Tonetta

Last updated
Tonetta
Born (1949-02-17) February 17, 1949 (age 75)
Cabbagetown, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • visual artist
  • upholsterer
Instrument(s)Guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals
Years active1983–present
Website tonetta777.bandcamp.com

Anthony Jeffrey (born February 17, 1949), also known as Tonetta, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and visual artist [3] who, in the early 1980s, began living as a recluse and recording original music on cassettes after separating from his wife. [4] In 2008, he started his first YouTube channel, which led to his record label debut. [4] His YouTube account, as well as many subsequent accounts established under other usernames, have been banned repeatedly for violating the site's content rules. [2]

Contents

Life and career

Anthony Jeffrey was born on February 17, 1949, in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. [5]

Style and recognition

According to Jeffrey, "Tonetta" refers more specifically to his female alter ego. [6] He said that many of his songs are inspired by real life people or incidents [4] and cited John Lennon as his primary influence. [7] Of his music tastes, he said: "I like the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson. I followed soul artists. ... After [Lennon] died, I didn't know who to follow anymore. It was around then I started writing anyway so it kinda worked out." [4]

Critics have variously described Tonetta as "the savior of lo-fi music", "a pure artist", and a combination of "repulsion and intrigue". [8] In the description of music writer Johnny Dee, "For every YouTube comment that finds Tonetta hilarious or repellent there are dozens from people who have discovered that, beyond the shock value, is a genuine outsider pop artist." [1] Tonetta is best known for his song "Pressure Zone". As of 2017, the music video was viewed over 2 million times on YouTube. [9]

Jeffrey was interviewed on Season 5, Episode 14 of the American television series Tosh.0 . South California rock band the Growlers covered Tonetta's song, "Drugs, Drugs, Drugs", during various live performances, notably their 2012 Coachella setlist. [10] Prior to reaching commercial success of their own, the Growlers had performed on stage with Tonetta, on February 18, 2011, at the Show Cave in Los Angeles. [1]

Personal life

As of 2011, Jeffrey lived in Toronto, Ontario, as a part-time upholsterer. He was previously married to a woman, until 1983, and has two sons. [4] He has not talked to his wife or seen his children since 1983, when his sons were eight and 10 years old. One of his sons reconnected with him by email shortly after Jeffrey began posting music to YouTube in 2008, but stopped writing once Tonetta began "puttin’ on the dresses and stuff." [11]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Ramone</span> American punk rock singer (1951–2001)

Jeffrey Ross Hyman, known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the Ramones made him a countercultural icon. He, along with the guitarist Johnny Ramone, are the only two original members who stayed in the band until the disbandment in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dee Dee Ramone</span> American bassist (1951–2002)

Douglas Glenn Colvin, better known by his stage name Dee Dee Ramone, was an American musician. He was the bassist and a founding member of the punk rock band the Ramones. Throughout the band's existence, he was the most prolific lyricist and composer, writing many of their best-known songs, such as "53rd & 3rd", "Chinese Rock", "Commando", "Wart Hog", "Rockaway Beach", "Poison Heart" and "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg". The latter won the New York Music Award for best independent single of the year in 1986, while Animal Boy, which the song is from, won for best album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds</span> 1967 song by The Beatles

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written primarily by John Lennon with assistance from Paul McCartney, and credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. Lennon's son Julian inspired the song with a nursery school drawing that he called "Lucy – in the sky with diamonds". Shortly before the album's release, speculation arose that the first letter of each of the nouns in the title intentionally spelled "LSD", the initialism commonly used for the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide. Lennon repeatedly denied that he had intended it as a drug song, and attributed the song's fantastical imagery to his reading of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Cochran</span> American rock and roll pioneer (1938–1960)

Ray Edward Cochran was an American rock and roll musician. His songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", "C'mon Everybody" and "Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire in the mid-1950s and early 1960s. Cochran experimented with multitrack recording, distortion techniques, and overdubbing, even on his earliest singles. Cochran played the guitar, piano, bass, and drums. His image as a sharply dressed and attractive young man with a rebellious attitude epitomized the stance of the 1950s rocker, and in death, Cochran achieved iconic status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Lennon</span> British-American composer and musician (born 1975)

Sean Taro Ono Lennon is a British-American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, The Claypool Lennon Delirium and his parents' group Plastic Ono Band. He has released two solo albums: Into the Sun (1998) and Friendly Fire (2006). He has produced numerous albums for various artists, including Black Lips and the Plastic Ono Band.

<i>End of the Century</i> 1980 studio album by the Ramones

End of the Century is the fifth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on February 4, 1980, through Sire Records. The album was the band's first to be produced by Phil Spector, though he had offered the band his assistance earlier in their career. With Spector fully producing the album, it was the first release that excluded original member Tommy Ramone, who had left the band in 1978 but had produced their previous album Road to Ruin. Spector used more advanced standards of engineering, such as high-quality overdubbing and echo chambers. These painstaking methods caused conflict between the band and Spector since the Ramones were accustomed to a quicker recording process. Spector emphasized the production value as well, working with a budget of around $200,000, far exceeding their earlier album sessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Weiland</span> American singer (1967–2015)

Scott Richard Weiland was an American singer and songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots from 1989 to 2003 and again from 2008 to 2013, recording six albums with them, and as the lead vocalist of the rock supergroup Velvet Revolver from 2003 to 2008. He also released one album with rock supergroup Art of Anarchy in 2015, as well as four solo studio albums and several collaborations with other musicians throughout his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Ramone</span> American guitarist (1948–2004)

