Orthotonics
Encyclopedia
The Orthotonics were an American experimental rock
and free improvisation
group from Richmond, Virginia
. They began in 1979 as the Ortho-Tones, but changed their name to the Orthotonics in 1982. The group released three albums before splitting up in 1989.
Eugene Chadbourne
at Allmusic said the Orthotonics were "unusual" with material "of great interest from the standpoint of text as well as musically". Music writer Piero Scaruffi
described the group as "one of the most surreal and unpredictable combos of the era", and said they were an important link between 1970s European and 1990s American progressive music
.
group, Idiot Savant. When Rebby Sharp (guitar, vocals) and Phil Trumbo (bass guitar) joined in 1979, they began incorporating elements of art rock
into their music, and changed the group's name to the Ortho-Tones. As the Ortho-Tones they recorded a single, "Doo-Doo Cars / Woman Fish" which was released in 1981 by Artifacts Records. In 1982 Tom Carson replaced Trumbo on bass guitar, and the group's name changed to the Orthotonics.
Drawing on experimental rock
, free improvisation
and avant-garde jazz
, the Orthotonics's music was "densely rhythmic [and] beat-intensive", a style that attracted the attention of New Wave music
fans. In 1983 the group released a cassette
-only album, Accessible as Gravity which reflected their interest in the Downtown music
scene, and in particular English experimental musician and composer Fred Frith
, who was active in New York City at the time. Frith liked the Orthotonics, and had regularly spent time with the group. Their first LP record
, Wake Up You Must Remember was released in 1984, and was mixed
by Frith. Music writer Piero Scaruffi
described the album as "neo-progressive" with surreal lyrics and complex arrangements.
After Wake Up You Must Remember the group became inactive, but reformed again in 1986 as a trio of Sharp, Finney and Barnett, and recorded a new album, Luminous Bipeds, which Frith produced. Allmusic called this album their "most satisfying recording", and Scaruffi said it had echoes of The Residents
and Frank Zappa
. In 1989 the Orthotonics split up, and Sharp and Finney later reunited in the alternative rock
group, Rattlemouth. Sharp also released a solo album, In One Mouth and Out the Other in 1989, which Frith performed on. Frith's work with the Orthotonics and Sharp led to him using some of Sharp's lyrics on three of his songs on albums by Skeleton Crew and Cosa Brava
.
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
and free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
group from Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. They began in 1979 as the Ortho-Tones, but changed their name to the Orthotonics in 1982. The group released three albums before splitting up in 1989.
Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll.Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but...
at Allmusic said the Orthotonics were "unusual" with material "of great interest from the standpoint of text as well as musically". Music writer Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi received a degree in Mathematics in 1982 from University of Turin, where he did work on the General Theory of Relativity. For a number of years he was the head of the Artificial Intelligence Center at Olivetti, based in Cupertino, California. He has been a visiting scholar at...
described the group as "one of the most surreal and unpredictable combos of the era", and said they were an important link between 1970s European and 1990s American progressive music
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
.
Biography
In 1975 Danny Finney (saxophone, vocals), Paul Watson (trumpet) and Pippin Barnett (drums) formed a jazz improvisationFree improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
group, Idiot Savant. When Rebby Sharp (guitar, vocals) and Phil Trumbo (bass guitar) joined in 1979, they began incorporating elements of art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
into their music, and changed the group's name to the Ortho-Tones. As the Ortho-Tones they recorded a single, "Doo-Doo Cars / Woman Fish" which was released in 1981 by Artifacts Records. In 1982 Tom Carson replaced Trumbo on bass guitar, and the group's name changed to the Orthotonics.
Drawing on experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
, free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
and avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
, the Orthotonics's music was "densely rhythmic [and] beat-intensive", a style that attracted the attention of New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
fans. In 1983 the group released a cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
-only album, Accessible as Gravity which reflected their interest in the Downtown music
Downtown music
Downtown music is a subdivision of American music, closely related to experimental music. The scene the term describes began in 1960, when Yoko Ono—one of the Fluxus artists, at that time still seven years away from meeting John Lennon—opened her loft at 112 Chambers Street to be used...
scene, and in particular English experimental musician and composer Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
, who was active in New York City at the time. Frith liked the Orthotonics, and had regularly spent time with the group. Their first LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, Wake Up You Must Remember was released in 1984, and was mixed
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
by Frith. Music writer Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi received a degree in Mathematics in 1982 from University of Turin, where he did work on the General Theory of Relativity. For a number of years he was the head of the Artificial Intelligence Center at Olivetti, based in Cupertino, California. He has been a visiting scholar at...
described the album as "neo-progressive" with surreal lyrics and complex arrangements.
After Wake Up You Must Remember the group became inactive, but reformed again in 1986 as a trio of Sharp, Finney and Barnett, and recorded a new album, Luminous Bipeds, which Frith produced. Allmusic called this album their "most satisfying recording", and Scaruffi said it had echoes of The Residents
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
and Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
. In 1989 the Orthotonics split up, and Sharp and Finney later reunited in the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
group, Rattlemouth. Sharp also released a solo album, In One Mouth and Out the Other in 1989, which Frith performed on. Frith's work with the Orthotonics and Sharp led to him using some of Sharp's lyrics on three of his songs on albums by Skeleton Crew and Cosa Brava
Cosa Brava
Cosa Brava is an experimental rock and improvisation quintet formed in March 2008 in Oakland, California by multi-instrumentalist and composer Fred Frith...
.
Members
Source: Allmusic- Paul WatsonPaul Watson (musician)Paul "Watty" Watson is an American cornetist, guitarist, and songwriter living in Richmond, Virginia. He is best known for his work with The Orthotonics, FSK, Sparklehorse, and Patrick Phelan...
(1979–1984) – trumpet, guitar - Danny Finney (1979–1989) – saxophone, vocals
- Pippin Barnett (1979–1989) – drums
- Rebby Sharp (1979–1989) – guitar, vocals
- Phil Trumbo (1979–1982) – bass guitar
- Tom Carson (1982–1984) – bass guitar
Albums
- Accessible as Gravity (1982, CTCompact CassetteThe Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, Artifacts Records) - Wake Up You Must Remember (1984, LPLP recordThe LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, Generic Records) - Luminous Bipeds (1986, LP, Rift Records)