thin white rope: thirty pieces of silver

abandoned migrant worker camp; davis, california.



guy kyser in stockholm. photograph by arvid krantz.

Originally formed in Davis, California, Thin White Rope stretched to fraying point through the mid to late 80's, finally unravelling to less fanfare than they deserved. Their final live performance at Ghent, Belgium on 28th June 1982 was recorded for posterity on the double LP, "The One That Got Away".

Deriving their name from a line by William S. Burroughs, the Thin White Rope sound revolved around singer/songwriter/guitarist, Guy Kyser and second guitarist, Roger Kunkel; an intertwining of strings and feedback writhing like diamond skinned rattlesnakes tied up in a sack on the desert floor. And the strangled, wounded howl of singer Kyser with that same rope wound tight around his throat. At their best, their sound paints a picture of abandoned mining communities and the bones of family pets left bleaching under an unforgiving sun. Broken things.

The Paleontology of neglect.

At worst, that sound seemed compromised on too many occasions by affectation slipping uneasily close to self parody. Thin White Rope walked a tightrope where carefully tuned balance was key. One badly timed breath was all that was required to send them toppling.

"Yoo Doo Right" is a cover of the Can song - from their 1969 LP, "Monster Movie" - with new drummer, Matthew Abourezk given free rein to good effect. All other songs featured are written by Kyser. Produced by Thin White Rope and Tom Mallon.



berkley square, 1982. guy kyser and joszef becker of thin white rope, with scott miller of related davis group, game theory.
The line-up on "Sack Full Of Silver" comprises:

Guy Kyser: guitar, vocals
Roger Kunkel: guitar vocals
Matthew Abourezk: drums
Steve Siegrist: bass

▼ THIN WHITE ROPE: YOO DOO RIGHT from "Sack Full Of Silver" LP (Frontier) 1990 (US)

▼ THIN WHITE ROPE: THE GHOST from "Sack Full Of Silver" LP (Frontier) 1990 (US)

▼ THIN WHITE ROPE: DIESEL MAN from "Sack Full Of Silver" LP (Frontier) 1990 (US)

PURCHASE TWR AT FRONTIER RECORDS
DISCOGRAPHY