| Papa Woody | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 2, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1993 – 1996 | |||
| Genre | Experimental big band, industrial, sound collage | |||
| Length | 61:32 | |||
| Label | Fifth Colvmn | |||
| Ether Bunny chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Daniel Vahnke chronology | ||||
| ||||
Papa Woody is the first studio album by Ether Bunny, released on April 18, 1996 through Fifth Colvmn Records. Ether Bunny is the side project of Daniel Vahnke, the principal composer for Vampire Rodents.
The project began in 1993 during the Lullaby Land recording sessions, intended as Vahnke's personal tribute to cartoon and jazz music. [1]
Although sampling is still prevalent in the music, the album is notably more influenced by the big bands of the 1930s and 1940s than anything Vahnke released with Vampire Rodents. The work of Carl Stalling, a composer of cartoon scores, has been said to be a primary influence on Ether Bunny's sound. [2] The project has also been compared to the work of Foetus and Jack Dangers, although overall coming across as a more "polite experience". [3] Similar to the Vampire Rodent's discography, Ether Bunny's sound relies heavily on the use of the drum machine to produce dance rhythms, which Vahnke had hoped would help the music reach a younger audience. This decision has been criticized as sounding derivative and two dimensional as well as detracting from the overall song at times. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
Daniel Vahnke has called Papa Woody his favorite released project, even preferring it over his work in Vampire Rodents. Ned Raggett of AllMusic gave it three out of five stars, claiming that "Ether Bunny is onto something throughout its hour-long course" [3] Aiding & Abetting gave it a more positive review, saying that each song is "demanding to be heard again and again" and praising "the artful way Vahnke splices solos and even full compositions into the same song, creating whole new improvisations." [4]
All music is composed by Daniel Vahnke, except "Wee" by Jared Louche and Dylan Thomas More.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jolly Roger" | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Papa Woody" | 4:44 |
| 3. | "Chauncey Gardener" | 5:05 |
| 4. | "Tar Baby" | 4:04 |
| 5. | "Meerkats of Mu" | 4:24 |
| 6. | "Flea Circus" | 3:24 |
| 7. | "Reach" | 3:11 |
| 8. | "Tinkerbell Tramp" | 2:58 |
| 9. | "Wabbitpipe" | 1:54 |
| 10. | "Crippled Cricket" | 4:18 |
| 11. | "Closet Monster" | 1:48 |
| 12. | "Froglegs" | 2:48 |
| 13. | "Bring Presents" | 1:24 |
| 14. | "Silly Willy" | 1:13 |
| 15. | "Telepathetic" | 1:59 |
| 16. | "Mr. Poopypants" | 4:20 |
| 17. | "No Paquitos" | 2:17 |
| 18. | "Wee" | 1:34 |
| 19. | "Bunny Jump" | 2:18 |
| 20. | "S.G.A.C." | 2:30 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chauncey Gardener" | 5:05 |
| 2. | "Papa Woody" | 4:44 |
| 3. | "Reach" | 3:11 |
| 4. | "Flea Circus" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Meerkats of Mu" | 4:24 |
| 6. | "Jolly Roger" | 5:11 |
| 7. | "Tar Baby" | 4:04 |
| 8. | "Tinkerbell Tramp" | 2:58 |
| 9. | "Crippled Cricket" | 4:18 |
| 10. | "Closet Monster" | 1:48 |
| 11. | "Wabbitpipe" | 1:54 |
| 12. | "Frog Legs" | 2:48 |
| 13. | "Bring Presents" | 1:24 |
| 14. | "Silly Willy" | 1:13 |
| 15. | "Telepathetic" | 1:59 |
| 16. | "No Paquitos" | 2:17 |
| 17. | "Mr. Poopypants" | 4:20 |
| 18. | "Wee" | 1:34 |
| 19. | "SGAC" | 2:30 |
| 20. | "Bunny Jump" | 2:18 |
| 21. | "Telepathetic" (Alternate mix) | 2:00 |
| 22. | "Froglegs" (Alternate mix) | 2:56 |
Adapted from the Papa Woody liner notes. [5]
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1996 | Fifth Colvmn | CD | 9868-63218 |
Dan Gatto is an American musician best recognized as the vocalist for synth punk band Babyland. He also collaborated with Vampire Rodents composer Daniel Vahnke on a project called Recliner. After Babyland dissolved in 2009, Gatto founded Continues as an outlet for his solo work.
Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar is the debut studio album of industrial rock band Chemlab, released on March 22, 1993 by Fifth Colvmn and Metal Blade Records. It represents the band's only studio release via the label Metal Blade and was reissued by Invisible Records on November 30, 1999. Each "suture" is an instrumental piece splitting the main tracks apart. The track "Suicide Jag" was featured in the game Saints Row: The Third. The album was produced by Jeff "Critter" Newell and has been considered by critics to be a defining moment within the coldwave genre. In 2018 Chemlab embarked on a tour featuring Dead on TV and GoFight members Daniel Evans, Vince McAley, and Mike Love backing Louche to celebrate the twenty fifth anniversary of the Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar.
