BUZZKILL

The Nashville, Tennessee metal band Buzzkill was formed in the Spring of 1991 when Ken Coomer, Paul Kelvington and Brooks Philips met up at a Nirvana show in Memphis, Tennessee. Over MANY shots of tequila across the street from the New Daisy Omni they discovered that in the last week ALL THREE of their bands had broken up. They decided then and there to form a full-blown metal band called "Inhaler", based on the asthmatic needs of its soon-to-be members. Upon convening in a downtown Nashville rehearsal studio one week later they found a riff that would not quit, two hours later the song "Maine" was done, and something MUCH more serious than anyone had intended became reality. The band's first show was opening for the mighty Helmet at Taj Mahal and they never looked back, blazing a trail across the Southeast. Packing shows at home and opening for L7, Public Enemy, Fugazi and others helped Buzzkill gain hundreds of loyal fans. Ken Coomer departed in late 1992 to join Uncle Tupelo and the band rebounded with the addition of the pummeling drums of Shelton Williams. Buzzkill had only one official release to their name, the six-song self-titled cassette "BUZZKILL", although fourteen recorded songs do exist. In the winter of 1993 the band formally ceased to exist due to the ever-popular "personal problems" surrounding its members. Coomer went on to help form Wilco and is an in-demand producer and session drummer. Williams is internationally known for his work as a solo artist and member of Superjoint Ritual as Hank III. Both reside in Thrashville. Kelvington is a Chicago resident and is working on a masters' degree in the Social Work field and plays in the rock band Freak Magnet. Sadly, Brooks Philips passed away on December 7th, 2001 and will be eternally missed by his bandmates.