Oppenheimer (band)
Encyclopedia
Oppenheimer were an indie pop
band from Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. The band was made up of musicians Shaun Robinson and Rocky O'Reilly. Robinson and O'Reilly were previously members of the now disbanded Belfast group, Torgas Valley Reds.
They met in 2003, in Belfast. O'Reilly had been mixing sound and recording Torgas Valley Reds, whom Robinson drummed for. Inspired by their mutual love for Moog synthesizer
s, vocoders, and airhorns, O'Reilly and Robinson formed Oppenheimer in late 2004, using O'Reilly's spare room to record 3 songs, which they sent to their favourite labels.
in America
in July 2006, Shock Records in Australia and Fabtone Records in Japan. It has since been released in the UK
via Smalltown America
in March 2007, with the initial pressing selling out and currently being re-pressed. It includes a cover of 'Don't Call Me' by Belfast songwriter Tom McShane.
Their first single from the album, a double A-side 7" featuring tracks "Breakfast In NYC", "Truth Or Dare" and B-side "Getting By", was released in the UK via Smalltown America in April 2006. A video for "Breakfast in NYC", directed by Brian Philip Davis
was also produced to coincide with the single release, and was made available on the Oppenheimer MySpace
page.
The group have toured with Regina Spektor
, Architecture in Helsinki
, The Bravery
, and The Chalets
, They've spent over 16 weeks touring the USA, playing events like SXSW, CMJ, Southstreet Seaport music festival and with many of their favourite bands like The Like Young and The Spinto Band.
Their music has been used in various television shows - "How I Met Your Mother
" in the episode "Lucky Penny", "Ugly Betty
" and "Gossip Girl
".
The group played at Forfey Festival in August 2006 and the Glasgowbury Festival
on July 21, 2007.
Between November 2007 and March 2008, they toured with They Might Be Giants
.
The band's second album, titled Take The Whole Midrange And Boost It was released June 3, 2008 via Bar/None in North America and via Fantastic Plastic in Europe.
They opened for Ok Go
with Longwave
in March 2009 on their Spring Tour, and as of April 2009, Oppenheimer toured with The Presidents of the United States of America
in PUSA's Nor'easter Tour.
The band started recording material for their third album on 19 August.
On 12 December 2009, Oppenheimer announced they would be playing for the last time on 19 December. A digital EP would follow in early 2010 that contained the work they had finished up to that point for the third album. A Farewell EP will be released in 2011 titled "This Racket Takes Its Toll" featuring six new tracks that Oppenheimer were working on at the time of their release.
O'Reilly formed a new band, Malibu Shark Attack!, in March 2010 working with long time Oppenheimer collaborators Angie O'Reilly and Hornby, as well as MC Dizzy Dustin from Long Beach, California
.
. The band claim their title was chosen purely on the basis of it sounding good. There is an obvious connection between the Oppenheimer logo, and the computer display for the Death Star
in Star Wars
, as the station moves into position to destroy Alderaan.
The name of Oppenheimers' record label, Little Ruddiger Records, comes from Bart's Inner Child
, a fifth season episode of The Simpsons
in which self-help guru Brad Goodman believes Bart Simpson's name to be "Ruddiger".
They have quoted their collective favourite song of the 21st century as "History's Stranglers" by The Bronx.
The song "When I Close My Eyes I Fall in Love" came from a flippant remark made to Shaun by BBC Radio 1
's Jimmy Devlin at an early gig.
The album title Take The Whole Midrange and Boost It comes from a gig when a Dutch sound manager told them to "Take the Whole Midrange and Boooooooooost it".
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The band was made up of musicians Shaun Robinson and Rocky O'Reilly. Robinson and O'Reilly were previously members of the now disbanded Belfast group, Torgas Valley Reds.
They met in 2003, in Belfast. O'Reilly had been mixing sound and recording Torgas Valley Reds, whom Robinson drummed for. Inspired by their mutual love for Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
s, vocoders, and airhorns, O'Reilly and Robinson formed Oppenheimer in late 2004, using O'Reilly's spare room to record 3 songs, which they sent to their favourite labels.
Career
The group's self-titled debut album was released on Bar/None RecordsBar/None Records
Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey.-Early history:Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his native Ireland, Prendergast moved to Hoboken in 1982 and started Pier Platters...
in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in July 2006, Shock Records in Australia and Fabtone Records in Japan. It has since been released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
via Smalltown America
Smalltown America
Smalltown America is a UK-based independent record label formed in 2001. Staff are currently based in London and Derry, and the label has a stated aim of "cultivating a productive staff of music lovers and a self-sustainable business model, through which artists can release the best records they...
in March 2007, with the initial pressing selling out and currently being re-pressed. It includes a cover of 'Don't Call Me' by Belfast songwriter Tom McShane.
Their first single from the album, a double A-side 7" featuring tracks "Breakfast In NYC", "Truth Or Dare" and B-side "Getting By", was released in the UK via Smalltown America in April 2006. A video for "Breakfast in NYC", directed by Brian Philip Davis
Brian Philip Davis
Brian Philip Davis is a filmmaker from Northern Ireland. He graduated from the University of Ulster.He has directed a number of short films including Inside, The Poet and the Bear and Happy as Larry as well as music videos for Oppenheimer, The Winding Stair and Two Door Cinema Club...
was also produced to coincide with the single release, and was made available on the Oppenheimer MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page.
