Austin punks Meat Joy were around briefly in the mid-’80s, making a nervy, angular racket. They stayed together long enough to make one self-titled album in 1984 but a few of the members went on to do some notable things: Gretchen Phillips went on to be a part of iconic Austin “dyke rock” band Two Nice Girls, Teresa Taylor went on to join Butthole Surfers (and sadly died earlier this year) and John Perkins pursued acting, taking the stage name John Hawkes, who you might know from Deadwood, Winter’s Bone, Eastbound and Down, Me and You and Everyone We Know, and more.
As Stereogum points out, the band’s sole album is getting reissued on October 13, and to celebrate the original lineup of the band — Gretchen Phillips, Mellissa Cobb, Jamie Spidle, John Hawkes and Tim Mateer — are getting back together for a couple shows.
The two reunion shows are both in Austin: October 19 at Cheer Up Charlies and October 21 at the Museum Of Human Achievement. “Be prepared to hear us and see us, older but wiser and still in love with our songs, oh so very much,” says Phillips.
Listen to “Another Pair” from the upcoming reissue and watch Meat Joy on Austin Public Access below.
For more on Meat Joy, read this recent article from Michael Corcoran’s substack.
