Replicator (band)
Encyclopedia
Replicator was a noise rock
band from Oakland, California
. The band consisted of Conan Neutron (electric guitar
/vocals/tape deck operation), Ben Adrian (bass guitar/vocals/keyboard), and Chris Bolig (drums). The band was occasionally joined by Todd Grant on rhythm guitar
for live performances in later years.
The band members were advocates of the DIY punk ethic, as popularized by bands such as Fugazi
and The Minutemen. Replicator started as a bay area Indie rock
band of little distinction before finding their signature sound, often compared to bands such as Shellac
, The Jesus Lizard
, Steel Pole Bathtub and The Melvins
. The band had multiple songs influenced by literary works, including those of Kurt Vonnegut
, Stephen King
, Philip K. Dick
and Neal Stephenson
. Largely ignored both the mainstream and underground music world, their irreverent attitude, unconventional attitude and "cleverness" won them over a very small but dedicated fanbase, including a handful of famous fans, including comedian Patton Oswalt
and comic book author Warren Ellis
s, dissonance, repetitive heavy rhythms, an often angular guitar sound, and Neutron and Adrian's urgent, sometimes dueling vocals. The songs did not have traditional verse/chorus
/verse structure and the arrangements were, at times sparse and at other times chaotic. Replicator's sound was often associated with science fiction, paranoia, and somewhat obscure pop culture references, the band frequently cited the fact that they did not have any love songs in their press materials.
Straddling the fine line between "social commentary and smart ass revelry" as well as "technical precision and reckless abandon," Replicator used analog tape deck to play samples
live until switching to a laptop computer with the Bludgeonsoft software Back to Basics for sampling
. Song titles such as: Bawkbakwak Bawkbagone, Warrior Needs Food, Badly, Frank Lloyd Wrong and Login with my fist, rarely conformed to standard structure, however according to band members in multiple interviews, the song titles almost always are inspired by or inspire the lyrical content of the songs, unlike other bands with lengthy song titling such as Don Caballero
(who do not have vocals) and Minus the Bear
.
The band recorded their first record Winterval
with Bob Weston
of the band Shellac
, triggering understandable comparisons to that band that would hound them for years to come. Shortly afterwards, bass player Dan Kennedy left the band. The lineup solidified in 2001 when Indiana expatriate Ben Adrian joined the band on bass guitar. Adrian often joked that he was still "filling in" on bass 6 years later. 2002 and 2003 saw the band tinker with sound effects, taking the sampling (or "grand theft audio" as Neutron put it) practices of Steel Pole Bathtub and adding this to their developing aggressive and chaotic sound, as well as keyboard.
This sound was represented in the album You Are Under Surveillance. Frequently cited as chaotic, dense and paranoid, Surveillance was apparently a loose concept album based upon the ideas of "paranoia, lost freedom of choice, airborne revenge, the end of the world, the problems and consequences of an overgrown consumerist, bottom line-oriented culture; and the merits of applied righteous indignation". According to The New York Times, Neutron himself was under surveillance at the time for his activities as head of Bands Against Bush. "I'd hate to think what they would have done if we were doing something more nefarious then putting on shows and registering voters."
In September 2004 on one of their "ReplicaTours", Replicator's van was broken into and their guitars and keyboards were stolen. Luckily they were able to borrow the equipment of their tourmates Greenlight the Bombers and continue. This theft occurred during the 2004 rash of equipment thefts that plagued many working musicians.
The end of the Arctic Monkeys
2006 song Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But, bears a remarkable resemblance to Replicator's 2001 song Ka-Tet, so much so that some fans of the band have questioned if it is a case of simultaneous inspiration or indeed a case of (unlikely) musical plagiarism.
2007's Machines Will Always Let You Down, seems to also be a loosely based concept album, this time around the conflict between man and machine. The press materials state that it is: 10 songs about Nanotechnological assassination, time travel, building sex robots, the eternal battle of man vs. machine and other things.
This record was recorded by Vern Rumsey
of the band Unwound
and was released on Olympia's Radio Is Down record label.
2008 also saw several more US Tours, including a full us tour documented in a tour journal on the music website superstarcastic.com.
On January 2, 2008, an announcement was made on the Replicator website that "After 8 years, 3 albums, 2 eps, 4 vans, almost 200 shows, a handful of compilation appearances, and countless floors" the band had agreed to an amicable mutual break up. After recording a final ep, (Including a cover of Babyland
's Arthuer Jermyn), released again on Radio Is Down, Replicator played their last show at The Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco on April 5.
