Mike Lierly Mark Lierly Eli Monster Nate Powell Dustin Clark Mikael Wood Tim Scott Maralie Armstrong Anna Newell Kristine Barrett Michael Motley
Past members
Alan Short
Soophie Nun Squad (often shortened by fans to simply Soophie or abbreviated SNS) is a DIY punk rock band from North Little Rock, Arkansas known for their jubilant stage performances which typically include costumes, puppet shows, and a large amount of crowd participation. The number of members varies from 6 to 11, but always includes a bass guitar player, a drummer, a guitarist and at least three lead singers. They are also known for bizarre song structures and topics, such as "Donkey Call" in which the singers proclaim they are giving up automobiles in favor of riding donkeys and encourage audience members to do the same and give their "Donkey Call" (or "Esel Schrei"), or loudly make the sound of a donkey.
Biography
Soophie Nun Squad formed in the fall of 1992[1] as a four-piece called The Schwa Sound, but renamed themselves by February 1993 at news that friends Chip King (later of The Body) and Mark Lowe (later of Il Libretina) had started a band entitled "Schwa". Soophie Nun Squad's first show was April 24, 1993 on the back lawn of the Arkansas Governor's Mansion, at the request of Governor Jim Guy Tucker's daughter Anna. Initially, Soophie Nun Squad drew from such diverse musical influences as Moss Icon, Primus, Chino Horde, Anthrax, The Four Tops, Beastie Boys, and Heavenly. As new members joined the fray through the years, Soophie Nun Squad became a sonic melting pot, primarily influenced by Big Boys, Salt N Pepa, R. Kelly, Public Enemy, Laurie Anderson, Rites of Spring, David Bowie, and 69 Boyz, and became increasingly more focused on the relationship between their songs and performative narratives tying disparate movements into a larger body of music (reaching its zenith in "The Scab Fairy", a seven-part rock opera on 2003's "Passion Slays the Dragon").
Soophie Nun Squad has been inactive since performing on June 21, 2006, in Braunschweig, Germany. Some material and concepts for newer SNS songs found outlets in WAIT (consisting of Nate Powell, with contributions by Mark, Maralie, and Eli), Divorce Chord (Nate Powell, Mike Lierly, and Patrice Poor), Humanola (Eli Monster), and HoneyBeast (Maralie Armstrong). The band was scheduled to play their final concerts at a show for Towncraft (film) on May 18, 2007, and the following night in North Little Rock, AR, until Mark Lierly broke his wrists and the shows were cancelled.
May 2006 – midwestern U.S. mini-tour (with Mt. Gigantic)
May/June 2006 – European tour
Soophie Nun Squad's members were scattered across the United States but remain tied to the Little Rock punk scene. In 2015, four members reside in California; one lives in Bloomington, Indiana; two live in Providence, Rhode Island; one lives in New York City; while four remain in Little Rock, Arkansas. Band members have also lived in and participated in the scenes of Kansas City MO, Philadelphia PA, New York NY, and Savannah GA.
Due to the intimacy of Soophie Nun Squad performances, critics and historians generally agree that the band could never be as successful in a large venue. Despite this, the band has gained a huge international cult following, due in part to extensive touring.
Soophie (1993–2010), a Lhasa Apso owned by the drummer and one singer's family, is named after the band.
A member of Soophie ridicules an audience member for not "doing the cinderblock", while other audience members (who are "doing the cinderblock") look on.
