TRS-80 (group)
Encyclopedia
TRS-80 is an electronic music
group, formed in Chicago in 1997 by Jay Rajeck and Kent Rayhill. The group is named after the Tandy
TRS-80
personal computer
released in the 1970s.
. The band's reputation began to grow beyond Chicago as they spent several weeks at number one on Epitonic.com with over 70,000 downloads.
Over the next two years, TRS-80 developed a solid performance reputation playing many shows at Chicago’s Empty Bottle. Some of the bands played with included Solex, Bedhead, Jim O' Rourke, Oval, Sonic Boom, and Laika among others. TRS-80 began to land bigger shows, opening for The Creatures to a sold out show at Chicago's premier live venue The Metro and The Sisters of Mercy
at the 2,500 seat Riviera Theater. During this time, TRS-80 self-released two albums, Radiograbadora and Industry Needs Electronic Skills.
After signing with Invisible Records in 2000, TRS-80 released The Manhattan Love Machine. The band continued to write and perform and began receiving invitations to appear on several compilations. In 2001, Invisible asked them to put together a collection of unreleased and remixed material titled Backup : 01. In 2002 the band was asked to contribute to compilations including those derived in Canada, France, Japan, and by Germany's Digital Hardcore, and alongside artists like Fischerspooner, The Orb, Atari Teenage Riot
, N.E.R.D., Coldcut, Alec Empire, Meat Beat Manifesto
, Khan and EC8OR.
In 2003 TRS-80 signed with the record label File 13 and released Shake Hands with Danger, which received critical acclaim and debuted in the top 5 on emusic.com. The band remained in the top ten for several weeks holding their own with artists like 50 Cent
, Eric Clapton
, Johnny Cash
and The Pixies. They also created custom scores for the critically acclaimed Public Radio International show This American Life and a Nike
promotional film titled Les Jumelles by TRON
2 director Joseph Kosinski.
On February 12 of 2005 Kent and Deb performed their last show, retiring from the stage to pursue other non-musical interests. Jay Rajeck was saddened by their departure, but decided after listening back to his recordings in progress that the music was still TRS-80 and to continue on under the same name. On March 10 of 2005 TRS-80 performed with Mike Barron and Fred de Albuquerque added to the roster and toured that summer in Canada and the US.
In 2006 TRS-80’s music was featured on CSI: NY
and an international Coca-Cola
TV ad campaign. Jay Rajeck relocated to Los Angeles and released Mystery Crash and its sister release Demixes through Hollywood based One Cell Records after completing a West Coast tour. Long time TRS-80 video collaborator Eric Fensler has been performing live with Rajeck since then.
2008 was another busy year with the release of The New You through Vinyl International featuring the single "Tinted". Music from the album is featured in the video game Saints Row 2
. Up to the moment info on TRS-80 and tour dates can be found on their website http://TRS80.com.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
group, formed in Chicago in 1997 by Jay Rajeck and Kent Rayhill. The group is named after the Tandy
Tandy
Tandy is the title of a short story by Sherwood Anderson.Tandy is also a name which can refer to:-Tandy Corporation:* Tandy Corporation - a leather supply company which subsequently became the RadioShack Corporation...
TRS-80
TRS-80
TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
released in the 1970s.
History
Rajeck and Rayhill were two friends who had been writing music and performing in bands together since they were in high school. The two were drawn to electronic music in the mid-1990s due to its experimental nature and unconventional possibilities. They soon added Deb Schimmel to the mix and began a song writing frenzy that incorporated their wide variety of influences. Rajeck assembled the band's own recording studio at their rehearsal space, drawing upon his experience as an audio engineerhttp://www.musicgeek.org/wp/2006/08/29/an-interview-with-trs-80 and the band composed many songs in the first few months. TRS-80 quickly caught the eye of local clubs and performed their first gig in 1998, opening for Death in VegasDeath in Vegas
Death in Vegas are a psychedelic rock and electronic rock band from the United Kingdom, comprising two permanent members: Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes...
. The band's reputation began to grow beyond Chicago as they spent several weeks at number one on Epitonic.com with over 70,000 downloads.
