave Raun on drums, and Chris Shiflett on guitar. On tour, Scott Shiflett fills in for Chris Shiflett. Other touring members include Brian Baker, Barry DaLive, Eric Melvin, Matthew MacNasty and Warren Fitzgerald.

Formation and early performances

The group begins as a themed 7-inch singles project. Its first live performance takes place at the Chameleon Club in San Francisco on 4/20/1996.

Releases and approach

Each of the band’s full-length albums focuses on a different genre of music, with material drawn from songs associated with the 1950s through the 1990s. Their early releases include Have a Ball, Are a Drag, Blow in the Wind and Take a Break. They also release the live album Ruin Johnny’s Bar Mitzvah, and Have Another Ball, a collection of B-sides from Have a Ball. Their catalogue also includes Love Their Country, which features covers of songs made popular by artists including The Dixie Chicks and Johnny Cash.

Stage presentation

The Gimme Gimmes are known for themed costumes that change from album to album and onstage. These include red suits, metallic suits with fezzes, cheerleader outfits, drag, AFI costumes and cowboy outfits, along with their better-known Hawaiian shirts. Their performances also feature a tiki bar on stage, and concerts are often broken up while cocktails are refreshed.

Live reputation and recorded material

The band’s live and recorded work is described through a series of comic and exaggerated studio notes, including stories about mistaken identities in the studio and other deliberately chaotic incidents. Their live album Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Ruin Jonny’s Bar Mitzvah is tied to a performance for a small Bar Mitzvah audience and includes video of the event.