John William Cummings, better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American musician who was the guitarist and a founding member of the Ramones, a band that helped pioneer the punk movement. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Until the band's disbandment in 1996, Johnny, along with the lead vocalist Joey Ramone, were the only two original members who stayed since its inception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bed-ins for peace</span> Anti-war demonstration by John Lennon and Yoko Ono

The bed-ins for peace were two week-long nonviolent protests against wars, intended as experimental tests of new ways to promote peace. As the Vietnam War raged in 1969, artist Yoko Ono and her husband John Lennon held one protest at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam and one at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. The idea is derived from a "sit-in", in which a group of protesters remain seated in front of or within an establishment until they are evicted, arrested, or their requests are met.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Lee Pierce</span> American rock musician

Jeffrey Lee Pierce was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and author. He was one of the founding members of the band The Gun Club, and released material as a solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justice (band)</span> French electronic music duo

Justice is a French electronic music duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay. Justice is known for incorporating a strong rock influence into their music and image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Kemp Muhl</span> American singer-songwriter and model

Charlotte Kemp Muhl, also known as Kemp Muhl, is an American musician, writer, model and director from Atlanta, Georgia. She is best known as a model for Maybelline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Undead</span> American rap rock band

Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2005. All of the band members use pseudonyms and previously wore their own unique mask, most of which were based on the common hockey goaltender design. The band currently consists of five members: J-Dog, Funny Man, Johnny 3 Tears, Charlie Scene, and Danny. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011. Their third studio album, titled Notes from the Underground, was released on January 8, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger</span> American-British band

The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger is an American-British band formed in 2008 by Sean Ono Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl. The couple have stated that they started the band as a way to spend more time together, and while they released a number of recordings and went on tours as a duo, they consider Midnight Sun, released in April 2014, their first real record. Their tour to support the release of the album in May and June 2014 included opening for Beck as he started the East Coast leg of his tour that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramones</span> American punk rock band

The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often cited as the first true punk rock band. Although they never achieved significant commercial success, the band is seen today as highly influential in punk culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novacane (song)</span> 2011 single by Frank Ocean

"Novacane" is the debut solo single by American singer Frank Ocean. It was released as the lead single from his mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra. The song was written by Ocean, Tricky Stewart and Victor Alexander, and produced by Stewart. Lyrically, the song narrates a young female dental student who makes a living doing porn and who recreationally uses local anesthetic drugs which she acquires from her place of study. The song explores themes of isolation, loneliness and a lack of feeling caused by numbness. The song received highly positive reviews from music critics and was listed as one of the best songs of the year by publications such as The New York Times, Spin, Ology, Zimbio and Pitchfork. Reviews praised the dark subject matter of the song, and praised Ocean's ability to create narratives and the sonic atmosphere of the track. The cover for Novacane is similar to the Roxy Music album Stranded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swim Good</span> 2011 single by Frank Ocean

"Swim Good" is a song by American singer Frank Ocean, released as the second single from his mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra (2011). The song was written by Ocean alongside producers Midi Mafia and Charles Gambetta. It features additional vocals by fellow Odd Future member Tyler, The Creator. The song explores the topic of romantic baggage, guilt and utilizes several metaphors. Lyrically, the song expresses a narrative about a man who, burdened with many failed relationships, ends his life by driving into the ocean. The track explores tropes of the tragic love story and suicide. The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Ocean's vocals and the song's dark subject matter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flatbush Zombies</span> American hip hop group

Flatbush Zombies are an American hip hop group from the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City, formed in 2010. The group is composed of rappers Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and Erick Arc Elliott, with Elliott also serving as their regular record producer. The trio are part of the East Coast hip hop supergroup Beast Coast, with fellow Brooklyn-based rap groups The Underachievers and Pro Era.

Zack Knight is a British-Pakistani singer and songwriter. Formerly known by the stage name Zeekay, Knight is known for songs such as "Bom Diggy", "Ya Baba", "Galtiyan", "Nakhre" and "Enemy".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dee, Johnny (July 16, 2010). "Taking over YouTube: the irresistible rise of Tonetta". The Guardian .
  2. 1 2 3 Weiss, Jeff (February 17, 2011). "Upcoming: The Growlers interpret the bizarre songs of Tonetta". Los Angeles Times .
  3. Nickas, Bob (1 November 2010). "Tonetta".
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Traynor, Cian (December 6, 2011). "Hitler Would Have Loved You: Tonetta Interviewed". The Quietus .
  5. "Tonetta - Part 2 - the Artist in Their Own Words (Tonetta Interview) - YouTube". YouTube . 30 January 2020.
  6. Finn, Liam (March 9, 2014). "Tonetta". Magnet .
  7. Frith, Anthony (December 7, 2011). "TONETTA-THE YOUTUBE SENSATION YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF". Infectious.
  8. Martins, Chris (February 16, 2011). "NSFW YouTube Freak Phenom Tonetta Comes to L.A. ... Sorta". LA Weekly .
  9. "tonetta_pressure_zone - YouTube". archive.is. 2017-07-11. Archived from the original on 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2017-07-11.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. "Coachella 2012 - The Growlers - Weekend 1 - Day 3 - Outdoor Theatre "Drugs, Drugs, Drugs"". Youtube. 8 October 2012.
  11. "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Hitler Would Have Loved You: Tonetta Interviewed". The Quietus. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 2019-12-22.