David Thomas (musician)
Encyclopedia
David Lynn Thomas is an American singer, songwriter
, and musician
.
He was one of the founding members of the short-lived protopunk
ers Rocket From The Tombs
(1974–1975), where he went by the name of Crocus Behemoth, and of punk
group Pere Ubu (1975–present, intermittently). He has also released several solo albums. Though primarily a singer, he sometimes plays melodeon
, trombone
, guitar
or other instruments.
Thomas has described his artistic focus as being the "gestalt of culture, geography and sound". Common themes crop up throughout much of his work, such as the US Interstate Highway system, images of roadside or "junk" tourist culture, Brian Wilson
, AM Radio, and many others.
Something of a cult figure
, Thomas's high pitched voice is one of the most distinctive in rock music; Emerson Dameron memorably described Thomas's singing as "James Stewart
trapped in an oboe
", while Greil Marcus
writes that "Mr Thomas's voice is that of a man muttering in a crowd. You think he's talking to himself until you realize he's talking to you."
area. He cofounded Rocket From the Tombs
, which disbanded after about a year, then he formed Pere Ubu
, which was originally active from 1975 to 1982.
Afterwards, Thomas worked with a variety of musicians including guitarists Richard Thompson and Philip Moxham
, and Henry Cow
alumni bassonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper
and drummer Chris Cutler
. Initially, his solo recordings eschewed Pere Ubu's "rock" focus. Lindsay Cooper's bassoon was often prominent, and, when Richard Thompson's guitar was not featured, guitar would be absent (such as the entirety of 1985's More Places Forever
). Thomas's lyrics became increasingly whimsical, with birds being a common theme:
Eventually, several former members of Pere Ubu gravitated into Thomas's group, and by the time of 1987's Blame the Messenger
, were sporting a sound distinctly similar to the former band. This fact along with other considerations led directly into the official reformation of Pere Ubu in 1987, and the group has remained active through the present day.
, Garo Yellin, and Ira Kaplan
. While these groupings tended to share a repertoire with Pere Ubu, the focus was smaller. Thomas stated: "I often use the same songs in both projects ... I can explore the stories behind the songs. I can extend/expand/interpolate those stories."
Though The Accordion Club never recorded any albums, two songs appeared on Rē Records Quarterly Vol.2 No.1
, and it led to the formation of Thomas's current "solo" project, the Two Pale Boys. Devoted to "spontaneous song generation", they feature Keith Moliné
on guitar and Andy Diagram
on "trumpet through electronics;" both make frequent use of MIDI, giving them a broader tonal palette than might be expected from two instruments. In addition to singing Thomas frequently plays melodeon
. Says Thomas:
Thomas typically has a large number of ongoing projects at any one time. He has performed in theatrical productions, including several productions by Hal Willner
, and a London West End production of Shockheaded Peter. He has delivered his lecture "The Geography of Sound In The Magnetic Age" at Clark University
and UCLA, among other venues. He has staged his "improvisational opera" Mirror Man, at venues in Europe and North America, featuring at various times contributions from many of his previous collaborators, as well as Linda Thompson
, Bob Holman
, Robert Kidney, Van Dyke Parks
, Frank Black
, George Wendt
, and Syd Straw
.
Most recently he has alternated recording and performances primarily between Pere Ubu, David Thomas and Two Pale Boys, and the reunited Rocket from the Tombs.
David Thomas & the Pedestrians:
David Thomas & His Legs:
David Thomas & the Wooden Birds:
David Thomas & Foreigners:
David Thomas & Two Pale Boys:
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
He was one of the founding members of the short-lived protopunk
Protopunk
Protopunk is a term used retrospectively to describe a number of musicians who were important precursors of punk rock in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential...
ers Rocket From The Tombs
Rocket From The Tombs
Rocket From the Tombs is an American rock music band originally active from mid-1974 to mid-1975 in Cleveland, Ohio.Heralded as an important protopunk group, they were little known during their lifetime, though various members later achieved renown in Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys...