Over the next two years, TRS-80 developed a solid performance reputation playing many shows at Chicago’s Empty Bottle. Some of the bands played with included Solex, Bedhead, Jim O' Rourke, Oval, Sonic Boom, and Laika among others. TRS-80 began to land bigger shows, opening for The Creatures to a sold out show at Chicago's premier live venue The Metro and The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
at the 2,500 seat Riviera Theater. During this time, TRS-80 self-released two albums, Radiograbadora and Industry Needs Electronic Skills.
After signing with Invisible Records in 2000, TRS-80 released The Manhattan Love Machine. The band continued to write and perform and began receiving invitations to appear on several compilations. In 2001, Invisible asked them to put together a collection of unreleased and remixed material titled Backup : 01. In 2002 the band was asked to contribute to compilations including those derived in Canada, France, Japan, and by Germany's Digital Hardcore, and alongside artists like Fischerspooner, The Orb, Atari Teenage Riot
Atari Teenage Riot
'Atari Teenage Riot' is a German digital hardcore group formed in Berlin in 1992. The name was taken from a Portuguese Joe song 'Teenage Riot' from the 'Teen-age Riot' album, with the word 'Atari' added as an Atari ST computer was used to create compositions...
, N.E.R.D., Coldcut, Alec Empire, Meat Beat Manifesto
Meat Beat Manifesto
Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened to Meat Beat or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens formed in 1987 in Swindon, UK...
, Khan and EC8OR.
In 2003 TRS-80 signed with the record label File 13 and released Shake Hands with Danger, which received critical acclaim and debuted in the top 5 on emusic.com. The band remained in the top ten for several weeks holding their own with artists like 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and The Pixies. They also created custom scores for the critically acclaimed Public Radio International show This American Life and a Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
promotional film titled Les Jumelles by TRON
Tron
-Film:*Tron , a franchise that began in 1982 with the Walt Disney Pictures film Tron** Tron , a 1982 science fiction film by Disney, starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Cindy Morgan, Dan Shor and David Warner...
2 director Joseph Kosinski.
On February 12 of 2005 Kent and Deb performed their last show, retiring from the stage to pursue other non-musical interests. Jay Rajeck was saddened by their departure, but decided after listening back to his recordings in progress that the music was still TRS-80 and to continue on under the same name. On March 10 of 2005 TRS-80 performed with Mike Barron and Fred de Albuquerque added to the roster and toured that summer in Canada and the US.
In 2006 TRS-80’s music was featured on CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
and an international Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
TV ad campaign. Jay Rajeck relocated to Los Angeles and released Mystery Crash and its sister release Demixes through Hollywood based One Cell Records after completing a West Coast tour. Long time TRS-80 video collaborator Eric Fensler has been performing live with Rajeck since then.
2008 was another busy year with the release of The New You through Vinyl International featuring the single "Tinted". Music from the album is featured in the video game Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2 is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the second title in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row in 2006. It is succeeded by Saints Row: The...
. Up to the moment info on TRS-80 and tour dates can be found on their website http://TRS80.com.
Live Performances
A TRS-80 performance isn't the typical electronic show consisting of one person typing away on a laptop computer. At its core, TRS-80 is a live band. Anchored by live drums and analog synthesizers, the band creates an organic and spontaneous sound collage that can go from tranquil to explosive in an instant. Jay Rajeck perfected a unique technique to project their visuals in exact synch to the music and splices custom visual complements to each song rather than random fractals and computer animations so common to other electronic artists. The audience is drawn into a multi-sensory experience that transcends a mere music performance.Discography
Albums- Radiograbadora (1998)
- Industry Needs Electronic Skills (1999)
- The Manhattan Love Machine (2000)
- Backup : 01 (2001)
- Mr. Kickass (2002)
- Shake Hands With DangerShake Hands With DangerShake Hands with Danger is the sixth album by the Chicago based electronica group TRS-80. It was released September 16, 2003 on CD by File Thirteen Records....
(2003) - Mystery Crash (2006)
- Demixes (2006)
- The New You (2008)
- Horizons (2011)
External links
- http://www.trs80.com - The group's official website
- http://www.youtube.com/demixes - Official TRS-80 YouTube Channel
- http://www.myspace.com/trs80music - Official TRS-80 Myspace page
- [ AMG entry]