Tina Root
Encyclopedia
Tina Root also now known as Tina Minero, is an American
classically trained female vocalist and songwriter
from Los Angeles, California
, perhaps most famous for her work performing as the lead singer of Switchblade Symphony
during the mid-to-late-1990s. Her current work includes a solo performance and recording project, Tre Lux
, and a partnership project, called Small Halo, with guitarist and fellow songwriter George Earth
.
, California
and still resides there. She is a classically trained vocalist with a background in musical theater. She married in June 2002 and has a daughter, Gabriella Star Minero, who was born in June 2007.
She formed the San Francisco
-based band Switchblade Symphony in 1989, with composer Susan Wallace. They performed and recorded with several other band members over the years, including guitarists Robin Jacobs and George Earth
, and drummers Eric Gebow, and Scott van Shoick. They released several records on Cleopatra Records
, including the critically acclaimed albums Serpentine Gallery
in 1995, Scrapbook
in 1997, Bread and Jam for Frances
in 1997 and The Three Calamities
in 1999, and performed international tours in support of those albums until the group disbanded in 1999.
In April 2001, she created the solo trip hop
project, Tre Lux
, performing her first show as Tre Lux in Montreal, Canada in January 2002, with the help of San Francisco duo BeatDestruct. She has so far recorded one full-length album as Tre Lux (also known as Tré Lux), entitled A Strange Gathering, released in 2006 and featuring her covers of several other artists' hits, including one from Switchblade Symphony, Bad Trash.
In 2008, she reunited musically with former Switchblade Symphony guitarist George Earth to form Small Halo; a project that has so far recorded one self-titled five-song EP, which they released in 2009.
In 2010, Tina recorded vocals on the MC Lars
song, Reaping Beauty, inspired by the SEGA
game Bayonetta
, which was included on the 2011 second re-release of Lars' album 21 Concepts (But a Hit Ain't One)
.
As Tre Lux
With Small Halo
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classically trained female vocalist and songwriter
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...
from Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, perhaps most famous for her work performing as the lead singer of Switchblade Symphony
Switchblade Symphony
Switchblade Symphony was a San Francisco, United States–based band which was formed in 1989 by composer Susan Wallace and vocalist Tina Root. They released their first album in 1995 on the Cleopatra Records label...
during the mid-to-late-1990s. Her current work includes a solo performance and recording project, Tre Lux
Tré Lux
Tre Lux is the solo trip hop project of Tina Root, the vocalist of Switchblade Symphony.-A Strange Gathering:Her first full-length album, A Strange Gathering, was released September 19, 2006...
, and a partnership project, called Small Halo, with guitarist and fellow songwriter George Earth
George Earth
George Earth is an American musician, guitarist, songwriter, composer, music producer, comic book artist, and talk show host from Echo Park, California...
.
Biography
Tina Root was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and still resides there. She is a classically trained vocalist with a background in musical theater. She married in June 2002 and has a daughter, Gabriella Star Minero, who was born in June 2007.
She formed the San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
-based band Switchblade Symphony in 1989, with composer Susan Wallace. They performed and recorded with several other band members over the years, including guitarists Robin Jacobs and George Earth
George Earth
George Earth is an American musician, guitarist, songwriter, composer, music producer, comic book artist, and talk show host from Echo Park, California...
, and drummers Eric Gebow, and Scott van Shoick. They released several records on Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
, including the critically acclaimed albums Serpentine Gallery
Serpentine Gallery (album)
First released in 1995, Serpentine Gallery is the debut album of gothic rock duo Switchblade Symphony. A deluxe edition with a bonus disc was released in 2005.-Track listing:# "Bad Trash" – 3:42# "Dissolve" – 4:31# "Wallflower" – 4:58...
in 1995, Scrapbook
Scrapbook (ep)
This self-released limited edition EP was only available at Switchblade Symphony gigs.In the cover is the message "This collection of recordings, a limited edition unavailable in stores, was compiled for our dedicated fans whose supports has helped make this tour possible...
in 1997, Bread and Jam for Frances
Bread and Jam for Frances
Released in 1997, Bread and Jam for Frances is the second album by Switchblade Symphony. It was recorded at Brilliant Studios in San Francisco and Private Island Trax in Hollywood and mastered at Private Island Trax...
in 1997 and The Three Calamities
The Three Calamities
-Track listing:# "Invisible" – 3:56# "Wicked" – 4:18# "Naked Birthday" – 4:11# "Invitation" – 3:23# "Fear" – 3:59# "Monsters" – 2:00# "Therapy" – 4:13# "Copycat" – 4:52# "Green" – 7:12 # "Into the Sky" – 4:10...
in 1999, and performed international tours in support of those albums until the group disbanded in 1999.
In April 2001, she created the solo trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
project, Tre Lux
Tré Lux
Tre Lux is the solo trip hop project of Tina Root, the vocalist of Switchblade Symphony.-A Strange Gathering:Her first full-length album, A Strange Gathering, was released September 19, 2006...
, performing her first show as Tre Lux in Montreal, Canada in January 2002, with the help of San Francisco duo BeatDestruct. She has so far recorded one full-length album as Tre Lux (also known as Tré Lux), entitled A Strange Gathering, released in 2006 and featuring her covers of several other artists' hits, including one from Switchblade Symphony, Bad Trash.
