Tadpoles are an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1990 in New York City by Todd Parker (guitars/vocals), Michael Kite Audino (drums) and Josh Bracken (bass.) In 1992, Nick Kramer (guitars/vocals), David Max (bass) and Andrew Jackson (guitars) of the fledgling Manhattan group, Hit, joined the Tadpoles after putting Hit on hiatus.
In 1993 Kite and Jackson left the group, which relocated to Hoboken, New Jersey, where Parker formed Bakery Records. In 1996, Adam Boyette (drums) joined Tadpoles to complete what would be their final line-up. Parker announced the Tadpoles would be going on an “indefinite hiatus” in 2000, and the group disbanded. Kramer, Max and Boyette reformed Hit and continued on.
History
Todd Parker originally formed the group while living in Champaign, Illinois in 1985 as an outlet for mostly solo 4-track recordings. These recordings were released on the cassettes, Ham & Eggs (1987); Limousines, Sardines, Dinosaurs (1988); Beautiful Music For Ugly Children (1989); and William’s Doll (1990). New York University (NYU) filmmaker, Michael Kite Audino became increasingly more involved in the recordings, so Parker and Kite decided to form a live version of the Tadpoles in New York City in 1990. They released one more cassette album Ride The Soul (1991) which featured their initial NYC recordings.
While Parker's previous recordings were all over the musical map, the new group focused on their psychedelic rock influences, combining Kite's films, a homemade light show, and an excessively loud sound volume to create a multi-sensory live experience akin to what the Butthole Surfers, My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3, and The Flaming Lips were doing at the time. Tadpoles became fixtures on the Manhattan rock club scene in 1992-1993 after NYU students, Nick Kramer, David Max and Andrew Jackson, joined the group.
In 1992, the band recorded a 10-song demo tape, Superwhip, and began a relationship with producer/Shimmy Disc Records owner, Mark Kramer, who offered to record the group at his Noise New Jersey Studio, where in 1993, Tadpoles recorded their debut album, He Fell Into The Sky. However, internal issues led to the departure of both Kite and Jackson before the album was released, and the group stalled temporarily.
In 1994, Parker formed Bakery Records to release He Fell Into The Sky, an album of short, powerful, psychedelic pop-rock songs; and, it received very positive reviews... although, the band still had a difficult time finding their audience in the Manhattan clubs. Tadpoles continued to record new material with Kramer at Noise New Jersey with guest drummers, Steve Savoca (The Werefrogs) and Edward Odowd (The Toilet Boys / Psychic TV) and with Nick Kramer taking a bigger role in song-writing and guitar-playing. Jeff Passifiume (The Lost Continentals/Hank McCoy and The Dead Ringers) added tasty, soaring lap steel to the mix. In the fall of 1994, Tadpoles were showcased in the College Music Journal (CMJ) music marathon at Manhattan's Batcave club.
In 1996, Tadpoles’ second album, Far Out, again produced by Shimmy Disc's Kramer, was released on Bakery Records and was extremely well received, both nationally and internationally, by the alternative music press. Far Out also garnered an unexpected and uncommon (for a self-released band) 4-star review from Rolling Stone magazine by writer Jim DeRogatis. With a smoother, spacier sound, Far Out gained Tadpoles a national fan base due to enthusiastic airplay on college radio. This led to the group being picked up by larger distributors so that their albums were able to reach a wider audience. The group, which rarely played live, added Adam Boyette as their permanent drummer and began writing and recording their next album.
The Tadpoles in 1997
In 1997, Tadpoles performed a well-received set at the first Terrastock Festival held in Providence, Rhode Island. The performance gained them new fans and was released in 1998 as Destroy Terrastock – Live, with both the album cover and title being derived from a Kiss (band) Bootleg “Destroys Anaheim.” In the fall of 1997, Tadpoles toured the US west coast along with fellow Terrastock veterans, Cul de Sac (group) and Windy & Carl, and played a show in Portland, Oregon with the legendary John Fahey.
Coinciding with the tour, Tadpoles released an EP, Know Your Ghosts, which contained a track from the upcoming new studio album, along with a few other unreleased songs, one of which was a cover of the Tony Mentzer track, “Oops, I Lost Your Mind.” “Oops, I Lost Your Mind” featured Tony Mentzer on vocals, along with Chris Butler (The Waitresses/Tin Huey) on drums.
In 1998, Tadpoles released their third Bakery Records studio album, Smoke Ghost, which was once again produced by Kramer (Shimmy Disc/Bongwater) at Noise New Jersey. The album, richly layered, thick, lush psychedelia, was again well received by press; but, by this point, Tadpoles had essentially eschewed live performance, with little intention of venturing outside their Hoboken rehearsal studio except for a rare local club appearance. Smoke Ghost featured a significant song-writing contribution from Nick Kramer, who wrote half the material.
