No Torso

Last updated
No Torso
No Torso Live in Norway.jpg
No Torso performing in Norway.
Background information
Origin Oslo, Norway
Genres Ska
Indie rock
Punk rock
Years active2003–2009
Labels Asian Man Records, Kasbah Records
Website http://www.myspace.com/notorsoska

No Torso was a Norwegian eight piece, DIY ska band from Oslo, Norway. The band began in 2001 as a three-piece with just Eivind, Chris, and Martin as members. Between then and 2006, the band would add members and drop only one until the current lineup was formed.

Contents

History

Despite being from Scandinavia, the band is involved and celebrated in the United States' ska and DIY scene. This is due in large part to their relations with seminal and long-standing independent label Asian Man Records. Asian Man had released the band's debut full-length effort, Several Brains, in 2006 to warm critical and popular reception.

Since the release of Several Brains, No Torso has recorded a second release, Ready Already, which was released during the West Coast leg of the band's first United States tour. The tour was during the summer of 2008 and, in some instances, was shared with other Asian Man bands such as Lemuria and Bomb The Music Industry!.

On May 19, 2009, guitarist Martin Brostigen announced that the band was breaking up. [1] The decision was made after failing to replace Lars, Chris and Kristian, who left after the 2008 US tour. All of the members went on to form new bands.

They have played together as a ska cover band that was originally named Bekkestua All-Stars and later renamed Yoga Grossist, a word play on the Norwegian band Jaga Jazzist. Nerland and Hamang started a punk band called Hamstern and the Pepsikids; Brostigen joined the Norwegian ska band The Phantoms. The horn section, Brænne, Solheim and Friis, have toured with numerous bands including Orbo & The Longshots, Noora Noor and Los Plantronics. Lars Oskarsen took a break from music to focus on his family but has appeared as guest musician for several Oslo based bands including Dead Parrot Society. Dypvik joined Amerikanerne, a reggae band from Oslo.

Sound

No Torso is distinguished by a sound clearly backed by a solid knowledge of traditional ska music, mixed with heavy DIY-punk influences, with Hot Water Music often being cited in this regard — the end result is a sound similar to that of an experimental Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Furthermore, the band's poetic lyrics and positive attitude have garnered them respect within the international ska scene as well as others.

Discography

Album

Compilations

Former members

Related Research Articles

Bad Brains American reggae and hardcore punk band

Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of other genres like funk, heavy metal, hip hop and soul. Bad Brains are followers of the Rastafari movement.

Turbonegro Norwegian punk rock band that was initially active from 1989 to 1998, and later reformed in 2002

Turbonegro is a Norwegian rock band, initially active from 1989 to 1998, and then reformed in 2002. Their style combines glam rock, punk rock and hard rock into a style the band describes as "deathpunk".

The Suicide Machines American ska punk band

The Suicide Machines are an American punk rock band formed in March 1991 in Detroit, Michigan and disbanded in May 2006. Since 2009, the band has occasionally played reunion shows. During the course of their career the band released seven full-length albums on the labels Hollywood Records and Side One Dummy Records. Though they experienced several lineup changes over the years, founding members Jason Navarro and Dan Lukacinsky remained regular fixtures. The band's musical style initially blended elements of punk rock, ska, and hardcore into genres popularly known as ska punk and ska-core, which characterized their first two albums. During the middle of their career they shifted gears, moving away from this sound and producing two albums with a heavy pop rock influence. Their next two albums moved back towards their mid-1990s style, bringing back heavy ska punk and hardcore elements.

Mayhem (band) Norwegian black metal band

Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway. They were one of the founders of the Norwegian black metal scene and their music has strongly influenced the black metal genre. Mayhem's early career was highly controversial, primarily due to their notorious live performances, the 1991 suicide of vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin ("Dead") and the 1993 murder of guitarist Øystein Aarseth ("Euronymous") by former member Varg Vikernes of Burzum.

Leftöver Crack Punk Rock band

Leftöver Crack is an American punk rock band formed in 1998, following the breakup of Choking Victim. The band is currently signed to Fat Wreck Chords for CD releases, and Alternative Tentacles for vinyl releases. The band consists of Scott Sturgeon (vocals), Brad Logan (guitar), Alec Baillie, Donny Morris (drums) Chris Mann (guitar). Leftöver Crack spans several different music genres including hardcore punk, ska, and crust punk. They write mostly political lyrics of a radical leftist nature, opposing religion, capitalism, and authority. Members of Leftöver Crack reside in the C-Squat on 155 Avenue C in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. Natives of New York City, band members have a well-documented history of back-and-forth conflict with the NYPD which precedes the band's formation. The name "Leftöver Crack" is explained by Stza as being "an oxymoron", based on the idea that crack cocaine addicts are known for vigorous use, and are unlikely to have any "leftover" crack.

