Q and Not U
Encyclopedia
Q and Not U was a post-hardcore
band from Washington, D.C.
, signed to Dischord Records
. Members John Davis, Harris Klahr, Christopher Richards, and Matt Borlik formed the band in 1998. After Borlik's departure following the release of their first album, the band went on to record two more critically lauded LPs as a three-piece, exploring aspects of dance-punk
, and other disparate musical styles. Q and Not U disbanded in September 2005 after completing their touring commitments and a short farewell stand in Washington, D.C.
, in late 2000. It was marked by strongly rhythmic compositions with dissonant guitar and bass, though each song was built around unique melodies and danceable beats that cut through and rode on top of the swells of noise. Several reviewers described the music as "catchy", and this quality of oblique yet upbeat and endearing musicality would be a trademark of the band's future work, setting them apart from their aurally less forgiving D.C. hardcore peers and bringing them more into line with the budding dance-punk
scene.
Following extensive touring in 2000 and 2001, alongside bands like Engine Down
, Milemarker, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
, and El Guapo
, bassist Borlik was dismissed in November 2001. His absence prompted a more slimmed-down sound as reflected in 2002's Different Damage
. Guitarist Richards occasionally took a turn on bass guitar or keyboard and Klahr also incorporated keyboards, as well as a baritone guitar, though they left bass instruments out of some songs altogether, and the album is instead driven by ever-more complex and propulsive dance beats, razor sharp guitar licks ("So Many Animal Calls", "When the Lines Go Down"), and pronounced use of multiple overlapping vocals from each member of the band ("Snow Patterns", "No Damage Nocturne"). The album also expanded upon the small patches of hushed tapping cultivated on No Kill... ("We Heart Our Hive") into fully grown bodies of delicate rhythm ("Soft Pyramids"). The band toured extensively following the release, making their way through the U.S.
, Europe
, Canada
, and Japan
.
While Different Damage pulled a lot of sound out of very little equipment, the band put together Power
(2004) using a greater variety of instruments, most notably synths, melodicas and recorders and integrated these new sounds into more delicate, multi-faceted, and ever-more variegated songs. The use of guttural and aggressive bass synth rafts on "Wonderful People" and other songs is especially prominent and adds greater depth to the songs, as well as giving heightened value to the bass-less, jangly interludes throughout the album. The tensed and urgent vocal delivery that had been part of each previous release was also pushed to new limits, now developing into falsetto ("Throw Back Your Head") and startling choral arrangements ("District Night Prayer") that had been previously unexplored.
"After seven years, hundreds of shows, thousands of miles, 46 states, four continents, three albums, only one flat-tire and countless nicknames for Shawn Brackbill, Q and Not U is disbanding," wrote band member Chris Richards.
"With all of your support, we feel that we've reached all of our shared goals as Q and Not U and we're ready to move on to other projects in life. We all hope to play music together again someday, but we feel that it's a beautiful and natural time to bring this band to a close."
Richards continued to play under the moniker Ris Paul Ric
, a solo project he started in January 2005, and released Purple Blaze in November 2005 on Brooklyn-based label Academy Fight Song, followed by an 180 gram LP version of Purple Blaze in May 2007 co-released by Academy Fight Song and Mightier Than Sword Records
. Davis played in Georgie James
, whose debut album Places was released in September 2007 by Saddle Creek Records. Following the breakup of Georgie James, Davis recorded a single for Dischord Records
and a full-length album for The Ernest Jenning Record Co. with his solo project, Title Tracks
. Klahr contributed a remix of "Wonderful People" on the 2005 remix EP available at their last shows under the name President, and is currently playing in a band called Chantees in New York City
. The debut President full length, Take Music, was digitally released by the Friends
label in September 2007.
In 2009, Richards was named Pop Critic for The Washington Post
.
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
band from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, signed to Dischord Records
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in the independent punk music of the D.C.-area music scene. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles...
. Members John Davis, Harris Klahr, Christopher Richards, and Matt Borlik formed the band in 1998. After Borlik's departure following the release of their first album, the band went on to record two more critically lauded LPs as a three-piece, exploring aspects of dance-punk
Dance-punk
Dance-punk is a music genre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the post-punk and No Wave movements.-Predecessors:...
, and other disparate musical styles. Q and Not U disbanded in September 2005 after completing their touring commitments and a short farewell stand in Washington, D.C.
Music
John Davis, Harris Klahr, Christopher Richards, and Matt Borlik formed Q and Not U in the summer of 1998 and began playing shows in the D.C. area later that November. They released their first album, No Kill No Beep BeepNo Kill No Beep Beep
No Kill No Beep Beep was the debut album from Q and Not U that was released on October 24, 2000. It was produced and engineered by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara...
