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===Nation of Ulysses===
===Nation of Ulysses===
{{main|Nation of Ulysses}}
{{main|Nation of Ulysses}}
Svenonius' first musical group was [[Nation of Ulysses]]. The band formed in spring 1988, initially composed of four members, Svenonius on [[Singer|vocals]] and [[trumpet]], Steve Kroner on [[guitar]], Steve Gamboa on [[bass guitar]], and James Canty on [[Drum kit|drums]], and known simply as "Ulysses". In late 1989, Tim Green joined the band as a second guitarist and the band was renamed to "Nation of Ulysses".<ref name="Membership Profiles">{{cite web
| title = Who are the Nation of Ulysses?
| publisher = [[Southern Records]]
| url = http://www.southern.net/southern/band/ULYSS/lineup.html
| accessdate = 2007-06-08}}</ref> The Nation of Ulysses described themselves not as a rock and roll group in the traditional sense, but "as a [[political party]]"<ref name="Make-Up biography" /> and as "a shout of secession".<ref name="Cheslow">{{cite web
| last = Cheslow
| first = S.
| title = Nation of Ulysses interview - 1989
| publisher = Interrobang?! #1 (1989)
| url = http://www.mindspring.com/~acheslow/AuntMary/bang/nou.html
⚫
| accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref> Explaining their intent, Svenonius said "it's basically a new nation underground for the dispossessed youth colony. It's all about smashing the old edifice, the monolith of [[rock and roll]]".<ref name="Dundas">{{cite web
| last = Dundas
| first = Zach
| title = The Nation of Ulysses
| publisher = Mumblage #1 (January 1993)
| date = 1993-01
| url = http://www.mumblage.com/ulysses.html
| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20051027215306/http://www.mumblage.com/ulysses.html
| archivedate = 2005-11-27
| accessdate = 2006-12-10}}</ref>


Ian Svenonius' first musical formation was The [[Nation of Ulysses]].
In 1991, before the band had released any official recordings, Svenonius was featured as teen-oriented ''[[Sassy Magazine]]'''s first and only "Sassiest Boy in America". He was interviewed in the magazine's October issue, detailing the band's sound and political motivations.<ref name="NY Night Train">{{cite web
| title = New York Night Train One-Year Anniversary
| publisher = New York Night Train
| date = 2006
| url = http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/events/halloween.html
| accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref> Svenonius stated that the Nation of Ulysses' intent was "to create a space of liberation where anything’s possible". He criticized "traditional rock-and-roll" groups like [[New Kids on the Block]] as "pretty much just pap and product" and as a "corrupt medium". The contest was reportedly a "nationwide search for the most perfect boyfriend material a girl could ask for", and Svenonius was among 150 entries.


This was not a rock 'n' roll group in the normal sense but ''the group as [[political party]].''
Nation of Ulysses was known for their extremely physical performances, during which Svenonius recalls many injuries, including breaking his arm, his leg, and his skull on numerous occasions. Audience members were also hurt during some performances. Svenonius described Nation of Ulysses performances as "an extraordinary freak-out kind of thing [...] really [[masochistic]], lots of blood [...] cacophonous, and violent, and aggressive".<ref name="Dissonance" />


⚫
Explaining their intent, Svenonius said ''"it's basically a new nation underground for the'' '''''dispossessed youth colony.''''' ''It's all about smashing the old edifice, the monolith of [[rock and roll.]]"''[[3]]
The group disbanded in the fall <!--Northern or Southern Hemisphere autumn? Use month(s)-->of 1992 having failed to complete their third album (the finished tracks were later released as ''[[The Embassy Tapes]]'' in 2000). In a later interview, Svenonius explained the reason for the split: "Nation of Ulysses broke up because the epoch changed with the advent of [[digital audio|digital music]] and the [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] explosion. We were faced with what's now known as [[indie rock]], a sort of vacuous form. We had to determine our next move and this [the forming of [[The Make-Up]]] is it".<ref name="Steady Diet">{{cite web

| title = Steady Diet fanzine - April 98
Asked about their use of the medium they claimed to counteract--rock 'n' roll--he declared
| publisher = Steady Diet, April 1998
''"Well, it's a [[camouflage]], to allow for movement, revolutionary liberation from the constraints of everyday composure, basically allowing anybody to move in anyway that they want and to lift spirit to a plateau to destroy'' '''''parent culture."'''''[[3]]
| url = http://www.southern.com/southern/band/MAKUP/Int_Steady_diet.html

| accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref>
[[Nation of Ulysses]] claimed not to make records, but weapons. Discussing their second release, he asserted:
''" . . it's like a blueprint for the destruction of the Parent Culture. It's like a'' '''''[[zip gun]]'''''. ''It's an instruction pamphlet for kids on how to destroy their home life, you know,'' '''''their domestic state."'''''[[3]]

