XBXRX
Encyclopedia
XBXRX is an American punk
band formed in 1998 in Mobile, Alabama
.
Their early sound very new wave
-influenced, but is now more improvised
and deconstructed, moving away from using the synthesizer
s that typify new wave. They are a collective with a revolving cast of musicians, including Steve Touchstone
, Weasel Walter
, and Vice Cooler
. In 2002, Wesley Willis
wrote a song dedicated to the band. For many years the collective resided in Oakland
, California
, where they finished working on their last full length record, Wars
, which was released in April 2007. In 2008 they were working on a record of improv
based pieces titled "Sound" and splits with Mika Miko
and Japanther
. As of 2010 they have regrouped, and relocated to Los Angeles
releasing new music and playing shows around California
with their new line up.
and Deerhoof
at Jaycee Hall in Biloxi, Mississippi, the band started as a trio, using a simple drum set, guitar and an inexpensive Radio Shack
synthesizer. Their early sets consisted of very loose, improvised song structures. After a solid lineup they made their first public performance at a friend's birthday party in May 1998. In 1999, the band hit the road for the first time with a van that belonged to the drummer's mother. Though none of them were old enough to have graduated from high school, they decided to start doing gigs. Eventually all of the members either graduated early or dropped out, starting a career for the band based on touring.
. The sessions would turn into the band's first real full length, Gop Ist Minee which was released on Kill Rock Stars
sister label 5RC. The album was released in January of the next year and was followed by tours with Unwound, Deerhoof, QandnotU, and the Sissies. In between shows, they recorded their Clear EP (with Ian Mackaye
) and several singles, including the Quintron and Miss Pussycat
collaboration single, "Mardi Gras", which was recorded by Tim Kerr, and the Vern Rumsey
-produced "Hold Onto Your Skulls". In 2002, the band took a long break.
to California
, they asked Walter to join the band as their new drummer and enlisted Paul Costuros (of Total Shutdown) to fill in on Bass duties.
In April 2003, they did their first tour with the new lineup, opening for Holy Molar
. They quickly started working in the studio and opened for Sonic Youth
and Peaches
. The end result was a contract with Polyvinyl Records which produced the band's follow up to Gop Ist Minee, Sixth in Sixes
.
They toured with Melt Banana.
, and Steve Touchstone
, in addition to new members Kyle H. Mabson
and Josh Taylor (of Friends Forever, and Foot Village
.)
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band formed in 1998 in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
.
Their early sound very 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...
-influenced, but is now more improvised
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
and deconstructed, moving away from using the synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s that typify new wave. They are a collective with a revolving cast of musicians, including Steve Touchstone
Steve Touchstone
Steve Touchstone is the guitarist of the influential American hardcore band Xbxrx. He has worked on the side in various projects like Kit, Warbler, Double Rainbow and his solo band Snowsuit....
, Weasel Walter
Weasel Walter
Weasel Walter is a composer and instrumentalist who founded the band The Flying Luttenbachers in Chicago in 1991 with late jazz cult figure Hal Russell and is a current member of Cellular Chaos and Behold...The Arctopus...
, and Vice Cooler
Vice Cooler
Vice Cooler is an American musician, photographer, author and visual artist. He is currently the singer and songwriter for Hawnay Troof and Xbxrx....
. In 2002, Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis was a musician and artist from Chicago. A diagnosed chronic schizophrenic, he gained an enormous cult following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of simple but unique music, with emphasis on his humorous, bizarre, and frequently obscene lyrics...
wrote a song dedicated to the band. For many years the collective resided in Oakland
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...
, 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...
, where they finished working on their last full length record, Wars
Wars (album)
Wars is the third album from American hardcore group XBXRX, released in April 2007 on Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:All songs by XBXRX#"Centre Where Sight" – 4:06#"Freezing Water" – 2:06#"Sheets and Organs" – 2:09...
, which was released in April 2007. In 2008 they were working on a record of improv
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
based pieces titled "Sound" and splits with Mika Miko
Mika Miko
Mika Miko was a band formed in 2003 in Los Angeles, California. In 2004 they gained local popularity for their frenetic live performances. Featuring Victor Fandgore , Jet Blanca , Michelle Suarez, Jessica Clavin, and Jon Erik Edrosa, the original line up of the band made its first demo CD-R, its...
and Japanther
Japanther
Japanther is an art project, established by Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, then students at Pratt Institute. Japanther was featured in the 2006 Whitney Biennial and the 2011 Venice Biennale, and has collaborated with a diverse pool of artists such as gelitin, Penny Rimbaud, Gee Vaucher, Dan Graham,...