, in late 2000. It was marked by strongly rhythmic compositions with dissonant guitar and bass, though each song was built around unique melodies and danceable beats that cut through and rode on top of the swells of noise. Several reviewers described the music as "catchy", and this quality of oblique yet upbeat and endearing musicality would be a trademark of the band's future work, setting them apart from their aurally less forgiving D.C. hardcore peers and bringing them more into line with the budding dance-punk
Dance-punk
Dance-punk is a music genre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the post-punk and No Wave movements.-Predecessors:...
scene.
Following extensive touring in 2000 and 2001, alongside bands like Engine Down
Engine Down
Engine Down was a four-piece rock band from Richmond, Virginia, active from 1996-2005. They were a part of the Washington, D.C. area post-hardcore movement, along with bands like The Dismemberment Plan, Q and Not U, and Faraquet...
, Milemarker, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. and currently recording for Matador Records. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured internationally...
, and El Guapo
El Guapo
El Guapo can refer to:* El Guapo , a comic book character and a member of the superhero team X-Statix.* El Guapo, Miranda State, a town located at Miranda State, Venezuela....
, bassist Borlik was dismissed in November 2001. His absence prompted a more slimmed-down sound as reflected in 2002's Different Damage
Different Damage
Different Damage is a Q and Not U album that was recorded at Inner Ear Studios in May/June 2002 and released in October 2002 on Dischord Records. It was engineered and produced by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara and mastered by Chad Clark at Silver Sonya...
. Guitarist Richards occasionally took a turn on bass guitar or keyboard and Klahr also incorporated keyboards, as well as a baritone guitar, though they left bass instruments out of some songs altogether, and the album is instead driven by ever-more complex and propulsive dance beats, razor sharp guitar licks ("So Many Animal Calls", "When the Lines Go Down"), and pronounced use of multiple overlapping vocals from each member of the band ("Snow Patterns", "No Damage Nocturne"). The album also expanded upon the small patches of hushed tapping cultivated on No Kill... ("We Heart Our Hive") into fully grown bodies of delicate rhythm ("Soft Pyramids"). The band toured extensively following the release, making their way through the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
While Different Damage pulled a lot of sound out of very little equipment, the band put together Power
Power (Q and Not U album)
Power was the 3rd and final album by Q and Not U. It was released on October 5 of 2004. After touring in support of the album, the group disbanded in September 2005. The album was co-produced by Pete Cafarella and Rafael Cohen . All tracking was done at The Love Story in Brooklyn, NY...
(2004) using a greater variety of instruments, most notably synths, melodicas and recorders and integrated these new sounds into more delicate, multi-faceted, and ever-more variegated songs. The use of guttural and aggressive bass synth rafts on "Wonderful People" and other songs is especially prominent and adds greater depth to the songs, as well as giving heightened value to the bass-less, jangly interludes throughout the album. The tensed and urgent vocal delivery that had been part of each previous release was also pushed to new limits, now developing into falsetto ("Throw Back Your Head") and startling choral arrangements ("District Night Prayer") that had been previously unexplored.
Miscellaneous details
- Q and Not U released very little non-album material; all of the band's songs have been included on one of their three LPs, except for three tracks: "Busy Lights, Busy Carpet," from their debut single, 'Hot and InformedHot and InformedHot and Informed is a 7" and the debut release from the band Q and Not U. It was recorded at Inner Ear Studios in November 1999 and released in April 2000 on Dischord/Desoto Records. It was produced and engineered by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara. Cover photography was taken by Shawn Brackbill on...
', "Ten Thousand Animal Calls," from On Play PatternsOn Play PatternsOn Play Patterns is a Q and Not U EP that was recorded at Inner Ear Studios in January 2002 and released on Dischord Records in April 2002 on both CD and 7" formats. It was produced and engineered by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara. Cover art photography was taken by Shawn Brackbill at the National...
, and a cover of Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down" from the compilation Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again.
- On Play PatternsOn Play PatternsOn Play Patterns is a Q and Not U EP that was recorded at Inner Ear Studios in January 2002 and released on Dischord Records in April 2002 on both CD and 7" formats. It was produced and engineered by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara. Cover art photography was taken by Shawn Brackbill at the National...
and the Book of Flags/X-Polynation single contain different recordings of tracks that also appeared on full-lengths.
"After seven years, hundreds of shows, thousands of miles, 46 states, four continents, three albums, only one flat-tire and countless nicknames for Shawn Brackbill, Q and Not U is disbanding," wrote band member Chris Richards.