Although their first album was named ''"13 Point Program To Destroy America"'' [[Nation of Ulysses]] didn't align themselves with a particular political philosophy:
''"We don't usually address normal political dictums. We aim toward the everyday fixtures of life, like [[aesthetics]], sound, non-spoken things that are inherently political in nature instead of, like bogus politicians who focus on glossy surface issues which avoid any kind of revolutionary change."''

[[Nation of Ulysses]] record sleeves were festooned with broadsides inspired by the Futurist screeds of [[F. T. Marinetti]], the situationist polemics of [[Debord]] and [[Raoul Vaneigem]], and the bulletins of the [[Black Panther Party|BPP]]. Their ideology and clothing were largely influenced also by politicized [[60's]] [[street gangs]] like The [[Vice Lords]] (Nation) and the [[Vice Lords|VLN]]'s pantherized kin The (Almighty) [[Black P. Stones]] Nation.

[[Nation of Ulysses]] record covers were direct homages to [[El Lissitzky]] and [[Rodchenko]], [[Russian Constructivists]] from the [[20's]] and [[30's]].

They made a fanzine called "Ulysses Speaks" which was an extension of the [[ideology]] propagated in their liner notes.

Svenonius described the [[Nation of Ulysses]] as ''"a shout of secession. We don't want to be involved with the [[United States]] and the structure that exists. We've introduced a whole new form of currency that takes its form in garbage...we indulge peoples' repressed whims and make them banal in doing so. We basically want to create a new sense of who we are community-wise.'' '''''A nation of youths."'''''

Besides [[punk rock|punk]] rock 'n' roll, [[Nation of Ulysses]] incorporated elements of [[doo-wop]], [[R&B]], and [[avant-jazz]] in their sound. One of their mottos was '''"Look Out . . . Soul Is Back!"'''

Starting life simply as '[[Ulysses]],' The Nation of Ulysses was four members until the addition of guitarist [[Tim Green]] late in [[1989]]. This is when the band changed from [[idealism]] to [[actionism]].

Nation Of Ulysses toured extensively in [[USA]] and [[Europe]] with bands like [[Beat Happening]], [[Fugazi]], [[Bikini Kill]], [[Bratmobile]], [[Slant 6]] among others, and were known for their extremely physical performances, with incidents of broken bones and other injuries suffered by the members. They usually wore suits and greased hair on stage, although they sometimes wore matching shirts and pants of a more casual nature.

In late [[1992]], the '''NOU''' disbanded, with [[Tim Green]] going on to become an engineer and [[record producer]] and member of the group '[[The Fucking Champs]]' while [[James Canty]], [[Steve Gamboa]], and Ian Svenonius went on to form [[The Make-Up]].'

In a [[The Make-Up|Make-Up]] interview, Svenonius explained the reason for the split:

''"Nation Of Ulysses broke up because the epoch changed with the advent of [[digital music]] and the [[Nirvana]] explosion. We were faced with what's now known as [[indie rock]], a sort of vacuous form. We had to determine our next move and'' '''''this is it."''''


===The Make-Up===
===The Make-Up===

Revision as of 18:31, 26 January 2008

Template:Infobox musical artist 2

Ian Svenonius is an American musician, notable as the singer and mouthpiece of various Washington, D.C.-based music groups including Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up, and Weird War. With his projects, Svenonius has released more than 15 full-length albums and more than 20 singles, EPs, and splits. Svenonius is also a published author and an online talk show host.

Svenonius' first band, Nation of Ulysses, formed in 1988, and were influential in the early Washington D.C. punk scene. The band broke up in 1992 after failing to record their third studio album. After a short-lived side-project called Cupid Car Club, Svenonius formed The Make-Up in 1995, who combined garage rock, soul, and a so-called "liberation theology" to make a new genre they dubbed "Gospel Yeh-Yeh".[1] The Make-Up dissolved early in 2001, and a year later, Svenonius formed the band Weird War, who were also known briefly known as the Scene Creamers, in which he is still active. Svenonius' solo work includes the 2001 album Play Power under the fictional pseudonym of David Candy,[2] the book The Psychic Soviet,[3] and as host of Soft Focus on VBS.TV.[4] Svenonius' projects and writings have all shared an anti-authoritarian, populist, tongue-in-cheek political agenda.

