Michael Yonkers | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | 1947 (age 76–77) Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Genres | Psychedelic rock, folk-rock |
Instrument(s) | Guitar |
Years active | 1963–2010s |
Labels | Sub Pop, Light in the Attic |
Michael Yonkers (born 1947) is an American rock musician from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. His work has been praised for its groundbreaking and highly experimental nature. His most well-known work is the psychedelic rock record Microminiature Love, recorded in 1968 but not released until 2002, which became a cult success and brought Yonkers new attention. [1]
Yonkers grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents were a stay-at-home mom and a supermarket worker. [2]
Cole Alexander of psychedelic-rock band Black Lips has said that Yonkers “kind of invented noise and drone guitar techniques," stating further that "when you think of how The Who, Jimi Hendrix and The Velvet Underground were pushing feedback at the time, he was more extreme than all three combined in terms of what he was doing.” [2] However, his work did not reach a wide audience until decades after he began recording, due in part to a debilitating spinal injury that kept him in constant, lifelong pain. [3]
Yonkers was inspired to become a musician in 1963 when he heard the surf-rock song "Surfin' Bird" by Minnesota garage-rock band The Trashmen. Inspired also by the distorted sound of old blues records, Yonkers began experimenting with ways to alter the sound of his guitar, including taking a razor blade to his speakers. [2]
His early bands included a surf-rock combo called The Vectors and Michael and the Mumbles, a psychedelic-rock group with whom he recorded Microminiature Love in 1968. The album was recorded in less than an hour of studio time. The band played each song only once. Sire Records showed an interest in releasing the album, but contract negotiations broke down in part because Yonkers was still only 20 years old and not legally able to sign without his parents' permission. The Mumbles broke up shortly afterwards. Yonkers was then drafted into the army, but was discharged and did not have to serve in the Vietnam War because of a medical issue. [2]
In 1971, Yonkers was badly injured when about 2,000 pounds of computer equipment fell on him at the warehouse where he was working, breaking his back in two places. A subsequent severe allergy to a dye used during his back surgery left him in chronic pain for decades afterward. He continued to record music and continue his electronic experiments in a home-built studio. He self-released four albums, including 1977's Lovely Gold, and collaborated with Barry Thomas Goldberg on his 1974 record Misty Flats. [4] None of his work attracted a wide audience at the time. [2]
Yonkers' groundbreaking work with guitar distortion was rediscovered in the early 2000s. [2] Microminiature Love was released on vinyl by De Stijl Records in 2002, and later Sub Pop, who released it on CD in July 2003. [1] [5] [6] [7] [8] This led to re-releases of other early albums, including the psych-folk album Grimwood, originally recorded in 1971 and reissued in 2007, as well as the early 1970s works Michael Lee Yonkers and Borders Of My Mind, both reissued on Drag City in 2014. [9] Yonkers' most recent work includes three collaborations with Minneapolis indie-rock group The Blind Shake, Carbohydrate Hydrocarbons, [10] Cold Town/Soft Zodiac, and Period. [11]
In 2015, Mystra Records released a limited-edition set of Yonkers' experimental work from 2003-2007, Neverending Light Beam From Planet 00s/Deep Within Home Pianet/Plan A. Shindig! writer Jeanette Leech called the music "great: scratchy and uncompromising, but by no means untuneful or unstructured." [12]
Musician John Dwyer, leader of San Francisco garage rock band The Oh Sees, paid tribute to Yonkers by covering 10 of his songs on the 2020 album Bug On Yonkers by his solo project Damaged Bug. Dwyer told the magazine American Songwriter about meeting Yonkers: “He was kind and seemingly a pretty regular guy, but he was also a weirdo, a rare bird, waving the true freak music flag, and it didn’t matter what kind of music he made, I loved it all.” [13]
The Electric Prunes are an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. Much of the band's music was, as music historian Richie Unterberger described it, possessed of "an eerie and sometimes anguished ambiance." Their most successful material was by songwriters Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz, though the group also penned their own songs. Incorporating psychedelia and elements of embryonic electronic rock, the band's sound was marked by innovative recording techniques with fuzz-toned guitars and oscillating sound effects. In addition, guitarist Ken Williams' and singer James Lowe's concept of "free-form garage music" provided the band with a richer sonic palette and exploratory lyrical structure than many of their contemporaries.
De Stijl is the second studio album by the American rock duo the White Stripes, released on June 20, 2000, on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album was recorded after the covert divorce of band members Jack and Meg White, who nevertheless continued working together. It was produced by Jack White, and was recorded on an 8-track analog tape in his living room.
Pearls of Passion is the debut studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, originally released on cassette and vinyl on 31 October 1986 in Scandinavia and Canada. The album was remastered and released on CD on 31 October 1997, with several previously unreleased bonus tracks. It was remastered and re-released again in 2009.
Julian David Cope is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band the Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side projects such as Queen Elizabeth, Brain Donor and Black Sheep.
