THE AINTS

The Aints is a band name used by Ed Kuepper during his prolific early 1990s period for loud, feedback-drenched three-piece performance and recordings. The name is a variation on The Saints, the band Kuepper had formed with Chris Bailey in Brisbane in the early 1970s. It apparently derived from an old Saints bass drumhead on which the initial letter "S" had worn off. Kuepper has stated his aim with the Aints was to recapture the energy of the Saints in the late 1970s. Although the band's set started with Saints material, the sound of the band was more a driving three-piece with Neil Young-style feedback. The later original material featured saxophone and a more free-form approach.

The band started playing around Sydney on 13 April 1991 with Kuepper (guitar, vocals), Kent Steedman (bass) and Tim Reeves (drums). They quickly released a recording of this first show, 'S.L.S.Q — Very Live!', recorded on cassette, sold at shows as well as in shops. (The name stands for "Strictly Limited Sound Quality" or "Slightly Limited Sound Quality.") This recording and the Australian tour shows of 1991 consisted of old Saints material.

In this period, Kuepper was releasing new albums at a rate of roughly three a year. The Aints were quickly added to this release cycle. With Artie Sledge (bass), Mark Dawson (drums) and Tim Hopkins (sax), the Aints released two albums of original songs: 'Ascension' in November 1991 and 'Autocannibalism' in 1992, both on Hot Records. Hot issued a five-track CD EP compilation, 'Cheap Erotica', in November 1993, and a compilation, 'Shelflife Unlimited!!! — Hotter Than Blazing Pistols!!!', in August 1995. A third Aints album called 'Afterlife' was recorded but never issued.

In 2017, Kuepper enlisted bassist Peter Oxley (ex-Sunnyboys), drummer Paul Larsen Loughhead (ex-The Celibate Rifles/The New Christs), jazz pianist Alister Spence, and trumpeter and brass arranger Eamon Dilworth. The band performed shows throughout Australia in 2017–2018, primarily focusing on material from The Saints' catalogue (1973–1978). The debut studio album from the group (now known as 'The Aints!') is 'The Church of Simultaneous Existence', and features songs written by Kuepper in and around his tenure in The Saints. The album was released on 21 September 2018, through ABC Music. It debuted at #82 on the ARIA Albums Chart

Members

Ed Kuepper (vocals, guitar), Artie Sledge (bass), Mark Dawson (drums), Tim Hopkins (sax), Kent Steedman (bass), Tim Reeves (drums), Pedro Bull (keyboards), Mike Couvret (bass), Steven King (bass)

SINGLES

I'm Stranded

1991

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aints