Todd Tamanend Clark

Last updated
Todd Tamanend Clark
Born (1952-08-10) August 10, 1952 (age 71)
Greensboro, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres Avant-garde, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion, electronic, industrial, experimental rock, Native American
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician, author, composer, poet
Instruments Voice, vocoder, theremin, synthesizer, sampler, combo organ, prepared piano, electric violin, electric guitar, bass pedals, drum machine, electronic drum, percussion, flute, ocarina
Years active1974–present
LabelsDeathguard, World Theater, Jeree, TMI, Primal Pulse, Anopheles

Todd Tamanend Clark (born Todd Clark; August 10, 1952) is an American poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, cultural historian, author, artist, and activist. [1] He is known for "his musical blend of Native American heritage, glam fashion consciousness, cyberpunk attitude, and lyrical approach to scientific and sociological subjects." [2]

Contents

Biography

Todd Tamanend Clark was born on August 10, 1952, in Greensboro, Pennsylvania, to Frederick Leland Clark (1923–2003) and Hope Ramona Harvey (1925–2001). [1] Author Adrienne Mayor describes him as being Seneca and Lenape. [3] He graduated from Waynesburg Central High School in 1970 and from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Communication in 1983. [1] He then went on to graduate school at Indiana University of Pennsylvania studying art and anthropology.

In 1975, he started to record music under the alias The Stars. Two years later, he formed the Butler, Pennsylvania based rock band The Eyes. The band's album, New Gods: Aardvark Through Zymurgy was released in 1977 and has been called "the holy grail of psychedelic collectibles." In 1978, The Eyes (with two personnel changes) evolved into The Todd Clark Group, who released their "We're Not Safe!" album in 1979. [4]

In the early 1980s, he mutated his psychedelic rock style into a more electronic music-oriented sound. The "Secret Sinema" and "Flame Over Philadelphia" singles, which were released in 1980 and 1985 respectively, became college radio hits. In 1984, Clark released Into The Vision, which featured appearances from Allen Ravenstine of Pere Ubu and Cheetah Chrome of The Dead Boys, as well as a sample of Beat Generation author William S. Burroughs. During this time, he immersed himself more deeply into his Native American heritage, adopting the middle name "Tamanend", which is what his grandfather called him as a child. In between 1986 and 1999, he stopped releasing new material and devoted his time to his children, although he continued to compose music and perform at occasional concerts.

Between 2000 and 2004, Clark released three interrelated instrumental albums: Owls In Obsidian (2000), Staff, Mask, Rattle (2002), and Monongahela Riverrun (2004). [4] In 2005, his first decade of recordings was collected chronologically on the double-disc compilation album, Nova Psychedelia, through Anopheles Records. [5] In 2014, he released a complexly orchestrated darkly psychedelic cyberpunk album Dancing Through The Side Worlds, which contains many autobiographical songs. The front cover features a painting of Clark shapeshifting into an owl by Steven Johnson Leyba. Clark released a thematically related follow-up album Whirlwind Of The Whispering Worlds in 2020. The two albums combine to make a four-disc set.

A photograph of his son, X Tecumseh Clark (born October 7, 1984), was featured on the cover art of Canadian electronic music band Crystal Castles' second eponymous album in 2010. [4]

Another of his five sons, Sachem Orenda Clark (born February 21, 1988), has his own solo career as a multi-instrumentalist and also plays guitar on some of his father's albums.

Todd Tamanend Clark has resided in Fayette County, Pennsylvania since January 1992.

Political activism

While an art school student in San Francisco, Todd Tamanend Clark was friends with Wilma Mankiller and participated in the Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island. [6] [7]

Literary Style

Despite playing a multitude of musical instruments, Todd Tamanend Clark is first and foremost a poet. He even considers his instrumental songs to be tone poems. Poetically, he was influenced by Allen Ginsberg, Leonard Cohen, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Jim Morrison, and Patti Smith. His poetry is regarded with much more complexity than what is typically usually found in rock music. In a 2006 review, Julian Cope called him "the T.S. Eliot of his time. [8] " Clark also writes essays on Native American cultures and civil rights.

