Tyson Meade
Tyson Todd Meade (born September 15, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter who led the alternative rock bands Defenestration and Chainsaw Kittens. He grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the youngest of five children. His parents taught him to treat others with respect and to be thrifty. Music ruled his world from a young age. He recalls his sister pulling him out of bed for the Beatles and his mom loving acts like the Supremes. Meade’s early rock experiences included Elvis in 1972 and Alice Cooper in 1975.
As a teen he was drawn to artists such as the New York Dolls, David Bowie, T. Rex, and Patti Smith. He says music was the place where he could find people who thought and looked like him. After finishing high school in 1980, he started writing songs with his friend Todd Walker. They formed Defenestration with Clark Walker and others. The band moved to Norman, Oklahoma, and released a self-titled record in 1984. A deal with Relativity Records followed, and in 1987 Defenestration released Dali Does Windows, produced by Randy Burns.
Internal conflicts caused a power struggle with Todd Walker, and Walker was kicked out. The band brought in a new guitarist, but the lineup changes and money problems took a toll. Meade eventually left Defenestration and went back to Norman, where he worked at Shadowplay Records. While there, he met Trent Bell, who would become Chainsaw Kittens’ lead guitarist. Bell told Meade about a group of high school musicians who needed a singer, and Meade decided to try singing with them.
Chainsaw Kittens formed in 1989 with Meade, Bell, Mark Metzger, Kevin McElhaney, and Ted Leader. They quickly made a demo and earned a contract from Mammoth Records. The band’s music blended glam, punk, and catchy pop melodies with bold, provocative lyrics. Their debut album Violent Religion paired fragile melodies with fierce guitars. The closing track, “She’s Gone Mad,” was later covered by The Flaming Lips.
Trent Bell joined the band on guitar, and the lineup changed again as Aaron Preston became the drummer and Clint McBay replaced McElhaney on bass. With this lineup, Chainsaw Kittens recorded Flipped Out in Singapore, produced by Butch Vig, who also produced Nirvana’s Nevermind. The album helped raise the band’s profile, with songs like “Connie I’ve Found the Door” and “High in High School.” A track from the album, “She Gets,” appears on the soundtrack for the 2006 film Bug.
The band then split with Mammoth Records and moved to Scratchie Records, the label started by James Iha and D’arcy Wretzky of the Smashing Pumpkins. In 1996 Chainsaw Kittens released a self-titled album on Scratchie, and they followed with The All American on Four Alarm Records. Despite critical praise, Chainsaw Kittens went on hiatus in 2001. They reunited for a performance at the Norman Music Festival in 2008.
Meade also released two solo albums, Motorcycle Childhood and Kitchens and Bathrooms. He collaborated with Derek Brown of The Flaming Lips and Jesse Tabish of Other Lives on a project called Winter Boys. At one point he lived in Shanghai, China, where he taught English. He still loves glam rock and looks back on his Defenestration and Chainsaw Kittens days with fondness, but he says he burned out as a performer.
These days Meade shifts toward storytelling with a guitar. He visits the United States for occasional concerts in Norman, Oklahoma, and lives there again. He plans a third solo album and envisions recording in Chinese high schools and universities as a cultural exchange, hoping to show how much he believes in the warmth of Chinese people. He has said that China loves America and Americans, a belief he holds after spending five years there.
Back in the U.S., Meade teaches English at Mustang High School in Mustang, Oklahoma. When asked about being called a godfather of alternative rock, he downplays the title. He says he wanted to change the music scene in the 1980s, wrote about his life and inner struggles, and ended up helping shape a new sound. He recalls playing crowded house parties and VFW halls because clubs wouldn’t book original bands, and notes that money was never his main goal—he valued fan letters and the impact of his music.
In 2018, Meade entered politics and ran as a Democrat for Oklahoma’s 5th congressional district.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:22 (CET).