Tuxedomoon
Encyclopedia
Tuxedomoon is an experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...

 post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...

/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...

 group formed in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

, consisting of core members Blaine L. Reininger, Steven Brown and Peter Principle.

Formed in 1977 by multi-instrumentalists Reininger and Brown, then two students of electronic music at San Francisco City College, with technical assistance from video artist Tommy Tadlock, Tuxedomoon started playing salons and accompanying performances by Angels of Light. Brown's connections to local theatre gave the band access to vocalists Gregory Cruikshank, Victoria Lowe, and, most frequently, Winston Tong
Winston Tong
Winston Tong is an actor/playwright, visual artist, puppeteer, and singer/songwriter. He is best-known for his vocal work in Tuxedomoon, and for winning an Obie award in puppetry for "Bound Feet" in 1978.-Early years:...

, the latter bringing along filmmaker and performance artist Bruce Geduldig who, in an unusual capacity for a band member, took care of the band's visuals, both live and on video. The band gained some level of recognition in 1978 when they opened for 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...

. Michael Belfer, (guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

), and Paul Zahl, (drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

) joined the band in time to help with the group's first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

, No Tears Lowe left prior to the album's release in 1978. Soon afterward, Tong and Belfer left the group temporarily, and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

 Peter Principle joined the lineup. In 1979, the group signed to The Residents
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....

' Ralph Records
Ralph Records
Ralph Records was The Residents' original record label, the name coming from the somewhat colorful phrase "calling Ralph on the porcelain telephone."...

, with whom they recorded their next two albums, Half Mute
Half Mute
Half Mute, released in 1980, was Californian post-punk group Tuxedomoon's first full–length album, after two EPs, 1978's No Tears and 1979's Scream with a View. The album was rereleased on CD in 1997, bundled together with Scream with a View. Cover art is by Patrick Roques.-Track listing:All...

and Desire
Desire (Tuxedomoon album)
Desire is the second album by the Californian Avant-garde Post-Punk band Tuxedomoon. It was originally released in 1981 by Ralph Records and rereleased in 1997 by CramBoy, bundled together with No Tears EP.-Track listing:...

, (which was recorded in England with Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones (music producer)
Gareth Jones is an English music producer and engineer notable for working with Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten, Wire and Erasure.-Background:Gareth Jones is married and currently living in North London....

.) In late 1980 the band relocated to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

 for a short time and then moved on to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, believing their sound better fit the electronic scene
Scene
- Arts and media :* Scene , an element of a larger fictional work such as a play* Scene , a part of action in a single location in a TV or movie, composed of a series of shots* Scene , a BBC drama anthology for teenagers...

 in Europe.

The band created the score for a ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

 by Maurice Béjart
Maurice Béjart
Maurice Béjart was a French born, Swiss choreographer who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. He was the son of the French philosopher Gaston Berger.- Biography :...

, which was released in 1982 as Divine
Divine (album)
Divine was the first major release from Blinded Colony. It would be the first and last album to feature singer Niklas Svensson. This would also be the only album they released under the Scarlet Records Banner...

. In 1983 Reininger left the group in order to pursue a solo career, and trumpeter Luc Van Lieshout joined. In 1985 Tuxedomoon had its largest success commercially with the international release of Holy Wars. Tong left the group again soon after its release. Multi-instrumentalist Ivan Georgiev was brought in to perform on the group's next two albums, 1986's Ship of Fools and 1987's You
You (Tuxedomoon album)
You is a 1987 album by the San Francisco Avant-garde Post-Punk/New Wave band Tuxedomoon.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Tuxedomoon#"Roman P." #"The Train" #"2000" #"Never Ending Story" #"Stockholm" #"Boxman You is a 1987 album by the San Francisco Avant-garde Post-Punk/New Wave band...

. The band remained inactive through most of the 1990s, although never technically broke up.

On July 20, 2004 a reborn Tuxedomoon, consisting of Brown, Reininger, Principle, and Luc Van Lieshout released a new studio album, Cabin in the Sky. They had been given the opportunity to spend over two months together in Cagli
Cagli
Cagli is a town and comune in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, Marche, central Italy. It c. 30 km south of Urbino.-History:Cagli occupies the site of an ancient village on the Via Flaminia, which seems to have borne the name Cale, 24 miles north of Helvillum and 18 miles southwest of Forum...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, at the Teatro di Cagli under a program begun by theater director and then-mayor of the town, Sandro Pascucci. They continue to work and tour together and have since released Bardo Hotel Soundtrack in 2006. For the group's 30th year anniversary in 2007 they released another studio album, Vapour Trails. At this time, Crammed Discs
Crammed Discs
Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released over 300 albums and 250 singles, working with artists from all over the world...

 released the box set 77o7 Tm (the 30th Anniversary Box) containing: Vapour Trails, Unearthed: Lost Cords, a collection of previously unreleased recordings, 162o7 (39°N 7°W), a live concert recorded on February 16, 2007 in Portalegre, Portugal, as well as a DVD (in both PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...

 and NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...

 editions) Unearthed: Found Films, rare videos from 1977 - 1988. The box set was designed by noted graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook
Jonathan Barnbrook
Jonathan Barnbrook , is a British graphic designer and typographer. He trained at Central St Martin's and at the Royal College of Art .- Work :...

.

In 2008, writer/journalist Isabelle Corbisier published a 476-page biography, entitled Music For Vagabonds - The Tuxedomoon Chronicles covering the band's entire career as well as members' solo activities.