East Side Militia is the second studio album by Chemlab, released on October 8, 1996 by Fifth Colvmn and Metal Blade Records. Its original title was supposed to be "Jesus Christ Porno Star". It was re-released on November 30, 1999 by Martin Atkins' label Invisible Records with two additional tracks, "Vera Blue" remixed by PIG and "Exile" on Mainline remixed by haloblack.
10 Ton Pressure is the debut EP of the industrial rock band Chemlab, released in 1990 by Fifth Colvmn Records. The duo of Dylan Thomas Moore and Joe Frank on synthesizers later teamed up with Jared Hendrickson to create this EP. It was financed by Zalman Fishman, a nightclub owner who founded the now defunct Fifth Colvmn Records. Zalman became involved when he was introduced to Joe Frank through a mutual friend.
Fifth Colvmn Records was a record label based in Washington, DC. The label was founded in 1990 by Zalman Fishman, owner of the nightclub FIFTH COLVMN, located in Washington D.C.
Vampire Rodents was a sound collage and experimental music ensemble based out of Phoenix, Arizona, although its core members originally came from Canada. The creative nucleus of the project comprised vocalist and composer Daniel Vahnke and keyboardist Victor Wulf. Daniel Vahnke was primarily influenced by 20th-century classical and avant-garde music, whereas Wulf drew from new age, ambient and synth-driven pop music. Their work also dabbled in big band, bebop, musique concrète, industrial, electro, Indian classical and Greek music.
War Music is the debut studio album of Vampire Rodents, released in 1990 by V.R. Productions. It introduced the sound of the band, and several of the techniques they would use in their later works, such as sound clips and songs in different languages. Daniel has described War Music as being "a little primitive, but very funny".
Premonition is the second studio album by Vampire Rodents, released on May 19, 1992 by V.R. Productions. The album represented a musical shift for the band with the introduction of string instruments and further influence of classical music in the compositions. The album contains the most writing credits for composer Victor Wulf, who composed the music for five out of its twenty-one tracks.
Lullaby Land is the third studio album by Vampire Rodents, released on October 25, 1993 by Re-Constriction Records. The album utilizes strings, horns, and timpanis backed with industrial music tropes.
Clockseed is the fourth studio album by Vampire Rodents, released on April 7, 1995 by Re-Constriction Records.
Gravity's Rim is the fifth studio album by the American experimental music band Vampire Rodents, released on May 14, 1996 by Fifth Colvmn Records.
Ether Bunny was the name of an experimental big band and sound collage project founded by composer Daniel Vahnke and based in Phoenix, Arizona. Ether Bunny's music was strongly influenced by the big band and cartoon music of the 30s and 40s but also drew elements from bebop, musique concrète, modern classical, hip hop, electro and industrial music. To date, Ether Bunny has released two albums: A debut album titled Papa Woody released in 1996 and a follow up Attention Please in 2017. The name is a play on Easter Bunny.
Daniel Vahnke, sometimes credited as Anton Rathausen, is a Canadian composer and lyricist. He is best known as a co-founding member of Vampire Rodents, a band that integrated elements of classical, ambient, and industrial music into its work. Daniel is fluent in German, Latin and Chinese, all of which are used in his compositions.
Victor Wulf is a Canadian keyboard player and composer. He is recognized for his solo ambient music project Dilate and as a founding member of sound collage band Vampire Rodents.
Jared Louche is an American musician best recognized as the front-man of industrial rock outfit Chemlab. He also founded the band H3llb3nt and has collaborated with Pigface, Progrex.iv and Vampire Rodents. He released a solo album, tiled Covergirl in 1999.
This article details the complete oeuvre of Canadian composer Daniel Vahnke. Between 1990 and 1996, Vahnke released six full-length studio albums both independently pressed and through a record label. Five of them were released as Vampire Rodents albums and one was ostensibly a solo album titled Papa Woody, which released under the name Ether Bunny.
This article details the complete oeuvre of American musician Jared Louche, including his work with The Aliens, Altered Statesmen, Chemlab, H3llb3nt, Peach of Immortality, Pigface, Progrex.iv and Vampire Rodents. In 1999 Louche released his debut solo album titled Covergirl on Fifth Colvmn Records.
Cut to the Chase is a compilation album by Vampire Rodents, released on November 12, 2019, by Rodentia Productions. The album compiles tracks from outside the band's main discography, namely the previously unreleased songs "Cut to the Chase", "Henry Catwallace", "Lizardman" and "Blind Acceleration", remixed tracks by Chemlab, Killing Floor and Penal Colony and the song "Cocked, Loaded & Ready" with the original opening intact.
Fifth Colvmn Records was founded in 1990 by Zalman Fishman, with vocalist Jared Louche employed as general manager, and was recognized for its industrial music roster. The label made its debut with an EP, titled 10 Ton Pressure, by the industrial rock group Chemlab and in 1993 released the band's critically acclaimed studio album Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar. The label dissolved in 1997 and made its final release the various artists compilation World War Underground.
Crisis n.T.i. was the music project of United Kingdom-based composer Ged Denton, known for his work in The Cyber-Tec Project. Under the moniker Denton released the album The Alien Conspiracy for Fifth Colvmn Records in 1995.
