Wingtip Sloat (often nicknamed to just Sloat) is an American indie rock trio formed in the Washington, DC suburb of Falls Church, Virginia. Active throughout the 1990s, the group comprised Patrick Foster on guitar and vocals, Andy Duboc on bass, and David Bishop on drums. Throughout their initial decade of activity, the group remained committedly DIY, recording and publishing their music themselves while holding down full-time jobs, earning them the title of "hardest working band in America."
Starting in 1985 guitarists Patrick Foster and Brad Maylor, along with bass player Andy Duboc, were part of the collegiate indie rock band Empty Box in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before Empty Box disbanded in 1989, David Bishop had joined on drums and the four musicians went on to reconstruct the group in 1990 under the name Wingtip Sloat. By 1991 Maylor had left the band, and Sloat continued on as a trio, practicing in the basement of Duboc's parents' house and recording sessions on 4-track tape. They released several rough recordings on cassette, and then some more refined material on 7" vinyl via their own label, Sweet Portable Junket, derived from their similarly named fanzine, Sweet Portable You.
The group went to great lengths to print and collate their records in uniquely handmade wrappers, rounding out a staunch do-it-yourself aesthetic for the band. The group's early sound was reminiscent of other DC-area post-hardcore artists affiliated with Dischord Records, but Wingtip's Sloat's lo-fi sound and penchant for New Zealand pop set them apart.
Links to Peel[]
A fan of the group's music, Peel mentioned the band in a Rolling Stone interview, published on 19th August 1993, where he praised the band's double EP, by describing it as wonderful and not knowing anything about them beyond the record [1]. Peel continued playing the band's music well into the 90's and early 00's.
Shows Played[]
- 1992
- 08 March 1992: Aspermicle (7") S.P.Y.
- 03 April 1992: M31 (7" EP - M31 + 3) Sweet Portable Junket S.P.Y.
- 05 September 1992: Teapot Dome (2x7" - Half Past I've Got) Sweet Portable Junket No. 8
- 11 September 1992: Mass Fucking In The Haystacks (2x7" - Half Past I've Got) No. 8 Sweet Portable Junket
- 19 September 1992: Narda Dry Lemo (EP - Half Past I've Got) VHF
- 20 September 1992 (BFBS): I Wish I'd Been There To Make It A Cliche (EP - Half Past I've Got) Sweet Portable Junket
- 25 September 1992: 'They Came With Margarine And In-Laws (2x7"-Half Past I've Got)' (VHF)
- 03 October 1992: They Came With Margarine And In-Laws (Double EP - Half Past I've Got) VHF
- 10 October 1992: I Wish I'd Been There To Make It A Cliché (EP - Half Past I've Got) Sweet Portable Junket
- 25 September 1993: Waxing Neurotic (v/a album - Echos From The Nation's Capital : A Washington, D.C. Compilation) Third World Underground
- September 1993 (XFM): Waxing Neurotic (v/a album - Echos From The Nation's Capital (A Washington, D.C. Compilation)) Third World Underground
- 04 October 1993 (Ö3): 'Waxing Neurotic (Compilation CD-Echos From The Nation's Capital : A Washington, D.C. Compilation)' (Third World Underground)
- 1994
- 30 April 1994: Infectious Sharps (7" - Return Of The Night Of The Ardent Straggler) VHF
- 06 May 1994: ‘Left Leaning Forward (7 inch - Return Of The Night Of The Ardent Straggler )’ VHF
- 14 May 1994 (BFBS): Left Leaning Forward (7" - Return Of The Night Of The Ardent Straggler) VHF
- 11 June 1994: Left Leaning Forward (7" - Return Of The Night Of The Ardent Straggler) VHF
- 17 June 1994: 'Beauty (7 inch - Return Of The Night Of The Ardent Straggler )' VHF
- 25 June 1994 (BFBS): Beauty (7" - Return Of The Night Of The Ardent Straggler) VHF
- 09 December 1994: Arc Of A Worm's Trail (album - Chewyfoot) VHF
- 10 December 1994: Slouching Towards Dulles (LP – Chewyfoot ) VHF
- 16 December 1994: ‘Web Of Ramps (LP – Chewyfoot )’ VHF
- 17 December 1994 (BFBS): Slouching Towards Dulles (album – Chewyfoot) VHF
- 1995 on
- 06 January 1995: 'Slouching Towards Dulles (LP-Chewyfoot)' (VHF)
- 05 October 1996: Snack of Toes (split 7" with Mote - Untitled EP) Toothpick TP 006
- 11 March 1997: 'Rake /Sicle (Various Artists 2x7 inch - Breaking The Plastic Hymen, Vinyl Virgins & Lo-Fi Whores)’ Fisheye
- 07 February 1998 (BBC World Service): Sundowner's 90 Mile Pilot (LP - If Only For The Hatchery) VHF
- 14 January 2001 (BFBS): 'Snack Of Knees (split 7" with Mote)' (Toothpick)