(1974–1975), where he went by the name of Crocus Behemoth, and of punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
group Pere Ubu (1975–present, intermittently). He has also released several solo albums. Though primarily a singer, he sometimes plays melodeon
Melodeon (organ)
A melodeon is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. Melodeons were manufactured in the United States sometime after 1812 until the Civil War era...
, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
or other instruments.
Thomas has described his artistic focus as being the "gestalt of culture, geography and sound". Common themes crop up throughout much of his work, such as the US Interstate Highway system, images of roadside or "junk" tourist culture, Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, AM Radio, and many others.
Something of a cult figure
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
, Thomas's high pitched voice is one of the most distinctive in rock music; Emerson Dameron memorably described Thomas's singing as "James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
trapped in an oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
", while Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
writes that "Mr Thomas's voice is that of a man muttering in a crowd. You think he's talking to himself until you realize he's talking to you."
Biography
Though born in Florida, Thomas was raised in the Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
area. He cofounded Rocket From the Tombs
Rocket From The Tombs
Rocket From the Tombs is an American rock music band originally active from mid-1974 to mid-1975 in Cleveland, Ohio.Heralded as an important protopunk group, they were little known during their lifetime, though various members later achieved renown in Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys...
, which disbanded after about a year, then he formed Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu (band)
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. Despite many long-term band members, singer David Thomas is the only constant...
, which was originally active from 1975 to 1982.
Afterwards, Thomas worked with a variety of musicians including guitarists Richard Thompson and Philip Moxham
Young Marble Giants
Young Marble Giants were a post-punk band formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1978. A trio, their music was constructed around the powerful and minimal instrumentation of brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham along with the vocals of Alison Statton.-History:...
, and Henry Cow
Henry Cow
Henry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
alumni bassonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper
Lindsay Cooper
Lindsay Cooper is an English bassoon and oboe player, composer and political activist. Best known for her work with the band Henry Cow, she was also a member of Comus, National Health, News from Babel and David Thomas and the Pedestrians...
and drummer Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
. Initially, his solo recordings eschewed Pere Ubu's "rock" focus. Lindsay Cooper's bassoon was often prominent, and, when Richard Thompson's guitar was not featured, guitar would be absent (such as the entirety of 1985's More Places Forever
More Places Forever
More Places Forever is David Thomas' third solo album. The album was remixed from its original vinyl incarnation for inclusion on the 1997 David Thomas box set Monster...
). Thomas's lyrics became increasingly whimsical, with birds being a common theme:
- Somewhere along the line I wrote a song that had birds in it. And then by pure coincidence, another. Some critic asked, "Why all these songs about birds?" And I said to myself, "You think that's a lot of songs about birds?!? I'll show you a lot of songs about birds!" So, for a while, I stuck birds in everywhere I could.
Eventually, several former members of Pere Ubu gravitated into Thomas's group, and by the time of 1987's Blame the Messenger
Blame the Messenger
Blame the Messenger is singer David Thomas's fifth studio album. The album features three of the five 'Modern Dance' era Pere Ubu members, as well as resembling Pere Ubu sonically...
, were sporting a sound distinctly similar to the former band. This fact along with other considerations led directly into the official reformation of Pere Ubu in 1987, and the group has remained active through the present day.
Current solo career
Thomas's solo activities were diminished, though not extinguished by the reformation of Pere Ubu. Throughout the 1980s, Thomas maintained a rotating trio dubbed The Accordion Club, which at various times included John Kirkpatrick, Chris CutlerChris Cutler
Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
, Garo Yellin, and Ira Kaplan
Ira Kaplan
Ira Kaplan [born 1957] is the co-founder, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of the American indie rock band Yo La Tengo. He is married to Georgia Hubley, Yo La Tengo's vocalist, drummer, songwriter and co-founder....
. While these groupings tended to share a repertoire with Pere Ubu, the focus was smaller. Thomas stated: "I often use the same songs in both projects ... I can explore the stories behind the songs. I can extend/expand/interpolate those stories."