As of January 1, 2009, former members of Replicator started two new bands with Ben Adrian forming a Post Punk/ shoegaze group called Guitar vs. Gravity while Conan Neutron and Chris Bolig formed the short lived Classic Rock
meets Noise Rock
band Mount Vicious
. As of August 2009, Chris Bolig began playing drums for Adrian's "small format rock band" Cartographer.
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
band from Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. The band consisted of Conan Neutron (electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
/vocals/tape deck operation), Ben Adrian (bass guitar/vocals/keyboard), and Chris Bolig (drums). The band was occasionally joined by Todd Grant on rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
for live performances in later years.
The band members were advocates of the DIY punk ethic, as popularized by bands such as Fugazi
Fugazi (band)
Fugazi is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987. The band's continual members are guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty....
and The Minutemen. Replicator started as a bay area Indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band of little distinction before finding their signature sound, often compared to bands such as Shellac
Shellac (band)
Shellac is an American group composed of Steve Albini , Bob Weston and Todd Trainer...
, The Jesus Lizard
The Jesus Lizard
The Jesus Lizard was an American alternative rock and noise rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial...
, Steel Pole Bathtub and The Melvins
The Melvins
The Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members...
. The band had multiple songs influenced by literary works, including those of Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
, Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
and Neal Stephenson
Neal Stephenson
Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction.Difficult to categorize, his novels have been variously referred to as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and postcyberpunk...
. Largely ignored both the mainstream and underground music world, their irreverent attitude, unconventional attitude and "cleverness" won them over a very small but dedicated fanbase, including a handful of famous fans, including comedian Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
and comic book author Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
Music
Replicator had a sound based on unusual and urgent time signatureTime signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s, dissonance, repetitive heavy rhythms, an often angular guitar sound, and Neutron and Adrian's urgent, sometimes dueling vocals. The songs did not have traditional verse/chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
/verse structure and the arrangements were, at times sparse and at other times chaotic. Replicator's sound was often associated with science fiction, paranoia, and somewhat obscure pop culture references, the band frequently cited the fact that they did not have any love songs in their press materials.
Straddling the fine line between "social commentary and smart ass revelry" as well as "technical precision and reckless abandon," Replicator used analog tape deck to play samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
live until switching to a laptop computer with the Bludgeonsoft software Back to Basics for sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
. Song titles such as: Bawkbakwak Bawkbagone, Warrior Needs Food, Badly, Frank Lloyd Wrong and Login with my fist, rarely conformed to standard structure, however according to band members in multiple interviews, the song titles almost always are inspired by or inspire the lyrical content of the songs, unlike other bands with lengthy song titling such as Don Caballero
Don Caballero
Don Caballero are an American rock group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group took their name from the character Guy Caballero, portrayed by Joe Flaherty, on the sketch comedy show Second City Television...
(who do not have vocals) and Minus the Bear
Minus the Bear
Minus the Bear is an American indie rock band from Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2001, the group features current and former members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving...
.
The band recorded their first record Winterval
Winterval
Winterval was a season of public events in Birmingham, England organised by Birmingham City Council in each of two consecutive winters: first from 20 November to 31 December 1997, and then again from mid-October 1998 to mid-January 1999...
with Bob Weston
Bob Weston
Bob Weston is an American musician, producer, recording engineer, and record mastering engineer. Critic Jason Ankeny declares that "Weston's name and fingerprints are all over the American underground rock of the post-punk era, producing and engineering dates for a seemingly endless number of...
of the band Shellac
Shellac (band)
Shellac is an American group composed of Steve Albini , Bob Weston and Todd Trainer...
, triggering understandable comparisons to that band that would hound them for years to come. Shortly afterwards, bass player Dan Kennedy left the band. The lineup solidified in 2001 when Indiana expatriate Ben Adrian joined the band on bass guitar. Adrian often joked that he was still "filling in" on bass 6 years later. 2002 and 2003 saw the band tinker with sound effects, taking the sampling (or "grand theft audio" as Neutron put it) practices of Steel Pole Bathtub and adding this to their developing aggressive and chaotic sound, as well as keyboard.
This sound was represented in the album You Are Under Surveillance. Frequently cited as chaotic, dense and paranoid, Surveillance was apparently a loose concept album based upon the ideas of "paranoia, lost freedom of choice, airborne revenge, the end of the world, the problems and consequences of an overgrown consumerist, bottom line-oriented culture; and the merits of applied righteous indignation". According to The New York Times, Neutron himself was under surveillance at the time for his activities as head of Bands Against Bush. "I'd hate to think what they would have done if we were doing something more nefarious then putting on shows and registering voters."
In September 2004 on one of their "ReplicaTours", Replicator's van was broken into and their guitars and keyboards were stolen. Luckily they were able to borrow the equipment of their tourmates Greenlight the Bombers and continue. This theft occurred during the 2004 rash of equipment thefts that plagued many working musicians.
