Botanica is a New York based band, founded in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 in 1999, led by erstwhile Firewater

Firewater

Firewater is a US indie rock group founded by Tod A. in 1995. He describes them as a"wedding band gone wrong".After Tod left his previous group, Cop Shoot Cop, he quickly regrouped and formed Firewater to explore the styles of music Cop Shoot Cop had only hinted at, including klezmer, cabaret, ska,...

 co-conspirator, keyboardist/singer Paul Wallfisch. Named for those mysterious stores stocking spells, potions and artifacts of ritual, Botanica features strings, musical saw, toy piano, omnichord, optigan and other odd keyboards and is known for a dynamic and eclectic mix of gypsy and punk-cabaret infused chamber rock. Members and collaborators have included Brian Viglione

Brian Viglione

Brian Viglione is the drummer for The Dresden Dolls. Additionally, he was a prominent member of New York City's cabaret punk orchestra, The WORLD/INFERNO Friendship Society...

 (of The Dresden Dolls

The Dresden Dolls

The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione...

), Jason Binnick (The Flesh, Hallelujah), Miriam Eicher (Hallelujah, Cardiac Move), Abby Travis

Abby Travis

Abby Travis is an American musician, songwriter, and performer. She is the daughter of Alice Travis Germond, the current Secretary of the Democratic National Committee and Emmy award winning cameraman Larry Travis.Abby Travis began her performance career in 1986 as the bassist in Los Angeles band...

, (Beck

Beck

Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...

, Elastica

Elastica

Elastica were an English alternative rock band that played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica, which produced singles that charted in the US and the UK.-History:...

, KMFDM

KMFDM

KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...

), Ivan Knight, (Stan Ridgeway), Daniel Ash

Daniel Ash

Daniel Gaston Ash is the guitarist for Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, and solo projects.-Life and work:After going to concerts in his teenage years, Ash made a decision to be on a stage in some way...

, (Bauhaus

Bauhaus (band)

Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...

, Love & Rockets

Love and Rockets (band)

Love and Rockets were an English alternative rock band formed in 1985 by former Bauhaus members Daniel Ash , David J , and Kevin Haskins . Former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy had embarked on a solo career after Bauhaus split in 1983...

), Frankie Infante, (Blondie

Blondie (band)

Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...

), Kid Congo Powers

Kid Congo Powers

Kid Congo Powers is the stage name of Brian Tristan , an American rock guitarist and singer, best known as a member of The Gun Club, The Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.-Biography:...

, (Nick Cave

Nick Cave

Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...

, Cramps), Oren Kaplan, (Gogol Bordello

Gogol Bordello

Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring.Much of the band's sound is inspired by Gypsy music...

), Matt Flynn, (Maroon 5

Maroon 5

Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...

), and Anne deWolff, (Calexico, Neko Case

Neko Case

Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....

). Since 2002, the core of the band has been Wallfisch and guitarist/songwriter John Andrews, with bassist and vocalist Dana Schechter

Dana Schechter

Dana Schechter was born and raised in San Francisco. As a musician, composer, and artist/computer animator, her travels have led her across the globe. She founded her band Bee and Flower in NYC in 1999, and released their debut CD "What's Mine Is Yours" in 2003 on Neurot Recordings...

, (Bee and Flower

Bee and Flower

Bee and Flower is a band founded in New York City in 2000 by singer-songwriter, bassist, animator, illustrator, composer and producer Dana Schechter...

), recently taking over for Christian Bongers. Botanica has worked with various producers including Martin Bisi, Moses Schneider, Pete Min and Tamir Muskat

Tamir Muskat

Tamir Muskat is a musician/producer-engineer who was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel as son of a Romanian immigrant. As a teenager, he was already a prominent rock drummer and percussionist...

. Malediction, the band's first album was released on Checkered Past Records in the U.S. and Cargo in Europe. Botanica toured nationally from 1999-2002, including support dates with 16 Horsepower

16 Horsepower

16 Horsepower was an American alternative country music group based in Denver, Colorado. Their music often invoked religious imagery dealing with conflict, redemption, punishment, and guilt through David Eugene Edwards's lyrics and the heavy use of traditional bluegrass, gospel, and Appalachian...

