Beauty Pill
Encyclopedia
Beauty Pill is a shapeshifting post-rock band from Washington, DC based around the songs and ideas of singer/guitarist/producer Chad Clark.
Beauty Pill's music is characterized by cinematic arrangements, sinuous melodies, and electronic textures and treatments. This detailed, atmospheric aesthetic contrasts starkly from its label-mates on Dischord Records
. Stylistically, the band now has as much in common with Damon Albarn and Ryuichi Sakamoto as it does with DC punk.
This sensibility reflects Clark’s parallel profession as a producer and engineer of some note. His discography includes work with The Dismemberment Plan
, Sparklehorse
, Fugazi, Blakroc, Bernie Worrell
, Marc Ribot
, Mary Timony
, The Evens
, Lungfish
, Bob Mould
, The Wilderness, The Caribbean, Craig Wedren
, among others.
Inviting their friend Joanne Gholl, the trio made and released an EP called "The Cigarette Girl from the Future
." This 5-song EP struck a balance between forward-leaning, avant-garde sonic experimentalism and simple, charismatic tunes. It garnered critical praise from the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Pitchfork (which touted the band’s promise and rated the record a 9.0).
The attempt to transform into a touring band, however, proved difficult and this incarnation of Beauty Pill dissolved before ever playing a show.
They went on to recruit bassist Basla Andolsun and guitarist Drew Doucette, along with Ryan Nelson, all of whom had been in bands Clark had recorded. The quintet released a decidedly lo-fi EP called “You Are Right To Be Afraid” followed shorty by a decidedly hi-fi full-length album called “The Unsustainable Lifestyle.”
Rachel Burke announced that she was moving back to Seattle in order to be closer to her family, drawing the quintet period to a close.
With Cook singing, Beauty Pill published the demo for a new song called “Ann The Word” via the band’s Myspace page. At more than six minutes, the elegiac song differed strikingly from the sound of the quintet period. Suffused with aquatic, electronic noises and dark, quasi-Japanese sonorities, “Ann The Word” was by far the most cinematic and technological piece of music the band had ever released.
Clark said he posted the song by way of warning that the band’s sound was headed in a challenging new direction. He expected many fans to dislike it (particularly those who had been drawn to the band because of its association with Dischord) but was pleasantly surprised otherwise. The song’s Myspace popularity proved emboldening. It also lead to commissions for scoring work. In interviews, he said “‘Ann The Word’ has changed my life.”
To embrace this new sensibility, Cook began to use a macbook as an instrument onstage, allowing her to access the band’s digital library of found sounds. The band expanded to a sextet, with the band joined alternately by multi-instrumentalists Chad Molter and Holly Montoya, often playing an electronic drum kit.
On July 7th, 2007, Beauty Pill played a show as part of the Fort Reno
summer concert series in DC. The show is notable for two reasons: (1) The band played its entire set despite a rainstorm that overtook the stage halfway through and (2) it is the band's final show before Chad Clark took ill.
, stricken with viral cardiomyopathy, a rare condition resulting from a virus invading and inflaming the heart. Origin of the virus is unknown. Clark did not reveal his illness until February 2008 when he underwent emergency open heart surgery to save his life.
The surgery was successful and Clark spent the next two years recovering and making music privately.
In 2010, Beauty Pill began to resurface in unexpected and unconventional ways. January, the band wrote and recorded the score for a harrowing, controversial play called "suicide.chat.room." The band had been commissioned by writer/director Marcus Kyd, a fervent fan of “Ann The Word,” and the work was a collaboration with choreographer Paulina Guerrero and Taffety Punk Theater. The music for suicide.chat.room found favor with critics, with the The Onion AV calling it “brilliant and vividly balletic,” the Washington Post calling it “smartly evocative” and the City Paper calling it “lyrical and convulsive, channeling [the spirit of the play] perfectly.”
In April 2010, Beauty Pill made some collaborative music with the band Bluebrain on their project called “The Cherry Blossom Boombox Walk.” Other collaborators included Animal Collective and DJ Outputmessage.
Aside from this work and the occasional one-off remix, the band has remained silent. No shows, no releases. However, Clark frequently refers to work in progress via the band’s Twitter, often giving glimpses of the band at work.
