Sleazy Pictures Muggy Archive: The Gits

Jan 7, 2011

The Gits

The Gits were the riot grrl leaders.

The Gits were an American punk rock band, formed in Yellow Springs, Ohio in 1986. Known for their part in the burgeoning Seattle music scene of the early 1990s, their distinct punk rock sound gained a reputation for its bluesy street punk aesthetic. They were known for their fiery live performances and retained a dedicated following both during and after their existence.

Singer Mia Zapata—influenced early on by blues, soul music and hardcore punk—sang of inner struggle, alcohol, death, and survival despite utter hopelessness. Other members included guitarist Joe Spleen (born Andy Kessler), bassist Matt Dresdner and drummer Steve Moriarty. During their existence, the band released two studio albums, one compilation of early recordings, one live recording, three 7" singles and appeared on various compilations. The band also recorded on a few independent labels, and released its two studio albums on C/Z Records. In 2003, each release in the band's discography was remastered and expanded with bonus tracks on Broken Rekids.

The band dissolved in 1993 following the murder of Zapata. Though the band never signed with a major label and never reached a mainstream audience, Zapata has nevertheless been cited as an influence by several subsequent female punk vocalists...

Punk Janis Joplin.

Origin

The Gits met and formed in 1986 at Antioch College, a liberal arts school in Yellow Springs, Ohio. They called themselves the Snivelling Little Rat Faced Gits (a reference to a Monty Python skit, episode 21), but soon shortened the moniker to just "The Gits." In 1988 they recorded and self-released their "unofficial" debut album entitled Private Lubs with the help of friend Ben London (later of Alcohol Funnycar and solo). These recordings did not see widespread release though until 1996 when the album was reissued by the Broken Rekids label as Kings & Queens. After finishing school, they packed up and headed to Seattle, Washington in 1989 in search of greater opportunities.

Fandom

After arriving in Seattle, the band set up shop at the now infamous 'Rathouse,' a Capitol Hill district house where the band rehearsed and lived. They quickly earned a following on the local scene and gained many friends, particularly in the city's punk rock community. During the early 1990s, buzz began surrounding the band, which caused some media outlets to erroneously lump them in with the then-burgeoning Seattle grunge music scene, and Zapata's persona led many to incorrectly associate The Gits with the Olympia, Washington riot grrrl movement.

Their first 'official' release surfaced in 1990 in the form of the "Precious Blood" single, released by the local Big Flaming Ego Records. This single was quickly followed up by two more releases ("Second Skin" on Broken Rekids (1991), "Spear & Magic Helmet" on Empty Records (1991), as well as the Bobbing For Pavement compilation (Rathouse/Broken Rekids, 1991) which featured The Gits alongside some of Seattle's best up-and-coming punk bands.

Fame & Crime

In 1992 the band recorded and released their debut album Frenching the Bully on the local C/Z Records to rave reviews. By this point, Seattle had become the 'next big thing' in mainstream music with several of its better known bands gaining national attention. The Gits themselves had gained quite a bit of notoriety by this point, thus allowing them to not only tour outside of Seattle, but also in Europe, despite the fact they had no permanent record label or other professional services to support them.

By 1993 it became clear that the Gits were on the verge of making it big with the band gaining the attention of major label record companies. Production began in mid-1993 on the band's second album entitled Enter: The Conquering Chicken, an album which was planned to be their breakthrough. The Gits seemed to be well on their way when, on the night of July 7, 1993, the group's charismatic singer and songwriter Mia Zapata was brutally raped and murdered while walking home from a bar.

Investigation of Zapata's murder

Immediate aftermath

After the initial shock of Zapata's murder, both the remaining members of the Gits and the Seattle musical community at large began an intensive investigation into her death. The Seattle Police Department initially focused their investigation on Zapata's circle of friends, believing that her murderer must have been someone she knew. Using funds generated by the Seattle music community (from benefit shows and CDs), as well as their own money, the remaining band members hired private investigator Leigh Hearon to supplement the police department's investigation. For over three years, Hearon and the Seattle Police Department investigated the crime with little or no breaks in the case. In 1996 the investigation first gained national attention in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. It however did not open any new leads. The case was later highlighted on several other TV shows including A&E's American Justice, Cold Case Files, City Confidential, CBS's 48 Hours, FOX's America's Most Wanted, and TruTV's Forensic Files.

Finding the killer

Seven years passed with few new leads in the case, until a random DNA check conducted by the Seattle PD's Cold Case Unit and the Washington State Crime Lab led to the arrest of Cuban-American fisherman Jesus Mezquia. Mezquia, who briefly lived in Seattle during the time of Zapata's murder, was linked to the crime in 2003 when a DNA profile was extracted from a saliva sample left on Zapata's body; Mezquia had bitten her breast. It had been kept in cold storage until the STR technology was developed for full extraction. An original entry in 2001 failed to generate a positive result, but Mezquia's DNA entered the national databank after he was arrested for burglary in Florida in 2002.

On March 25, 2004, a jury convicted Mezquia of Zapata's murder and sentenced him to 36 years in prison, the maximum allowed in the case under Washington state law.

Legacy

Home Alive

In the aftermath of Zapata's murder, friends created a non-profit self-defense group called Home Alive, which ceased operations in 2010, organized benefit concerts and CDs with the participation of Seattle's music elite, such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Heart, and the Presidents of the United States of America. The Home Alive group has its own instructors and seek to empower women with ways to protect themselves against predators. They hold a range of courses, from anger management and use of pepper spray to the martial arts.

Discography

Albums

Frenching the Bully (C/Z Records) (1992).

Reissued on Broken Rekids, 2003

Enter: The Conquering Chicken (C/Z Records) (1993).