Evil Stig

I’m going this afternoon up to Orlando to see Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Most bands don’t come to Miami. We only get DJs and tribute bands. Once in awhile someone will come to the Hard Rock in Ft. Lauderdale. C'est la vie, I guess.

Anyway, I posted some Joan Jett a couple of months ago, but I still wanted to share something relative. I’ve tried this week to post some more or less obscure stuff and some things you hopefully don’t hear every day. So, to neatly tie that together with Joan Jett, today I’ve got Evil Stig.

Evil Stig (Gits Live, written backwards) was a collaboration between Joan Jett and Joe Spleen, Matt Dresdner, and Steve Moriarty of The Gits. The project came about when Steve wrote Joan a letter asking if she and her band would be willing to play a benefit concert for the account funding the private investigation into the murder of Gits singer Mia Zapata. Mia was killed in July 1993 (more on that in a sec).

Joan ended up agreeing to perform live with the surviving members of The Gits and they scheduled a US tour. On the coasts, the shows did very well, but middle America didn’t seem to get it. There was also a feeling that the record company (Warner Brothers) didn’t really offer the support it could have. Ultimately the collaboration ended, but not before several shows were recorded and released in 1995 to benefit the investigation.

Sign of the Crab.mp3
Another Shot of Whiskey.mp3
Second Skin.mp3
Spear & Magic Helmet.mp3
Crimson & Clover.mp3

Mia Zapata, as I mentioned, was murdered July 7, 1993. She was 27 years old. According to the TV show “Unsolved Mysteries,” a couple watching television heard what sounded like screams at about two in the morning. An hour-and-a-half later, a streetwalker found Mia’s body, which had been beaten and mutilated. The medical examiner’s report said that if she had not been strangled, she would have died from the internal injuries suffered during the beating. A jury convicted a Florida fisherman, Jesus Mezquia, of her murder on March 25, 2004. He was sentenced to 36 years in prison.

Following Mia’s murder, a number of artists and musicians in Seattle began to meet and discuss the problems of violence in the community and the lack of available assistance. The founders of the organization pooled resources from arts and music benefits in order to raise funds and study self-defense. The group, Home Alive , remains active in the Seattle area.

The Gits’ Web site also offers more information about Mezquia’s trial, as well as information on The Gits movie.

The Gits Movie trailer on YouTube. There are also links to Gits videos.

posted by aikin @ 9:55 AM