Though The Accordion Club never recorded any albums, two songs appeared on Rē Records Quarterly Vol.2 No.1
ReR Quarterly
The RēR Quarterly was an English "quarterly" sound-magazine comprising an LP record and a magazine. It was published at irregular intervals between 1985 and 1997 by Recommended Records and November Books, and edited by English percussionist, lyricist and music theorist, Chris Cutler...
, and it led to the formation of Thomas's current "solo" project, the Two Pale Boys. Devoted to "spontaneous song generation", they feature Keith Moliné
Keith Moliné
Keith Moliné is currently the guitarist for Pere Ubu. He has also performed with David Thomas and Two Pale Boys, Infidel, and They Came from the Stars I Saw Them. He uses a unique midi-guitar setup that allows him to produce numerous overlapping instrument voicings within the context of "live"...
on guitar and Andy Diagram
Andy Diagram
Andy Diagram is a British musician and trumpet player. He has worked with the instrument in a variety bands and contexts ranging from pop and rock to experimental jazz, art rock and dance music...
on "trumpet through electronics;" both make frequent use of MIDI, giving them a broader tonal palette than might be expected from two instruments. In addition to singing Thomas frequently plays melodeon
Melodeon (organ)
A melodeon is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. Melodeons were manufactured in the United States sometime after 1812 until the Civil War era...
. Says Thomas:
- "Pere Ubu is a big rock experience, often overwhelming in its power and intensity of dataflow. It's a Hollywood blockbusterBlockbuster (entertainment)Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...
on a cinemascopicCinemaScopeCinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
screen. Projects like the [Two Pale Boys] are intended as indy arthouse films."
Thomas typically has a large number of ongoing projects at any one time. He has performed in theatrical productions, including several productions by Hal Willner
Hal Willner
Hal Willner is an American music producer working in recording, films, TV and live events. He is best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical styles...
, and a London West End production of Shockheaded Peter. He has delivered his lecture "The Geography of Sound In The Magnetic Age" at Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
and UCLA, among other venues. He has staged his "improvisational opera" Mirror Man, at venues in Europe and North America, featuring at various times contributions from many of his previous collaborators, as well as Linda Thompson
Linda Thompson (singer)
Linda Thompson is a British singer. Born Linda Pettifer in Hackney, Thompson became one of the most recognised names—and voices—in the British folk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s, in collaboration with her former husband and fellow British folk rock musician, guitarist Richard...
, Bob Holman
Bob Holman
Bob Holman is a poet and poetry activist in the United States.- Career :After graduating from Columbia University in 1970, Bob Holman founded, with Sara Miles and Susie Timmons, the NYC Poetry Calendar, a free monthly publication with all the readings and poets "on the same page"...
, Robert Kidney, Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile....
, Frank Black
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
, George Wendt
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
, and Syd Straw
Syd Straw
Syd Straw is an American rock singer and songwriter. The daughter of actor Jack Straw , she began her career singing backup for Pat Benatar, then took her distinct voice to the indie/alternative scene and joined the Golden Palominos...
.
Most recently he has alternated recording and performances primarily between Pere Ubu, David Thomas and Two Pale Boys, and the reunited Rocket from the Tombs.
Albums
With Pere Ubu- See Pere Ubu Discography
David Thomas & the Pedestrians:
- The Sound of the Sand & Other Songs of the PedestriansThe Sound of the SandThe Sound of the Sand & Other Songs of the Pedestrian is David Thomas' debut solo album.-Track listing:#"The Birds Are a Good Idea"#"Yiki Tiki"#"The Crickets in the Flats"#"Sound of the Sand"#"The New Atom Mine"#"Big Dreams"#"Happy to See You"...
(1981) - Variations on a Theme (1983)
- More Places ForeverMore Places ForeverMore Places Forever is David Thomas' third solo album. The album was remixed from its original vinyl incarnation for inclusion on the 1997 David Thomas box set Monster...
(1985)
David Thomas & His Legs:
- Winter Comes HomeWinter Comes HomeWinter Comes Home was a live album credited to David Thomas and his Legs, released in 1982, in which Thomas was supported by Chris Cutler and Lindsay Cooper. Trouser Press reports that the album "mixes intellectual stand-up comedy with winning performances"...
