The Amino Acids (band)
Encyclopedia
The Amino Acids are an extraterrestrial surf punk band based out of Detroit Michigan
. They began playing music in 1998 at local Detroit bars. The first members being Reverend Angry Larry-Guitar, Prof. Mobitz McGill-Bass, Pope James Hartwick-Theremin,Sampler & stage media, The Boston Carver 2nd Guitar and Sen Thompson Speck-Batterie.
s until 2010, when they stated to retire. They still occasionally play at concerts and the religious holiday X-Day. They have been doing so for over a decade.
, Dick Dale
, The Mummies
, The Dwarves, bands with no vocals...” They take pride in being one of the only surf-core bands in Detroit, and claim to push the boundaries with their music. They are unique in the aspect that they never speak, to anyone. The only lyrics that can be heard during one of their concerts is an audio recording of an unknown voice.
in many of their songs and the playing of that instrument becomes a performance of it's own. There is generally one Amino jumping around the stage and diving onto the crowd who does not play anything. He just adds to the excitement and rallies the crowds attention. Occasionally they will bring audience members up on stage and have them play the theremin or ask for smashing assistance.
and creating as much chaos as being played on the stage.
. It is really quite compelling, sharing the true nature and intensity of an Amino Acid.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. They began playing music in 1998 at local Detroit bars. The first members being Reverend Angry Larry-Guitar, Prof. Mobitz McGill-Bass, Pope James Hartwick-Theremin,Sampler & stage media, The Boston Carver 2nd Guitar and Sen Thompson Speck-Batterie.
History
The band started performing in 1998,their first performance being at Grosstock; a day long music festival sponsored by Fraser MI music store Huber & Breese. They claim to be alien life forms that have taken the bodies of unsuspecting humans. Instead of doing the typical alien things they decided to play surf-rock instead. The Amino Acids have been known to regularly play at Old Miami, Magic Stick, The Lager House, and Small's. They are a part of the parody religion The Church of the SubGenius. Their name is all important because “Without us you would die”. They headlined many SubGenius DevivalDevival
Devival is a term used by both the Church of the Subgenius and later Discordianism for a gathering or festival of followers. The name is a pun on Christian revivals.-SubGenius Devivals:-Historical:...
s until 2010, when they stated to retire. They still occasionally play at concerts and the religious holiday X-Day. They have been doing so for over a decade.
Musical Style
The band plays non vocal surf punk music. Their sound can be best described as mechanic, hyper aware, and instrumental. They are influenced by “DEVODevo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
, Dick Dale
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
, The Mummies
The Mummies
The Mummies are an American garage punk band from San Mateo, California formed in 1988.-Showmanship:Originally hailing from San Mateo, California, the band was formed by Trent Ruane , Maz Kattuah , Larry Winther and Russell Quan . They became a key part of San Francisco's burgeoning garage punk...
, The Dwarves, bands with no vocals...” They take pride in being one of the only surf-core bands in Detroit, and claim to push the boundaries with their music. They are unique in the aspect that they never speak, to anyone. The only lyrics that can be heard during one of their concerts is an audio recording of an unknown voice.
Members
The Amino Acids do not have a set group of members. They change performers quite often and have gone through over 14, which have all been male. The two who have been with the band the longest are Reverend Angry Larry on Guitar and Sen Thompson Speck on Drums. Currently the other members are Duke Reginald Von Hasselhoff on Theremin, Scout Master Hank Bloodfist on Bass.Performances
The stage presence of The Amino Acids is incredibly important. They dress in all black clothing and wear a protective white plastic like skin Depending on the venue of the concert, they will destroy a various amount of things. Their favorite thing to destroy at the end of a concert is t.v. sets. Yet they will smash their instruments, amps, and anything else they can get their hands on. Quite often the drummers seat is destroyed in the process and he has to finish the gig half standing. They feature the thereminTheremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
in many of their songs and the playing of that instrument becomes a performance of it's own. There is generally one Amino jumping around the stage and diving onto the crowd who does not play anything. He just adds to the excitement and rallies the crowds attention. Occasionally they will bring audience members up on stage and have them play the theremin or ask for smashing assistance.
Audience
The audience at performances can vary depending on the location. Every concert is sure to have at least a few SubGeni, be packed from wall to wall with people dressed in strange attire and have many punk rockers. The audience is usually involved in the performance as well as the musicians. They have the important role of moshingMoshing
Moshing is a dance in which participants push or slam into each other. They also flail their limbs to breakdowns of hardcore punk and its sub-genres. It is most associated with aggressive music genres, such as hardcore punk and heavy metal...
and creating as much chaos as being played on the stage.
Contribution to Society
The Amino Acids perform most often for independent purposes. Being from an alien planet their motives are unknown to humans. A human writing a bio on them is rather counterproductive because only they know the truth. The media has portrayed them as just another weird underground band, but they are more. They unite the members of the SubGenius religion with a shared experience of music, and they just like to smash things.Media
The Amino Acids have also been the subjects in a movie titled The Amino Show. A 3 part film by local Detroit Filmmaker Colin Duerr. It tells (in a round about way) why the Amino acids are on this planet and what their intentions are or may be! There was supposed to be 4 parts,It was never completed due to other commitments. In the beginning, it was required to watch the movie before an Amino concert during X-DayX-Day
X-Day may refer to:* X-Day , a festival associated with the Church of the SubGenius* X-Day , a 2002 manga written by Setona Mizushiro* March 20, 2003 anti-war protest, a protests against the Iraq War...
. It is really quite compelling, sharing the true nature and intensity of an Amino Acid.
Discography
The Amino Acids, being a live preforming band, focus more on gigs than recording many albums. Their music is meant to be watched live with the stage performance.- We Are Alien? released 2001 6 Song EP very rare to find. This was the only recording to feature 5 Amino's in the band at once.
- Man... In The Universe released 30 June 2003 which consists of 12 songs. It's genre is garage/punk/surf. The record label is the “Amino Recordings/Bowl-O-Phonic Records”, it is listed as indie, meaning independently signed.
- Destroy The Warming Sun! Bowl-O-Phonic records, released 2004.
- Bowling In Roswell, released 2005
- Humanity will fall like pins recorded 30 November 2006. It is published by Aminoacidsmusic 2007 and features twenty-one songs.