Biota (band)

Biota
Also known as	Mnemonist Orchestra, Mnemonists
Origin	Colorado, United States
Genres	Avant-rock
Years active	1979–present
Labels	Dys, Recommended
Website	biotamusic.com
Members
James Gardner Tom Katsimpalis Andy Kredt Mark Piersel Steve Scholbe William Sharp C.W. Vrtacek Gordon Whitlow Larry Wilson Randy Yeates Kristianne Gale
Past members
Mark Derbyshire

Biota are an American avant-rock musical collective. They have released several albums. David Newgarden wrote, "Biota is not even remotely like any other group I can think of" in a review of their 1995 album, Object Holder.

Musical career

The band formed in 1979 in Fort Collins, Colorado as Mnemonist Orchestra (later Mnemonists) led by Mark Derbyshire and William Sharp and recorded five albums on their own self-produced label, Dys. In the mid 1980s they split into a visual arts group retaining the Mnemonists name and a musical group called Biota.

Almost Never (1992) features three long compositions. The band's line-up was James Gardner, Tom Katsimpalis, Steve Scholbe, Sharp, Gordon Whitlow, Larry Wilson and Randy Yeates. The band's membership remained the same on Object Holder (Recommended Records, 1995). Artwork for Object Holder was by Mnemonists: Ken DeVries, Bill Ellsworth, Katsimpalis, Dana Sharp, Stan Starbuck, Ann Stretton, E.M. Thomas, Dirk Vallons, Wilson, Kyle Yeates and Randy Yeates. Musical guest appearances on the album are by drummer/lyricist Chris Cutler, vocalist Susanne Lewis, Andy Kredt, and Forever Einstein's Charles Vrtacek (now known as Charles O'Meara) on piano, who later joined the band fully. Object Holder was their first album to include lyrics.

Genevieve Heistek (of Set Fire to Flames and HṚṢṬA) joined the band for Invisible Map (2001), which otherwise included Gardner, Katsimpalis, Andy Kredt, Mark Piersel, Scholbe, Sharp, O'Meara (a.k.a. Vrtacek), Whitlow, Wilson and R. Yeates.

The band have only performed live twice: once in 1981, and in Montreal in 1990. The latter performance was eventually released as Musique Actuelle 1990.

Discography

As Mnemonist Orchestra

• Mnemonist Orchestra (LP, 1979, DYS 01, Dys Records)
• Some Attributes of a Living System (LP, 1980, DYS 02, Dys Records)

As Mnemonists

• Horde (LP, 1981, DYS 03, Dys Records)
• Roto-Limbs (Cassette, 1981, DYS 06, Dys Records)
• Biota (LP, 1982, DYS 07, Dys Records)
• Gyromancy (LP, 1984, DYS 10, Dys Records)
• "Nailed/Tic" (7", 1984, Recommended Records)

As Biota

• Rackabones (2xLP, 1985, DYS 12, Dys Records)
• Bellowing Room (LP, 1987, Recommended Records)
• Tinct (LP, 1988, Recommended Records)
  • Bellowing Room/Tinct (subsequently released together on single CD, 1990, by Recommended Records)
• Awry (10", 1989, Recommended Records)
• Tumble (CD, 1989, Recommended Records)
• Almost Never (CD, 1992, Recommended Records)
• Object Holder (CD, 1995, Recommended Records)
• Invisible Map (CD, 2001, Recommended Records)
• Musique Actuelle 1990 (taken from a 1990 live show, CD, 2004, Anomalous Records)
• Half a True Day (CD, 2007, Recommended Records)

Guest appearances

• "Early Rest Home" on Rē Records Quarterly Vol.1 No.3 (LP, Recommended Records Rē 0103, 1986)
  • also released on RēR Quarterly Selections from Vol. 1 (Recommended Records, 1991)
• "Walk Aside" on Rē Records Quarterly Vol.4 No.1 (LP, Recommended Records RēR 0401, 1994)
• Art Bears: The Art Box (2003, remixes)

External links

• Biota homepage
• Mnemonists/Biota at Piero Scaruffi
• Biota discography at Discogs
• Mnemonists discography at Discogs
• Biota at Allmusic
• The Mnemonists at Allmusic