Orthotonics
Orthotonics | |
---|---|
Also known as | Ortho-Tones |
Origin | Richmond, Virginia, United States |
Genres | Experimental rock, free improvisation, avant-garde jazz |
Years active | 1979–1984, 1989 |
Labels | Rift Records, Outatune Label (Quakenbrück, Germany) |
Past members | Paul Watson Danny Finney Pippin Barnett Rebby Sharp Phil Trumbo Tom Carson |
The Orthotonics were an American experimental rock and free improvisation group from Richmond, Virginia. They began in 1979 as the Ortho-Tones, but changed their name to the Orthotonics in 1982. The group released three albums before splitting up in 1989.[1][2]
Eugene Chadbourne at AllMusic said the Orthotonics were "unusual" with material "of great interest from the standpoint of text as well as musically".[3]
Biography
In 1975 Danny Finney (saxophone, vocals), Paul Watson (trumpet) and Pippin Barnett (drums) formed a jazz improvisation group, Idio Savant. Growing out of a local alternative arts community which centered around the Richmond Artists Workshop, Idio Savant released the avant-garde experimental LP album Shakers in a Tantrum Landscape on Artifacts Records in 1979.[4]
Later in 1979, seeking a more accessible sound, the trio added Richmond musicians Rebby Sharp (guitar, vocals) and Phil Trumbo (bass guitar), and the group was reorganized under the name The Ortho-Tones, billed tongue-in-cheek as "corrective music". The Ortho-tones incorporated a lesser portion of free experimentation within a largely art rock mix.[1] They recorded a 7-inch single, "Doo-Doo Cars / Woman Fish" which was released in 1981 by Artifacts Records.[5] In 1982 Trumbo (who had designed most of the band's publicity flyers) moved to the West Coast to pursue a successful career as a graphic artist and was replaced by Tom Carson on bass guitar. At the same time, the group's name changed to the Orthotonics.[1]
Still drawing on
After Wake Up You Must Remember the group became inactive, but reformed again in 1986 as a trio of Sharp, Finney and Barnett, and recorded a new album, Luminous Bipeds, which Frith produced.[1][5] AllMusic called this album their "most satisfying recording".[6] In 1989 the Orthotonics disbanded. The three members were subsequently active to varying degrees in the long-lasting Richmond world music band The Ululating Mummies.[7] Sharp and Finney later reunited in the alternative rock group, Rattlemouth.[1] Sharp also released a solo album, In One Mouth and Out the Other in 1989, which Frith performed on.[8] Frith's work with the Orthotonics and Sharp led to him using some of Sharp's lyrics on three of his songs on albums by Skeleton Crew and Cosa Brava.[9]
Members
- Paul Watson (1979–1984) – trumpet, guitar
- Danny Finney (1979–1989) – saxophone, vocals
- Pippin Barnett (1979–1989) – drums
- Rebby Sharp (1979–1989) – guitar, vocals
- Phil Trumbo (1979–1982) – bass guitar
- Tom Carson (1982–1984) – bass guitar
Discography
Albums
- Accessible as Gravity (1982, CT, Artifacts Records)
- Wake Up You Must Remember (1984, LP, Generic Records)
- Luminous Bipeds (1986, LP, Rift Records)
Singles
- "Doo-Doo Cars / Woman Fish" (1981, 7", Artifacts Records)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Ankeny, Jason. "Orthotonics". AllMusic. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
- ^ Bopst, Chris. "Musical Tonic". Style Weekly. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ Chadbourne, Eugene. "Wake up You Must Remember". AllMusic. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ "Idio Savant – Shakers In A Tantrum Landscape". Discogs. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Orthotonics". Discogs. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
- ^ a b Chadbourne, Eugene. "Luminous Bipeds". AllMusic. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ "The Ululating Mummies – Sacred Snacks". Discogs. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- ^ Watrous, Peter (June 15, 1990). "Sounds Around Town". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ Ramond, Michel; Roussel, Patrice; Vuilleumier, Stephane. "Discography of Fred Frith". New York Downtown Scene and Other Miscellaneous Discographies. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
External links
- Orthotonics discography at Discogs .