Seminal camping-horror album. Songs about kerosene and Deliverance.
Banned on the radio in the U.S. and Canada, but used in three Argentinian Horror films. Royalties never paid, lawsuit pending.

Kill Kill Kill. 1995, Confuscious Records, ltd.

Included the brief cult-chart hits "Shake it till it falls off" and "Mommy sued the doctor". Band ran into a bit of trouble with the IRS for tax evasion (not bothering to file bankruptcy, as they put it) and was forced to relocate to Monaco.

Pup Tent's Greatest Hits. 1995, Pup Tent Records

After being deported from Monaco after only two months, Pup Tent came back the U.S., where the IRS caught up with them. To avoid jail time, they started their own Label and released their first two albums put together as one as a greatest hits compilation.

Return of Pup Tent. 1995, Pup Tent Records/Backalley Records, Ltd.

After the failure of their greatest hits record to sell more than 10,000 copies, Pup Tent reinvented themselves. They teamed up with veteran Backalley Records Producer Jam Sandwich and released three singles in two weeks -- "Up", "Up and Down", and "Stank" -- and their newfound Rap stylings mixed with New York Food-Core and German Beer Metal influences were an instant hit in Biker Clubs and Health Spas around the San Bernadino area. They finally enjoyed Radio play of an edited version of "Stank" and put together some remixes and released the new sound as an album.

The Grass is Greener. 1995, Backalley Records, Ltd.

The end of 1995 was a turbulent time for Pup Tent. With thier lead singer/songwriter, Jason Jasons, recently killed in a mysterious lawn mowing accident, they were without direction. They considered breaking up. But producer Jam Sandwich wouldn't hear of it. He reintroduced the band to their musical roots and got them on their feet again. Without Jasons' business savvy, however, the band's label folded and they became sole property of Backalley. Ironically, the loss of creative control combined with increased drug use and little in the way of direction resulted in Pup Tent's only big hit: "Happier than Happy" -- a sarcastic song about death and destruction that was heavily edited by Sandwich to sound like an authentic bliss ninny tune from the 1960's. In an interview on MTV the band were so slobbering drunk they couldn't speak English, and the video for the tune, mostly archival footage of vivisections and nuclear bomb explosions, never aired.

In December of 1995, Pup Tent dissolved after a drunken chrystal meth binge inspired by their humiliation on national television. The three remaining members of the band wound up in a rural Arizona prison rehab facility, playing folk songs as The Puppets for fellow inmates. It wasn't until February of the following year that a woman calling herself Easy Cheshire bailed them out and offered them a record contract. The deal called for a reconstituted Pup Tent, with her singing. Rumors that Cheshire was actually the presumed dead Jason Jasons back after sex reassignment surgery in Sweden did not hurt their ability to get gigs. It got them immediate club dates and attention. The fact that Easy's vocal style closely resembled Jason's made the band uneasy, but the prospect of an album and a new life were enough incentive to sign with a new label -- JJ Records, out of Sweeden.

Pitch It. 1996, JJ Records.

Revitalized and back to basics, the new Pup Tent reached back to their camping-horror days and forward to electronic sampling and sequencing to produce their biggest album to date. Recorded in only 6 days, the disc had over 20 tracks. Their first single from the album, "Torture", an erotic "Snuff Ballad", was immediately hailed as the most vile pop song ever recorded. The video, which had Easy Cheshire playing the roles of a female as well as a male sex slave, got the band arrested and deported from Germany. The band was back on the scene.

Sniff. 1996, JJ Records.

The first of the Pup Tent spin-offs. Guitarist Richard Dix's first solo attempt barely even made it to pressing. A mono recording of Dix's favorite TV commericals played his way, the album sold poorly and was dropped from JJ's catalog almost immediately. Said Dix in an interview on Video Tonight, " I was just trying to...er, (cough) what?". The connection between Dix and Cheshire was obvious though, and anything the Pup Tent guitarist wanted to do seemed fine by JJ Recording's Management.

For Hire. 1996, JJ Records.

Half of the album was remastered tracks from the faulty "Pitch It" album, done quickly in a rush to get money for a tour. Known as the "Black Album" for its plain black cover. Most of those who bought the album never realized that the original pressing of 2000 discs depicted a hooker and a preist engaged in a sex act on the cover. The back cover had the words "For Hire" layed over a picture of the Bible. Riots ensued in Rome when Pup Tent played a sold out show at the Johnny Club and Cheshire sang naked, save for a nun's habit, for the entire first set.

