Released on lp, cd & cassette in 1989, Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them corrals the era's best alternative and indie rock groups to cover the songs of the brilliant Japanese punk-pop trio Shonen Knife. On hand for the festivities: Sonic Youth, Redd Kross, L7, Christmas, Krave and many others -- see below.Full Track Listing- 2001 ebay listing... 1) Redd Kross: Kappa Ex. 2) Freaks: Summertime Boogie 3) Three O'Clock: Insect Collector 4) Frightwig: Public Baths 5) Government Issue: Dali's Sunflower 6) L7: Baggs 7) White Flag: Froot Loop Dreams 8) Pussywillows: Twist Barbie 9) Big Dipper: Making Plans for Bison 10) Christmas: Ice Cream City 11) Pat Ruthensmear: Lazy Bones 12) Krave: Elmer Elevator 13) Chemical People: Devil House 14) Sonic Youth: Burning Farm

I would like to thank Laurie Es (formerly of Krave) for providing the above photos for this web site. The third image is of Sara & Laurie in the summer of 2003 right after Laurie Es & Andrea Kustin's new band Venus 6 http://www.venus6.net played at Dick Manatoba's on avenue B. Photographed by Richard Cummins (Both Laurie & Andrea are featured on the Krave recording Elmer Elivator)

Now on to more photos of Krave.

Press in Paper Magazine by Carlo McCormick & Steve Blush Sept 1989:

"Sure, we all know that rock 'n' roll is dead in this town, but for those of you who are tired of taking Ecstacy and dancing the night away to the predictable thumps and whines of soulless urban grooves, theres still plenty of life left kicking around the corpse of New York's underground rock scene to charge up even the most tired and jaded battery. So here's an abbreviated guide of what's up and what's down in the humble outhouse of contemporary rock. A select sampling of of some of the more noteworthy maggots squirming around in the New York Rock Scene. You might use this as a guide the next time you are looking for something to do or trying to find a new cd out there that's worth the money.

*Karen Black

Another ill collaboration from Samoa and Kembra Pfahler, two of the most indisputably bizarre and wild figures on the New York Night Club Circuit. The glamourous depravity serves up just what you might expect from this mondo duo.

*Krave

Imagine Jane Mansfield meets the Stooges. Dirty, sleazy, lusty music at its finest."

*Law & Order

New York City's answer to Whitesnake makes their MCA vinal debut. Watch for 'em, they'll be big.

This Rock & Roll Premiere Issue Winter 1990

KRAVE, BLITZSPEER, WHITE ZOMBEE CBGB'S DECEMBER 9 1989

This marks perhaps the third or fourth time I saw Krave but only the second time I paid attention. The first time I paid atention my thoughts were wow! This time, however, my thoughts were wowee!. Comprised of guitar, bass, drums, and of course that lead singer woman who gives the band that extraordinary touch which makes em something special in my book. -And by the look of the audience, the same goes for their books. They dish out unadulterated rock and roll with that ingredient of grunge, that ingredient of power whatever, and all that other stuff we know we like, but we dont admit to. Lead singer (Sara Cook) moves like an Egyptian Zombee when shes not singing. Very cool. Botom line, Krave good. Krave good? Krave good. Krave Good! (primative ape sounds here) KRAVE GOOD!

RIP Magazine October 1990

Krave, from NYC, has a real hip vibe happinin'- a cross between Jane Mansfield and the Stooges.

Alternative Press International Publications: Volume 1V, Numver 27 March 1990

Forget about terms like "scum rock" because there's no real scene to speak of. There are several like minded bands playing cbgb's from time to time, but that's really all. The Freaks are one of 3 really good bands bouncing around here in New York City. (The other two being Lunachicks and Krave) with an unsatiable seventies jones. What all 3 have in common is their backgrounds: all weened on too many trashy television shows, punk, garage music, and heaping portions of Black Sabath. Darren Ressler

FUTURES CMJ NEW MUSIC REPORT SEPTEMBER 22, 1989

As we stumber upon this demo tape by Krave- who bang out a post Pink Fairies garage type thing with a female vocalist... whose style lies somewhere between the Ramones, Lunachicks, and a Kim Fowley wet dream... god like guitar riffs.