Though new music from Beauty Pill is anticipated, it is unclear at this point when or how it will be released.
Beauty Pill's music is characterized by cinematic arrangements, sinuous melodies, and electronic textures and treatments. This detailed, atmospheric aesthetic contrasts starkly from its label-mates on Dischord Records
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in the independent punk music of the D.C.-area music scene. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles...
. Stylistically, the band now has as much in common with Damon Albarn and Ryuichi Sakamoto as it does with DC punk.
This sensibility reflects Clark’s parallel profession as a producer and engineer of some note. His discography includes work with The Dismemberment Plan
The Dismemberment Plan
The Dismemberment Plan is a Washington D.C. based indie rock band formed on January 1, 1993. Also known as D-Plan or The Plan, the name comes from a stray phrase uttered by insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in the popular comedy Groundhog Day. The band members included Eric Axelson , Jason Caddell ,...
, Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band led by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous.-History:Sparklehorse's first album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot featuring Bob Rupe of the Silos and Cracker, was a modest college radio success...
, Fugazi, Blakroc, Bernie Worrell
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
, Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
, Mary Timony
Mary Timony
Mary B. Timony is an American independent singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, and violist. She was a member of the bands Helium and Autoclave, and currently plays in Wild Flag.-Biography:...
, The Evens
The Evens
The Evens are a Washington, D.C. indie-rock duo, formed in the fall of 2001, comprising partners Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina...
, Lungfish
Lungfish (band)
Lungfish is a post-hardcore band formed in 1987 in Baltimore, Maryland. All of their music has been released by the Washington, D.C. punk label Dischord except for their first LP, Necklace of Heads which was released by Simple Machines .Their line-up as of 2005 consists of Daniel Higgs , Asa...
, Bob Mould
Bob Mould
Robert Arthur "Bob" Mould is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.-Early life:...
, The Wilderness, The Caribbean, Craig Wedren
Craig Wedren
Craig Wedren is the former lead singer of Shudder to Think and now the lead for the newer pop-mash project, "BABY".Wedren has also contributed vocals to the musical act Tweaker with Chris Vrenna, formerly of Nine Inch Nails, The Verve Pipe's self-titled album, the musical act Cex, The Dead...
, among others.
Trio period 2001-2002
Following the dissolution of their previous band Smart Went Crazy (whose 1997 double album swan song "Con Art" was listed as one of the 100 greatest records of the '90s by Pitchfork), Chad Clark and Abram Goodrich decided to extend their songwriting chemistry.Inviting their friend Joanne Gholl, the trio made and released an EP called "The Cigarette Girl from the Future
The Cigarette Girl From the Future
The Cigarette Girl From the Future is the debut EP release by the indie band Beauty Pill.-Track listing:#"Rideshare" – 4:21#"The Cigarette Girl From the Future" – 3:43#"The Idiot Heart" – 4:52#"Bone White Crown Victoria" – 4:46...
." This 5-song EP struck a balance between forward-leaning, avant-garde sonic experimentalism and simple, charismatic tunes. It garnered critical praise from the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Pitchfork (which touted the band’s promise and rated the record a 9.0).
The attempt to transform into a touring band, however, proved difficult and this incarnation of Beauty Pill dissolved before ever playing a show.
Quintet period 2003-2004
A chance meeting with Rachel Burke, a recent Seattle emigre and fan of the “Cigarette Girl” EP, lead Clark to invite her to his studio the next day. The chemistry was immediate. Burke became a muse for Clark, who penned the mournful, paradoxical “Prison Song” specifically for the light tonality of her voice.They went on to recruit bassist Basla Andolsun and guitarist Drew Doucette, along with Ryan Nelson, all of whom had been in bands Clark had recorded. The quintet released a decidedly lo-fi EP called “You Are Right To Be Afraid” followed shorty by a decidedly hi-fi full-length album called “The Unsustainable Lifestyle.”
Rachel Burke announced that she was moving back to Seattle in order to be closer to her family, drawing the quintet period to a close.