Echo Image is a Norwegian synthpop band from Fredrikstad. The band started in the summer of 1997 when Pål Magnus Rybom and Jon-Ivar Berg started experimenting with electronic music. That summer the two of them recorded a demo. Berg left the group after they failed attract the attention of record labels and went to focus on his music project Biozide. Later that year Fredrik Hansen joined and Echo Image was officially formed with Trine Bilet joining towards the end of the year providing backing vocals, keyboards, and synthesizers.

Big D and the Kids Table Band from the USA

Big D and the Kids Table is a ska punk band formed in October 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork in Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records and SideOneDummy. The band has been noted for its strict DIY work ethic, such as engineering, producing, and releasing their own albums and videos and self-promotion of their own shows.

Stza American musician

Scott Sturgeon, also known as Stza Crack or simply Stza, is a musician who has fronted several ska-punk bands in the New York City area, the best known being Choking Victim and Leftöver Crack. The stage name Stza is a tribute to the Wu-Tang Clan, in which the members would take their stage names from the Supreme Alphabet of the Five Percent Nation, such as GZA and RZA - Stza's name would therefore be Self Truth ZigZagZig Allah.

Folly is an American band from Sussex, New Jersey, United States. Their music is a mix of hardcore, metal, punk and ska. The band's final lineup included Arben Colaku on bass, Geoff Towle on guitar, Anthony Wille on drums, Agim Colaku on guitar, and Jon Tummillo on vocals.

Torstein Lofthus Norwegian drummer and composer

Torstein Lofthus is a Norwegian drummer and composer who has been a member of the bands Shining, Elephant9, the Mathias Eick Band, D'Sound, and Ebersson/Zanussi/Lofthus. He is married to Hege Lofthus.

Farse are a five-piece ska-punk band hailing from Birmingham in the West Midlands.

Knut Helle was a Norwegian historian. A professor at the University of Bergen from 1973 to 2000, he specialized in the late medieval history of Norway. He has contributed to several large works.

Star Fucking Hipsters is an American punk rock band from New York City, United States, who have released albums on Fat Wreck Chords and Alternative Tentacles records. They have been called a "punk supergroup" and feature members from numerous notable bands including Leftöver Crack, Ensign, and The Ergs!

Bendik Brænne Norwegian musician

Bendik Brænne is a Norwegian producer, artist, and songwriter.

Christian Wallumrød jazz musician

Christian Wallumrød is a Norwegian jazz musician and composer, and is considered one of the most prominent musicians of the younger Norwegian generation, known from releases with his own Christian Wallumrød Ensemble on the German label ECM Records, while regularly touring and appearing in festivals in Norway, elsewhere in Scandinavia and Europe, and in the US. He is the brother of jazz vocalist Susanna Wallumrød and the drummer Fredrik Wallumrød, and cousin to the pianist David Wallumrød.

The Aller Værste! (1979–1981) was a Norwegian rock band from Bergen, that was awarded Spellemannprisen for the album Materialtretthet (1980).

Tor Egil Kreken Norwegian musician

Tor Egil Kreken is a Norwegian musician.

Vidar Johansen (musician) Norwegian jazz musician

Vidar Johansen is a Norwegian jazz musician, music arranger and composer.

Lukas Kasha is a Norwegian rock band, based in Oslo. They released their debut album, Animated People's Republic, on January 29, 2007. The first single off the album was Love Abuse', which was played on heavy rotation on Norwegian radio from the fall of 2006 to early 2007, and was later included in the soundtrack for the video game by EA Sports, FIFA 08. Over the last few years, Lukas Kasha has played at the Popkomm festival in Berlin, the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, the Reeperbahn festival in Hamburg, Liverpool Music Week and the IUSY festival in Alicante, besides touring Norway, including Øyafestivalen in Oslo and by:Larm. They have supported or shared stage with, amongst others, Juliette & the Licks, Shout Out Louds, Infadels, The Dears, The Raveonettes, Dungen, Johnossi, Telex and Brakes.

References

  1. "Featured Content on Myspace". Blogs.myspace.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.