The group have toured with Regina Spektor
Regina Spektor
Regina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
, Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki is an Australian indie pop band which consists of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland...
, The Bravery
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band from New York City that consists of Sam Endicott , Michael Zakarin , John Conway , Mike Hindert , and Anthony Burulcich...
, and The Chalets
The Chalets
The Chalets were a five-piece band from Dublin, Ireland, active from 2001 to 2008.-Members:* Chris Judge – lead bass* Caoimhe "Pony" Derwin – singer* Dylan Roche – bongos* Enda Loughman – guitar* Paula "Peepee" Cullen – singer, songwriter, lead g-tar...
, They've spent over 16 weeks touring the USA, playing events like SXSW, CMJ, Southstreet Seaport music festival and with many of their favourite bands like The Like Young and The Spinto Band.
Their music has been used in various television shows - "How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
" in the episode "Lucky Penny", "Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
" and "Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
".
The group played at Forfey Festival in August 2006 and the Glasgowbury Festival
Glasgowbury Festival
The Glasgowbury Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Draperstown, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.-History:The Glasgowbury Music Festival made its first appearance in the summer of 2000 as a gathering of local bands, acts and showcases to raise awareness for the local charity,...
on July 21, 2007.
Between November 2007 and March 2008, they toured with They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
.
The band's second album, titled Take The Whole Midrange And Boost It was released June 3, 2008 via Bar/None in North America and via Fantastic Plastic in Europe.
They opened for Ok Go
OK Go
OK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, USA, now residing in Los Angeles, California, USA. The band is composed of Damian Kulash , Tim Nordwind , Dan Konopka and Andy Ross , who joined them in 2005, replacing Andy Duncan...
with Longwave
Longwave (band)
Longwave is an American indie rock band. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Steve Schiltz, guitarist Shannon Ferguson, bassist Dave Marchese and drummer Jeremy Greene.-History:...
in March 2009 on their Spring Tour, and as of April 2009, Oppenheimer toured with The Presidents of the United States of America
The Presidents of the United States of America (band)
The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as Pot USA or "PUSA" or The Presidents, are a twice Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band. The band formed in Seattle, USA, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew,...
in PUSA's Nor'easter Tour.
The band started recording material for their third album on 19 August.
On 12 December 2009, Oppenheimer announced they would be playing for the last time on 19 December. A digital EP would follow in early 2010 that contained the work they had finished up to that point for the third album. A Farewell EP will be released in 2011 titled "This Racket Takes Its Toll" featuring six new tracks that Oppenheimer were working on at the time of their release.
O'Reilly formed a new band, Malibu Shark Attack!, in March 2010 working with long time Oppenheimer collaborators Angie O'Reilly and Hornby, as well as MC Dizzy Dustin from Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
.
Name and influences
The band is not actually named after physicist Robert OppenheimerRobert Oppenheimer
Julius Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Along with Enrico Fermi, he is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the Manhattan Project, the World War II project that developed the first...
. The band claim their title was chosen purely on the basis of it sounding good. There is an obvious connection between the Oppenheimer logo, and the computer display for the Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
in Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, as the station moves into position to destroy Alderaan.
The name of Oppenheimers' record label, Little Ruddiger Records, comes from Bart's Inner Child
Bart's Inner Child
"Bart's Inner Child" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 11, 1993. In the episode, Marge realizes that she is no fun because of her constant nagging and seeks help from self-help guru Brad Goodman, who then...
, a fifth season episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
in which self-help guru Brad Goodman believes Bart Simpson's name to be "Ruddiger".
They have quoted their collective favourite song of the 21st century as "History's Stranglers" by The Bronx.
The song "When I Close My Eyes I Fall in Love" came from a flippant remark made to Shaun by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Jimmy Devlin at an early gig.
The album title Take The Whole Midrange and Boost It comes from a gig when a Dutch sound manager told them to "Take the Whole Midrange and Boooooooooost it".
Albums
- OppenheimerOppenheimer (album)Oppenheimer is the debut album by the Belfast duo of the same name. It was released in the United States and Canada in June 2006 on Bar/None Records and Smalltown America released it in the UK in March 2007.-Track listing:# "This Is Not a Test"...
(2006) - Take the Whole Midrange and Boost ItTake the Whole Midrange and Boost ItTake the Whole Midrange and Boost It is the Choice Music Prize-nominated second album by Oppenheimer. The follow-up to their self-titled debut was released in June 2008 through Bar/None Records.-Track listing:# "Major Television Events"# "Look Up"...
(2008)
External links
- Official Oppenheimer Website
- Oppenheimer 'Breakfast in NYC' Music Video by Brian Philip Davis
- Oppenheimer interview on HecklerSpray
- Oppenheimer review from Silent Uproar, 4.1/5
- Oppenheimer review at Stranded in Stereo
- Interview with Oppenheimer at Drowned in Sound
- Bar/None Records - US Label
- Review of Take the Whole Midrange and Boost It at The Donnybrook Writing Academy