(1982) (live -disavowed by Thomas in Monster liner notes)
David Thomas & the Wooden Birds:
- Monster Walks the Winter LakeMonster Walks the Winter LakeMonster Walks the Winter Lake is David Thomas' fourth solo album. The album is noted as being the most personal album in David Thomas' canon...
(1986) - Blame the MessengerBlame the MessengerBlame the Messenger is singer David Thomas's fifth studio album. The album features three of the five 'Modern Dance' era Pere Ubu members, as well as resembling Pere Ubu sonically...
(1987)
David Thomas & Foreigners:
- Bay CityBay City (album)Bay City is the sole album released to date by David Thomas and Foreigners.-Track listing:#"Clouds of You" – 4:24#"White Room" – 3:37#"Black Coffee Dawn" – 4:35#"Salt" – 5:58#"Nobody Lives On The Moon" – 2:06#"Charlotte" – 3:52...
(2000)
David Thomas & Two Pale Boys:
- ErewhonErewhon (album)Erewhon is David Thomas and Two Pale Boys debut studio effort, as well as Thomas' first record outside the Pere Ubu banner since that group's reformation in 1987...
(1996) - MeadvilleMeadville (album)Meadville is an album of live recordings, sold only on concerts. The Two Pale Boys are Keith Moliné on midi-guitar and Andy Diagram on "trumpet through electronics".-Track listing:#"Obsession" – 4:29#"Nobody Knows" – 9:38#"Red Sky" – 5:37...
(1997) - Mirror Man (1999) (as part of The Pale Orchestra)
- Surf's Up!Surf's Up! (album)Surf's Up is the second album by David Thomas and Two Pale Boys.-Track listing:#"Runaway" – 4:17#"Man in the Dark" – 6:26#"Night Driving" – 4:58#"Surf's Up" – 8:24#"River" – 9:17#"Ghosts" – 5:56#"Spider in my Stew" – 5:42...
! (2001) - 18 Monkeys on a Dead Man's Chest18 Monkeys on a Dead Man's Chest18 Monkeys on a Dead Man's Chest is an album by David Thomas and Two Pale Boys, released in March 2004.-Track listing:#"New Orleans Fuzz" – 3:44#"Numbers Man" – 4:36#"Little Sister" – 3:09#"Habeas Corpus" – 4:27...
(2004)
Contributions
- "Dan Dan" & "Drunken SailorDrunken SailorDrunken Sailor is a traditional sea shanty also known as What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?It begins with the question, "What shall we do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning?" Each verse thereafter suggests a method of sobering—or castigating, or simply abusing—the sailor.The song...
" on Hal WillnerHal WillnerHal Willner is an American music producer working in recording, films, TV and live events. He is best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical styles...
's Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and ChanteysRogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and ChanteysRogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys is a compilation album of sea shanties performed by a wide array of artists, ranging from Sting to Bryan Ferry, representing a variety of genres. The artists cover a large number of diverse songs of the sea, at times adding elements... - "The Pigeons, Mr. McKenzie" on The Hat Shoes' Differently Desperate (LP/CD 1992)
External links
- David Thomas official Bio.
- Pere Ubu official site
- David Thomas, Ghoulardi: Lessons in Mayhem from the First Age of Punk, draft text of a talk by Thomas on GhoulardiGhoulardiGhoulardi was a fictional character invented and portrayed by disc jockey, voice announcer, and actor Ernie Anderson as the horror host of late night Shock Theater at WJW-TV, Channel 8, in Cleveland, Ohio from January 13, 1963 through December 16, 1966....
, at the April 2005 Pop Conference at Experience Music ProjectExperience Music ProjectThe EMP Museum is a museum dedicated to the history and exploration of both popular music and science fiction located in Seattle, Washington...
. - David Thomas solo overview at Trouser Press
- Famous Jehovah's Witnesses David Thomas page on adherents.com