Topic: Bands That Defy Genre

Hey, everybody!

This is a thread to discover and share bands that are difficult to "put a label on" or that infuse several genres together and can't really fit into a box, or even just straight up sound left field and/or alien to the norm.

I'll go ahead and get it started!

Rejectionary Art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9wgBdPAzjc

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Yup, that's a hard act to pigeonhole alright! I hear some King Crimson influence, Brian Eno, Split Enz, Frank Zappa, Devo, Brand X, Max Webster, etc., but all tied together with a ton of creative originality. Back in the 70's and 80's, groups that "bent the conventional rules" like this were often referred to as "Avant Garde". Don't think I know of anything that can quite compare to these guys, though.

Bands that stand out as having no imitators have always impressed me. We'd mentioned Jethro Tull in another thread (my all time favs) and they certainly have a sound which no one else has really done. Other bands like Steely Dan, and the ones mentioned above also deserve mention.

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

You mentioned some bands I haven't heard of and will have to check out, man! (Split Enz, Brand X, Max Webster)

I am a pretty huge Zappa fan I have to say. Aside from 60+ albums, everything he did to fight censorship?! What an awesome, dude! Oh and totes with the Jethro Tull. I seem to remember they Won best metal album of the year at one time when Metallica was also up for the nomination. I trust they also could have won best album of several genres that year :-). Steely Dan is amazing too... I don't know if you've heard the guitar player, Scott Henderson? He is one of my favorite Jazz/Rock guitar players and he said that he loved Steely Dan because they essentially had the harmonic depth of , but wrote great "pop" songs songs. Over course, we likely think differently of what is meant by the label "pop" these days, but you probably get his point.

One pretty alien artist, you may like, or even know about already... Allan Holdsworth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDoE … hJbU1zbOeE

On a side note, I think it is true to say that what people refer to as "Pop" and "Avant Garde" can have great, great music. But I don't think those names really work for a genre. "Popular" doesn't seem accurate because if the Beatles came out today they would probably be called a fusion or alternative band, for having songs like "Live and Let Die" that go from orchestral-rock to reggae, etc... And Avant Garde means "new and unusual experimental ideas", which is totally appropriate as a concept, but as a genre people often fulfill certain idioms that are considered Avant Gard and contradict it. Names like Jazz, Rock, Blues, Metal, etc. all work best as names, because they have either been totally invented or been given new meaning at least. CRAY CRAY RAMBLING, sorry, haha.

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

4 (edited by Tenement Funster 2014-04-14 22:46:39)

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Good stuff, Lee ...

Gave some of your work a listen to on YouTube ... very impressive! Been an Allan Holdsworth fan for decades, and especially enjoyed some fusion / prog rock stuff he did with Bill Bruford, Eddie Jobson, etc. with the British group "UK" back before I had grey hair (LOL). You really have to know your scales and modes to be able to play this kind of material ... well beyond my skills, for sure.

The 3 "unknown bands" are as follows:

1) Split Enz ... sort of an avant garde group, similar to Brian Eno and early King Crimson

2) Max Webster ... fronted by Canadian guitarist Kim Mitchell before he went solo

3) Brand X ... a jazz fusion group featuring Phil Collins on drums, Robin Lumley, John Goodsall, and some others. Their albums Unorthodox Behaviour, Moroccan Roll, and Masque are first class musicianship. Love this track called "Disco Suicide", because it's quite good, and I've always held the highest contempt for disco music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BRa2mVEjPY

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Hey, thanks for checking out my stuff, man :-)!

Oh ya, I own those Bruford albums! Have you heard UKZ? It's Jobson and a bunch of other great musicians/artists. A friend of mine plays that gig actually, Alex Machacek... his solo albums are fantastic. I'm a pretty big fan of his album "[sic]" with Terry Bozzio (I'm certain that you've heard Bozzio) and another named "24 tales" with Marco Minnemann. Actually, Marco played in UKZ too come to think of it. I did my first album with Marco, which was a thrill because I was a fan of his drumming since highschool. I'll attach a couple links in case you are interested or haven't heard Marco play:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x18SwHwfrrs
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU42cOwEvpM

I checked out Split Enz, Max Webster and Brand X now:

Split Ez sounds really good and has some pretty funny videos too, haha! Sort of remind me of Oingo Boingo (Who I really should listen to more of - note to self).

Max Webster kind of has hints of Pat Travers maybe? That Rush singer, Geddy Lee, ultra recognizable voice! Was he involved in that project the whole time?

