Our occasional series “Secret History” features profiles of classic D.C. albums as a way of looking back at the District’s contributions to music over time. In this installment, we take a look at Tsunami’s Deep End (Simple Machines, 1993).
A too often overlooked gem of D.C.’s ‘90s indie rock scene, Tsunami specialized in a heavily melodic, seriously catchy sound steeped in punchy rhythms and dueling guitars. Initially featuring Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson on guitars and vocals, Andrew Webster on bass, and John Pamer on drums, Tsunami released a handful of singles and four LPs between 1991 and 1997, representing some of the hookiest and endearingly enthusiastic material to come out of Clinton-era D.C.
Not only did Toomey and Thomson found Tsunami, but they also started the Simple Machines label, which helped to broaden the District’s musical horizons by specializing in less political, more overtly poppy and playful material. As Toomey recently told DCist, “We had a sense of humor…. There was a lot of self-effacing humor that was not necessarily part of the D.C. scene, which was more earnest. So I think there was sort of a marriage between the aesthetics — making everything pristine, the politics – but also trying to have a sense of humor, and to be funny and self-effacing.”
Describing Simple Machines’ role in the District’s musical landscape, Thomson adds, “As Simple Machines, we were really interested in trying to bring other communities together. We did a funny little festival called Lots of Pop Losers in 1991. It was Simple Machines, Teenbeat, and Slumberland, and we created a little pop festival just to highlight those labels’ bands, because D.C. was so known for the stuff that was coming out of Dischord – which we all loved and went to all the shows – but there was this other pop scene which was very unique. So we would just organize things to try and bring other people together, and it worked really well.”
Because Tsunami were fronted by two women, they were often labeled a riot grrrl band by the music press, especially in the UK. Having inked a distribution and promotion deal with the London-based Southern Studios, Tsunami were able to tour the UK soon after completing Deep End, their debut LP. “We were [in England] before Bikini Kill, and so they sort of categorized us as a riot grrrl band… They’d ask us about riot grrrl stuff just because we were there before Bikini Kill,” recalls Thomson.