Musical projects

Nation of Ulysses

Main article: Nation of Ulysses

Ian Svenonius' first musical formation was The Nation of Ulysses.

This was not a rock 'n' roll group in the normal sense but the group as political party.

Explaining their intent, Svenonius said "it's basically a new nation underground for the dispossessed youth colony. It's all about smashing the old edifice, the monolith of rock and roll."3

Asked about their use of the medium they claimed to counteract--rock 'n' roll--he declared "Well, it's a camouflage, to allow for movement, revolutionary liberation from the constraints of everyday composure, basically allowing anybody to move in anyway that they want and to lift spirit to a plateau to destroy parent culture."3

Nation of Ulysses claimed not to make records, but weapons. Discussing their second release, he asserted: " . . it's like a blueprint for the destruction of the Parent Culture. It's like a zip gun. It's an instruction pamphlet for kids on how to destroy their home life, you know, their domestic state."3

Although their first album was named "13 Point Program To Destroy America" Nation of Ulysses didn't align themselves with a particular political philosophy: "We don't usually address normal political dictums. We aim toward the everyday fixtures of life, like aesthetics, sound, non-spoken things that are inherently political in nature instead of, like bogus politicians who focus on glossy surface issues which avoid any kind of revolutionary change."

Nation of Ulysses record sleeves were festooned with broadsides inspired by the Futurist screeds of F. T. Marinetti, the situationist polemics of Debord and Raoul Vaneigem, and the bulletins of the BPP. Their ideology and clothing were largely influenced also by politicized 60's street gangs like The Vice Lords (Nation) and the VLN's pantherized kin The (Almighty) Black P. Stones Nation.

Nation of Ulysses record covers were direct homages to El Lissitzky and Rodchenko, Russian Constructivists from the 20's and 30's.

They made a fanzine called "Ulysses Speaks" which was an extension of the ideology propagated in their liner notes.

Svenonius described the Nation of Ulysses as "a shout of secession. We don't want to be involved with the United States and the structure that exists. We've introduced a whole new form of currency that takes its form in garbage...we indulge peoples' repressed whims and make them banal in doing so. We basically want to create a new sense of who we are community-wise. A nation of youths."

Besides punk rock 'n' roll, Nation of Ulysses incorporated elements of doo-wop, R&B, and avant-jazz in their sound. One of their mottos was "Look Out . . . Soul Is Back!"

Starting life simply as 'Ulysses,' The Nation of Ulysses was four members until the addition of guitarist Tim Green late in 1989. This is when the band changed from idealism to actionism.

Nation Of Ulysses toured extensively in USA and Europe with bands like Beat Happening, Fugazi, Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Slant 6 among others, and were known for their extremely physical performances, with incidents of broken bones and other injuries suffered by the members. They usually wore suits and greased hair on stage, although they sometimes wore matching shirts and pants of a more casual nature.

In late 1992, the NOU disbanded, with Tim Green going on to become an engineer and record producer and member of the group 'The Fucking Champs' while James Canty, Steve Gamboa, and Ian Svenonius went on to form The Make-Up.'

In a Make-Up interview, Svenonius explained the reason for the split:

"Nation Of Ulysses broke up because the epoch changed with the advent of digital music and the Nirvana explosion. We were faced with what's now known as indie rock, a sort of vacuous form. We had to determine our next move and this is it."'

The Make-Up

Main article: The Make-Up

The Make-Up formed in 1995, consisting of Svenonius, Canty, and Gamboa from Nation of Ulysses, and Michelle Mae on bass guitar.[5] The Make-Up were joined in late 1999 by a fifth member, Alex Minoff, who played guitar with the group until their dissolution in 2000.[6] In the band's five years of activity, they released four studio albums, two live albums, a posthumous compilation of singles and B-sides, and a number of 12-inch singles and splits.[7] The Make-Up combined garage rock, soul, and self-styled "liberation theology" to make a new genre they called "Gospel Yeh-Yeh".Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

