Tobacco (musician)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fec, better known by the alias Tobacco, is an American
electronic musician
. He is the frontman of the band Black Moth Super Rainbow
, in addition to working as a solo artist; in both settings he works most conspicuously with pre-digital electronic instruments such as analog synthesizer
s and tape machines.
, Pennsylvania
, and graduated from Hampton High School
in 1998 along with fellow bandmate Seth Ciotti. In a 2009 interview with Skyscraper Magazine
, Tobacco said that his name derived from "a character that freaked me out as a kid, the Tobacco Man", referring to the character from the Troma film Redneck Zombies
.
Tobacco released a solo album entitled Fucked Up Friends
on Anticon Records on October 14, 2008. The album was recorded using entirely analog
equipment. Rolling Stone
said of the album, "one of the year's best stoner-rock records - only it's powered by synths, hip-hop beats and vocoder
s instead of guitars." Exclaim!
called it "worthy of obsessive listening." The album featured a guest appearance from Aesop Rock
. A DVD of the album had been released more than a year prior, on September 3, 2007, by the 70s Gymnastics Recording Company.
In an interview with Kotori Magazine in September 2008, Tobacco explained the difference between BMSR and Tobacco: "Mostly everything I've done with BMSR is made to be pop. And of people say BMSR is bordering on hip-hop beats. So with Tobacco, I wanted to embrace my beats and get darker and sleeker with it all. I want to make you feel paranoid in a good way. There’s something seriously fucked about workout tapes from the mid 80s, and just about everything obscure on beta tape. They make me feel awful, but really good and curious at the same time. With this Tobacco stuff, I’m trying to translate that feeling."
Tobacco's live shows mainly consist of him and BMSR bandmate The Seven Fields of Aphelion, and an unnamed person from Portland, OR playing along with video projections from Fucked Up Friends and Fucked Up Friends 2.
In late February, an e-mail sent out to the Black Moth Super Rainbow/Tobacco e-mail list announced a new CD by Tobacco entitled Maniac Meat that would feature Beck Hansen on two tracks titled Fresh Hex and Grape Aerosmith. Tobacco revealed that in making the album, the two exchanged parts for songs via e-mail, and that they had never actually met in person. Maniac Meat came out on May 25 on Anticon
Records.
On March 30, 2010 the website Pitchfork Media
released the first song from "Maniac Meat" titled "Sweatmother".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electronic musician
Electronic musician
An electronic musician is a musician who composes or plays music from synthetic sounds generated with synthesizers, samplers, drum machines or music sequencers....
. He is the frontman of the band Black Moth Super Rainbow
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Black Moth Super Rainbow is an American experimental band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their music contains elements of psychedelia, folk, electronica, and pop...
, in addition to working as a solo artist; in both settings he works most conspicuously with pre-digital electronic instruments such as analog synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
s and tape machines.
Biography and career
Little is known about Tobacco, as he, along with the rest of Black Moth Super Rainbow, is very private and rarely does interviews. It is known that Tobacco grew up in Allegheny CountyAllegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and graduated from Hampton High School
Hampton High School (Allison Park, Pennsylvania)
Hampton High School is located in Hampton Township a northern suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is managed by the Hampton Township School District. In 2005, Hampton High School was ranked 1st in the state for student performance on PSSAs. This was a Blue Ribbon School for 1994-96...
in 1998 along with fellow bandmate Seth Ciotti. In a 2009 interview with Skyscraper Magazine
Skyscraper Magazine
Skyscraper is an independent music magazine dedicated to coverage of a wide range of progressive and underground music. It was founded by Peter Bottomley and Andrew Bottomley and published its first issue in 1998. The magazine covers various genres of music and is often likened to an American...
, Tobacco said that his name derived from "a character that freaked me out as a kid, the Tobacco Man", referring to the character from the Troma film Redneck Zombies
Redneck Zombies
Redneck Zombies is a 1987 very low budget independent horror comedy trash film directed by Pericles Lewnes and released by Troma Entertainment.-Plot:...
.
Tobacco released a solo album entitled Fucked Up Friends
Fucked Up Friends
Fucked Up Friends is the first album by Pennsylvania based artist Tobacco, released on October 14, 2008. It is Tobacco's first album as a solo artist away from his regular band Black Moth Super Rainbow. The album is regarded to have an edgier sound than his normal work with Black Moth Super Rainbow...
on Anticon Records on October 14, 2008. The album was recorded using entirely analog
Analog signal
An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
equipment. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said of the album, "one of the year's best stoner-rock records - only it's powered by synths, hip-hop beats and vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
s instead of guitars." Exclaim!
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
called it "worthy of obsessive listening." The album featured a guest appearance from Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock
Ian Matthias Bavitz , better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American hip hop artist and producer. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it...
. A DVD of the album had been released more than a year prior, on September 3, 2007, by the 70s Gymnastics Recording Company.
In an interview with Kotori Magazine in September 2008, Tobacco explained the difference between BMSR and Tobacco: "Mostly everything I've done with BMSR is made to be pop. And of people say BMSR is bordering on hip-hop beats. So with Tobacco, I wanted to embrace my beats and get darker and sleeker with it all. I want to make you feel paranoid in a good way. There’s something seriously fucked about workout tapes from the mid 80s, and just about everything obscure on beta tape. They make me feel awful, but really good and curious at the same time. With this Tobacco stuff, I’m trying to translate that feeling."
Tobacco's live shows mainly consist of him and BMSR bandmate The Seven Fields of Aphelion, and an unnamed person from Portland, OR playing along with video projections from Fucked Up Friends and Fucked Up Friends 2.
In late February, an e-mail sent out to the Black Moth Super Rainbow/Tobacco e-mail list announced a new CD by Tobacco entitled Maniac Meat that would feature Beck Hansen on two tracks titled Fresh Hex and Grape Aerosmith. Tobacco revealed that in making the album, the two exchanged parts for songs via e-mail, and that they had never actually met in person. Maniac Meat came out on May 25 on Anticon
Anticon
Anticon is an Oakland based independent record label founded in 1997. It is collectively owned among six founding artists and one manager...
Records.
On March 30, 2010 the website Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
released the first song from "Maniac Meat" titled "Sweatmother".
Discography
- Fucked Up Friends DVD (70s Gymnastics, out-of-print, 2007)
- Fucked Up FriendsFucked Up FriendsFucked Up Friends is the first album by Pennsylvania based artist Tobacco, released on October 14, 2008. It is Tobacco's first album as a solo artist away from his regular band Black Moth Super Rainbow. The album is regarded to have an edgier sound than his normal work with Black Moth Super Rainbow...
CD/LP (Anticon., 2008) - The Allegheny White Fish TapesThe Allegheny White Fish TapesThe Allegheny White Fish Tapes is "a collection of Tobacco's early tapes from 1996-1999. Over 70 minutes of mostly unreleased/unheard songs. warped drum machines, purple noise, ripped cassettes, and melodies to calm you down...
(reissue collection, Rad Cult, 2009) - Fucked Up Friends 2 Blu-Ray + DVD Set (Rad Cult, tour-exclusive, 2010)
- Maniac MeatManiac MeatManiac Meat is an album by electronic musician Tobacco. The album includes two collaborations with musician Beck.-Track listing:# "Constellation Dirtbike Head" – 2:55# "Fresh Hex " – 1:35# "Mexican Ice Cream" – 2:21...
CD (Anticon, 2010) - Mystic Thickness CD (Maniac Meat pre-order exclusive, 2010)
- LA UTI 12" picture disc (Anticon, 2010)