“Ann The Word” and the Sextet period (2005-2007)
Jean Cook replaced Rachel Burke as singer in 2005. Ryan Nelson left to form the band Soccer Team and was replaced by Devin Ocampo (also a veteran of Smart Went Crazy).With Cook singing, Beauty Pill published the demo for a new song called “Ann The Word” via the band’s Myspace page. At more than six minutes, the elegiac song differed strikingly from the sound of the quintet period. Suffused with aquatic, electronic noises and dark, quasi-Japanese sonorities, “Ann The Word” was by far the most cinematic and technological piece of music the band had ever released.
Clark said he posted the song by way of warning that the band’s sound was headed in a challenging new direction. He expected many fans to dislike it (particularly those who had been drawn to the band because of its association with Dischord) but was pleasantly surprised otherwise. The song’s Myspace popularity proved emboldening. It also lead to commissions for scoring work. In interviews, he said “‘Ann The Word’ has changed my life.”
To embrace this new sensibility, Cook began to use a macbook as an instrument onstage, allowing her to access the band’s digital library of found sounds. The band expanded to a sextet, with the band joined alternately by multi-instrumentalists Chad Molter and Holly Montoya, often playing an electronic drum kit.
On July 7th, 2007, Beauty Pill played a show as part of the Fort Reno
Fort Reno
Fort Reno may refer to any of the three United States Army posts named for General Jesse L. Reno:*Fort Reno Park, in Washington, D.C., established 1862...
summer concert series in DC. The show is notable for two reasons: (1) The band played its entire set despite a rainstorm that overtook the stage halfway through and (2) it is the band's final show before Chad Clark took ill.
Chad Clark illness
In Fall of 2007, Clark became gravely ill, stricken with viral cardiomyopathy, a rare condition resulting from a virus invading and inflaming the heart. Origin of the virus is unknown. Clark did not reveal his illness until February 2008 when he underwent emergency open heart surgery to save his life.
The surgery was successful and Clark spent the next two years recovering and making music privately.
Return to public work (2009-present)
In Fall of 2009, Clark founded a Washington, DC performance series called Story/Stereo. Taking place at the Writer’s Center, the series blends literature and music in an unusual way. Clark is curator and host. The series was rewarded with an endowment from the NEA.In 2010, Beauty Pill began to resurface in unexpected and unconventional ways. January, the band wrote and recorded the score for a harrowing, controversial play called "suicide.chat.room." The band had been commissioned by writer/director Marcus Kyd, a fervent fan of “Ann The Word,” and the work was a collaboration with choreographer Paulina Guerrero and Taffety Punk Theater. The music for suicide.chat.room found favor with critics, with the The Onion AV calling it “brilliant and vividly balletic,” the Washington Post calling it “smartly evocative” and the City Paper calling it “lyrical and convulsive, channeling [the spirit of the play] perfectly.”
In April 2010, Beauty Pill made some collaborative music with the band Bluebrain on their project called “The Cherry Blossom Boombox Walk.” Other collaborators included Animal Collective and DJ Outputmessage.
Aside from this work and the occasional one-off remix, the band has remained silent. No shows, no releases. However, Clark frequently refers to work in progress via the band’s Twitter, often giving glimpses of the band at work.
Though new music from Beauty Pill is anticipated, it is unclear at this point when or how it will be released.
Discography
- The Cigarette Girl From the FutureThe Cigarette Girl From the FutureThe Cigarette Girl From the Future is the debut EP release by the indie band Beauty Pill.-Track listing:#"Rideshare" – 4:21#"The Cigarette Girl From the Future" – 3:43#"The Idiot Heart" – 4:52#"Bone White Crown Victoria" – 4:46...
(20012001 in musicSee also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....
EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - You Are Right To Be Afraid (20032003 in music-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...
EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - The Unsustainable LifestyleThe Unsustainable LifestyleThe Unsustainable Lifestyle is the first full-length CD by Indie rock band Beauty Pill. It was released in 2004 on Dischord Records.-Track listing:#"Goodnight for Real" - 4:48#"Lifeguard in Wintertime" - 4:32#"The Mule on the Plane" - 4:38...
(20042004 in musicSee also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....
LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
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