As the Make-Up's frontman and mouthpiece, Ian Svenonius often contextualized the band's music in terms of larger socio-political themes, typically describing the band and its gospel attitude in Marxist and socialist terms, in opposition of what he saw as the capitalist, bourgeois, machismo paradigm of rock and roll.[8][9][10] The band's aversion to American culture was expressed through their self-styled musical genre "Gospel Yeh-Yeh," a belief system through which they advocated to their audience to "get theirs" and to "off the pigs in all their forms".[11] The Make-Up intended to create ad-lib performances to re-energize what they saw as the stale, bland and formal ritual of rock and roll.[6] Appropriating gospel music's use of the congregate as a "fifth member," the Make-Up incorporated audience participation through call and response vocals, lyrical "discussion" techniques, and destruction of the fourth wall by physical transgression.[6]

The Make-Up dissolved in 2000, reportedly "due to the large number of counter-gang copy groups which had appropriated their look and sound and applied it to a vacuous and counter-revolutionary forms".[6] Between projects, Svenonius released a solo album under the pseudonym David Candy.[2]

Weird War

Main article: Weird War

After The Make-Up disbanded, Svenonius formed the group Weird War in 2001, joined by Make-Up members Michelle Mae and Alex Minoff. While the current lineup appears on the group's first release I'll Never Forget What's His Name, the group's first full-length, eponymous release featured Neil Hagerty and Jessica Espeleta on guitars, and Steve McCarty on drums.[12]

These collaborators soon left to pursue other projects, and the band briefly changed its name to The Scene Creamers, with Svenonius on vocals, Michelle Mae on bass, Alex Minoff on guitar, and Blake Brunner on drums. In this incarnation, the band released I Suck on that Emotion, through Drag City Records. After being threatened with a legal suit for the name Scene Creamers by a French graffiti artist collective of the same name, the band reverted back to the name Weird War.[13] Since then, as its membership has become static, with the addition of Argentinian Sebastian Thomson on drums, its intent has become more cosmic. Weird War claims that they are "the sole answer to the hype-based careerism, empty formalism and vacuity which has infected what was once a genuinely creative underground rock 'n' roll scene".[13]

The Psychic Soviet

File:ThePsychicSoviet.jpg
The Psychic Soviet

In July 2006, Svenonius released a book of 19 essays entitled The Psychic Soviet (ISBN 0-9656183-9-0), published by Drag City Press.[14] Pocket-sized and bound in bright-pink plastic with beveled edges, its form is similar to "The Little Red Book," a Bible, or a foreign-language dictionary.[3][15] The book serves as an anthology of past articles and essays by Svenonius previously published in periodicals, edited for readability and flow, with a number of new essays included.[15]

The "Instructions" that preface the book state that it "should clear up much of the confusion regarding events of the last millennium - artistic, geo-political, philosophical, et al." and encourages the reader to "refer to the book in case of ethical quandaries, arguments, and social feuds".[15][16] The writing addresses topics such as the ascent of the DJ as a "star," the "cosmic depression" that followed the defeat of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the Cold War, and the status of rock and roll as a religion.[15] To date, The Psychic Soviet is the most complete collection of written material by Svenonius.

Other projects

DJ set at the Mercury Lounge, March 15th, 2007.

Throughout his career, Svenonius has disc jockeyed at clubs including Red and Cold Rice in Washington, D.C., and the Mercury Lounge in Goleta, California.[17][6] In 1993 Svenonius and Nation of Ulysses/Make-Up members James Canty and Steve Gamboa were involved in the short-lived project Cupid Car Club, which released only one EP on Kill Rock Stars Records entitled Join our Club.[18] In 2001 Svenonius collaborated with the English conceptualist/producer Mike Alway of If Records to create the record Play Power under the pseudonym David Candy. The album was released through Jet Set Records, Siesta Records, and If Records. Play Power was part of a series of "Magazine-Style Records" which included other imaginary acts such as Death by Chocolate, Maria Napoleon, and Lollipop Train.[2]

Svenonius wrote an afterword for Glen E. Friedman's 2005 photography book Recognize (ISBN 0-9641916-6-0),[19] as well as the introduction to Friedman's 2007 book Keep Your Eyes Open (ISBN 0-9641916-8-7).[20] As host of the VBS.TV online show Soft Focus, Svenonius interviews guests such as Ian MacKaye and Genesis P-Orridge in front of a live audience at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.[4][21][22] Soft Focus has recently moved to London, England, where Svenonius interviews British artists such as Mark E. Smith of The Fall and Billy Childish. In 1994, Svenonius had a supporting role in the independent film Half Cocked. In 2001, Svenonius appeared in the documentary Plaster Caster about the plaster casts of Cynthia Plaster Caster.[23]