The end of the Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
2006 song Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But, bears a remarkable resemblance to Replicator's 2001 song Ka-Tet, so much so that some fans of the band have questioned if it is a case of simultaneous inspiration or indeed a case of (unlikely) musical plagiarism.
2007's Machines Will Always Let You Down, seems to also be a loosely based concept album, this time around the conflict between man and machine. The press materials state that it is: 10 songs about Nanotechnological assassination, time travel, building sex robots, the eternal battle of man vs. machine and other things.
This record was recorded by Vern Rumsey
Vern Rumsey
Vern Rumsey was the bass guitar player for the band Unwound. He generally played a Fender Jazz bass. He is also a recording engineer who has worked with bands such as Blonde Redhead, KARP, Enemymine, Novex and Replicator....
of the band Unwound
Unwound
Unwound was a United States post-hardcore band based in Tumwater/Olympia, Washington. Formed in 1991, the band consisted of Justin Trosper , Vern Rumsey , and Brandt Sandeno , all of whom had previously been in a band called Giant Henry. Brandt Sandeno quit Unwound in 1992 and was replaced by...
and was released on Olympia's Radio Is Down record label.
2008 also saw several more US Tours, including a full us tour documented in a tour journal on the music website superstarcastic.com.
On January 2, 2008, an announcement was made on the Replicator website that "After 8 years, 3 albums, 2 eps, 4 vans, almost 200 shows, a handful of compilation appearances, and countless floors" the band had agreed to an amicable mutual break up. After recording a final ep, (Including a cover of Babyland
Babyland
Babyland was a performance-based "independent electronic junk punk" band from Los Angeles, California, featuring Dan Gatto performing vocals and electronics and Michael Smith on percussion....
's Arthuer Jermyn), released again on Radio Is Down, Replicator played their last show at The Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco on April 5.
As of January 1, 2009, former members of Replicator started two new bands with Ben Adrian forming a Post Punk/ shoegaze group called Guitar vs. Gravity while Conan Neutron and Chris Bolig formed the short lived Classic Rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
meets Noise Rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
band Mount Vicious
Mount Vicious
Mount Vicious was a Oakland, California Rock band. Their style is influenced by classic rock, noise rock and post-punk.-Biography:Formed by Conan Neutron and Richard "Wreckless" Necklace , after the demise of their previous band Replicator, Mount Vicious's stated desire was to meld the influence of...
. As of August 2009, Chris Bolig began playing drums for Adrian's "small format rock band" Cartographer.
Albums
- Winterval (2001)
- You Are Under SurveillanceYou Are Under SurveillanceThe 2004 album You Are Under Surveillance was the second full-length album from the Noise rock band, Replicator. It was released by Substandard Records. You Are Under Surveillance was recorded at Mr...
(2004) - Machines Will Always Let You DownMachines Will Always Let You DownThe 2007 album Machines Will Always Let You Down was the third full-length album from the Noise rock band, Replicator.-Track listing:# "Delicious Fornicake" - 2:17# "Payment www.yzzz.RD" - 4:51# "Assloads of Unrespect" - 4:11...
(2007)
Singles and EPs
- "" EP (2002)
- DDBBLLVVZZNN split ep with Lower Forty-Eight (2003)
- Whangbar Province ep Whangbar Province Ep (2008)
Compilations
- Tired of Standing Still (Journey to the End of the Night, Pt. 2) Highpoint Lowlife, 2001
- bEASTfest 2001 (Ka-Tet) Whole Enchilada, 2001
- bEASTfest 2002 (ft. Jesus
) Whole Enchilada, 2002 - Wäntage USA's 21st Release Hits Omnibus 2XCD (Alert Status: 0), Wantage USA, 2004
External links
- Replicator website
- Replicator myspace page
- Replicator page on Radio Is Down
- Radio is Down (label website)
- Revenge of the Nerds feature article San Francisco Bay Guardian June 2007
- 5 Questions with Replicator, Superstarcastic January 2007
- Playing in Fog, August 19, 2005
- Cafe Du Nord, live review March 24, 2004
- Tablet Magazine September 30, 2003
- Pointless Questions with Replicator, Splendid E-zine
- Drowning in Culture September, 2002
- http://www.sfweekly.com/2001-07-04/music/everyday-people/"Everyday People" feature interview with SF WeeklySF WeeklySF Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper in San Francisco, California. The newspaper, distributed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area every Wednesday, is published by Village Voice Media, a 16-paper alt weekly newspaper chain that also includes the New York City Village Voice and the Los...
July 4, 2001]