| Beat Happening is an American indie rock band which | | | | one of the most popular bands in the indie rock |
| was formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. The | | | | community giving them a major role in the in the |
| members who have been with the band along the | | | | International Pop Underground Festival, which brought |
| whole way are Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and | | | | anti-corporate rock some of the earliest mainstream |
| Bret Lunsford. Beat Happening were early leaders in | | | | acceptance. The last full-length album released by the |
| the American indie rock and lo-fi movements and | | | | band was You Turn Me On, which came out in 1992. |
| well-known for their use of primitive recording | | | | On this record the band broke many of its established |
| techniques, disregard for the technical aspects of | | | | conventions from the earlier albums, especially on |
| musicianship and songs with a childish and coy nature. | | | | Godsend, which is a nine minute long track which |
| The members of the band met while attending The | | | | features the use of multitrack recording and was by |
| Evergreen State College and began recording in 1983. | | | | some described as a masterpiece. |
| The basic line-up was drums, guitar and vocals, | | | | Although Beat Happening never announced a break-up |
| however, when they first got together their only | | | | and claimed at one point to be practicing once a |
| instruments were a pair of maracas and a Sears | | | | month, the members have moved on to other |
| Silvertone guitar that were purchased at a thrift shop. | | | | projects. In 2000 they released the Angel Gone single, |
| Heather once made a joke during an interview that the | | | | which was their first new recording in eight years. |
| history of the band could be told through a list of the | | | | In 2002 the band released a box set with the title |
| carious people they had borrowed drums from. | | | | Crashing Through, which collects all of the band's |
| Heather and Calvin had previously been members of a | | | | officially released music except for some or their |
| band together and got in touch with Bret, who had no | | | | tracks from a live cassette split with The Vaselines. |
| previous musical experience at the time, saying that | | | | Included with the box set is a booklet containing a |
| they should form a band and go to Japan. And, it was | | | | lengthy essay on the history and impact of the band |
| on a trip to Tokyo that the band members recorded | | | | by Lois Maffeo together with rare photos of members |
| Three tea Breakfast, which was an EP that came to | | | | Calvin, Heather, Bret and the musician and director G.B. |
| establish the band's reputation. | | | | Jones. |
| Calvin Johnson also was one of the founders of the | | | | In the All Music Guide Beat Happening has been |
| seminal indie-rock label K Records. The label has been | | | | described as having created an unorthodox, raw |
| supported by many, including among others Kurt | | | | sound, which rotated vocal, guitar, and drum duties |
| Cobain, who had a K Record logo on his arm. The | | | | between members in a democratic fashion, while |
| label achieved some limited success and continues to | | | | leaving out the bass. Also the band skipped their last |
| keep its independent integrity, claiming that it has | | | | names to emphasize their everyman approach, while |
| exploded the teenage underground into passionate | | | | expressing simple truths and simple emotions with |
| revolt against the corporate ogre since 1982. | | | | simple music. They favored off-key, tuneless vocals |
| The first recorded the band released was the | | | | and three-chord primitivism over slick, processed |
| self-titled and critically acclaimed Beat Happening in | | | | packaging. Their music is also an implicit rejection of |
| 1985. The second record the band released had the | | | | major-labels and the band remained with K Records |
| title Jamboree and came out in 1988. When the third | | | | for the entire life span. |
| album, Dreamy, came out in 1991, Beat Happening was | | | | |