Electromagnets -

Electromagnets were an American jazz-rock band from Austin that issued an eponymous album on self-press EGM 1975. The band recorded a second album in 1976 that was ultimately released in 2005 on Vortexan.

Members: Eric Johnson (guitar), Bill Maddox (drums), Steve Barber (keyboard), Kyle Brock (bass)

Background

Electromagnets formed as Aussenhorowitz around multi-instrumentalist Stephen Barber, who began piano at age three, guitar at eleven, and composition at thirteen, and drummer Bill Maddox, who started drumming at thirteen in Abilene bands like Maltese and Cadillac. The duo relocated to Austin in 1971, where Barber collaborated with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Christopher Cross.

Bassist Kyle Brock and guitarist Eric Johnson, who started guitar at eleven and played in the psychedelic band Mariani at fifteen, joined in 1974 after local gigs. Johnson briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin before touring Africa with his family. The quartet renamed themselves Electromagnets, signed to their own EGM Records, and recorded their debut at Odyssey Sound Ltd. in 1974, opening for Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart in 1975.

Electromagnets (1975)

Electromagnets released their self-titled debut in July 1975 on EGM Records.

The album fuses advanced jazz concepts with raw rock energy, recorded by multi-instrumentalist Stephen Barber (electric piano, piano, Clavinet, synthesizer, vocals), drummer/percussionist Bill Maddox, bassist Kyle Brock, and electric/acoustic guitarist Eric Johnson, with guest saxophonist Tomás Ramirez and percussionist John Treanor on one track. Barber wrote two songs, Maddox wrote two, Johnson wrote two, and Brock wrote one.

Tracks shift from tight jazz-rock to smooth interludes. “Hawaiian Punch” opens with syncopated guitar leads over crisp rhythms, “Motion” glides on spacious keyboard textures and guest vocalist Chris Geppert, and “Dry Ice” drives Jeff Beck-style with Clavinet and bass pulses. “Blackhole” locks into cohesive Mahavishnu-like interplay, “Salem” weaves folkish tones with Wetton-esque vocals, “Minus Mufflers” funks with saxophone and layered keys, “Nova Scotia” flows with staggered instrumental runs, and “Crusades” arcs through cerebral guitar-keyboard exchanges.

A1. “Hawaiian Punch” (5:52)
A2. “Motion” (4:35)
A3. “Dry Ice” (4:58)
A4. “Blackhole” (6:44)

B1. “Salem” (4:30)
B2. “Minus Mufflers” (7:29)
B3. “Nova Scotia” (3:25)
B4. “Crusades” (7:47)

Sessions occurred at Odyssey Sound Ltd. in Austin from July to September 1974 with producer The Magnets, engineers Jay Podolnick, John Ingle, and Michael Bennett, executive producer Park Street III, and coordination by Elizabeth Pavone and Vanessa Atkins. Max Crace designed and photographed the cover; Ken Featherston illustrated the Electromagnets horse.

Electromagnets II (2006, Recorded 1975)

Electromagnets recorded Electromagnets II in December 1975, released in 2006 on Vortexan.

The album sharpens their jazz-rock fusion with intricate guitar-keyboard dialogues, recorded by multi-instrumentalist Stephen Barber (keyboards), drummer Bill Maddox, bassist Kyle Brock, and guitarist Eric Johnson. Johnson wrote four songs, Barber wrote two, Maddox wrote two.

Tracks emphasize technical precision. “Pea Szong” and “Simon’s Dance” pulse with rhythmic shifts, “Neon” and “Cannonball” blend smooth keyboard textures with guitar flourishes, “Wake Up” and “Hunting Season” drive on tight bass-drum locks, “Melvin & The Apes” and “Where I Wander” explore cerebral interplay, and “Chicken Pickin’” closes with rapid guitar runs.

1. “Pea Szong”
2. “Neon”
3. “Cannonball”
4. “Wake Up”
5. “Melvin & The Apes”
6. “Hunting Season”
7. “Simon’s Dance”
8. “Where I Wander”
9. “Chicken Pickin’”

Sessions occurred at an unspecified studio in Austin with executive producer Park Street and tape transfer by Richard Mullen. Jim Wilson mastered the album; Park Street handled photography and graphic design.

Postlude

Electromagnets disbanded in 1977. Johnson and Maddox formed the Eric Johnson Group, later Alien Love Child with bassist Chris Maresh. Johnson’s 1990 album Ah Via Musicom earned platinum status and a Grammy for “Cliffs of Dover.” Barber composed for David Byrne, Keith Richards, and others. Maddox, who won a 2001–02 Austin Music Award for best drummer, passed in 2010. Brock played with Austin bands like The Bodysnatchers. Both albums gained cult status and were reissued on CD.

Discography: