No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and roll clichés, no wave musicians instead experimented with noise, dissonance, and atonality, as well as non-rock genres like free jazz, funk, and disco. The scene often reflected an abrasive, confrontational, and nihilistic world view.
Mars were an American, New York City-based no wave experimental noise rock band, formed in 1975 when China Burg and artist Nancy Arlen (drums) brought Mark Cunningham (bass) and vocalist Sumner Crane together to talk about music. They were joined briefly by guitarist Rudolph Grey of Red Transistor. The band played one live gig under the name China before changing it to Mars. They played a mixture of angular compositions and freeform noise music jams, featuring surrealist lyrics and non-standard drumming. All the members were said to be completely untrained in music before forming the band.
DNA was an American no wave band formed in 1977 by guitarist Arto Lindsay and keyboardist Robin Crutchfield, and later joined by drummer Ikue Mori and bassist Tim Wright. They were associated with the late 1970s New York no wave scene, and were featured on the 1978 compilation No New York.
Noise rock is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extreme levels of distortion through the use of electric guitars and, less frequently, electronic instrumentation, either to provide percussive sounds or to contribute to the overall arrangement.
James Chance, also known as James White, was an American saxophonist, keyboard player, and singer.
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no wave scene as the singer and guitarist of Teenage Jesus and the Jerks.
James Sclavunos is an American drummer, multi-instrumentalist musician, record producer, and writer. He is best known as a drummer, having been a member of two seminal no wave groups in the late 1970s. He is also noted for stints in Sonic Youth and the Cramps, and has been a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds since 1994. Sclavunos has led his own group the Vanity Set since 2000.
No New York is a No Wave compilation album released in 1978 by record label Antilles under the curation of producer Brian Eno. Although it only contains songs by four different artists, it has been considered important in defining and documenting the scene and movement, with the name "no wave" being influenced by that of the album according to some accounts.
Honeymoon in Red is a concept album by a band of the same name, released in 1988, primarily written by Lydia Lunch and Rowland S. Howard. Honeymoon in Red is sometimes referred to as a band or alternately as a collaboration between Lydia Lunch and members of The Birthday Party.
8 Eyed Spy was an American no wave band from New York City, consisting of Lydia Lunch and Jim Sclavunos, Michael Paumgardhen, Pat Irwin and George Scott III. The group was active from 1979 to 1980.
Harry Crews was an American, short-lived no wave-influenced hardcore punk and crossover thrash supergroup, made up of Lydia Lunch (guitar), Kim Gordon (bass), and Sadie Mae (drums). The band was only musically active in 1988, and only officially produced and released one album, Naked in Garden Hills. The album was released in 1989 and was a compilation of live recordings played at clubs in London, England, and Austria. Shortly after the release of the album the band split up, due to their involvement in other bands and projects. The band's name was taken after the author of the same name, hence the album's title being taken from a novel by Crews. The majority of the songs were also named after Crews' various novels. They also covered "(She's in A) Bad Mood", and "Orphans"
"Death Valley '69" is a song by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth and featuring Lydia Lunch. The song was written and sung by Thurston Moore and fellow New York musician Lunch, and recorded by Martin Bisi in 1984.
Wharton Tiers is an American audio engineer, record producer, drummer and percussionist.
Off White is a 1979 album by American no wave band James White and the Blacks.
Noise Fest was an influential festival of no wave noise music performances curated by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth at the New York City art space White Columns in June 1981. Sonic Youth made their first live appearances at this show.
George Scott III was a bass player for several New York City bands during the No Wave era. He was a founding member of 8-Eyed Spy and the Raybeats, and he worked with James Chance and the Contortions, James White and the Blacks, Human Switchboard, and John Cale, among others.
Adele Maria Bertei is an American singer, songwriter, writer, and director.
Nancy Arlen was a cast polyester resin sculptor and drummer for the no wave band Mars.
Everything is a compilation album by Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, released on July 18, 1995 by Atavistic Records. Despite its misleading title, it is actually just a reissue of side one of Lydia Lunch's 1986 Hysterie compilation plus two tracks from Pre Teenage Jesus and the Jerks.
Post-no wave is a form of experimental rock music that emerged from, or drew its inspiration from, the no wave scene. It's considered to have arisen after the disintegration of the original scene in 1980, expanding beyond its New York City boundaries. It further differs from no wave by exploring new music genres, making use of modern technology and studio techniques, embracing rock or funk idioms, a greater rhythmic complexity or a tongue-in-cheek nihilistic humor. As a result, post-no wave usually fuses the angular and deconstructive approach of its predecessor with a more song-oriented sound.
