The Gits - Enter: The Conquering Chicken The Gits

Enter: The Conquering Chicken is The Gits’ second, and final, full-length studio album. The Gits’ vocalist, lyricist, and frontwoman, Mia Zapata, was murdered in Seattle during the few weeks they spent recording the album that summer of 1993. Produced by the band and longtime friend Scott Benson, Enter: The Conquering Chicken was released posthumously on C/Z Records in 1994.

The Gits formed in 1986 at Antioch College in Ohio, and moved together to Seattle in 1989 as the world was taking notice of the local scene. Although their raucous, blues-infused punk, powered by Mia’s indelible vocals, didn’t quite fit the mold being cast by their Pacific Northwest peers, the band immediately found a tight foothold and strong following.

Enter: The Conquering Chicken showcases The Gits at the peak of their powers. Captured at the end of a packed west coast tour, they were on fire. Creative, inspired, and driven by the promise of a new musical chapter you can hear in these recordings.

Remixed by Jack Endino in 2003, Songs like “Bob (Cousin O.),” “Guilt Within Your Head,” “Seaweed,” “Sign of the Crab,” “The Drinking Song,” and Mia’s jaw-dropping rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” reveal a distinct evolution in Direction following their successful 1992 debut album, Frenching The Bully.

“‘Sign of the Crab’ was the last song we created together as a band” says Bassist Matt Dresdner. “Based on Andy’s diabolical composition and Mia’s brilliant creepy lyrics, the music was punchy, complex, and full of a fun, twisted rage. The songs on Chicken provide just a glimpse of what we were onto.”

Remastered in 2024 by Jack Endino for Sub Pop Records, this long out-of-print Seattle punk centerpiece is available on colored vinyl with new artwork and liner notes by Tim Sommer who aptly riffs: “The Gits were an angry, inflamed slinky fully in tune with and tuned by the Bessie Patti Smith of her time, truly the only singer who could summon Joplin, Poly Styrene, Sam Cooke, Iggy Pop, and Ian MacKaye all in the same goddamn song.”

The Gits are pleased to finally present listeners with the definitive edition of this recording to celebrate a taste of where Mia and their band might have gone.