Oxbow (band)

Oxbow is an experimental rock band from San Francisco, California. Founded in 1989, Oxbow plays a blend of noise rock, avant-garde jazz, Contemporary classical music, and blues. The band has released six studio albums.

History

Oxbow began as a recording project. In 1988 bandmates Eugene Robinson (vocals, lyrics) and Niko Wenner (guitar, bass, keyboards, music) wrote songs with an approach decidedly different from their band at the time Whipping Boy. Wenner concocted an underlying musical architecture for his abrasive-then-plangent music, through use of arch form and musical palindromes unusual in the noise music genre the band was often placed. This organizing structure later grew to encompass the second Oxbow recording as well, and drew relationships between the two.^[1][2] For his part Robinson changed his vocal approach to include in-the-studio improvisations and extensive vocal multi-tracking. This first record, titled Fuckfest has drumming split evenly between Greg Davis and Tom Dobrov. Dan Adams (bass in Oxbow, drums in Whipping Boy) joined immediately on completion of the first recording. All but Davis and Dobrov were at various times members of Whipping Boy, Wenner and Dobrov had been bandmates in the hardcore band Grim Reality^[3][4][5] Dobrov departed after the band's 1995 European tour, but performed with Davis as guest second drummer for the studio recording of "Shine (Glimmer)" on the 2002 album "An Evil Heat."^[6][7]

The first album from Oxbow, Fuckfest, was released in 1989. It was described as "one of the most unique first statements in modern avant-rock" by Rock-A-Rolla magazine, "staggeringly eclectic" by Simon Reynolds, and "a fierce, rigorous album that challenges almost every preconception rock listeners might have" by Allmusic.^{[3][8][9][10]} Fuckfest was followed by King of the Jews (1991) and then by two Steve Albini-recorded albums: Let Me Be a Woman (1995) and Serenade in Red (1996–97), the latter featuring guest vocals from Marianne Faithfull.^[3] An Evil Heat followed in 2002 on Neurosis' Neurot Recordings label.^[5][11] Oxbow's 2007 album The Narcotic Story was named the number one album in the "Best of 2007" by Rock-A-Rolla magazine, and was listed with three other bands' albums in the nomination of Joe Chiccarelli as 'Producer of the Year' at the 50th Grammy Awards.^[12][13]

Musical style

Oxbow's material is musically varied and has been compared both to bands such as Neurosis and The Birthday Party, and modern classical composers such as Penderecki and John Luther Adams.^[3][14] Elements of blues, noise rock, metal, Jazz, and Contemporary classical music are consistently mentioned.^{[14][15][16][17]} Allmusic writer Jason Ankeny identified elements of free jazz and musique concrète.^[3]

Members

Current line-up

• Dan Adams - bass guitar, keyboards
• Greg Davis - drums, percussion
• Eugene S. Robinson - vocals, lyrics
• Niko Wenner - guitars, keyboards, music

Dan Adams: Bass Guitar

Dan Adams, multi-instrumentalist, engineer who worked on animatronics in films such as Free Willie and Anaconda, and award winning jazz drummer also used to drum for North Carolina's hardcore punk band the Ugly Americans.

Niko Wenner: Guitars, Keyboards

Oxbow composer, arranger, and producer Wenner "a master of sculpting noise and tone"^[10] has also toured and recorded as part of the bands God, Swell,^[3] Celan,^[18] and Jellyfish.^[19]

Wenner has engineered recordings for Oxbow and others, composed and performed music for contemporary dance,^[20] and appeared performing in an Academy Award nominee for best short film.^[21]

Eugene S. Robinson: Vocals

On Fuckfest "Robinson howls in a high-pitched, anguished voice somewhere between Robert Plant and Birthday Party-era Nick Cave", although his lyrics sound incomprehensible.^[10]

Robinson has provided guest vocals for several bands, including Xiu Xiu, L'Enfance Rouge, Black Sun, Old Man Gloom, DJ /Rupture, and Ultraphallus among others.^{[22][23][24][25]}

Vocalist Robinson, also an amateur fighter, has on several occasions dealt with misbehaving audience members with physical force. He is also known for shedding his clothes on stage.^{[5][14][15][26][27][28]} Robinson is the author of the books "Paternostra", "Les sons inimitables de l'amour: un plan à trois en quatre actes", A Long Slow Screw and Fight: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You'd Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking, and is both a Deputy Editor at OZY.com, a video host of Knuckle Up on Bloody Elbow and a regular contributor to Vice magazine. He has also had his written work appear in GQ, the LA Weekly, The Quietus, PC Gamer, Hustler, Revolver, Decibel and The Wire, among others. His infrequent film and television work has also seen him appearing in Leonard Part 6 with Bill Cosby, Midnight Caller, King of Love, MTV's Liquid Television's Las Apassionadas, and commercials most notably one directed by Gus Van Sant for Miller Genuine Draft.^[29][30]

Discography

Albums

EPs

Compilations

Live albums

Splits

Music videos

DVDs

DVD included in the CD/DVD Compilation Love That's Last: A Wholly Hypnographic and Disturbing Work Regarding Oxbow. There are 6 selections included on the DVD:

1. Music For Adults (documentary film)
2. Music For Adults (outtakes)
3. Oxbow live in Diksmuide, Belgium, Muziekclub 4AD 19 May 2002
4. Oxbow live in San Francisco, USA, Great American Music Hall 14 November 2004
5. SbarX (video + 5.1 audio mix)
6. The Snake &... (5.1 audio mix)

DVD based on Oxbow's 2009 European tour. Contains three selections:

1. "The Luxury of Empire" by Mariexxme (documentary film)
2. "Still Before" by Manuel Liebeskind (documentary film)
3. Oxbow live in Paris, France, La Maroquinerie 8 November 2009

16mm film, multi-camera, three selections are performed live, one selection is performed to the studio recording. There are 4 selections included on the DVD:

1. The Snake...
2. She's a Find
3. Ecce Homo
4. Bomb

References

External links

• Official website
• Allmusic
• Eugene S. Robinson official website