Musical style

Clark's music in the 1970s was described as "electro-psychedelic glam-rock" and "unique fusion of wild 60s-style experimentalism and proto-new wave synth-freakery." [9] His early influences included the 1960s psychedelic rock of The Mothers Of Invention, The Doors, The Electric Prunes, Jimi Hendrix, and especially the early adopters of analog synthesizers such as The United States of America, Lothar and the Hand People, and Silver Apples, while he was also attuned to the sounds of the proto punk rock scene, such as The Seeds, The Music Machine, The Velvet Underground, The MC5, and The Stooges.

In the 1980s, he switched to an experimental rock sound, taking inspirations from artists like The Residents and Laurie Anderson and the works of science fiction, cyberpunk and stream-of-consciousness writers such as Harlan Ellison and William S. Burroughs. He was also inspired by comic books, most prominently by Turok and Doctor Strange, but also by Batman, Green Arrow, The Haunt of Fear, Shock SuspenStories, Strange Tales, Strange Adventures, Challengers of the Unknown, Adam Strange, The Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Love and Rockets, Coyote, Aztec Ace, and Scout, as well as 1950s monster movies, most prominently by Forbidden Planet and Creature From the Black Lagoon, but also by It Came From Outer Space, Terror From the Year 5000, The Flame Barrier, Kronos, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. [10]

Music Equipment

Synthesizers

ARP 2600, ARP Avatar, ARP Quadra, ARP Odyssey, Ashun Sound Machines Hydrasynth Deluxe, Dave Smith Instruments Pro 2, Dave Smith Instruments Prophet '08, Dave Smith Instruments Prophet Rev2-16, E-mu Emulator II+HD, E-mu Emax, E-mu E-Synth, E-mu Morpheus, E-mu Orbit, E-mu Planet Earth, E-mu Vintage Keys, E-mu Xtreme Lead-1, Ensoniq MR-61, Ensoniq MR-Rack, Ensoniq TS-10, Hammond 102200, Korg Kronos 2–88, Maestro Theremin, Moog Etherwave Plus Theremin, Moog Memorymoog Plus, Moog Micromoog, Moog Minimoog Model D, Moog Minimoog Voyager, Moog Polymoog 203A, Moog Taurus 1, Moog Taurus 3, Oberheim Matrix-1000, Oberheim Xpander, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5

Guitars and Violins

Ampeg Dan Armstrong, B.C. Rich Warlock USA seven-string, Ernie Ball Music Man Saint Vincent, Fender Jaguar, Fender Stratocaster, Fender Tom Morello Stratocaster, Gibson SG Gothic, NS Design NXTa (fretted electric violin), Parker Fly Deluxe Vibrato, Paul Reed Smith Custom 24, Reverend Reeves Gabrels Spacehawk, Rickenbacker 360 twelve-string, Steinberger GL2S, Steinberger GM5T

Amplifiers

Fender Twin Reverb, Gallien-Krueger 200GT, Johnson Millennium Stereo One-Fifty, Magnatone M35, Rocktron Taboo 100

Effects

Catalinbread Antichthon, Catalinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe, Catalinbread Bicycle Delay, Catalinbread Fuzzrite, Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl, Death By Audio Evil Filter, Death By Audio Ghost Delay, Death By Audio Rooms, DigiTech DigiDelay, DigiTech DigiVerb, DigiTech Hyper Phase, DigiTech Metal Master, DigiTech Synth Wah, DigiTech Turbo Flange, DigiTech Whammy, DOD Gonkulator, Dunlop Crybaby From Hell, Earthquaker Levitation, Electro-Harmonix Synth9, Electro-Harmonix Talking Wah, Ensoniq DP/2, Ensoniq DP/4+, Ensoniq DP Pro, Hardwire Delay/Looper, Hardwire Metal Distortion, Hardwire Stereo Chorus, Hardwire Stereo Phaser, Hardwire Stereo Reverb, Hardwire Supernatural, Hardwire Tremolo/Rotary, Keeley Caverns, Keeley Compressor Plus, Keeley Mesmer, Keeley Monterey, Maestro Echoplex, Maestro Phase Shifter, Maestro Ring Modulator, Malekko Charlie Foxtrot, Malekko Downer, Malekko Scrutator, Malekko Sneak Attack, Mister Black Downward Spiral, Moog Minifooger Chorus, Moog Minifooger Delay, Moog Minifooger Drive, Moog Minifooger Flange, Moog Minifooger Ring, Moog Minifooger Trem, Moog Moogerfooger Analog Delay, Moog Moogerfooger Cluster Flux, Moog Moogerfooger FreqBox, Moog Moogerfooger Lowpass Filter, Moog Moogerfooger MIDI Murf, Moog Moogerfooger Ring Modulator, Moog Moogerfooger Twelve-Step Phaser, Moog Vocoder, Morley Bad Horsie, Morley Echo-Chorus-Vibrato, Morley Little Alligator, Morley Skeleton Wah, Mu-Tron Bi-Phase, MXR Digital Delay, MXR Pitch Transposer, Rivera Metal Shaman, Seymour Duncan Andromeda, Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter, SubDecay Harmonic Antagonizer, SubDecay Vitruvian Mod, SubDecay Vocawah [11]

Percussion

All One Tribe Hand Drum, E-mu Pro/cussion, Linn Linndrum, Native American handmade rattles, Pollard Syndrums Quad, Rhythm Tech Maracas, Rhythm Tech Rainmakers, Rhythm Tech Shakers, Roland SPD-SX-Pro Sampling Pad, Roland TD-50KV2 V-Drums, Taos Hand Drum

Woodwinds

Mayan Clay Flute, Mayan Ocarina, Orion's Gate Double Chamber Wood Flute, Stellar Single Chamber Wood Flute

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychedelic rock</span> Genre of rock music

Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording techniques, extended instrumental solos, and improvisation. Many psychedelic groups differ in style, and the label is often applied spuriously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ARP Instruments</span> Manufacturer of electronic musical instruments

ARP Instruments, Inc. was a Lexington, Massachusetts manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. It created a popular and commercially successful range of synthesizers throughout the 1970s before declaring bankruptcy in 1981. The company earned a reputation for producing excellent sounding, innovative instruments and was granted several patents for the technology it developed.

<i>Talking Book</i> 1972 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Talking Book is the fifteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, released on October 27, 1972, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. This album and Music of My Mind, released earlier the same year, are generally considered to mark the start of Wonder's "classic period". The sound of the album is sharply defined by Wonder's use of keyboards and synthesizers.

Psychedelic folk is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music.

Sun Dial is a British psychedelic rock band formed in 1990 by Gary Ramon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moog Music</span> American synthesizer manufacturer

Moog Music Inc. is an American synthesizer company based in Asheville, North Carolina. It was founded in 1953 as R. A. Moog Co. by Robert Moog and his father and was renamed Moog Music in 1972. Its early instruments included the Moog synthesizer, followed by the Minimoog in 1970, both of which were highly influential electronic instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Alderete</span> American musician (born 1963)

Juan Alderete de la Peña is an American musician, best known as the longtime bassist of Racer X, the Mars Volta and Marilyn Manson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moogerfooger</span> Analogue effects pedals

Moogerfooger is the trademark for a series of analog effects pedals manufactured by Moog Music. There are currently eight different pedals produced; however, one of these models is designed for processing control voltages rather than audio signal. A sixth model, the Analog Delay, was released in a limited edition of 1000 units and has become a collector's item. Moog Music announced on August 28, 2018, that the Moogerfooger, CP-251, Minifooger, Voyager synthesizers, and some other product lines were being built using the remaining parts on hand and discontinued thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mofo (song)</span> 1997 single by U2

"Mofo" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track on their 1997 album Pop, and was released as the album's final single on 8 December 1997. The song was partially written about lead vocalist Bono's mother, who died when he was 14 years old. Other songs which Bono wrote about his mother include "Lemon", "I Will Follow", "Iris " and "Tomorrow".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Powell (musician)</span> American musician, programmer, and magazine columnist

Roger Powell is an American musician, programmer, and magazine columnist best known for his membership with the rock band Utopia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hayes (musician)</span> American musician and singer (born 1976)

Peter Hayes is an American musician and singer, best known as a member of the rock band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

Psychedelic pop is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the mid-to-late 1960s, elements included "trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, sitars, and Beach Boys-style harmonies, wedded to melodic songs with tight song structures. The style lasted into the early 1970s. It has seen revivals in subsequent decades by neo-psychedelic artists.