The Beau Brummels was an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino, Ron Elliott, Ron Meagher, Declan Mulligan, and John Petersen (drums). They were discovered by local disc jockeys who were looking to sign acts to their new label, Autumn Records, where Sylvester Stewart—later known as Sly Stone—produced the group's early recording sessions. Initially, the band's musical style blended beat music and folk music and typically drew comparisons to the Beatles, while their later work incorporated other music genres such as psychedelic rock and country rock.
The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward", the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s. The group also launched the career of group frontman Julian Cope as well as that of keyboard player and co-manager David Balfe. Other members included early Smiths producer Troy Tate.
Now-Again Records is a Los Angeles–based music imprint that specializes in reissues and compilations of funk, soul, and psychedelic rock from the 1960s to the 1980s. Founded in 2002 by Eothen "Egon" Alapatt as a subsidiary of Stones Throw Records, the organization has since grown into an independent label with a vast global catalog and its own roster of contemporary artists.
"Hey Joe" is an American song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and has been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics tell of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico after shooting his unfaithful wife. In 1962, Billy Roberts registered "Hey Joe" for copyright in the United States.
Andrew Paul Sandoval is an American, best known as a Grammy Award nominated reissuer and compiler and engineer of historical albums, containing popular music from the rock era. Additionally, Sandoval has ongoing careers as author, DJ, journalist, songwriter and professional musician. Born in Santa Monica, California, his career in music began in 1986 as the editor and publisher of a fanzine called New Breed, a project that blossomed into work as a reissue director for such labels as Rhino and PolyGram. His writing has appeared in the form of liner notes to record and CD releases, as well as in articles featured in The Hollywood Reporter and Shindig!
Forever Now is the third studio album by English rock band the Psychedelic Furs. The 10-song album, including the hit single "Love My Way", was recorded in the spring of 1982 and released on 24 September of that year by Columbia/CBS. A 20th-anniversary reissue included six related bonus tracks.
Daniel Victor is a Canadian recording artist and producer from Windsor, Ontario, best known for the collaborative music project Neverending White Lights, which features instrumentation performed mostly by Victor, with guest singers providing vocals for most of the songs.
Bermuda Triangle Band's wild psychedelic and delicately nuanced electric autoharp and transcendental vocals grew out of the late 1960s folk rock scene. With an independent attitude, eccentric style and highly unusual instrument lineup, the group was unprecedented. Psychedelic rock autoharp was then unknown, and at the time there were very few women playing bass guitar. Since the formation of the band in 1967, its only constant members have been Roger Penney and Wendy Penney.
Roger D. Penney is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He pioneered a style of American psychedelic folk music in the late 60s, early 70s and is known for his inventive performances and recordings as Bermuda Triangle Band as well as Roger and Wendy and Euphoria
Esoteric Recordings is a UK independent record label specialising in 1970s progressive rock, folk, psychedelic, and jazz-rock reissues as part of Cherry Red Records. Its releases include both catalogue reissues and new works from artists who share a similar musical heritage.
Triangle is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Beau Brummels. Produced by Lenny Waronker and released in July 1967, it was the band's first album to include songs that vocalist Sal Valentino and guitarist Ron Elliott composed together. The band incorporated fantasy elements and surreal characters into the album's song titles and lyrics, and worked with a variety of session musicians to create Triangle's psychedelic musical style. The Beau Brummels were reduced to a trio—Valentino, Elliott, and Ron Meagher—at the time Triangle was recorded, as former group members Don Irving (guitars) and John Petersen (drums) left the band following the release of the group's previous album, Beau Brummels '66.
The Story is an English psychedelic folk duo comprising the former Forest member Martin Welham and his son Tom Welham. They write and record melodic songs that range from psychedelic pop to stream-of-consciousness folk and play an array of predominantly acoustic instruments as a backdrop to their blend of vocal harmonies.
Magic Box is the debut and sole studio album from Australian rock band The Loved Ones. Since its release, it has become a cult favourite among fans of Australian rock music.
Steve Stanley is an American music historian, reissue producer, graphic artist, musician, and the founder of Now Sounds, a reissue record label established in 2007 and distributed by Cherry Red Records.
Two-Fisted Tales is the third studio album by American band the Long Ryders, released in 1987 by Island Records. It was their last studio album for 32 years until 2019's Psychedelic Country Soul. The album yielded two singles, a cover of NRBQ’s "I Want You Bad" and "Gunslinger Man". On Two-Fisted Tales, the Long Ryders moved further away from their country rock origins towards a more college rock direction.
Poobah are a rock band from Youngstown, Ohio, U.S., which was founded in 1972 by Jim Gustafson. The band played classic 70s rock or simply rock. Especially the first record Let Me in is a rare collector's item. Prices between $300 and $900 for an original are not uncommon. Poobah released a total of 14 albums from 1972 to 2020. The band gained more popularity through the use of their songs in the television series Graves and the Hollywood film Josie.