IBOPA
Encyclopedia
IBOPA is nine-piece band of a mish-mosh genre personally dubbed "Cinematic Death Mambo" from Palo Alto, California
. Their name is an abbreviation for the Indestructible Beat of Palo Alto, a parody on the album The Indestructible Beat of Soweto
. At one point, they tried to shorten the name to something less obnoxious, but they couldn't agree on a final solution. The band name, all lyrics, and a great deal of the creative process can be credited to frontman Jamie Stewart
, with Don Dias expanding on Stewart's ideas. IBOPA lasted around for about two years before they decided to break up as their label, Spongebath Records
(subset of Elektra Records
), dissolved 90% of their clientele. They played their last show on July 4, 1999.
As the band split apart, some moved on to other musical endeavors. Cory, Don, Jamie, Kurt, and Tim planned and formed Ten in the Swear Jar
before IBOPA ended. Eventually, that disbanded too, and Cory and Jamie currently work on Xiu Xiu
.
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
. Their name is an abbreviation for the Indestructible Beat of Palo Alto, a parody on the album The Indestructible Beat of Soweto
The Indestructible Beat of Soweto
The Indestructible Beat of Soweto, later repackaged as The Indestructible Beat of Soweto Volume One, is a compilation album released in 1985 on the Earthworks label, featuring musicians from South Africa, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Mahlathini.-Overview:The album was conceived by white...
. At one point, they tried to shorten the name to something less obnoxious, but they couldn't agree on a final solution. The band name, all lyrics, and a great deal of the creative process can be credited to frontman Jamie Stewart
Jamie Stewart
James "Jamie" Cyrus Stewart is the front-man of the American musical group Xiu Xiu , a former front-man of IBOPA and Ten in the Swear Jar and a current member of Former Ghosts. He was also a member of 7 Year Rabbit Cycle which has since disbanded...
, with Don Dias expanding on Stewart's ideas. IBOPA lasted around for about two years before they decided to break up as their label, Spongebath Records
Spongebath Records
Spongebath Records was an independent record label based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee during the mid-nineties. During its heyday, Spongebath was often viewed as the vibrant epicenter of Murfreesboro/Nashville's music scene with a robust artist roster of critically acclaimed bands, singers, and...
(subset of Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
), dissolved 90% of their clientele. They played their last show on July 4, 1999.
As the band split apart, some moved on to other musical endeavors. Cory, Don, Jamie, Kurt, and Tim planned and formed Ten in the Swear Jar
Ten in the Swear Jar
Ten in the Swear Jar, TITSJ, or XITSJ , was an indie/experimental band derived from IBOPA and after the breakup, progressing to the still-active Xiu Xiu. The band released two albums before breaking up in July 2000. Key members in the band include Jamie Stewart and Cory McCulloch. Several songs...
before IBOPA ended. Eventually, that disbanded too, and Cory and Jamie currently work on Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu is an American avant-garde group originally from San Jose, California. The band is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who has been its only constant member since its inception in 2002. His current bandmate is Angela Seo...
.
Band members
- Michael StewartMichael Stewart (musician)Michael “Mike” Stewart was the guitarist for We Five. He was also the brother of John Stewart , a one-time member of The Kingston Trio and later a very successful singer/songwriter, and the father of Jamie Stewart, frontman of popular avant-garde group Xiu Xiu...
(father of Jamie Stewart) on bass - Big Daddy Rucker and Styx (Brady Fischler/ Tim Kirby) on drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s and percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Bionic Millionaire (Joan Ling) on violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and vocals - DJ Fonzi Dream Taco (Mikel Zwissler) on optiganOptiganThe Optigan was an electronic keyboard instrument designed for the consumer market. The name stems from the instrument's reliance on pre-recorded optical soundtracks to reproduce sound...
and synthsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Fuck Machine (Tim Kirby) on double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- Gigantor (Mecca-gigantor) (Cory McCulloch) on slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
and mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Joe Stewart
- Kona the Smiling Burger (Don Dias) on accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
- Orlando Furioso (Kurt Stumbaugh) on baritone saxBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
- Purring Mantis (Jamie StewartJamie StewartJames "Jamie" Cyrus Stewart is the front-man of the American musical group Xiu Xiu , a former front-man of IBOPA and Ten in the Swear Jar and a current member of Former Ghosts. He was also a member of 7 Year Rabbit Cycle which has since disbanded...
) on lead vocals and guitarGuitarThe 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... - Tim Kirby on trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s
Discography
- 1996 - Squids: Obsession and DevotionSquids: Obsession and DevotionSquids: Obsession and Devotion is a 1996 album by IBOPA. It was their first album, contained nine tracks, and is out-of-print.-Track-listing:#"Hives"#"Sex So Evil"#"Leopard Coat"#"Ode to Gaylene"#"Meat Lovers Smoothie"#"Surf Polka"...
- 1997 - Ballads for Benpadrone
- 1998 - When You WriteWhen You WriteWhen You Write is a 1998 EP by IBOPA. It is their last release, and was originally printed on red 7" vinyl by Pariah Records. It was later reissued on 7" by Can't Stop Eating on November 8, 2004....