The appearance of Okilly Dokilly, the “heavy nedal “ band on the Simpsons has started me thinking. Gimmick bands have existed for a long time, but few ever make a real musical contribution, or become more than a one hit wonder. At the same time, bands like Gwar and Kiss are obviously gimmick bands, but remain popular.
So where is the dividing line between band with a gimmick and gimmick band, and what are the best examples of each?
The first band that popped into my head was the polka-rock band Brave Combo. Not sure where they fall, since I can’t say I’m really clear on the difference between a “gimmick band” and a “band with a gimmick”.
Dread Zeppelin is a gimmick band.
Intergalactic Touring Band Intergalactic Touring Band - Wikipedia ?
Hayseed Dixie is a gimmick band.
Leningrad Cowboys is either a gimmick band or a band with multiple gimmicks, I’m not sure which.
Hell’s Belle’s was (is?) an all female AC/DC cover band.
The “band” Marilyn Manson has an Oh-So-Edgy and rebellious (that is, edgy and rebellious for an 8th grade boy who hangs around with 5th graders because peers his own age don’t want anything to do with him) covention of taking stage names that combine a female model or celebrity’s first name with an infamous male serial killer’s surname.
The Bonzo Dog Band was clearly a gimmick band, but they’ve had a lot of staying power, with their material being repackaged and rereleased dozens of times since they broke up.
The Rolling Stones had the gimmick of being the anti-Beatles when they were starting out.
Lothar and the Hand People, OTOH, were built on the gimmick of using a theremin as a main instrument. They didn’t last long.
I guess The Village People may be the best known Gimmick Band overall, if not, I can’t think of another with such widespread, mainstream notariety.
How about The Rutles or Spinal Tap?
"Stung by flagging album sales and Eminem’s supplanting him as Middle America’s worst nightmare, shock rocker Marilyn Manson has embarked on a door-to-door tour of suburbia in a desperate, last-ditch effort to shock and offend average Americans. "
Here Come the Mummies qualifies. Anonymous members, mummy/Egyptian themed shows.
The Residents have several gimmicks (wearing eyeballs on their heads The Residents - Wikipedia, concept albums from fictional cultures The Residents - Wikipedia )
Slayer is probably the ultimate gimmick band. Even 30 years ago when they started out, it was reported that some of the members didn’t even know what a Satanist was or what they believed in or did.
ETA: Found the link.
Big Daddy is another gimmick band that comes to mind – their schtick was doing covers modern rock songs in styles from the 1950s and 1960s. (A more modern example, Postmodern Jukebox, has a similar gimmick, though they do their covers using a wider range of styles.)
One thing that links these bands, as well as some other examples that have been given, like Dread Zeppelin and Hayseed Dixie, is that their gimmick is essentially “cover band with an unexpected twist.” It can be a very entertaining gimmick, but I suspect that, in many cases, it winds up being self-limiting after a while.
By comparison, some other examples that have been given, like KISS and The Village People, have gimmicks that are more about their look or their stage show, and maybe that’s a sort of gimmick that can have longer legs.
Btw, okilly dokilly fucking rocks!
As does GWAR.
Other gimmicky bands that rock much less, but are still great fun:
Metalachi, a mariachi band that plays metal songs.
Schwarzenator, a metal band with all Schwarzenegger themed songs.
Mac Sabbath, they dress up as Macdonald’s characters and play black sabbath songs with stupid Macdonald’s based lyrics. They are a tight band, but their schtick gets old after about 3 songs.
Would The Monkees and The Partridge Family count? The bands were created for TV series and ended up selling a boatload of records (I Think I Love You outsold Let It Be…).
If weird costuming and a distinctive shtick count, then Devo has to be included as a kind of gimmick band.
Sha Na Na?
How about Weird Al Yankovic?
Anything Jack White is involved with.