Howard Rappaport

With a voice like an angel afire and a guitar style reminiscent of...well, nobody we can think of, How grew up on Strong Island where, after giving up magic, he took up guitar. Because of a brain muddled by ADD, he never learned to play those blues-rock/hard-rock licks that everybody seems to play, so he concentrated on the obvious next-best thing: Ragtime and fingerstyle guitar! His basement punkrock band, The Pleasure Gluttons [featuring future Ludichrist founder/drummer extraordinaire Al Batross on bass], had a minor hit in his basement with "Dance of the Limbless Ape."In college at SUNY Purchase, he joined the band that he was to remain with for almost 20 years, The Pineapples [www.myspace.com/pineapples85]. Pineapples had a college radio hit in '91 [or was it '90?] with their first 7" single, "Crystalline." This song showcased the band's rare gift of melding prog, punk, pop, noise & Sabbath-style rock into a unique synthesis that can only be described as...Pineapplian [alright, YOU come up with a better descriptor!]. Pineapples followed this single with a 12" EP, "Cacahuates." Both releases were recorded and produced by Kramer of ShimmyDisc/Bongwater fame. Kramer took a shine to the band and released their next EP, "All For What," on his ShimmyDisc subsidiary, KoKoPop. This release garnered a coveted "Single of the Week" in the September 1993 issue of the UK's New Musical Express. The Pineapples soon after were touring England in support of a fourth release, "She Brings Me Down," on Placebo Records.We're tired right now. We'll finish this fershlugginer profile later....