Arcwelder
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band which formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
in 1988. Originally named Tilt-A-Whirl
Tilt-A-Whirl
Tilt-A-Whirl is one of the best-known flat rides, designed for commercial use at amusement parks, fairs and carnivals in which it is commonly found. The rides are manufactured by Sellner Manufacturing of Faribault, Minnesota...
, the group changed its name to Arcwelder after being informed by Sellner Manufacturing Co. of copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
.
The band released their record This in 1990 on the small Minneapolis label Big Money Inc. As it was being released, the band was sued by the manufacturer of the Tilt-A-Whirl
Tilt-A-Whirl
Tilt-A-Whirl is one of the best-known flat rides, designed for commercial use at amusement parks, fairs and carnivals in which it is commonly found. The rides are manufactured by Sellner Manufacturing of Faribault, Minnesota...
carnival ride and rather than go to court, the band decided on Arcwelder, which is the title of an instrumental on the record. The initial release of This had a disclaimer sticker noting the lack of affiliation between the ride's manufacturer and the band.
Arcwelder has toured the U.S. with such bands as the Jesus Lizard
The Jesus Lizard
The Jesus Lizard was an American alternative rock and noise rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial...
, Jawbox
Jawbox
Jawbox was an alternative rock band from Washington, D.C., U.S.. Its original members were J. Robbins , Kim Coletta and Adam Wade...
, and Tar, and has played shows with such artists as Dirty Three
Dirty Three
Dirty Three are an instrumental trio consisting of Warren Ellis , Mick Turner and Jim White , originating from Melbourne, Australia. Since the Dirty Three formed in 1992, they have spent a lot of time overseas...
, Pegboy
Pegboy
Pegboy is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois with a relatively large cult following. They were founded in 1990 by John Haggerty , along with his brother Joe Haggerty , Larry Damore , and Steve Saylors...
, Caspar Brötzmann
Caspar Brötzmann
Caspar Brötzmann is an electric guitar player.While Brötzmann typically performs with the power trio lineup of Caspar Brötzmann Massaker , with guitar, bass guitar and drum set, he only uses rock and roll and heavy metal music as a basis for his music...
, and The Cows
The Cows
Cows are a post-hardcore/punk blues band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1998. They were known for a unique mixture of punk rock and blues played with large amounts of noise and surreal humour; their music is often considered noise rock...
.
In 1992, the song "Favor", from the album Jacket Made in Canada, appeared at number 32 on John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's "Festive Fifty".
In 2002, Arcwelder was invited to perform in the UK All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
music festival, by that year's curators Shellac
Shellac (band)
Shellac is an American group composed of Steve Albini , Bob Weston and Todd Trainer...
. The names of all three members of Arcwelder appear on the cover of the 1997 Shellac album The Futurist. The band, a perennial local favorite, consists of brothers Rob and Bill Graber and Scott Macdonald, all of whom share in the tasks of songwriting and singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
.
All of the original members of the band were slated to appear at the Touch and Go 25th anniversary celebration taking place in Chicago, Illinois on September 8–10, 2006.
Albums
- This (Big Money, Inc, 1990)
- Jacket Made In Canada (Big Money, Inc, 1991)
- Pull (Touch and GoTouch and Go RecordsTouch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.After its genesis as a hand-made fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s alternative and underground rock scenes, Touch & Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurous...
, 1993) - Xerxes (Touch and Go, 1994)
- Entropy (Touch and Go, 1996)
- Everest (Touch and Go, 1999)
7" Singles
- "Pint Of Blood" b/w "Define My Life" (Sonic Boom Records, 1988)
- "Favor" b/w "Plastic" (Douphonic/ Big Money Inc, 1992)
- "I Am The Walrus" b/w "Sign Of The Times" (Big Money Inc, 1992)
- "Raleigh" b/w "Rosa, Walls" (Touch and Go, 1992)
- "Captain Allen" b/w "White Elephant" (Touch and Go, 1995)