. As of 2010 they have regrouped, and relocated to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
releasing new music and playing shows around 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...
with their new line up.
Early years
On February 27, 1998, after attending a concert by UnwoundUnwound
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 Deerhoof
Deerhoof
Deerhoof is a musical group consisting of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich, Ed Rodriguez and Greg Saunier.-Origins:In 1992, Greg Saunier, having recently graduated with a degree in music composition from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, joined a short-lived San Francisco quartet called Nitre Pit, on...
at Jaycee Hall in Biloxi, Mississippi, the band started as a trio, using a simple drum set, guitar and an inexpensive Radio Shack
Radio shack
Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...
synthesizer. Their early sets consisted of very loose, improvised song structures. After a solid lineup they made their first public performance at a friend's birthday party in May 1998. In 1999, the band hit the road for the first time with a van that belonged to the drummer's mother. Though none of them were old enough to have graduated from high school, they decided to start doing gigs. Eventually all of the members either graduated early or dropped out, starting a career for the band based on touring.
2000-2002
In summer of 2000, the band went into the studio to record some songs with producer Steve AlbiniSteve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
. The sessions would turn into the band's first real full length, Gop Ist Minee which was released on Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
sister label 5RC. The album was released in January of the next year and was followed by tours with Unwound, Deerhoof, QandnotU, and the Sissies. In between shows, they recorded their Clear EP (with Ian Mackaye
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well...
) and several singles, including the Quintron and Miss Pussycat
Mr. Quintron
Quintron is an American musician and leader of the eponymous one-man-band, "Quintron". He is a celebrated nightclub organist and inventor, who has patented a number of his own inventions and often performs at his own private club, the Spellcaster Lodge, located on St. Claude Avenue in New...
collaboration single, "Mardi Gras", which was recorded by Tim Kerr, and the 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....
-produced "Hold Onto Your Skulls". In 2002, the band took a long break.
2003-2005
Weasel Walter had become a fan of XBXRX after seeing multiple Chicago performances between 1999 and 2001. He had kept in touch with the band, and in 2003, when Touchstone and Cooler moved the band from AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
to 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...
, they asked Walter to join the band as their new drummer and enlisted Paul Costuros (of Total Shutdown) to fill in on Bass duties.
In April 2003, they did their first tour with the new lineup, opening for Holy Molar
Holy Molar
Holy Molar is a noise rock band from San Diego, composed of members that play or have played in The Locust, Antioch Arrow, Charles Bronson, Heroin, Cattle Decapitation, The Crimson Curse, Glass Candy, Get Hustle, Swing Kids, Das Oath, Struggle and Some Girls. They play a similar style of music as...
. They quickly started working in the studio and opened for Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
and Peaches
Peaches (musician)
Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics...
. The end result was a contract with Polyvinyl Records which produced the band's follow up to Gop Ist Minee, Sixth in Sixes
Sixth In Sixes
Sixth in Sixes is the second album from American hardcore group XBXRX, released in September, 2005 on Polyvinyl Records. The follow-up to 2001's Gop Ist Minee, the record quickly earned underground acclaim and gained such notable fans as Peaches, Sonic Youth, and Lauryn Hill.-Track listing:All...
.
2006-2008
The band recorded their next two full length albums Wars (Polyvinyl 2007) and Sounds (Important Records, 2007). While Wars focuses on their punk and new wave background, Sounds was dedicated to the opposite: studio experiments and improvised material which had only been reserved for their live shows.They toured with Melt Banana.
2009
Un Usper was released on June 3, 2009 as the bands latest full length. It is mixed, produced, and released by the band as a download only, donation based record.2010
O is a 10-song 7” which was released in September of 2010 on Polyvinyl Records. O is a return to form for the band harkening back to their Sixth in Sixes era. The band line up now consists of steady members Vice CoolerVice Cooler
Vice Cooler is an American musician, photographer, author and visual artist. He is currently the singer and songwriter for Hawnay Troof and Xbxrx....
