The Picture is Dead
Encyclopedia
The Picture is Dead is an indie rock
band from Washington D.C. The band consists of Bryan Cornell (synth, effects), Sam Serafy (vocals), Patrick Timony (brother of Mary Timony
) (effects, keyboards), and James Wolf (violin). Darryl Dardenne once played with the band, but as of June 2006, is not part of the lineup. They have opened for Bardo Pond
, Mary Timony Band
, and fellow Washington D.C. band The Aquarium.
projected behind the band. (The origin of the band's name comes from the idea that photographs and drawings are merely illusions and not the real, living things they depict, hence "the picture is dead"). Some members of the band wear "scientist
" style labcoats during their performances, for reasons that are unclear.
CP251, Moog MF103 (Phaser), Korg
MS10, Metasonix TM-1SE, Blacet Time Machine, Blacet I/O module, Boss DD5 Delay, Mackie 1202 board, Shure SM 58 mic, Casio
PT-1.
maker.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Washington D.C. The band consists of Bryan Cornell (synth, effects), Sam Serafy (vocals), Patrick Timony (brother of Mary Timony
Mary Timony
Mary B. Timony is an American independent singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, and violist. She was a member of the bands Helium and Autoclave, and currently plays in Wild Flag.-Biography:...
) (effects, keyboards), and James Wolf (violin). Darryl Dardenne once played with the band, but as of June 2006, is not part of the lineup. They have opened for Bardo Pond
Bardo Pond
Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1991, and who are currently signed to London based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons , John Gibbons , Isobel Sollenberger , Clint Takeda , Jason Kourkonis , and Aaron Igler...
, Mary Timony Band
Mary Timony
Mary B. Timony is an American independent singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, and violist. She was a member of the bands Helium and Autoclave, and currently plays in Wild Flag.-Biography:...
, and fellow Washington D.C. band The Aquarium.
Music and performances
Their music is often very dark in both harmonic structure and lyrical content, and has a fluid sound due to their analogue electronic instrumentation. Their lyrics have been described as dry and witty. Their songs explore themes such as love and relationships ("I'm a Girl" and "Flowers & Candy"), prejudice ("Don't Shoot"), and death ("Visiting Day"). They place great emphasis on their live performances, which are accompanied by videosMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
projected behind the band. (The origin of the band's name comes from the idea that photographs and drawings are merely illusions and not the real, living things they depict, hence "the picture is dead"). Some members of the band wear "scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
" style labcoats during their performances, for reasons that are unclear.
Instruments
Instruments used by Bryan Cornell include: Frostwave Resonator, MoogMoog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
CP251, Moog MF103 (Phaser), Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
MS10, Metasonix TM-1SE, Blacet Time Machine, Blacet I/O module, Boss DD5 Delay, Mackie 1202 board, Shure SM 58 mic, Casio
Casio
is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its electronic products, such as calculators, audio equipment, PDAs, cameras, musical instruments, and watches...
PT-1.
Trivia
Both Bryan Cornell and Sam Serafy have worked as actors. Cornell is also a sound technician, and Serafy is a painter and experimental filmExperimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
maker.