Heatmiser Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hampshire College

The origins of the band Heatmiser were laid at this college. In Northampton, Massachusetts, the pair would perform original compositions interspersed with Ringo Starr and Elvis Costello covers. In October 1991, the band expanded its line-up in Portland, Oregon adding a drummer and a bassist. Heatmiser's first acknowledged public performance was on Valentine's Day 1992.

Answer: Tony Lash

Tony Lash joined together with bassist, Brandt Peterson. He had played in the high school band with Elliott Smith and also in the latter's group at the time, Stranger Than Fiction.

Answer: The Music of Heatmiser

The self-released recording was made on April 29th and 30th, 1992 in Milwaukee, Oregon and its release was restricted to concerts and postal order. It contained six tracks, "Lowlife," "Bottle Rocket," "Buick," "Just a Little Prick," "Dirt" and "Mightier than You."

Answer: Queercore

Some of the songs written by Neil Gust such as "Can't be Touched" and "Candyland" from the album "Dead Air" explored homosexual themes causing the press to label the band "queercore." Neil Gust's photograph appeared on Elliott Smith's first solo album in 1994, "Roman Candle."

Answer: 1993

The album was released in the US on September 6th, 1993 on Frontier Records with song-writing duties being shared between Elliott Smith and Neil Gust. The record included the single "Stray."

Answer: Cop And Speeder

"Cop and Speeder" was released on Frontier Records and incorporated the song "Collect to NYC" which Elliott Smith had composed at Hampshire College when he was twenty years old. The released single was the track "Sleeping Pill."

Answer: Brandt Peterson

The bassist Brandt Peterson was replaced by Sam Coomes, currently playing in the band Quasi which he formed with his ex-wife Janet Weiss in Portland, Oregon in 1993.

Answer: Caroline Records

The third album "Mic City Sons" was released in the US on October 29th, 1996 and its name was taken from the first line of the track "Pop in G." By this period, Elliott Smith had already brought out two albums of solo material and this is immediately apparent on listening to "Mic City Sons" in which Elliott's more acoustic work duels with the typical Heatmiser grunge of Neil Gust's compositions leading some to talk of a bipolar record; being two albums in one (www.sweetadeline.net).

Heatmiser officially dissolved following the release of this record.

Answer: Zero Effect

This was the only soundtrack that included a Heatmiser composition. Many of Elliott Smith's solo efforts however have been adopted by film scores including "American Beauty", "Good Will Hunting" and "The Royal Tenenbaums".

Answer: Half Right

Jimmy Eat World released this cover on their 2005 E.P. "Stay on My Side Tonight." The band also refer to Heatmiser in the song "Kill" taken from their fifth album "Futures" in the lyric "like your favourite Heatmiser song goes." In later years Elliott Smith himself was not so complimentary about his former band dismissing the music that he created and referring to his Heatmiser persona as a "total actor" (www.sweetadeline.net).