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All Music Guide:
It would be easy to label Pinhead Gunpowder as a supergroup, considering that the lineup features four players from other well-known bands. There's drummer Aaron Cometbus, formerly of Crimpshrine, Billie Joe of Green Day on guitar/vocals, Bill Schneider from Monsula on bass/vocals, and Mike Kirsch from Fuel on guitar. Not that these guys got together for the intention of making money or to be the ultimate scenester band, but rather to take a break from the main musical projects that occupy most of their time. There's no pressure involved, no regrets, no touring; Pinhead Gunpowder is to have fun and relive the days of being just a garage band. With down-on-your-luck lyrics on day-to-day life fueled with fast, vigorous pop-punk, 1991 through 1993 saw a slew of EPs and compilation tracks on various labels. Eventually, Lookout Records would re-release all this material on the Jump Salty CD in 1994. Maintaining the integrity of getting together only on an occasional basis, the EP Carry the Banner was released the following year, only this time with Jason from Chino Horde to replace Kirsch on guitar duties. In 1996, this lineup would continue with the release of their first official full-length, entitled Goodbye Ellston Avenue. Three years later the follow-up, Shoot the Moon, was released on Adeline Records.
Wikipedia:
Pinhead Gunpowder is an American punk rock band formed East Bay, California, in 1990. The band has consisted of Aaron Cometbus (drums, lyrics), Bill Schneider (bass), Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Jason White (guitar, vocals) for the majority of its existence. Mike Kirsch (guitar, vocals) was the original guitarist, in place of White, but left the band citing personal differences with Green Day (the band for which Billie Joe Armstrong is most famous) and their major label debut album Dookie (1994). The band's name comes from a brand of "high octane" green tea served at the Arcata co-op and discovered serendipitously by Aaron Cometbus during one of his many dumpster diving adventures.
Cometbus, who releases the Cometbus fanzine, has played in many East Bay area bands such as Crimpshrine. Schneider is now Green Day's guitar tech and tour manager. Jason White plays additional guitar for Green Day; along with founding the seminal punk rock band Chino Horde. White has played in The Influents as well as The Big Cats. Mike Kirsch has also been an active member in several East Bay bands such as Fuel, Torches to Rome, Bread and Circuits and many others.
The vast majority of Pinhead Gunpowder's songs were written by Cometbus, although a few songs such as "27", "Anniversary Song" and "New Blood" were written by Billie Joe Armstrong under the pseudonym "Wilhelm Fink".
Current
Pinhead Gunpowder performed for the first time in many years during February 2008, debuting three new songs, "Anniversary Song", "West Side Highway", and "On the Ave" .
The band released their latest EP, West Side Highway through Recess Records on August 19, 2008. This marks the band's first new release in 5 years.
Pinhead Gunpowder released a greatest hits album called Kick Over the Traces on June 19, 2009. Also, Pinhead Gunpowder mentioned that in August or September Recess would re-release on vinyl and CD the albums Jump Salty, Carry the Banner, Goodbye Ellston Avenue, Shoot the Moon and Compulsive Disclosure,. All of the albums were re-released in varying colors in early February 2010 through Recess Records. The band performed a benefit show at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California on February 12, 2010.
