Detholz!
Encyclopedia
Detholz! are a Chicago
-based band consisting of Jim Cooper, Karl Doerfer, Jon Steinmeier, Andrew Sole and Benjamin Miranda. While the eclectic nature of their songs prevent a definitive categorization, they are frequently listed as an alternative rock
or a New Wave
outfit, and Devo
is often cited as an influence. Formed in 1996, the band has attracted a loyal following in Chicago. One distinguishing feature of the band is the idiosyncratic nature of their lyrics that have—and are often critical of—religious (mostly Protestant evangelical
Christian
) themes and reference a wide variety of topics including artificial intelligence
, psychoanalysis
, televangelism
, and Mars.
, an evangelical
Christian college, which later expelled the band members in 1996, according to the band's official bio.
In the summer of 1997, Detholz! (known as "The Detholz!" at the time) broke up when front man Jim Cooper, upon graduating from Wheaton College, left for Los Angeles
, California
, to study with composer Morton Subotnick
and pursue a graduate degree in electronic music composition at Calarts school. Cooper left after one semester, however, frustrated with the school's faculty and his student peers. The band reformed upon his returning to the Chicago area in early 1998.
In February 2005, the band was handpicked by Jeff Tweedy
of Chicago band Wilco
to open for them on a U.S. tour. He tapped them to open for them again in November 2006, in Madison and Chicago.
On March 19th, 2011, Detholz! released their latest album Death to the Traitor at the Hideout in Chicago, Illinois.
page.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based band consisting of Jim Cooper, Karl Doerfer, Jon Steinmeier, Andrew Sole and Benjamin Miranda. While the eclectic nature of their songs prevent a definitive categorization, they are frequently listed as an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
or a New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
outfit, and Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
is often cited as an influence. Formed in 1996, the band has attracted a loyal following in Chicago. One distinguishing feature of the band is the idiosyncratic nature of their lyrics that have—and are often critical of—religious (mostly Protestant evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
) themes and reference a wide variety of topics including artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
, televangelism
Televangelism
Televangelism is the use of television to communicate the Christian faith. The word is a portmanteau of television and evangelism and was coined by Time magazine. A “televangelist” is a Christian minister who devotes a large portion of his ministry to television broadcasting...
, and Mars.
History
The band was formed at Wheaton CollegeWheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
, an evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian college, which later expelled the band members in 1996, according to the band's official bio.
In the summer of 1997, Detholz! (known as "The Detholz!" at the time) broke up when front man Jim Cooper, upon graduating from Wheaton College, left for Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to study with composer Morton Subotnick
Morton Subotnick
Morton Subotnick is an American composer of electronic music, best known for his Silver Apples of the Moon, the first electronic work commissioned by a record company, Nonesuch...
and pursue a graduate degree in electronic music composition at Calarts school. Cooper left after one semester, however, frustrated with the school's faculty and his student peers. The band reformed upon his returning to the Chicago area in early 1998.
In February 2005, the band was handpicked by Jeff Tweedy
Jeff Tweedy
Jeffrey Scot "Jeff" Tweedy is an American songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Tweedy joined rockabilly band The Plebes with high school friend Jay Farrar in the early 1980s, but Tweedy's musical interests caused one of Farrar's brothers to quit...
of Chicago band Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
to open for them on a U.S. tour. He tapped them to open for them again in November 2006, in Madison and Chicago.
On March 19th, 2011, Detholz! released their latest album Death to the Traitor at the Hideout in Chicago, Illinois.
Pronunciation
"Detholz!" is pronounced as "Death Holes." An individual member of the band is referred to as a "Dethole," similarly pronounced as "Death Hole." The band previously used the word "The" at the beginning of their name, but they have recently abandoned it, as is clear on their official website and MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page.
Discography
- Science of the Senses (1997)
- Employee Primer (1999)
- Who are the Detholz!? (2002)
- Egg EP (2004)
- Jukebox of the Dead (2005)
- Relics (2006 compilation of tracks recorded between 1996 and 2003)
- Cast Out Devils (2006)
- Jukebox of the Dead Vol. II: You the Power of You (2008)
- Death to the Traitor (2011)
Other media
- Members of Detholz! are featured in the documentary Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? out on Secretly CanadianSecretly CanadianSecretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. It was started in 1996 by Chris and Ben Swanson, Eric Weddle, and Jonathan Cargill. Their first release was a re-issue of an album by June Panic...
/Blank Stare (January 2006). The film is about Christian rockChristian rockChristian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
and features interviews with members of the band, plus a brief performance clip. A more complete edit of the Detholz! interview is included in the DVD extras.
Collaborations
- Members of Detholz! have played with other prominent Chicago musicians. Keyboardist Jon Steinmeier performed with Mavis StaplesMavis StaplesMavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
regularly in 2004. Frontman Jim Cooper plays bass guitar in Chicago trio, Baby TeethBaby Teeth (band)Baby Teeth is a Chicago-based indie pop/rock band, currently signed to Lujo Records. They were a trio from their formation in 2002 until they added a guitarist in early 2007.-Members:*Abraham Levitan – lead vocals, keyboards...
. Steinmeier, Cooper and Detholz! guitarist Karl Doerfer have played in Bobby ConnBobby ConnBobby Conn is an American musician based in Chicago, Illinois, known for his pop-rock. He often collaborates with other artists such as musicians Colby Starck and Jim O'Rourke, and film-maker Usama Alshaibi. In 2003, Conn produced a session for UK punk band The Cribs, whom he met when they were a...
's band from 2005–present.
- Frontman Jim Cooper was a founding member of the DC hardcore band, FrodusFrodusFrodus was a 1990s Washington, D.C.-based post-hardcore band, described by critics as a mixture of math rock, hardcore punk, and alternative rock. Their songs were frequently dark and dissonant...
.