Daved Hild (1951-2024) was an American drummer, accordionist and singer-songwriter. He is perhaps best recognized for his collaborations with David Thomas and Kramer.
In the late seventies, while studying art history at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Hild formed the experimental punk band The Girls with Robin Amos, George Condo and Mark Dagley. Their first and only studio release was the seven-inch single "Jeffrey I Hear You"/"The Elephant Man", produced by David Thomas of Pere Ubu fame. [1] Eventually Hild joined Thomas in his band The Wooden Birds and played on Monster Walks the Winter Lake , released in 1986. He released several albums on Shimmy Disc with Ralph Carney and Kramer, serving as the primary lyricist, vocalist and drummer for the compositions. [2]
Philip Charles Lithman, who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collaborations with The Residents.
David Lynn Thomas is an American singer, songwriter and musician, now based in the UK. He was one of the founding members of the short-lived proto-punkers Rocket from the Tombs (1974–1975), in which he played under the moniker "Crocus Behemoth," and of post-punk group Pere Ubu. He has also released several solo albums. Though primarily a singer, he sometimes plays melodeon, trombone, musette, guitar or other instruments.
Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their debut album The Modern Dance in 1978 and followed with several more LPs before disbanding in 1982. Thomas reformed the group in 1987, continuing to record and tour.
King Missile is an American avant-garde art rock band best known for its 1992 humorous single "Detachable Penis". Vocalist John S. Hall has fronted several disparate incarnations of the group since founding it in 1986.
Half Japanese is an American art punk band formed by brothers Jad and David Fair in 1974, after their family's relocation to Uniontown, Maryland.
Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and (briefly) Gong/Mothergong. He has collaborated with many musicians and groups, including Fred Frith, Lindsay Cooper, Zeena Parkins, Peter Blegvad, Telectu and The Residents, and has appeared on over 100 recordings. Cutler's career spans over four decades and he still performs actively throughout the world.
Mark Kramer known professionally as Kramer, is a musician, composer, record producer and founder of the New York City record label Shimmy-Disc. He was a full-time member of the bands New York Gong, Shockabilly, Bongwater, has played on tour with bands such as Butthole Surfers, B.A.L.L., Ween, Half Japanese and The Fugs, and has also performed regularly with John Zorn and other improvising musicians of New York City's so-called "downtown scene" of the 1980s.
Jadwin B. Fair is an American singer, guitarist, graphic artist, and founding member of lo-fi alternative rock group Half Japanese.
Song of the Bailing Man is the fifth Pere Ubu album, released in 1982. It was the final Pere Ubu album until 1988's The Tenement Year.
Datapanik in the Year Zero is a 1996 box set by Pere Ubu, which catalogues their initial phase of existence up to their 1982 break-up. The title was first used by the band for a 1978 EP which compiled their first singles; the name was "recycled" for this release. The name references the Cold War film Panic in Year Zero! (1962).
Monster Walks the Winter Lake is the fourth studio album by experimental singer-songwriter David Thomas, released in March 1986 by Twin/Tone Records. In 1997, the album was remastered by Paul Hamann and David Thomas for its inclusion in the Monster anthology box set.
Blame the Messenger is the fifth studio album by experimental singer-songwriter David Thomas, released in January 1987 by Rough Trade and Twin/Tone Records. In 1997, the album was remastered by Paul Hamann and David Thomas for its inclusion in the Monster anthology box set.
Monster is a box set anthologizing David Thomas's solo career from the years 1981–1987, during which time his main vehicle, Pere Ubu, was inactive. 'Variations On A Theme' has been remixed and rearranged from its original forms. On its release in 1997, the box included a contemporary live disc entitled "Meadville" by Thomas' current group the Two Pale Boys; as of the current 2002 reissue, that disc has been excised, anticipating a future standalone release.
When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water was an American experimental psychedelic rock band from New York City active from 1986 to 1996. Their three albums and several EPs consist of experimental cover versions of songs from various genres of popular music.
The Semibeings were an alternative rock band based in Mercerville-Hamilton Square, New Jersey, and active in the 1990s. The band released Sickness and Health on Shimmy Disc in 1995 and Three Pawns Standing on Seattle’s C/Z label in 1997, both produced by Mark Kramer and recorded at his Noise New Jersey studio. The band’s primary members were brother’s Joe and Pat Baker and Keith Monacchio. Playing numerous shows at the City Gardens club in Trenton, the group disbanded in 1999 to pursue other interests. The Semibeings' music was featured on a number of seasons of MTV's The Real World and Road Rules during the 1990s.
Happiness Finally Came to Them is a studio album by Ralph Carney, Daved Hild and Kramer, released in 1987 through Shimmy Disc. It was the first album to be issued under any of the three musicians' names, serving as both Carney's and Kramer's launching point for their respective solo careers. Although most of the songs are credited to all three musicians, Hild served as the album's primary songwriter and lyricist.
Roll Out the Barrel is a studio album by Jad Fair and Kramer, released in 1988 by Shimmy Disc.
Black Power is a studio album by Ralph Carney, Daved Hild and Kramer, released in 1994 by Shimmy Disc. Along with newly recorded work, the album also contains selected tracks from their previous effort Happiness Finally Came to Them.
B.A.L.L. were an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1987. The band was formed by Don Fleming, Kramer, David Licht and Jay Spiegel. After releasing 4 LP's and touring the US and Europe extensively with bands such as Sonic Youth and Teenage Fanclub, the band disintegrated in 1990, its members pursuing separate projects.
Spongehead were an American noise rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 1985. The band was formed by brothers David and Doug Henderson and drummer Mark Kirby. Their fusion of jazz, blues and funk music was compared to Pere Ubu and Barkmarket, whose bandleader, Dave Sardy has worked with Spongehead on most of their albums.