Brand X - Man that is some old school fusion right there. Some of it made me think of Al Di Meola, who although I never got too deep into I does incorporate a lot of styles and genres (and epic chops of course). I checked you out that link you gave for "Disco Suicide" and also a really funky track named "Born Ugly"! I know how you feel about disco, hahaha... but then I'm a pretty big fan of Parliament and they were kind of inspired by disco (among other things). You never know what fruit can grow from well manured soil, right?

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Split Enz were an iconic New Zealand band of the 1970's. Saw them live a few times, very theatrical, a bit like early Genesis. The Finn brothers were the core of the band and they went on to form Crowded House in the 80's. The Finns are still making music today, either together or separately.

"War never determines who is right , only who is left"
"Democracy is the right to protest about  the lack of it!"

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Disco Suicide!

During my university years (mid-70's) a buddy and I hosted a show which we called "Disco Suicide", every Friday and Saturday night from 12:00 - 3:00, on the campus radio station (AXE Radio ... Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia). Disco fever was in full swing during those years, but not everyone liked it. We would run the gammut from Joni Mitchell to Pink Floyd, take requests, etc. When anyone called in requesting "Bay City Rollers" or "Donna Summers", we would shout "No disco!" and hang up on them.

Split Enz and the like seemed to embrace that mad scientist / insane asylum flavor that was hovering on the edges of those days. Perhaps the well-publicized schizophrenia of Syd Barrett caught enough interest, that some people wanted to explore the outer edges. I saw Max Webster open for Rush in 1977, and their show was full of spaghetti fights, nutzo costumes, a couple of nonsense poetry readings, and so on. Entertaining stuff, even if most of the audience didn't get it.

Rush began in the mid-70's also, with singer / bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart being the original members. They are still performing 40 years later, and their concert in Rio diJaniero is one of my favorites ... here's a taste:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZqSVTyYIkI

Amazing atmosphere with a maniacal crowd!

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Hey TwangTown, I looked up Crowded House because I thought I hadn't heard of them, but I recognize some of their stuff for sure. Man, seems like a pretty radical change from what I've heard so far between them and Split Enz. I'll have to check out both of those projects a bit more thoroughly. Got me curious.

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Hey, Funster! I just noticed you are from Nova Scotia! Any chance you've heard Patrick Healy's Lazarus Project? He is a local in your neck of the woods and pretty awesome. I bet you'll dig this, man. He's got a great mix of sounds going on, which includes a lot of the people we've been talking about. His new CD is really interesting... sort of a mix between intense and atmospheric, vibe-y fusion.

http://www.reverbnation.com/patrickhealyslazarusproject

I did a long promotional pre-sale and created a sampler with a bunch of people involved and he was a contributor. Great guitar player and Cool dude too. Worth befriending on FB and the like. Oh btw, I don't know if you use FB or not but feel free to hit me up on there:
https://www.facebook.com/lee.wanner

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

I posted these links a few years back and thought I'd post them again as it fits the topic. This is a good ole Canadian band from 72 called "Charlee" led by Walter Rossi. If you like bleeding guitar you'll enjoy these tracks. They only did the one album as a band unfortunately but it was a good one. After he changed his style but was still pretty good just not commersial.

Anyways enjoy

Ken


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cfsLriS2h4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhKg1TTscQc      "for some reason the first couple of notes don't play"

Just Keepin on Keepin on
Martin DC15E
Cort MR710F
Squire Strat (Chinese)

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

"Bleeding guitar", hahahaha... funny expression. Yeah, that is some nice gee-tar playin' for sure :-). Thanks for sharing, this is something I probably wouldn't have discovered without someone directly telling me about or sending a link. Only one album? Shame.

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

12 (edited by Tenement Funster 2014-04-17 10:38:42)

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Hey Lee ...

Sure have heard of Patrick Healy, although never been to a show. He's often featured on some of our local radio stations, and really caught my ear with the creativity. I think we've all had enough of mainstream "recording artists" who really couldn't be described as musicians. I've typically found that one can tell whether a person is a musician or not by the type of music they like. When someone like Healy comes over the airwaves, they really stand out amidst the other rubbish.

13 (edited by Lee Wanner 2014-04-17 19:19:02)

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Awesome, man! Healy is great. I really like his last CD!