Tentless. 1996, JJ Records.

4-track recordings of Pup Tent conversations with DJs and Law Enforcement officials. Cover had the three men and Cheshire standing in a row, with Cheshire apparently having an enormous erection under her Patent Leather skirt while the others look down to their own privates in dismay. Two new songs, "Three Men in a Tent" and "Easy", released in Japan as a single, were little more than a duet between Dix and Cheshire. Rumors of infighting between the rhythm section and Dix/Cheshire prompted a rare press release that said "The Band have gone camping."

Pitch It Live. 1996, JJ Records.

Live recording of the highlights of the Italian Tour. Includes complete transcription of Easy Cheshire's arrest and subsequent interrogation and full body search at the hands of Rome Police after the first show. The only live version of "Happier Than Happy" ever recorded with lyrics from "Kill Kill Kill" interposed between lines about being in love. Bassist Howard Ron very spotty on this recording, due to continued dependence on chrystal meth.

For Hire Live. 1996, JJ Records.

Live recording from the same Italian tour as "Pitch It Live". Only slightly different track list. Described as "the biggest rip-off in rock and roll history" by Trends magazine, the album sold more copies than any Pup Tent release before. With guitarist Richard Dix and singer Easy Cheshire in a Vienna prison for conducting "lude acts on a public gondola", the band was at a loss for a follow-up tour.

Pup Tent II. 1996, Pup Tent Records.

Due to the absence of the driving forces of Pup Tent, Bassist Howard Ron and Drummer Alex Hellfire reformed Pup Tent Records with the profits from the "For Hire" tour. Advertised as a collection of unreleased tracks and live versions of early tunes, this album did well in the former East Bloc and Japan. Hailed by many as Pup Tent's crowning achievment -- clean, remastered versions of gritty, original Pup Tent classics, the album sold enough copies to get Dix and Cheshire out of prison. Ron and Hellfire made a few offhand comments on a Polish talk show about the singer and guitarist being out of control.

Stanky. 1996, Pup Tent Records, Ltd.

Second Pup Tent spinoff record. Collaboration between bassist Howard Ron and drummer Alex Hellfire, this rhythm-oriented experimental album featuring samples from unreleased Pup Tent songs and basement jam sessions hit the charts in Belgium at number 200. It rose as far as number 193 before dropping out. Its commercial success garnered enough money for the two to enroll in the Betty Ford clinic to address their amphetamine addictions.

Pup Tent Rides Again. 1996, Backalley Records.

Knowing the band was in trouble and unable to mount much of a case against him, ex-Pup Tent producer Jam Sandwich used a legal loophole to release poorly-produced tracks from Pup Tent's sessions at his studios. While songs like "The Boy Scout and the Priest" caused a stir with parent's groups and the Religious Right, it did poorly and everyone knew the band was in rehab and couldn't have had a hand in its release. A fan-based boycott on the album was made easy by its being banned for its content in all countries with record stores. This made it valuable and the boycott groups reversed course and demanded a reissue of the disc.

Technotent. 1996, JJ Records/Pup Tent Records Ltd.

Third Pup Tent Spinoff record. Recordings of Richard Dix and Easy Cheshire's prison collaborations. Lots of sampling from early Pup Tent and current TV shows and advertisements came together in a highly successful dance record. Hits such as "Dance Tent" and "Electro Pitch" circulated clubs in Europe, Africa, and America. Profits allowed Dix and Cheshire to join Ron and Hellfire at Betty Ford.

Summer 1996 saw little in the way of Pup Tent releases, as the entire band was enrolled in an in-patient program at Betty Ford. Contemplating their departure from guitar-based punk roots and the apparent romantic involvement of Dix and Cheshire, the band spoke little to one another for a month. A Trends magazine piece about the band being "over and done with" only seemed to make matters worse. Drummer Hellfire dropped out of Betty Ford to join ex-producer Jam Sandwich in Pup Tent$, a rip-off band with a Jason Jasons look alike doing the vocals. When the rest of the band dropped out of Betty Ford a week later to confront Sandwich and Hellfire about the new band, MTV finally aired their dark video for "Happier Than Happy" as a Basement Video from a band called Sandwich. For the first time in their careers, the Law seemed to be on Pup Tent's side. They launched a multi-thousand dollar law suit against Backalley Records and won custody of all variations on "Pup Tent" and the proceeds (an all-expense-paid trip to Bermuda for two weeks) from the video for "Happier Than Happy." To avoid bankruptcy, Cheshire merged her company, JJ Records, with the unusually solvent Pup Tent Records. After Jam Sandwich was found dead of a Drano overdose in a Milwakee Holiday Inn, the band dropped their animosity toward Hellfire, reformed the group, and went to Bermuda to rehearse new material they had written at Betty Ford.