Strike Force the Newsleter of the Village Voice Strike Commitee June 25, 1990

CBGB's Benefit Knocks Socks off

The Strike Fund Benefit on Sunday the 17th was so scintillating, rollicking, and poetically transcendant that it prety much left everyone gasping for air. Starring the peerless Galaxy 500, Mofungo, Frank's Museum, and Krave, with a special guest appearance by Elvis.. We took in mounds of cash and found plenty of management targets to bash. Sardonically hosted by the afable Fug founder Tuli Kupferberg, with help from 65 organizer Ali Hossaini and mouthpiece Ed Moralis, it was a typically challanging ceeb's night with a dash of labor politics in the air. What can we say about the pneumatic drill presence of Laurie Es's Krave, a band that conflates Joan Jett with Black Sabath, taking no prisoners? Many asses shook, and we went reeling back to the bar.

VOICE CHOICES

WFMU BENEFIT: A good cause- this try- anything- once radio station just moved locations and the new one needs fixing up. And the phone company cut their power, thus pulling them of the air, because they misplaced a decimal in their computer (true story). Staff bands and friends include Krave, Speed the plough, Sea Monkees, Jolly Ramey, and uncle wiggley. June 15 at Maxwells, 1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ. (Sound Garden also on the bill and artist KAZ was on hand among others)

FLIPSIDE MAGAZINE

Krave are a well known staple in the New York club scene, but have had little exposure outside their local area until now. Most people who have heard them are familiar with the band because of their first vinal ofering "Elmer Elivator" off the comp "Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them", but that track does litle to explain the band. With 2 lefty guitar players, a couple hot chicks on bass and vocals, and a crazed drum maniac, Krave are part of the coolest "non trend" in New York, firmly staking a claim next to the likes of the Lunahicks, or the Freaks. Kraves interview was conducted in person by Freaks bassist Howie Pyro with questions prompted by Mr. Patrick Fear. American bandstand was playing in the background...

FS-Well, for a corny opener question, what inspired your lyrics?

Laurie Es- Alot of our songs are about dreams or nightmares, the subject of Aliens, flying saucers, ufosappear pretty frequently in Krave tunes.

FS- Whats the space alien thing about?

Laurie Es- Ruby Starr from Black Oak Arkensas came to me in a dream once and told me I was to be kidnapped by the Mayan Indians in the year 2000 when they return from outer spaceto collect their offspring. You see all females in rock bands are directly related to the Mayans, who came from outer space to seed our planet with their offspring. Ask any girl in a rock band. Leslie Gore goes on about it in interviews.

FS- I hear Jacky DeShannon used to say it was the Inka's

Laurie Es- Well, all the very southern Mexican Indians, Incas and Mayans, the whole South American and Central America natives, and the Egyptians, all the Pyramid cultures, they started rock and roll. long before Motley Crew and the DeFranco family.

Scara: It goes along with the whole animal supremacy theme which is simply that everyone thinks their so high and mighty, but were all so litle compared to our environment. Were so selfish and we think that this planet is the only place where life exists. So many people have the same view of animals. Like they're nothing.

FS- Have you had experiences with ufo's?

Laurie Es- I'm a UFO abductee, but the aliens erased my conscious memory of it. I used to have these nightmares about UFO's crashing in this valley and all my friends would go down to investigate the explosion. When they came back up they were faceless. Every time I had this dream I would sleepwalk and wake up somewhere other than my bed. That's what Farflung is all about. It's almost like having some outside force controlling your subconscious.

Scara- We write about experiences in our lives that inspire us. I met this Indian over the summer and I was in this incredable waterfall that had to be the most beautiful plave I'v ever seen. The indian saw us and scaled down that falls like it was nothing. He didn't even look human. He was covered with dirt and bugged out looking. He picked up the water from the mountain and made us drink it. His hands were dirty but we drank it anyway because we knew it was a test to see how much of a city slicker we were. After we drank the dirt he said "were brothers now." So we wrote "Crowalker". Alot of my lyrics are about breaking loose and fuck all the pressures people put on you. You are the only one who has to live your life. I guess I wasn't the first one, "free your mind and your ass will follow".

FS-Josey plays the guitar upside down and backwards.

Josey- Standing on my head of course.

Scara- One of the coolest things about Krave that gives us so much diversity is that everyone is from totally diferent heads and schools of music. Were not all saying "Oh we wanna sound like this" because we dont have common ground. Our songs come out naturally from the blend of the 5 of us.

FS-What are some of your individual influences?

Josey- My main influence is everything. Everything from dealing with wino to watching people blow their brains out on tv to squashing a bug by accident.

Josey listens to Sufi Gregorian chants. I listen to a lot of soul & Funkadelic, old Sabath.

Laurie Es-There's about 20 albums that I regularly listen to that don't fall into any particular catagory. Anything that will turn the air into cottage cheese. Budgie, Blue Cheer, Brownsville Station, Stranglers, Black Oak Arkensas, Hawkwind.