, and Steve Touchstone
Steve Touchstone
Steve Touchstone is the guitarist of the influential American hardcore band Xbxrx. He has worked on the side in various projects like Kit, Warbler, Double Rainbow and his solo band Snowsuit....
, in addition to new members Kyle H. Mabson
Kyle H. Mabson
Kyle H. Mabson is an American DJ, bassist, guitarist, drummer, vocalist, noise artist, producer and concert promoter, currently the Drummer for XBXRX. Active since 2005, Mabson is best known as a DJ either under his alias "DJ Z Kyle " or his given name. He is an ever present figure of L.A...
and Josh Taylor (of Friends Forever, and Foot Village
Foot Village
Foot Village is a tribal noise rock band from Los Angeles, consisting of four drummers of which two also do the vocals.Band members Brian Miller and Grace Lee come from the band Gang Wizard, Josh Taylor was in Friends Forever....
.)
Albums
- Greatest CD-R (ODM, 1998)
- Love Songs for the Blind (Anal Log, 1999)
- Gop Ist Minee (5RC5 Rue Christine5 Rue Christine is a semi-defunct Olympia, Washington based independent record label, formed as a spin-off from the Kill Rock Stars label in 1997...
, 2001) - Sixth in SixesSixth In SixesSixth in Sixes is the second album from American hardcore group XBXRX, released in September, 2005 on Polyvinyl Records. The follow-up to 2001's Gop Ist Minee, the record quickly earned underground acclaim and gained such notable fans as Peaches, Sonic Youth, and Lauryn Hill.-Track listing:All...
(PolyvinylPolyvinyl Record Co.Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label based in Champaign, Illinois. It has released notable records by of Montreal, Japandroids, Braid, Mates of State and many others.-History:...
, 2005) - WarsWars (album)Wars is the third album from American hardcore group XBXRX, released in April 2007 on Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:All songs by XBXRX#"Centre Where Sight" – 4:06#"Freezing Water" – 2:06#"Sheets and Organs" – 2:09...
(PolyvinylPolyvinyl Record Co.Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label based in Champaign, Illinois. It has released notable records by of Montreal, Japandroids, Braid, Mates of State and many others.-History:...
, 2007) - Sounds (Important Records, 2007)
- Un Usper (Self Released, 2009)
Singles, EPs
- "xbxrx" CD-R (Nothing Fancy Just Music [aka NFJM], 1998)
- "Song Known As" (NFJM, 1998)
- "We Are All Dying" (1998)
- "Science In The Shape Of Birds" (split with Quintron, Bobby Conn, Zeek Sheck) (TOYO, 2000)
- "Hold Onto Your Skulls" (ARKAM, 2001)
- "Mardi Gras" (GSL, 2001)
- "Split with Sick Lipstick" (DELETED ART, 2002)
- Clear EP (NOVA/ TAPES, 2002)
- 10 Bands (split with Erase Errata, Tracy And The Plastics and Peaches) (NFJM, 2002)
- "We Hate The President" (Narnack, 2003)
- "Last" (NFJM, 2004)
- "split with Total Shutdown" (double 5") (ROCK IS HELL, 2005)
- "split with An AlbatrossAn AlbatrossAn Albatross is a noise rock band based in Wilkes-Barre, PA, known for their chaotic live shows and psychedelic/circus-like presentation.-History:Formed in the fall of 1999 by guitarist Jake Lisowski, vocalist Edward B...
" (GSL, 2005) - "O" 7" (PolyvinylPolyvinyl Record Co.Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label based in Champaign, Illinois. It has released notable records by of Montreal, Japandroids, Braid, Mates of State and many others.-History:...
, 2010)
Videos
- NFJM 1V (NFJM, 1998)
- NFJM 2V (NFJM, 1999)
- NFJM 3V (NFJM, 2000)
- NFJM 4V (NFJM, 2000)
- NFJM 5V (split with Deerhoof) (NFJM, 2001)
- NFJM 6V (NFJM, 2004)
- KRS Video Fanzine (Kill Rock StarsKill Rock StarsKill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
, 2005)
Compilations
- P.O.W! records presents... Knockout!!! (POW!, 2000)
- Troubleman Unlimited Mixtape (Troubleman Unlimited, 2002)
- Kitra Vol. 3 (Powerbunny 4x4 records, 2001)