The Gaskets
Encyclopedia
The Gaskets was an American
synth-pop
/rock
duo formed in Richmond, Virginia
in 2001 by Teddy Blanks (vocals, keyboards
) and Ross Harman (sequencer
, guitar
). Known for their frenetic stage presence and high-energy songs, Gaskets released two studio albums, and frequently performed in Richmond
, New York City
and Washington DC.
The Gaskets broke up in April 2008.
Harman committed suicide on September 6, 2010.
, Big Fun, was released in early 2003. Reviews of their debut drew comparisons to bands like They Might Be Giants
, Sparks
, and Beck
.
, 2006. It was well received by many music blogs, landing it a spot on a few Top 10 Lists for 2006
-based filmmaker Joe Carabeo to record their release show at local club The Nanci Raygun in January
, 2006. Featured on stage with The Gaskets was a live backing band formed by local musicians integral in the recording of the album
. The sold-out show was edited by Carabeo into the concert film
Loose Change Live. The DVD
was released the following year.
for a long and strange list of artists, including Violent Femmes
, Mudhoney
, Aaron Carter
, Monica
, Daniel Johnston
, Girl Talk
, and "Weird Al" Yankovic
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
synth-pop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
/rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
duo formed in 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...
in 2001 by Teddy Blanks (vocals, keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) and Ross Harman (sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
). Known for their frenetic stage presence and high-energy songs, Gaskets released two studio albums, and frequently performed in Richmond
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...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Washington DC.
The Gaskets broke up in April 2008.
Harman committed suicide on September 6, 2010.
Big Fun (2003)
The Gaskets' first studio LPLP album
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...
, Big Fun, was released in early 2003. Reviews of their debut drew comparisons to bands like 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...
, Sparks
Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
, and Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
.
Loose Change (2006)
The Gaskets' second album, Loose Change, deals with the concept of money (most notably, not having any). The CD was released in JanuaryJanuary 2006
January 2006: ← – January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December – →-1 January 2006 :...
, 2006. It was well received by many music blogs, landing it a spot on a few Top 10 Lists for 2006
Music videos
The Gaskets' have commissioned multiple music videos, including "Hold Steady Hot Weather", directed by Lena Dunham, and "Eiffel Tower", directed by Grier Hillman Dill. The latter was an official selection in the 2007 SXSW Film Festival Other music videos include a stop-motion video by band-mate Ross Harman for "Left Hand".Loose Change Live (2007)
To celebrate the release of their second album, The Gaskets invited Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, 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...
-based filmmaker Joe Carabeo to record their release show at local club The Nanci Raygun in January
January 2006
January 2006: ← – January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December – →-1 January 2006 :...
, 2006. Featured on stage with The Gaskets was a live backing band formed by local musicians integral in the recording of the album
Album
An 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...
. The sold-out show was edited by Carabeo into the concert film
Concert film
A concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary film, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by a musician ....
Loose Change Live. The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was released the following year.
Trivia
The band has been the opening actOpening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
for a long and strange list of artists, including Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009...
, Mudhoney
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
, Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter
Aaron Charles Carter is an American singer. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the early-first decade of the 21st century....
, Monica
Monica (singer)
Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten...
, Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
, Girl Talk
Girl Talk (musician)
Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....
, and "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
.