In 2008, she reunited musically with former Switchblade Symphony guitarist George Earth to form Small Halo; a project that has so far recorded one self-titled five-song EP, which they released in 2009.
In 2010, Tina recorded vocals on the MC Lars
MC Lars
Andrew Robert MacFarlane Nielsen is an American rapper, known by his stage name MC Lars. He is the self-proclaimed originator of "post-punk laptop rap". He was one of the first underground rappers to sample and reference post-punk and emo bands...
song, Reaping Beauty, inspired by the SEGA
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
game Bayonetta
Bayonetta
is a hack and slash action game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 developed by Platinum Games in cooperation with publisher Sega. Set in a fictional city in Europe, the game centers on its title character, Bayonetta, who uses pistols and magical attacks to defeat enemies...
, which was included on the 2011 second re-release of Lars' album 21 Concepts (But a Hit Ain't One)
21 Concepts (But a Hit Ain't One)
21 Concepts is a collection of MC Lars' B-sides, collaborations and remixes. It was originally released via his website in 2007, and was re-released - with a different tracklisting - on CD in 2010....
.
Discography
With Switchblade Symphony- Full-length albums and EPs
- Serpentine GallerySerpentine Gallery (album)First released in 1995, Serpentine Gallery is the debut album of gothic rock duo Switchblade Symphony. A deluxe edition with a bonus disc was released in 2005.-Track listing:# "Bad Trash" – 3:42# "Dissolve" – 4:31# "Wallflower" – 4:58...
(19951995 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
) - ScrapbookScrapbook (ep)This self-released limited edition EP was only available at Switchblade Symphony gigs.In the cover is the message "This collection of recordings, a limited edition unavailable in stores, was compiled for our dedicated fans whose supports has helped make this tour possible...
(19971997 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
) (out of print) - Bread and Jam for FrancesBread and Jam for FrancesReleased in 1997, Bread and Jam for Frances is the second album by Switchblade Symphony. It was recorded at Brilliant Studios in San Francisco and Private Island Trax in Hollywood and mastered at Private Island Trax...
(1997) - The Three CalamitiesThe Three Calamities-Track listing:# "Invisible" – 3:56# "Wicked" – 4:18# "Naked Birthday" – 4:11# "Invitation" – 3:23# "Fear" – 3:59# "Monsters" – 2:00# "Therapy" – 4:13# "Copycat" – 4:52# "Green" – 7:12 # "Into the Sky" – 4:10...
(19991999 in music-Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia....
) - Sinister NostalgiaSinister Nostalgia-Track listing:# "Sweet" – 6:52# "Dollhouse" – 4:56# "Dissolve" – 5:14# "Cocoon" – 5:20# "Clown" – 4:57# "Insect" – 4:15...
(20012001 in musicSee also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....
) (remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es) - Sweet Little Witches (20032003 in music-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...
) (live performances and video track) - Serpentine Gallery DeluxeSerpentine Gallery (album)First released in 1995, Serpentine Gallery is the debut album of gothic rock duo Switchblade Symphony. A deluxe edition with a bonus disc was released in 2005.-Track listing:# "Bad Trash" – 3:42# "Dissolve" – 4:31# "Wallflower" – 4:58...
(20052005 in music-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
)
- Serpentine Gallery
- Singles
- Clown (19961996 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
) - Drool (19971997 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
)
- Clown (1996
- Other
- Fable (19911991 in musicSee also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...
) (out of print demo cassette) - Elegy (19921992 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.-January–February:*January 11**Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to #1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s....
) (out of print demo cassette) - Girlscout (single) (recorded with Jack Off JillJack Off JillJack Off Jill was an American alternative rock band from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by Jessica Fodera, Tenni Arslanyan, Robin Moulder, and Michelle Oliver. Though these four young women were the initial founders, twelve members rotated through the group in its lifespan, including...
) (19981998 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
)
- Fable (1991
- Compilations
- From The Machine, featured the song: "Mine Eyes" (Index Records, 1990)
- Gothic Rock Volume 2: 80's Into 90'sGothic Rock Volume 2: 80's Into 90'sGothic Rock Volume 2: 80's Into 90's is the second of a trio of double-disc Gothic Rock compilations produced by Cleopatra Records. Jungle Records has also released the album . The album also features an article on the development of the Gothic Rock movement by Mick Mercer...
(1995) - Gothik (1995) (re-released in 20062006 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
) - Wired Injections (1996)
- Gothic Divas Presents: Switchblade Symphony, Tre Lux, and New Skin (Cleopatra, 2006)
- Psycho Tina's Hell House Of Horrors, featured the song "Witches (Live)" (Cleopatra)
As Tre Lux
- A Strange Gathering Album (20062006 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
) covers
With Small Halo
- Small Halo EP (20092009 in musicThe following is a list of notable events and releases in 2009 in music. Susan Boyle's album I Dreamed a Dream became the biggest selling album in the world for 2009, selling 8.3 million copies in five weeks; more than any other artist's in the whole year...
)
External links
- Switchblade Symphony on Myspace
- Tre Lux on Myspace
- Official page for Tre Lux
- Small Halo on myspace