, Super Furry Animals

Super Furry Animals

Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...

 and Rocket From the Crypt

Rocket from the Crypt

Rocket from the Crypt was an American rock band led by John Reis, formed in 1989 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 2005.The band gained critical praise and the attention of major record labels after the release of their 1992 album Circa: Now!, leading to a recording contract with Interscope...

. The band's subsequent albums have all been released exclusively in Europe, the last 3 through Germany's Rent A Dog label. The third album, Botanica vs. the Truth Fish, features a cover painting courtesy of renowned British artist Dexter Dalwood

Dexter Dalwood

Dexter Dalwood is an artist based in London. He attended Humphry Davy School in his early life. Dalwood received his BA from Central St Martins College of Art, London, in 1985...

. Among TV and radio appearances in several countries, the band has taped a full concert for the legendary Rockpalast

Rockpalast

Rockpalast is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk . Rockpalast started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock and jazz bands have performed on Rockpalast...

 show on Germanys WDR. Berlin Hi-Fi, Botanica's 4th album came out in May '06 and was featured as a Visions Magazine "Beauty of the Month." Botanica has toured Europe twice a year since 2002, their last appearances in October 2007 presented by the German magazines Visions, Intro and Westzeit. Botanica contributed the track "Broken Bicycles" to the Tom Waits

Tom Waits

Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...

 tribute album New Coat of Paint released on Manifesto Records

Manifesto Records

Manifesto Records is the name of an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California that has released records by The Wedding Present, Dead Kennedys, Tom Waits, Tim Buckley, Lilys, Concrete Blonde, Screamin' Jay Hawkins and others. Manifesto released the entire catalogue of Dead Kennedys...

 in 2002 and also featuring Screaming Jay Hawkins, Carla Bozulich

Carla Bozulich

Carla Bozulich is an American musician based in Los Angeles, known for her work as the lead singer, lyricist and founder of both The Geraldine Fibbers and and as a founding member of Ethyl Meatplow. Her 2006 album, Evangelista, was released by Constellation Records, that label's first release by a...

, Lydia Lunch

Lydia Lunch

Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...

 and Sally Norvell accompanied by Paul Wallfisch at the piano. Botanica's music has been used in several films including Men Cry Bullets (Phaedra), and The Takedown(Dimension/Miramax). Botanica, (with ex-Jesus Lizard

Jesus Lizard

Jesus Lizard may refer to:*Jesus Lizard, a common name for the basilisk lizard genus, known for being able to run across water*The Jesus Lizard, an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas, and later based in Chicago, Illinois....

 David Sims), is featured in Greg Pritikin

Greg Pritikin

-Biography:According to his official biography, Pritikin inherited a love of film from his father, who had an extensive collection of 16mm prints. Pritikin watched them religiously before starting to make his own 8mm films at the age of eight.-Movie career:...

's film "Dummy" (Artisan Entertainment), starring Adrien Brody

Adrien Brody

Adrien Brody is an American actor and film producer. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring in Roman Polanski's The Pianist . Winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2003 at age 29, he is the youngest actor to do so...

 and Milla Jovovich

Milla Jovovich

Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...

. Wallfisch also scored the film.

Discography

• Malediction—Checkered Past Records 1999
• With All Seven Fingers—Subway Records/Alive Distribution 2002
• Botanica vs. the Truth Fish—Rent A Dog/Alive Distribution 2005
• Berlin Hi Fi—Rent A Dog/Alive 2006
• The Magnetic Waltz—Rent A Dog/Alive/Different 2007
• americanundone—Rent A Dog/Alive 2009
• Who You Are 2010
• "Broken Bicycles" on the compilation "New Coat of Paint"--Manifesto Records 2000
• "Pray" on the Ox Fanzine compilation #49—Cargo Germany 2003
• "Dummy" film soundtrack featuring "Dead Prophet, "Let's Go" and various film cues—Jellybean/Sony 2004
• "Three Women" on the Between the Lines compilation—Vienna Songwriting Association/EMI Austria 2008

External links

• http://www.botanicaisaband.com
• http://www.myspace.com/botanica
• http://www.rent-a-dog.com
• http://www.differant.fr
• http://www.hotellounge.de
• http://www.checkeredpastrecords.com
• http://www.songwriting.at