Cows
1987–1998·Minneapolis, MN
AmRep's defining band and one of the great noise rock outfits, period. Shannon Selberg out front with a hunting horn and face paint; Thor Eisentrager carving riffs out of a granite slab; Kevin Rutmanis on bass (later in Cows spin-off Mule, then Melvins). Seven albums of grinding, deranged, specifically Midwestern noise rock before they broke up in '98. Peacetika and Cunning Stunts are perfect.
People
Shannon Selberg
vocalshorn
Cows' frontman. Plays a hunting horn on stage. Wears face paint. Delivers lyrics about deranged middle-American characters in a nasal bellow that was immediately recognizable from the first note. The defining AmRep performer.