Anton Newcombe

Last updated

Anton Newcombe
Anton newcombe bologna 2012.jpg
Newcombe performing in 2012
Background information
Birth nameAnton Alfred Newcombe
Born (1967-08-29) August 29, 1967 (age 56)
Origin Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Genres Psychedelic rock, experimental, anti-folk, shoegazing, folk
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, sitar, tambura, keyboards, piano, accordion, drums, cello, koto, samisen, mandolin, lute, hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, harmonica, flute [1]
Years active1990–present
Labels Bomp! Records, TVT Records, Tee Pee Records, A Records, 12 Tónar

Anton Alfred Newcombe (born August 29, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of the music group The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

Contents

Newcombe was the subject of the 2004 documentary film Dig! , along with Portland, Oregon alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols.

Career

In the 1980s Newcombe started recording with a band called Homeland. Besides The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Newcombe has worked with several bands, most notably The Dandy Warhols, The High Dials, The Manvils, Innaway, and The Quarter After. He recorded and produced Dead Meadow's album Got Live if You Want It , and recorded a cover of Ewan MacColl's song "Dirty Old Town" with Lorraine Leckie on her 2008 album Four Cold Angels.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Newcombe founded the musical group The Brian Jonestown Massacre in San Francisco, California, in 1990. [2] Core members in the early years included Matt Hollywood, Jeffrey Davies, Joel Gion, Travis Threlkel, Peter Hayes, Patrick Straczek, Ricky Maymi, Brian Glaze, Elise Dye and Dean Taylor, although the line up was subject to frequent changes. Newcombe wrote most of the group's songs, with Hollywood collaborating or contributing others on occasion. Following Hollywood's departure from the group in 1998, Newcombe's name became almost synonymous with The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Newcombe was also heavily involved in the post-production of his albums, often engineering and mixing them on his own. A prolific artist, he authored over 150 songs in a 15-year period. [3]

In 2016, he composed the soundtrack for British indie film Moon Dogs, directed by Philip John. [4]

During the 2022–23 European Tour with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Newcombe gave away free tickets to each of his shows in raffles that raised money for Oxfam. [5]

Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe

Newcombe recorded two albums with Toronto singer-songwriter Tess Parks: I Declare Nothing in 2015, and the eponymous Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe in 2018.

L'Épée

In 2019, Newcombe founded the musical group L'Épée [6] along with French film star Emmanuelle Seigner and The Limiñanas.

A Recordings Ltd

Newcombe founded the record label A Recordings Ltd., [7] where he releases records for The Brian Jonestown Massacre and other artists including Dead Meadow [8] and the Vacant Lots. [9]

Personal life

Part of Newcombe's life is featured prominently in the documentary film Dig! which focuses on the tense relationship between The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols as both bands struggle for success. Newcombe has experienced drug addiction, alcoholism and depression. [10]

Related Research Articles

The Dandy Warhols are an American psychedelic/alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent DeBoer. The band's name is a play on the name of American pop artist Andy Warhol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Meadow</span> American psychedelic rock band

Dead Meadow is an American psychedelic rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1998 and currently composed of vocalist and guitarist Jason Simon and drummer Mark Laughlin. The band have released seven studio albums, two live albums, and a Peel Session.

<i>Strung Out in Heaven</i> 1998 studio album by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Strung Out in Heaven is the seventh full-length album by American psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. It was released in June 1998 and was the band's first and only recording with the large independent label, TVT Records.

Courtney A. Taylor, known as Courtney Taylor-Taylor, is an American singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. He is the lead singer and guitarist of alternative rock band the Dandy Warhols, a band he co-founded. Taylor-Taylor has written the majority of the band's songs.

The discography of The Brian Jonestown Massacre consists of 20 studio albums, 14 EPs, five live albums, six compilation albums and 22 singles, as well as appearing on various artist releases and soundtracks. They have one rockumentary (Dig!) to their credit and a DVD release of their music videos titled Book of Days. Their music has been released by Bomp!, TVT and Tee Pee Records, among others.

Matthew Hollywood is an American indie rock guitarist and singer. He was a founding member and leader of the Portland-based indie rock band The Out Crowd, as well as a founding member of the psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. He currently fronts the drone rock band The Rebel Drones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Gion</span> American rock percussionist

Joel Gion is an American musician, best known as the tambourine player for the psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

The Out Crowd was a U.S. indie rock band featuring bass guitarist Matt Hollywood, a former member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. He formed the group in late 2001 in Portland, Oregon with drummer Stuart Valentine, guitarist Elliott Barnes, bassist Joe Patterson and tambourine player Sarah Jane.