Band members Brown, Geduldig, Lieshout, Principle, Reininger, and Tong continue to work, as they have always done, on solo and other collaborative projects.

Studio albums

  • Half Mute
    Half Mute
    Half Mute, released in 1980, was Californian post-punk group Tuxedomoon's first full–length album, after two EPs, 1978's No Tears and 1979's Scream with a View. The album was rereleased on CD in 1997, bundled together with Scream with a View. Cover art is by Patrick Roques.-Track listing:All...

    , originally on Ralph Records
    Ralph Records
    Ralph Records was The Residents' original record label, the name coming from the somewhat colorful phrase "calling Ralph on the porcelain telephone."...

    , 1980
  • Joeboy in Rotterdam, 1981
  • Desire
    Desire (Tuxedomoon album)
    Desire is the second album by the Californian Avant-garde Post-Punk band Tuxedomoon. It was originally released in 1981 by Ralph Records and rereleased in 1997 by CramBoy, bundled together with No Tears EP.-Track listing:...

    , originally on Ralph Records
    Ralph Records
    Ralph Records was The Residents' original record label, the name coming from the somewhat colorful phrase "calling Ralph on the porcelain telephone."...

    , 1981
  • Divine, 1982
  • Suite En Sous-Sol-Time to Lose, 1982
  • Holy Wars, 1985
  • Ship of Fools, 1986
  • You
    You (Tuxedomoon album)
    You is a 1987 album by the San Francisco Avant-garde Post-Punk/New Wave band Tuxedomoon.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Tuxedomoon#"Roman P." #"The Train" #"2000" #"Never Ending Story" #"Stockholm" #"Boxman You is a 1987 album by the San Francisco Avant-garde Post-Punk/New Wave band...

    , 1987
  • The Ghost Sonata, 1991
  • Joeboy in Mexico, 1997
  • Soundtracks - Urban Leisure, 2002
  • Cabin in the Sky, 2004
  • Bardo Hotel Soundtrack, 2006
  • Vapour Trails, 2007

Singles and EPs

  • "Joeboy the Electronic Ghost"/"Pinheads on the Move", 7", 1978
  • No Tears, 1978
  • "Stranger"/"Love/No Hope", 7", 1979
  • Scream With a View
    Scream With a View
    Scream With A View is a 1979 maxi-EP by the San Francisco Avant-garde Post-Punk/New Wave band Tuxedomoon, re-released on ExpandedMusic in 1983.-Track listing:#"Nervous Guy" #"Where Interests Lie"...

    , 1979
  • "What Use?"/"Crash", 7", 1980
  • "Dark Companion"/"59 to 1 Remix", 7", 1980
  • Urban Leisure (flexi), 1980
  • "Une Nuit au Fond de la Frayere"/"Egypt", 7", 1981
  • "Ninotchka"/"Again", 12", 1982
  • What Use? - remix, 1982
  • Why is She Bathing?, 1982
  • Time to Lose, 1982
  • Night Air
    Night Air
    "Night Air" is a song by British singer-songwriter Jamie Woon released as the lead single from his debut album, Mirrorwriting.-Background:Woon described finishing the song as one of the highlights of the album-making process:...

    , 1983
  • Short Stories
    Short Stories (Tuxedomoon album)
    Short Stories is a maxi-EP written and recorded in Belgium by San Francisco No Wave group Tuxedomoon. Side One features the song "The Cage", Side Two "This Beast"....

    , 1983
  • "Soma"/"H.T.E.", 7", 1984
  • Tales from the New World (3 x 12inch collection), 1984
  • "Boxman (The City)"/"The Train", 7" 1987
  • "You (new version)"/"Atlantis (Remix)", 7", 1987
  • No Tears '88, 1988
  • "Michael's Theme"/Interview, 7", 1988

Compilations

  • Subterranean Modern, Ralph Records
    Ralph Records
    Ralph Records was The Residents' original record label, the name coming from the somewhat colorful phrase "calling Ralph on the porcelain telephone."...

    , 1979
  • Savoy Sound — Wave Goodbye, (live album) originally on Go! Records, currently on CD Presents, 1981
  • A Thousand Lives by Picture, Ralph Records
    Ralph Records
    Ralph Records was The Residents' original record label, the name coming from the somewhat colorful phrase "calling Ralph on the porcelain telephone."...

    , 1983
  • Pinheads on the Move, 1987
  • Solve et Coagula, 1994
  • Remixes & Originals, International DeeJay Gigolo Records
    International DeeJay Gigolo Records
    International DeeJay Gigolo Records is a German electronic music record label run by techno artist DJ Hell . The label was founded in Munich in 1996 as an affiliate of label Disko B. It is now based in Berlin and is Germany's most successful electronic music record label, specialising in electro,...

    , 2000
  • 77o7 Tm (the 30th Anniversary Box)

Video/DVD

  • Four Major Events (Live at the Target), VHS, Target Video
    Target Video
    Target Video is a San Francisco-based studio, founded by artist Joe Rees, who collaborating with Jackie Sharp, Jill Hoffman, Sam Edwards and others, archived early art performance, punk and hardcore bands on video and film. Performers and artists as diverse as the Sex Pistols, the Dead Kennedys,...

    , 1983
  • Seismic Riffs, filmed by Merill Adlighieri, DVD, 2004
  • The Super-8 Years with Tuxedomoon, filmed by Steven Brown, DVD, 2006
  • Unearthed: Found Films, DVD, 2007

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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