Where I live, the horrid "mainstream recording artists" are in fact what is featured on our local radio. It is slightly oppressive on the spirit, but also reminds one what is at stake. As I tell my friends in other states, "It is good to live close to the enemy." haha. Just as many of the mainstream are not musicians, I would say it is equally false to call them artists. Just as there are famous athletes, there are what I would call "famous celebrities"... people who are famous because they are famous. Every now and then a good records sneaks it way through the assembly line and becomes popular. Although, it might be occurring less frequently all the time. I happen to really like Christina Aguilera's first album from 1999, haha (don't hate me)... actually there is a moment of metric modulation on that album and some nice/clever harmony, funky synth tones not unlike parliament, plus the vocals are very strong and don't yet commit transgressions of non-stop, over-the-top, squiggly vocal shred. Also the production of the era has a very specific kind of elastic sound to it.

Something I like about Oingo Boingo and those bands we mentioned earlier, is how they have a pinpointable production sound (saying it's dated should be referring to the time that sound was born, not died; because sounds do not die, they become instruments).

In hind sight, I see that macro look into "overall sound" as what can be used in composition. Other examples would be warm analogue Beatles sound, old skewed EQ vinyl sounds of the 1920's, mondern ultra dynamic-less masters, orchestral recordings which are so dynamic that they are un-listenable in a car without playing DJ with the volume dial.

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

In general, non-musicians do seem to have non-musical interests in what they listen to.

The "mainstream recording artists" typically emphasize good vocals, which of course is needed. The various talent shows on TV do indeed feature a lot of vocal talent, and that's something that everyone who can carry a tune can relate to. Next, they'll emphasize a certain look or image, perhaps the message in the lyrics, etc. In short, popular music is popular because more people can relate to it. If the focus of a group is the musicality and musicianship, all non musicians can now only relate at just a superficial level.

This isn't to find fault with anyone, or to say that musicians are better than non-musicians. It's just that if a person can't intimately relate to what's being presented in any art form, it really is a stretch to expect them to "get it". As a musician (sort of) I can appreciate good musicianship, even if it isn't a genre of personal choice. Whereas a non-musician can only say they like or don't like something. Bands that defy genre are just that. So what if the folks doing the catalogue don't know what department to put them in? If it's good music, it's good music.

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

As Topdown's rule #1 says - if it sounds good-it is good.

Live in the "now" - a contentment of the moment - the past is gone - the future doesn't exist - all we ever really have is now and it's always "now".

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Anyone heard of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum? My favorite album of theirs is probably "Of Natural History", but "In Glorious Times" is a super close second. Someone told me that one of the band members made his own instruments (strange ones) to play.

Greenless Wreath
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvyKzz5E0YM

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Hey Lee ...

Gave several S.G.M. tracks a listen on YouTube. There's no denying the creative and unusual nature of their work. However, I do find it a bit morbid for my liking ... almost nightmarish. Reminds me of some of Tea Party's stuff from days gone by, which (if you'll pardon the pun) is not my cup of tea.

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Here is another band that some might find intriguing. Hard to define, stellar musicianship and artistry. They did play with Zappa when they were young kids though, so that's gotta help.

The Mats and Morgan Band!

En schizofrens dagbok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xsauw4Upv0

Hollmervalsen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di9xaUBKY5I

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Here's another genre defying bit from Roger Waters & Ron Geesin. It's really just a percussive piece of tape splicing, using various body noises for the sounds. Whether you find this hilarious or disgusting, it certainly is bizarre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOXcHI36Otk

Microphone placement is key! smile

20 (edited by Lee Wanner 2014-05-01 16:17:36)

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

That's preeeeetttyyy far-out, haha :-).

If you dig far out stuff, the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen is worth checking out! He was a big inspiration to The Beatles (he's on the sergeant pepper album cover actually), to Miles Davis and was among those who inspired Frank Zappa as well. He spent about 20 years in "acoustic laboratories" manipulating sine wavs and studying phonetics, to "compose a sound" and to eventually synthesis other sounds. He was a German composer who spoke several languages fluently and this video happened to be recorded in French. Karlheinz introduces the song and performs in it as well.

Microphone placement was definitely key here, as well... in fact, one guy on each side of the tam-tam is actually holding the mics used to record this and the mic distance from the epicenter is charted out, both in width and depth on the sheet music, as well as all the specific tools and motions used to produce various sounds.

Mikrophonie 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhXU7wQCU0Y

I make albums and lesson videos:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/LeeWannerMusic[/url]

Re: Bands That Defy Genre

Thank you for make this.