Tadpoles recorded their final studio album, Whirlaway, (producing themselves this time,) at Ampreon Recorder in Youngstown, Ohio. Engineer Pete Drivere captured the live feel of the expansive set of songs; and, the result was the first Tadpoles album released on a label other than Bakery Records. Australia's Camera Obscura Records released Whirlaway in 1999, again garnering rave reviews and new fans for the group. Whirlaway's long instrumental closing track, "Horse and Buggy", was recorded at Manhattan's Knitting Factory by their long-time producer, Kramer; and, Tadpoles mixed an entire version of the album with Gene Holder (The dB's), although only a few of these mixes were used. (Drivere's mix was preferred by the band.)
Sharing the bill with Thurston Moore and Half Japanese, Tadpoles gave their final performance in February 2000 at a sold-out show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, which was the first time they ever played their legendary hometown club. Later in 2000, Todd Parker announced that the group was going on an “indefinite hiatus” and they disbanded.
In 2001, Bakery Records released Use With Headphones Late At Night- Best of 1990-2000, a remastered compilation featuring tracks from each studio album, along with alternate mixes. A decade later, in 2011, Bakery released Feel Like A Freak (A Historical Sideshow of Missing Links, a second compilation album of previously unreleased studio tracks and alternate mixes.
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He Fell Into The Sky (1994) is the first full-length album released on CD by Tadpoles The album was the first CD album release on Bakery Records, the Tadpoles' label. The album was remastered and rereleased on both CD and cassette on Bakery Records in 1997 with the addition of credits and photographs for drummer, Michael Kite Audino, who performed on the album but left the group before it was released.
Far Out (1996) is the second full-length album released on CD by Tadpoles. The album was recorded by the core trio of Todd Parker, David Max and Nick Kramer after drummer, Michael Kite Audino and guitarist Andrew Jackson Shapiro left the group. Guest musicians Edward Odowd and Steve Savoca perform drums and percussion on the album. Additional lap steel guitar was provided by Jeff Passifiume. "Ride The World Around The Sun" is a rerecording of the song, "Sunshine" from the Tadpoles' Superwhip cassette-only album from 1992. "Old Dirty Mushrooms" was included as a bonus track on the CD version of the album and was not included on the cassette version. "Old Dirty Mushrooms" was recorded in 1991 and features just Todd Parker and drummer, Michael Kite Audino, along with sax by Raj Seshu. Far Out is notable in that it received a 4-star review from Rolling Stone, a rare feat at the time for an independently released CD.
Smoke Ghost (1998) is the third full-length studio album released on CD by Tadpoles and is the first album with Tadpoles' new drummer, Adam Boyette. Upon original release, Bakery Records included a copy of Tadpoles Destroy Terrastock - Live with all mail-orders. The song "Breaking" is a re-recording of the original version which appeared on the group's 1992 cassette-only album, Superwhip. "Know Your Ghosts" is identical to the version which was released on the 1997 Know Your Ghosts E.P.
Destroy Terrastock – Live (1998) is the only live album released on CD by Tadpoles. Upon original release, Bakery Records included a copy of Tadpoles' Destroy Terrastock - Live with all mail-orders for Smoke Ghost, though the former album was later made available for sale on its own. It was recorded live at the first Terrastock music festival on April 25–27, 1997 at The Rogue Lounge in Providence, RI, and includes the band's entire set.
Know Your Ghosts E.P. (1997) is a 4-song E.P. released on CD by Tadpoles. Upon original release, Bakery Records included a VHS copy of Tadpoles' music video for the song "Snapper" with all mail-orders. The video version of the song "Snapper" was included on the E.P. and was recorded in 1991 by Todd Parker and drummer, Michael Kite Audino. "Judas, This Is Jesus" is a remake of the Tadpoles' track originally released on the 1989 cassette-only album, Beautiful Music For Ugly Children and was recorded and produced by Mark Kramer at Noise New Jersey studio. "Know Your Ghosts" is the same recording that appears on the Smoke Ghost album. Tadpoles covered the Tony Mentzer song "Oops, I Lost Your MInd" previously on 1990's cassette-only album William's Doll (album). Tadpoles remade the tune again here with Tony Mentzer himself on lead vocals and The Waitresses' Chris Butler guest-drumming.
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Use With Headphones Late At Night (2001) is the first career spanning compilation CD by Tadpoles. The record features tracks from each studio album, plus four previously rare or unreleased tracks. Tracks 1-8 feature remastered works from He Fell Into The Sky and Far Out. Tracks 9-12 are identical to the versions on Smoke Ghost and Track 13 is taken directly from the Know Your Ghosts E.P. The final four songs are previously unreleased alternate mixes of Whirlaway tracks. "Crash Of The Bug " and "Whirlaway " were edited and mixed by Gene Holder.
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Lida Husik is an American Washington, D.C./ New York City-based musician, who was active mainly in the 1990s. She released three albums for New York–based label Shimmy Disc. She later signed a deal with Caroline Records/Astralwerks, releasing a psychedelic record for Astralwerks and a more folky record for Caroline Records. In her later years she moved to Los Angeles and signed to Alias Records, recording three records for them. Husik disappeared from the music scene until she self-released a new single to digital outlets in 2006.
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