"With all of your support, we feel that we've reached all of our shared goals as Q and Not U and we're ready to move on to other projects in life. We all hope to play music together again someday, but we feel that it's a beautiful and natural time to bring this band to a close."
Final band members
- Harris Klahr – guitar, vocals, synths, etc.
- Christopher Richards – guitar, vocals, synths, etc.
- John Davis – drums, percussion, vocals, etc.
Richards continued to play under the moniker Ris Paul Ric
Ris Paul Ric
Ris Paul Ric is a solo project of Christopher Paul Richards, formerly of Washington, DC-area Dance-punk group Q and Not U. In 2005 Richards released his debut album, Purple Blaze, which combined elements of folk, funk, and ambient electronica, and toured in support of the album.The name "Ris Paul...
, a solo project he started in January 2005, and released Purple Blaze in November 2005 on Brooklyn-based label Academy Fight Song, followed by an 180 gram LP version of Purple Blaze in May 2007 co-released by Academy Fight Song and Mightier Than Sword Records
Mightier Than Sword Records
Mightier Than Sword Records is an independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York. Its releases are not confined to any particular genre, though most fall within the punk/hardcore genre and also socially/politically conscious bands. A majority of releases are on vinyl...
. Davis played in Georgie James
Georgie James
Georgie James was an indie pop/rock group from Washington D.C. composed of John Davis and Laura Burhenn.When Q and Not U called it quits in 2005 after releasing three albums, the band split into three different projects: Ris Paul Ric, a folk/electronic solo effort from Chris Richards; Harris Klahr...
, whose debut album Places was released in September 2007 by Saddle Creek Records. Following the breakup of Georgie James, Davis recorded a single for Dischord Records
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in the independent punk music of the D.C.-area music scene. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles...
and a full-length album for The Ernest Jenning Record Co. with his solo project, Title Tracks
Title Tracks
Title Tracks is the indie pop/rock solo project from Washington D.C.-based musician John Davis .In early 2008, although still a member of the band Georgie James, Davis began writing the songs that would form the basis for his first solo record...
. Klahr contributed a remix of "Wonderful People" on the 2005 remix EP available at their last shows under the name President, and is currently playing in a band called Chantees in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The debut President full length, Take Music, was digitally released by the Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
label in September 2007.
In 2009, Richards was named Pop Critic for The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
.
Albums
- No Kill No Beep BeepNo Kill No Beep BeepNo Kill No Beep Beep was the debut album from Q and Not U that was released on October 24, 2000. It was produced and engineered by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara...
(Dischord, October 2000) - Different DamageDifferent DamageDifferent Damage is a Q and Not U album that was recorded at Inner Ear Studios in May/June 2002 and released in October 2002 on Dischord Records. It was engineered and produced by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara and mastered by Chad Clark at Silver Sonya...
(Dischord, October 2002) - PowerPower (Q and Not U album)Power was the 3rd and final album by Q and Not U. It was released on October 5 of 2004. After touring in support of the album, the group disbanded in September 2005. The album was co-produced by Pete Cafarella and Rafael Cohen . All tracking was done at The Love Story in Brooklyn, NY...
(Dischord, October 2004)
Singles
- Hot and InformedHot and InformedHot and Informed is a 7" and the debut release from the band Q and Not U. It was recorded at Inner Ear Studios in November 1999 and released in April 2000 on Dischord/Desoto Records. It was produced and engineered by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara. Cover photography was taken by Shawn Brackbill on...
(Dischord/Desoto, April 2000) - On Play PatternsOn Play PatternsOn Play Patterns is a Q and Not U EP that was recorded at Inner Ear Studios in January 2002 and released on Dischord Records in April 2002 on both CD and 7" formats. It was produced and engineered by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara. Cover art photography was taken by Shawn Brackbill at the National...
(Dischord, April 2002) - X-Polynation/Book of FlagsX-Polynation/Book of FlagsX-Polynation/Book of Flags is a two-song EP by Q and Not U, recorded at Inner Ear Studios in June 2003 and released in September 2003 by Dischord Records. It can be found on both CD and 7" formats. Photography by Shawn Brackbill....
(Dischord, September 2003) - Wonderful People Remix EPWonderful People Remix EPQ and Not U's Wonderful People Remix EP contains three remixes of the song "Wonderful People" from the album Power and is 17 minutes long. It was released in September 2005, in time for the band's two farewell shows.-Track listing:...
(Dischord, September 2005)
External links
- Dischord Records Band Site
- Pitchfork Media, interview with the band (January 2005)
- http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postrock/2009/08/finally_chris_richards_has_com.html, Richards joins Washington Post
- http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/articles/chris+richards/, Rich Jones articles on WashingtonPost.com