<i>Bringing It All Back Home – Again</i> 1999 EP by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Bringing It All Back Home – Again is an EP by American psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. It was released in 1999 by record label Which?

Jeffrey Davies is an American rock musician best known as the original lead guitarist of the psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Davies is featured in the documentary Dig! by Ondi Timoner, as an active touring member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Davies co-wrote the theme song with Anton Newcombe for the HBO series 'Boardwalk Empire': "Straight Up and Down" from the 1996 album "Take it From the Man!" He played in the band from 1992 to 1999. He rejoined the band in 2001 only to quit again in 2003. Spending much of his early years in Washington D.C., Davies' family moved to New Mexico where he spent his teen years before eventually moving to San Francisco. It was while in San Francisco that he become a member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, having replaced Patrick Straczek and appearing on the majority of their recordings. Davies has appeared as a guest guitarist and instrumentalist for the LA-based neo-psych experimental collective Kill Kill Kill.

<i>Thank God for Mental Illness</i> 1996 studio album by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Thank God for Mental Illness is the fifth studio album by American psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. After releasing Take It from the Man! and Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request in mid-1996, both of which display influences from 1960s psychedelic music, departing from the band's earlier shoegaze sound, the band recorded Thank God for Mental Illness through "tangible custom lo-fi stereo" in their San Francisco home studio on July 11, 1996, with the budget of $17.36.

<i>Give It Back!</i> 1997 studio album by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Give It Back! is the sixth studio album by the American psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, released in 1997 by the Bomp! record label.

<i>Take It from the Man!</i> 1996 studio album by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Take It from the Man! is the third studio album by American psychedelic rock band the Brian Jonestown Massacre. After recording their shoegaze-influenced debut album Methodrone (1995) and releasing a collection of early recordings, Spacegirl & Other Favorites, the band took influence from 1960s British psychedelic garage rock and recorded Take it from the Man! from November 1995–February 1996. After recording the entire album with an unnamed producer who scrapped the recordings, the band re-recorded the album on a minimal budget, mostly at Lifesource Studios in Emeryville, California with production from Psychic TV's Larry Thrasher, whose usual "studio" approach was vetoed out by the band's back-to-basics approach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew J. Tow</span> Australian musician

Matthew J. Tow is an Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Perhaps best known as the singer and guitarist of 1990s Sydney indie band Drop City, Tow currently fronts international neo-psychedelic rockers the Lovetones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarabeth Tucek</span> American singer and songwriter

Sarabeth Tucek is an American singer and songwriter. Her self-titled first album was released in 2007, with a second album Get Well Soon in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Vacant Lots</span>

The Vacant Lots are an American post-punk electro band based in Brooklyn, New York.

<i>Dig!</i> 2004 American film

Dig! is a 2004 American documentary film about the collision of art and commerce through the eyes of The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, focusing on the developing careers and the love-hate relationship of the bands' respective frontmen Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Anton Newcombe. It was shot over seven years and compiled from over 2,500 hours of footage. It won the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art for their permanent collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete International Airport</span>

Pete International Airport is an American neo-psychedelia band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1997 by Peter Holmström of The Dandy Warhols. Original line-up includes Jsun Adams on vocals, Collin Hegna on bass guitar, Jason "El Firme Plucky" Anchondo on drums and Paulie Pulvirenti, also on drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Brian Jonestown Massacre</span> American rock band

The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American rock band led and started by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990.

Tess Parks is a Canadian singer/songwriter and photographer from Toronto. Having released four studio albums, Parks is known for her droning, psychedelic music and distinctive, hoarse singing voice. Among others, Parks have collaborated with Brian Jonestown Massacre front figure Anton Newcombe on two albums.

References

  1. "17 Great Multi-Instrumentalists". Thecavanproject.com. August 21, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. [ permanent dead link ]
  3. "Neo-Psych Out". EW.com. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  4. "Moon Dogs (2016) – IMDb". IMDb .
  5. "@antonnewcombe". Twitter. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  6. "L'Épée: Emmanuelle Seigner and Anton Newcombe on art, hedonism and #MeToo". TheGuardian.com . August 30, 2019.
  7. "A Recordings LTD. – the Brian Jonestown Massacre". Thebrianjonestownmassacre.com.
  8. "XEMU Records: Dead Meadow". Xemu.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  9. [ dead link ]
  10. "The Quietus – Features – A Quietus Interview – The Brian Jonestown Massacre: An Anton Newcombe Interview". The Quietus. Retrieved January 11, 2015.