The Cardboards
Encyclopedia
The Cardboards were one of the first bands in the local independent/experimental
/punk
/new wave
scene in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, from around 1979 till 1985. There were two Cardboards lineups. Originally, they consisted of:
When Kevin moved on, they replaced him with Ivan, another synthesist. After Ivan left the band, he was replaced by synthesist/vocalist Marie Alexander. The band played two further gigs and then disbanded. There were backup singers on the recording Mary Ann, Maryann, Kim, and Liz.
The drummer, Bill Bored (Bill von Hagen) had previously played in The Puke, before he ever actually could play drums for real. He was also a member of the Pittsburgh band 24 Minutes
. He later went on to help found The Cynics
, a popular garage band which was still playing as of 2005.
Ron Solo and Marie Alexander went on to form Hector in Paris, a qpopular synthpop/new wave band, along with Philip Harris and Jim Laugelli. Max Haste (Joe O'Lear) was not only a singer but a gifted storyteller, and could frequently hold an unruly crowd's attention telling short stories and talking between songs, sometimes using props such as a box of oats or a "Pop-up Pirate" toy. He was studying medicine at the time, and always had a great disease-of-the-week story based on whatever he was studying at the time (and which he frequently thought he was coming down with).
Solo pioneered the unusual technique of taping his fingertips with electrical tape, to avoid injury when bringing his fingers down on his synthesizer
keys rapidly from chin height. This rapid, aggressive technique can be heard clearly in their single "Gravity's Still Working". Since Ron's synth was an early Maxi-Korg, the Cardboards' most precious possession was Ron's book of settings, in which was recorded the setting of every knob, switch, and slider for all of the Cardboards' songs. Ivan also had a book of settings for her keyboard. When she left the Cardboards, she passed the book on to Marie and sold her the synthesizer. They released one album, Greatest Hits Volume 2 (a 12" release that played at 45rpm), which included the songs "Mail Early", "Electrical Generator", "Gravity's Still Working", "On the Road in the Twilight Zone" and "Bill's Rap".
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
/punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/new wave
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...
scene in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, from around 1979 till 1985. There were two Cardboards lineups. Originally, they consisted of:
- Drummer: Bill Bored
- Synthesist: Ron Solo
- Saxophone: Keeth Teeth
- Vocalist: Max Haste
When Kevin moved on, they replaced him with Ivan, another synthesist. After Ivan left the band, he was replaced by synthesist/vocalist Marie Alexander. The band played two further gigs and then disbanded. There were backup singers on the recording Mary Ann, Maryann, Kim, and Liz.
The drummer, Bill Bored (Bill von Hagen) had previously played in The Puke, before he ever actually could play drums for real. He was also a member of the Pittsburgh band 24 Minutes
24 Minutes
"24 Minutes" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons eighteenth season and was broadcast on May 20, 2007 as part of the one hour season finale, alongside the episode "You Kent Always Say What You Want". It was originally promoted as being the 400th episode, but was broadcast as the 399th. It...
. He later went on to help found The Cynics
The Cynics
The Cynics are an influential Garage rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band, consisting of guitarist Gregg Kostelich, drummer Bill Von Hagen, vocalist Michael Kastelic, bass player Steve Magee, and keyboardist and later founder of New York City's Bellwether gallery Becky Smith, debuted...
, a popular garage band which was still playing as of 2005.
Ron Solo and Marie Alexander went on to form Hector in Paris, a qpopular synthpop/new wave band, along with Philip Harris and Jim Laugelli. Max Haste (Joe O'Lear) was not only a singer but a gifted storyteller, and could frequently hold an unruly crowd's attention telling short stories and talking between songs, sometimes using props such as a box of oats or a "Pop-up Pirate" toy. He was studying medicine at the time, and always had a great disease-of-the-week story based on whatever he was studying at the time (and which he frequently thought he was coming down with).
Solo pioneered the unusual technique of taping his fingertips with electrical tape, to avoid injury when bringing his fingers down on his synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
keys rapidly from chin height. This rapid, aggressive technique can be heard clearly in their single "Gravity's Still Working". Since Ron's synth was an early Maxi-Korg, the Cardboards' most precious possession was Ron's book of settings, in which was recorded the setting of every knob, switch, and slider for all of the Cardboards' songs. Ivan also had a book of settings for her keyboard. When she left the Cardboards, she passed the book on to Marie and sold her the synthesizer. They released one album, Greatest Hits Volume 2 (a 12" release that played at 45rpm), which included the songs "Mail Early", "Electrical Generator", "Gravity's Still Working", "On the Road in the Twilight Zone" and "Bill's Rap".