Curlew was an American avant-rock/jazz band from NYC that debuted with an eponymous release on Landslide Records in 1981, followed by the album North America on the German Moers Music label in 1985. The band’s 1988 release Live in Berlin kicked off a seven-disc run on Cuneiform over the ensuing 15-year period. Members: George Cartwright […]
The Motor Totemist Guild was an American avant-rock ensemble formed by composer and multi-instrumentalist James Grigsby and poet-vocalist Christine Clements. They issued the 1984–86 albums Infra Dig and Contact With Veils, plus the live Klang cassette, on the self-operated Rotary Totem label. Their 1988 collaboration with the 5uu’s produced Elements and spawned the merged group […]
Maelstrom was a Québécois symphonic-art-rock band that recorded an album’s worth of material in 1976, released four decades later on ProgQuébec. Members: Denis Poliquin (guitar, saxophone, lead vocals), Jacques Montminy (keyboards, vocals), Gérard Masse (drums, vocals), Michel Dulac (bass, vocals), Roland Robitaille (bass, vocals), Jean Hudon (bass, vocals), Robert Lépine (vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, percussion), Denis […]
Cartoon was an American avant-rock band from Phoenix that released two albums and a live disc between 1981 and 1983 on self-press Twelve Tone Productions. Three-fifths of the band recorded two subsequent albums as PFS. Members: Scott Brazieal (keyboards), Mark Innocenti (guitars), Gary Parra (drums), Herbert Diamant (reeds), Craig Fry (violin) Background Cartoon formed in […]
Djam Karet are an American band from Claremont, Calif., that released more than 20 titles on self-press HC Productions between 1984 and the 2010s, in addition to five discs on Cuneiform. Members: Gayle Ellett (guitar, organ, percussion), Mike Henderson (guitar, synthesizer), Chuck Oken, Jr. (drums, percussion, synthesizer), Henry J. Osborne (bass, keyboards, percussion, 1984-?), Aaron […]
U Totem was an American avant-rock supergroup formed by members of the 5uu’s and the Motor Totemist Guild. They made the 1990 Cuneiform disc U Totem, followed in 1994 by Strange Attractors. Members: Dave Kerman (drums, percussion), James Grigsby (guitar, bass), Emily Hay (flute, piccolo, vocals), Sanjay Kumar (keyboards, piano, sitar), Eric Johnson (bassoon, soprano […]
The Tone Dogs were an American avant-rock band from Portland, Ore., that released two albums on the NW small-press labels C/Z Records and Soleilmoon Recordings between 1989 and 1991. Members: Fred Chalenor (bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals, violin), Amy Denio (guitar, bass, saxophone, drums, vocals), Matt Cameron (drums, vocals, 1988-89), Will Dowd (drums, 1990-91), Henry Franzoni […]
The Rascal Reporters were an American avant-jazz/rock band that issued two cassette-albums in 1980 through Hebbardesque Records, followed by the 1984–88 albums Ridin’ on a Bummer and Happy Accidents. Members: Steve Gore, Steve Kretzmer Background The partnership that became Rascal Reporters formed in 1974 at Oak Park High School in Oak Park, Michigan, where Steve […]
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic were an American avant-rock band from Boston that released two EPs and the 1984 album Magnetic Flip on Ace of Hearts. They reappeared in 1989 with Faultline on Cuneiform, which carried followups and solo titles through the 2006 disc Extreme Spirituals. Members: Erik Lindgren (piano, synthesizer, Farfisa organ, sampling, percussion, drum programming, […]
French TV were an American jazz-rock band from Louisville, Ken., that self-released an eponymous album in 1984, followed by After a Lengthy Silence on local-press Y-Records in 1987. Ten further titles appeared over the subsequent three decades on bassist Mike Sary’s own label. Members: Artie Bratton (guitar), Bob Douglas (drums), Fenner Castner (drums), John Robinson […]
Forever Einstein was an American avant-rock trio from New Milford, Conn., that issued a cassette-EP on guitarist C.W. Vrtacek’s Leisure Time label in 1989, followed by five albums on Cuneiform between 1990 and 2005. Members: Charles O’Meara [C.W. Vrtacek] (guitar), John Roulat (drums), Marc Sichel (bass, 1989-90), Jack Vees (bass, 1993-2005), Kevin Gerety (bass, 2005-present) […]
A Thinking Plague are an American avant-rock band that made the 1984–86 albums …A Thinking Plague and Moonsongs on Endemic Music, followed by the 1989 RēR disc In This Life. Four further discs appeared on Cuneiform during the subsequent three decades. Members: Mike Johnson (guitar, drums, percussion, vocals), Rick Arsenault (drums, 1982-83), Sharon Bradford (vocals, […]
The 5uu’s were an American avant-rock band behind the 1986 album Bel Marduk & Tiamat on U:r Records, followed by three albums through 1997 on RēR. On their 1988 release Elements, they teamed with the Motor Totemist Guild. The two parties merged as U Totem, which made two ambitious CDs on Cuneiform, the 5uu’s home […]
Random was an American avant-rock band from Illinois that self-released the album Nothin’ Tricky in 1977. Members: Ralph Athey (clarinet, saxophone, vocals), Jerry Fiddler (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, vocals), Sam Kolmodin (bass guitar, contrabass, vocals), Sandy Robinson (violin, viola, vocals), Paul Shimandle (12-string guitar, percussion, vocals) Background Random formed circa 1977 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, […]
