Tuxedomoon is an experimental, post-punk, new wave band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band formed in the late 1970s at the beginning of the punk rock movement. Pulling influence from punk and electronic music, the group, originally consisting of Steven Brown (born Steven Allan Brown on August 23, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois) and Blaine L. Reininger, used electronic violins, guitars, screaming vocals and synthesizers to develop a unique "cabaret no-wave" sound.
Bassist Peter Principle (Peter Dachert, 1954–2017) joined the band and in 1979 they released the single "No Tears," which remains a post-punk cult classic. That year they signed to Ralph Records and released their first album, Half-Mute. Eventually, Reininger left the group and Tuxedomoon relocated to Europe, signing to Crammed Discs and releasing Holy Wars in 1985. The band separated in the early 1990s, only to reunite later that decade. They all have remained together since releasing the album Cabin in the Sky in 2004.
Formed in 1977 by multi-instrumentalists Blaine L. Reininger and Steven 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 The Angels of Light. Brown's connections to local theatre gave the band access to vocalists Gregory Cruikshank, Victoria Lowe, and, most frequently, Winston Tong. The band gained some level of recognition in 1978 when they opened for Devo. Michael Belfer, (guitarist), and Paul Zahl, (drummer) joined the band in time to help with the group's first EP, No Tears.
Lowe left prior to the album's release in 1978. Soon afterward, Tong and Belfer left the group temporarily, and bassist Peter Principle joined the lineup. In 1979, the group signed to The Residents' Ralph Records, with whom they recorded their next two albums, Half Mute in 1980 and Desire in 1981, after which the band relocated to Rotterdam for a short time and moved on to Brussels, believing their sound better fit the electronic scene in Europe.
In Brussels, the band soon created the score for a ballet by Maurice Bejart, released in 1982 as "Divine". 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.
The band remained inactive through most of the 1990s, although never technically broke up. On July 20, 2004 a reborn Tuxedomoon, consisting of Steven Brown, Blaine Reininger, Peter Principle, and Luc Van Lieshout released a new studio album, Cabin in the Sky. They continue to work and tour together and have since released Bardo Hotel Soundtrack in 2006, with upcoming projects coinciding with the group's 30th year anniversary, the Vapour Trails album and the boxed set 7707.
BLAINE REININGER
This guy got a gift of music. He can do so many things for the band and can play almost any musical
instrument. He founded Tuxedomoon along with Steven Brown which opened new opportunities for
him. He became a notable artist not only in the area of music but also in theater. He collaborated with other artists. He wrote quite many songs you’ll hear in a cheap accommodation at Amsterdam city trip. As a songwriter, composer, singer, and band member, he pursues life by following his inspirations. Most of the songs you’ll hear from him are based on true-life.
STEVEN BROWN
Like Blaine, Steven is a multi-instrumentalist, too. They are Tuxedomoon’s dynamic duo and the band’s
main players. In 1983, Steven started his career as a solo artist and collaborated with artists. Blaine rejoined the band in 1987 and they started to write songs again. He composed quite a lot of instrumentals, and some of them, you can hear in van Gogh Museum in Dresden Amsterdam. Steven composed music for film and theater in which he got an award from the Mexican Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
PETER PRINCIPLE
Peter was the iconic bassist of Tuxedomoon. He was known for having an experimentalist attitude. He would indulge in music and be not afraid to get lost in the process. His presence in the band helped Tuxedomoon stand out from the rest. He died while preparing for a world tour due to a heart attack. His band members were all shocked. He might no longer be with us, but the songs that he wrote will stay with us.
LUC VAN LIESHOUT
No one can play the trumpet as good as Luke. His presence brought some jazz to Tuxedomoon’s music. He’s been in the band for 8 years. He used to move from one band to another before Tuxedomoon. But when he found Tuxedomoon, he finally found a home. Though Tuxedomoon has put on hold their world tours and live performances, you would still find Luc performing in dinner cruise Amsterdam.