Rob- Slayer, Janes Addiction, Bad Brains.

Frank- Deep Purple, Motorhead, Judas Priest, ACDC, Aerowsmith, Steppenwolf, Stooges.

Scara-Pink Fairies, Tank, Kiss, Alice Cooper.

Josey- Mr. Hendrix

FS- Do you do any covers?

Scara- When the band first formed, we decided that we would all learn "Search and Destroy" and it was such a disaster. How can you take a great song like Search and Destroy and think you can improve on it?

Josey- We did a Shonen Knife cover, thats on "Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them"

Laurie Es- Neither Rob nore Frank were in the band back then. Our original rhythem guitar player, Mike Whalen, is on it. Andrea from Freaks is the drummer. For a new band the cut Elmer Elivator does a lot of experimentation with Japanese monster movie clips and chanting but we dont really sound like that anymore.

Scara- My voice was a lot more out of control back then. We have developed our own style and sound a lot more original. Josey and I had not been in bands before, so whatever came out of the jam was made into songs. Now we have more of an idea of how we want to sound.

FS-Why do you call yourself Krave?

Scara- When the band first started, Josey had just moved to New York from parts unknown. I was gonna play bass and he was gonna play guitar. He came over to my apartment to jam and he started to eat cat food. I thought he was trying to shock me so I pretended I didn't notice that I noticed he brought a whole box of catfood.

FS-Did he have a cat?

Scara- No he didn't. Wow, I never thought of that but he purchased a box of Crave that had the litle chicken bones, fish, and x's in it. Anyway, all the fish were piled up high in the ashtray which meant he ate the chicken and the x's but not the fish. It was then that I realized.

FS-Do you consider yourself to be an underground band?

Scara- I hope it doesn't stop at just one circle. I think some could listen to our music and get into it. Alot of weird bands are really making it. We just played with Sound Garden. They are a bunch of scumbags just like us, but they are on top of the ladder. It took them some time before they got signed. Now they've got a huge audience, a major label and they were nominated for a Grammy. I wonder what we will be like when we are far along?

Frank- We are not gonna take the shit end of the stick. We are gonna grab the other end and beat everyone in the head with it.

FS-What are some extra-curricular stuff you do outside Krave?

Scara- Me and my best friend from nursery school decided when we were 18 to start bellydancing. Since we both have tattoos, we realized that we weren't going to make iton the mainstream bellydance scene because they don't allow tattoos. We were both left handed so we started this bellydance company where all the moves start with our left feet. It's called School of Fish. We were asked to bellydance at the Ritz between Sonic Youth and Mud Honey. We did it at the Pyramid before the Lunachicks.

Laurie Es- I do a radio show on WFMU on Saturday evenings. I have live bands play and do interviews with them. Red Kross have visited the show, Tator Tots, Freaks, Das Damen, Sound Garden, Die Kreuzen, Lunachicks, Sloth, Da Willy's, White Zombee, Raging Slab, I have been doing it since 1982 and it's a long list. Alot of the interviews end up in Flesh n Bones magazine. Hawkwind, Tator Totz, Raging Slab - they all ended up in print. Next issue will have Ruby Starr from Black Oak Arkensas. She's my idol.

Josey- I'm into reading weird and mysterious books and I never go out. I only watch public television and Totally hidden video.

FS-What other experiments have you conducted recently?

Josey- I bought one of those balls that has the lightening inside of them. I thought it would be really cool to play guitar and freak out on the thing. The directions said "Never touch the orb while wearing anything metal. At the time I was wearing a ring and got a little bit of jolt from it and I thought it was kind of cool. I kept getting wilder with my experiments. Finally, what happened was I took a live guitar plug and held it in my hand, plugged it into my amp, tuned the amp up real loud, took the other hand and touched the ball with the rings on my finger and got electrocuted. My amp made this that sounded just like the doorbell at the Adams Family. The lights got dim and I almost blacked out.

Scara- He brought the ball back to Radio Shack and got a refund by saying "It had bad vibes"

Rob- He got one of those radio controlled cars instead........

Krave has played live with: Raging Slab, Sound Garden, Big Chief, White Zombee, Da Willy's, Lunachicks, Freaks, Karen Black, Nevermore, Sloth, Hope, Tusk (with Thurstin Moore.), Psycho Daisies, Viva La Wattage, Naked Sun, Holy Regalya, Angel Rot, Honeymoon Killers, etc.