Rig Rock; Honky Tonk; Singer/Songwriter San Francisco, California; 1960- Jean Caffeine began her musical career in California in the late 1970s as a drummer in the all girl punk band the Urge. Moving to New York City in 1980, she worked as a nightclub DJ and became drummer for another all girl band, Pulsallama. Noted primarily for theatrical stage shows and a fun loving approach, Pulsallama had one minor underground hit, "The Devil Lives in My Husband's Body" (about a guy with Tourette's Syndrome) and opened a few shows for the Clash. After the band's demise (their record company ran out of money), Caffeine assembled yet another all female band, Clambake. It was short lived but included several Austin, Texas natives who gave Caffeine the idea she might have better luck there. Relocating to Austin in the mid-1980's, Jean put together an alt. country unit, Jean Caffeine's All-Nite Truckstop, that played a self described mix of "electrified porch music and garage country." Over the years, the band had a rotating collection of Austin musicians including Brent Wilson (Wagoneers), Mark Rubin (Bad Livers), Champ Hood (Threadgill's Troubadours, Toni Price), Mike Buck (Fabulous Thunderbirds), Charlie Llewellin (Gourds), Lisa Pancratz, Amy Tiven, and many others. In 1990, the All-Nite Truckstop cut a self-titled, self-released cassette which was released the next year on the German label Blue Million Miles. It combined country/rock/punk highlighted by Caffeine's originals ranging from sentimental ("Tears Away" and "Hole in My Heart") to comical ("You're Like a Mosquito," "That Was the Liquor Talkin'," "What's So Happy About Happy Hour?," and "Jesus Is Coming To A Theater Near You"). They followed it up with another cassette Hard Work and a Lot of Hair Spray produced by Gurf Morlix. This recording drew attention from Diesel Only which put out a single of "Hard Work" (b/w "Hoe-down in the Sky") in 1992 and later included "Hoedown" on Rig Rock Truck Stop. All-Nite Truckstop made four appearances at SXSW and toured both coasts and Europe but in the mid-1990s, Caffeine decided to drop the honky tonk persona in favor of a more folk/rock oriented style. In 1997, with a new supporting cast of Austin musicians she recorded Knocked Down 7 Times, Got Up 8 and released it on her Joe Records. Unlike, Caffeine's previous work, this effort is much more personal and introspective. As the title suggests, it explores, sometimes humorously, sometimes bitterly, life's ups and downs. --David Goodman, author of Modern Twang: An Alternative Country Music Guide and Directory