Political views

The political persuasions of Svenonius' bands have consistently been anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, and often anti-American. As the vocalist and mouthpiece of these bands, Svenonius is typically the band member associated most closely with the groups political identity. All Music Guide's Steve Huey described Nation of Ulysses' philosophy as "a relentlessly provocative (and entertaining) jumble of teenage rock 'n' roll rebellion, leftist radicalism, anarchist punk polemics, and abstract intellectual rambling, [...] [which gives the sense of] an off-kilter, almost tongue-in-cheek approach to a 'perpetual 18-year old's' view of America, and life in general".[24] In a 1997 interview – five years after the dissolution of the Nation of Ulysses – when asked if, in line with the title of Nation of Ulysses' 1991 album 13-Point Program to Destroy America, he still hoped to "destroy America", Svenonius responded simply: "Of course".[25]

In describing the political evolutions of Svenonius' numerous projects, one reviewer said "...the undeniable truths of the [Nation of Ulysses] was soon to give way to the death-at-all-costs philosophy of Cupid Car Club, the Gospel Yeh-Yeh theology of the Make-Up,... and the quiet revolutions of the Scene Creamers and Weird War".[26]

Discography

Nation of Ulysses

Main article: Nation of Ulysses discography

The Make-Up

Main article: The Make-Up discography

Weird War

Main article: Weird War discography

David Candy

Cupid Car Club

Filmography

  • Half-Cocked (Independent release) (1994)
  • Plaster Caster (Xenon Pictures) (2001)
  • Soft Focus (VBS.tv) (host, 2006 – present)

Writings

  • Afterward of Glen E. Friedman's Recognize (ISBN 0-9641916-6-0) (Burning Flags Press) (2005)[20]
  • The Psychic Soviet (ISBN 0-9656183-9-0) (Drag City Press) (2006)
  • Introduction of Glen E. Friedman's Keep Your Eyes Open - The Fugazi Photographs of Glen E. Friedman (ISBN 0-9641916-8-7) (Burning Flags Press) (2007)[20]

References

  1. ^ Gale, Thomas (2005). "The Make-Up Biography". eNotes. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
  2. ^ a b c Ashlock, Jesse. "David Candy". Epitonic Records. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
  3. ^ a b Malitz, David (May 2007). "Ian Svenonius - Editorial Review". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-06-03.
  4. ^ a b "NEW YORK - Soft Focus With Ian Svenonius". Vice. 2006-09-16. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  5. ^ "Make-Up biography". Southern Records. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Make Up - A Biography" (PDF). Drag City. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  7. ^ "Make-Up discography". Southern Records. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
  8. ^ Svenonius, Ian and James Schneider (2006). In Film/On Video (DVD). Dischord Records.
  9. ^ "Damn You Fanzine". Southern Records, Damn You Fanzine. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
  10. ^ "The Hedonist –- February 1998". Southern Records, The Hedonist. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  11. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "The Make-Up Biography". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  12. ^ "Weird War Bigraphy". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
  13. ^ a b "Not Going to Mars". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2007-03-21. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  14. ^ Flicker, Jonah (2005-10-28). "Ian Svenonius to Publish Book". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2007-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b c d Twerdy, Saelan. "Illuminated by the Light". DiSCORDER. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  16. ^ Svenonius, Ian. "David Candy - Jetset records". Jetset Records. Archived from the original on 2003-10-27. Retrieved 2006-12-30. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2003-08-08 suggested (help)
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dissonance was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Cupid Car Club". Kill Rock Stars. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
  19. ^ "glen E. friedman's - idealist propaganda - The Latest". Burning Flags Press. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  20. ^ a b c Marshall, Craig (2005). "biography". Burning Flags Press and Consafos Press. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  21. ^ Gee, Ess (2006-09-26). "Vice TV". Archived from the original on 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  22. ^ "Ian MacKaye on Soft Focus w/ Ian Svenonius". Dischord Records. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  23. ^ "Ian Svenonius". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  24. ^ Huey, Steve. "The Nation of Ulysses Biography". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  25. ^ Interview with Ian Svenonius (Primetime) (QuickTime). London: Beware the Cat. May. Retrieved 2007-06-13. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  26. ^ "A Kid Who Tells On Another Kid Is a Dead Kid: Nation of Ulysses". GBOAT: The Greatest Band of All Time. 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2007-12-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Band/Project homepages
Interviews
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