<i>War Babies</i> (Hall & Oates album) 1974 studio album by Daryl Hall & John Oates

War Babies is the third studio album by American pop music duo Daryl Hall & John Oates. The album was released in October 1974, by Atlantic Records. It was their last of three albums for Atlantic Records before moving to RCA Records. The album was produced by Todd Rundgren. Rundgren and other members of Utopia, his then-recently-formed prog-rock band, perform on the record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synthesizer</span> Electronic musical instrument

A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and frequency modulation synthesis. These sounds may be altered by components such as filters, which cut or boost frequencies; envelopes, which control articulation, or how notes begin and end; and low-frequency oscillators, which modulate parameters such as pitch, volume, or filter characteristics affecting timbre. Synthesizers are typically played with keyboards or controlled by sequencers, software or other instruments and may be synchronized to other equipment via MIDI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Holden</span> American musician

Randy Holden is an American guitarist best known for his membership of the West Coast acid rock group Blue Cheer and performance on their third album, New! Improved! (1969). His solo album Population II (1970) is considered to be one of the earliest examples of doom metal. Holden is also a painter.

<i>Rainbow Dome Musick</i> 1979 studio album by Steve Hillage

Rainbow Dome Musick is the fifth studio album by Steve Hillage, originally released in 1979. It is a departure from his previous albums, consisting of two long ambient songs recorded in collaboration with his long-time partner Miquette Giraudy.

<i>World Tour 1980</i> 1996 live album by Yellow Magic Orchestra

WORLD TOUR 1980 is a live album by Yellow Magic Orchestra. It was recorded during the band's 1980 international tour. This is the only YMO live album to include songs originally released on X∞Multiplies; it also features six songs from YMO members made for other projects and two covers. It was released, with a book with photographs taken during the tour, as both a 2-CD set and a 3-LP set, which had a bonus track. "Jiseiki Hirake Kokoro" was originally made for a Fujifilm cassette commercial. It was included in Snakeman Show's self-titled album in mono so that the lyrics, which reference Fujifilm cassettes, could not be understood properly; it was presented here in stereo, and was included in the UC YMO compilation.

<i>Score</i> (Duncan Mackay album) 1977 studio album by Duncan Mackay

Score is the second studio album from the British keyboardist Duncan Mackay, which was released by EMI in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Market Karma</span> British rock band

Black Market Karma is an English rock band from London, now residing in Dover, Kent. Formed in 2011, they are known for their prolific discography with 11 studio albums, including 1 collaborative album to date.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Stephenson, Clarence David (1993). The Park family of Pennsylvania: two hundred years, 1793–1993. A.G. Halldin. p. 187. ISBN   0935648410.
  2. ↑ "Signal to Noise". Signal to Noise (40–43): 96. 2006.
  3. ↑ Mayor, Adrienne (2013). Fossil Legends of the First Americans. Princeton University Press. p. 350. ISBN   978-1400849314.
  4. 1 2 3 "Todd Tamanend Clark". Weirdestbandintheworld.com. June 5, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  5. ↑ Cloutier, Cecile (December 14, 2005). "Todd Tamanend Clark: Nova Psychedelia (1975–1985)". City Pages . Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Alcatraz Proclamation and Letter | Indians of all Tribes (December 1969)".
  7. ↑ Breznikar, Klemen (July 15, 2015). "An interview with Todd Tamanend Clark". It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Julian Cope presents Head Heritage | Unsung | Album of the Month | New Gods - Aardvark Thru Zymurgy".
  9. ↑ Farrar, Justin F. (December 7, 2005). "Todd Tamanend Clark – Nova Psychedelia". SF Weekly . Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  10. ↑ Breznikar, Klemen (July 15, 2015). "An interview with Todd Tamanend Clark". It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine . Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Todd Tamanend Clark Equipboard". Equipboard. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  12. ↑ "CD Baby Music Store".
  13. ↑ "CD Baby Music Store".
  14. ↑ "CD Baby Music Store".
  15. ↑ "CD Baby Music Store".
  16. ↑ "CD Baby Music Store".
  17. ↑ "WHIRLWIND OF THE WHISPERING WORLDS, by Todd Tamanend Clark".
  18. ↑ "ISOLATION QUOTIENT, by Todd Tamanend Clark".
  19. ↑ "CD Baby Music Store".
  20. ↑ "NBIDE #30 - Todd Tamanend Clark "The Deathguard Remnants"".
  21. ↑ "CD Baby Music Store".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.