Pup Tent's Greatest Hits II: Reunion. 1996, Pup Tent Records.

Tracks from all the member's side projects as well as old favorites, remastered and some remixed with Cheshire instead of Jasons on vocals, Pup Tent's second Greatest Hits compilation reassured fans that all was well with the band. Inclusion of "Big Top" and "Rides Again", from the ill-fated bootleg album "Pup Tent Rides Again" released by Sandwich before his death illustrated that there was no longer any animosity or confusion in the Pup Tent organization.

Tent City. 1996, Pup Tent Records.

Pup Tent's most articulate political statement, the cover depicts displaced victims of war. Thought also to be a statement about the band itself. A new concentration on craftsmanship and songwriting, devoid of electronic influences, Tent City was hailed as their most artistic and coherent album since Kill Kill Kill. Anthems like "Pitch my Tent" were compared to early U2 with a harder edge. The liner notes provided the first pictures of the band since Pitch It, and few were surprised by the wedding photos of Dix and Cheshire.

Pup Tent Rides Again. 1996, Pup Tent Records.

Released two days after wire services reported that Pup Tent's return flight to the U.S. for their first tour since For Hire was lost in the Bermuda Triangle and presumed crashed, the album confused many. Absolutely identical to the bootleg release of the same title by Backalley Records, it was determined that it must have been a tribute to fans who had called for a reissue when it was on the Backalley label. Pup Tent's failure to arrive at any U.S. airport confirmed their deaths. Fans worldwide mourned on the internet and in impromptu vigils. It was a terrible way for the band to go - reunited, happy, enjoying new artistic and commercial success.

Three weeks after Pup Tent was confirmed dead, wreckage of their plane found on a reef near the Virgin Islands, MTV reported that Pup Tent had resurfaced in Argentina, alive and triumphant in their court battle against the movie company that had stolen tracks off of their first album. With a substantial settlement in the bank, the band embarked on a mini-tour of South America. Surprisingly, Cheshire was absent and a new frontman, eerily similar to Jason Jasons in appearance, vocal style, and stage presence was leading the group through searing versions of their hardest material.

Transfixed. 1997, Pup Tent Records.

The cover of this new Pup Tent album was presumably a concert photo from a Brazilian date late in 1996. The picture was of a five-member Pup Tent, with leather-clad Jasons and Cheshire holding microphones in front of each other's groins. The newswires reported that the man posing as Jasons really was the original singer and that Cheshire had been an alter-ego. The photo must have been tampered. Questions of the legitimacy of the Dix/Cheshire/Jasons marriage were possibly addressed on the album itself in the tunes "Brotherly Love" and "Like a Sister". A brief tour of West Coast cities had Jasons and Cheshire singing on alternate dates, with one show in San Francisco where Jasons sang the first set and Cheshire the second. Dix faced away from the audience for the entire show.

Fully-Pitched. 1997, Pup Tent Records.

First Feature-Length Pup Tent Video. Two and a half hour film shown in theatres in Slovenia and Tokyo. Interviews and Live Footage, the concert clips show mostly hard-edged punk tunes. In one 30 minute section, however, a techno set is recorded with Jasons/Cheshire alternating mid-song. On the last two songs of the Techno Segemnt, Jason's sings and plays guitar, wearing a leather miniskirt and a Laibach T-Shirt, full stage makeup and high heels apparent. Last segment of film is about death, and where the band sees itself in a year. Concert footage of tunes not on any release, possibly experimental versions of upcoming material suggests a new direction for Pup Tent. Odd mix of futuristic techno and rock music, with African percussion and Indian instrumentation. First appearance of guest musicians in Pup Tent lineup. No credits given for last segment.

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