associated_acts years_active label article_title past_members background genre origin name
the cat heads , heatmiser , quasi 1986 & ndash ; 1989 cryptovision , pitch-a-tent the donner party -lrb- band -rrb-
 sam coomes reinhold johnson melanie clarin group_or_band indie rock san francisco , california , usa the donner party
the donner party -lrb- band -rrb-

the donner party was a san francisco-based indie-rock band , performing between 1986-1989 .
the band consisted of melanie clarin on drums and accordion , sam coomes on guitar , violin , and banjo , and reinhold johnson on bass .
the band released two albums , both self-titled ; the first was released in 1987 on the cryptovision records label , and the second on camper van beethoven 's pitch-a-tent label in 1988 .
these two albums , plus an unreleased third album and some live tracks were collected and released as `` complete recordings 1987-1989 '' in 2000 on innerstate records .
the band played a one-time reunion show on april 16 , 2000 , at slim 's in san francisco .
named after a group of 19th-century american travelers who turned cannibals while stranded , the donner party 's songs frequently took a comic view of death and its attendant dread -lrb- and also , as it happens , food -rrb- .
titles include `` when you die your eyes pop out '' , `` john wilkes booth '' , `` try to imagine a terrible world '' , `` boxfull of bones '' .
`` when i was a baby '' , recorded with a cheap organ with almost whispery vocals to sound somehow homey and quaint , begins : `` when i was a baby i looked like a pig/my nose was a snout and my ears were too big , '' and only gets creepier from there .
the amusingly titled `` mom please do n't listen '' is basically a litany of coprophagia and gorey death .
in `` would you like to have something to eat ? ''
, they link failing to follow parents ' nutritional imperatives with being sent to hell .
in contrast , their cover version of the sesame street song `` up & down , '' designed to teach the literal concepts of `` up '' and `` down , '' is performed cheerfully yet not exaggeratedly -- in keeping with the spirit of the original song from the series .
clarin , also played drums in another san francisco folk-rock band , the cat heads and also harm farm .
coomes would later play in heatmiser , and then form motorgoat and quasi with his ex-wife , janet weiss .