HALF-MUTE 1980
Half-Mute is the debut studio album of Tuxedomoon, released on March 15, 1980 by Ralph Records. It was their first long-form record, after two EPs, 1978's No Tears and 1979's Scream with a View. The album was issued on CD in 1985 by Cramboy, bundled together with "Scream with a View".
TRAXS
01. Nazca 3:07
02. 59 to 1 3:58
03. Fifth Column 2:55
04. Tritone (Musica Diablo) 2:50
05. Loneliness 2:56
06. James Whale 2:42
07. What Use? 4:01
08. Volo Vivace 2:48
09. 7 Years 3:08
10. KM/Seeding the Clouds 11:39
Steven Brown – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, keyboards, synthesizer, drum programming, lead vocals
Peter Dachert (as Peter Principle) – bass guitar, guitar, synthesizer, drum programming
Blaine L. Reininger – violin, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, drum programming, spoken word (02)
SCREAM WITH A VIEW 1979
Scream with a View is an EP by Tuxedomoon, independently released in 1979. It was re-released on ExpandedMusic (Italy) in 1983, and on Cramboy in 1985.
11. Nervous Guy 5:11
12. Where Interests Lie 4:07
13. (Special Treatment for The) Family Man 5:10
14. Midnite Stroll 3:21
Michael Belfer – guitar (11, 12), synthesizer (13, 14), drum programming (13), Moog Taurus (14), lead vocals (13), design
Steven Brown – soprano saxophone (11, 13), lead vocals (12, 13), synthesizer (11), Synare electronic drums (12)
Peter Dachert (as Peter Principle) – bass guitar (11, 12, 13), piano (13), backing vocals (13)
Blaine L. Reininger – drum programming (11, 12, 13), lead vocals (11), violin (11), synthesizer (12), rototoms (13), Synare electronic drums (13), backing vocals (13)
DESIRE 1981
Desire is the second studio album by American post-punk band Tuxedomoon, released in 1981 by Ralph Records. The album was issued on CD in 1987 by Cramboy, bundled together with No Tears.
TRAXS
01. East / Jinx / ... / Music # 1 (Cello – Ali Robinson) 14:54
02. Victims Of The Dance 5:48
03. Incubus (Blue Suit) 3:50
04. Desire 7:06
05. Again 6:20
06. In The Name Of Talent (Italian Western Two) 6:02
07. Holiday For Plywood (Cello – Ali RobinsonViolin [Additional] – Vicky Aspinall) 5:38
Personnel
Steven Brown – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, keyboards, lead vocals
Peter Dachert (as Peter Principle) – bass guitar, guitar, synthesizer, drum programming
Blaine L. Reininger – violin, guitar, keyboards, arrangement, lead vocals
Winston Tong – lead vocals, backing vocals
Additional musicians
Vicky Aspinall – violin
Ali Robinson – cello
NO TEARS 1978
No Tears is an EP by Tuxedomoon, independently released in 1978. All tracks are written by Steven Brown, Peter Dachert and Blaine L. Reininger.
08. New Machine 4:22
09. Litebulb Overkill 3:12
10. Nite And Day (Hommage A Cole Porter) 5:11
11. No Tears 5:39
Personnel
Michael Belfer – guitar, EBow
Steven Brown – vocals, synthesizer, drum programming
Blaine L. Reininger – violin, guitar, backing vocals
Winston Tong – vocals, cover art
Paul Zahl – drums, drum programming
Half-Mute + Scream With A View
MP3 @ 320 Size: 135 MB
Flac Size: 308 MB
Desire + No Tears
MP3 @ 320 Size: 158 MB
Flac Size: 439 MB
Thank You very much for this post. Great music from Tuxedomoon!!
ReplyDeleteThx a lot
ReplyDeleteTHANKS, great band!
ReplyDeleteI love this band, Thank you from Italy
ReplyDelete