No Doctors
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| No Doctors | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Minnetonka |
| Genre(s) | experimental rock, art rock,Avantgarde |
| Years active | 1998–Present; |
| Label(s) | Freedom From GoJohnnyGo, Cock of the Rock, No Sides, Yik Yak, Not Not Fun |
No Doctors is a four-piece rock and roll band currently based out of California's San Francisco Bay Area. Their music draws from a wide range of styles and traditions, most prominently noise, punk, blues, metal and jazz. It features guitarist Elvis S. deMorrow, Chauncey Chaumpers on guitar, Mr. Brians on drums, and CansaFis Foote on saxophone, with vocal duties distributed among its members.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Early career
Chauncey Chaumpers, CansaFis Foote, and Elvis deMorrow began creating music together in Minnetonka, Minnesota in 1998. A cast of revolving sidemen were to come in and out of the band throughout their early career. Prior to playing as No Doctors, Foote and Chaumpers had created experimental noise recordings for the purpose of psychic investigation, while deMorrow had distributed cassetteworks under the names of "Peyote Tax Return" and "F*ck Your Yankee Bluejeans," created together with an artist now known solely as "Devilman."
Still teenagers, the boys began playing sporadic live shows around Minneapolis-St. Paul, inspired by much of the underground noise scene as documented by local record labels E.F. Tapes, Destijl, Fusetron, and the local fanzine Muckraker.
They were soon approached by Matthew St-Germaine with the idea of assisting with a record label, called Freedom From. Much of their early years as a band were influenced heavily by the diverse and radical roster of artists that was quickly cultivated. The Argentinean avant-space trio Reynols was to have an exceptional influence on philosophy when the boys accompanied the band on their first American tour, where they explored Minecxio and the role of the No-Mind.
[edit] S/T LP
The year 2000 saw No Doctors moving to Chicago to begin work on their debut album. At this point the band expanded into a consistent sextet, with the additions of Mr Brians on drums, Patrick Fogarty on bass, and W Clopski on subtle whispers. Numerous other sidemen appeared as well, including the notorious Kevekev Several distinct copies of the album were initially circulated, as noted by critic Liz Armstrong of the Chicago Reader. The album's deft integration of Minnesotan volk-noise inflections into rock's idiom curried little favor from the critics, but secured the band's place in the American noise underground. However, No Doctors had already distinguished themselves via their willingness to openly embrace traditions from within rock's rich and varied history alongside their restless experiments and seeking of the new.
[edit] Hunting Season
No Doctors' second record, Hunting Season, was recorded at Tarantula Hill in Baltimore with the assistance of Twig Harper and Carly Ptak (Nautical Almanac), and Chiara Giovando (Black Elf Speaks, Black Coitus Family, Harrias, Motörhead). The album was a move away from the dada influences of the first album toward a greater connection with punk rock and heavy metal. Critics repeatedly compared the work to the Velvet Underground, Pussy Galore and Royal Trux, and Amir Karim Nezar went so far as to declare "No Doctors are the living incarnations of Satan."
[edit] ERP Saints
ERP Saints followed in 2004 as a tribute to the East Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. This session saw the first presentation of the band in their current quartet incarnation. Critics such as Larry Dolman and Matt Weir praised the effort for its clarity and noted a definitive shift in aesthetics: a turning towards the light.
[edit] Current
In the fall of 2004 No Doctors relocated to the Bay Area, where they shared a practice space with friends Deerhoof, frequently played live shows in the Bay area, and embarked on a California-only tour in October-November 2006 entitled "US Out of CA." They have since released several tracks through compilations and a 7" entitled "T-Bone (Pts 1 & 2)," and released their third full-length album "Origin & Tectonics" on CD/LP in June 2007. Foote and deMorrow collaborate on a weekly comic strip entitled "Tankertown", published at nodoctors.com and recently garnishing notice outside of the indie-noise community.
[edit] CLXPAS
The oft-silent Clopez lies at the heart of No Doctors' sound. Understanding the mutable essence of the Clops will unlock the band's signature sound for those who have a reasonable understanding of musical and poetic activities and are willing to study the information with due diligence. Critic Dean Roth summed up his analysis of the phenomenon with his statement, "Cloaps resonates throughout No Doctors' unique idiom like a schwa through the language of the sphinxes."
The character was first presented to the general public through the cover of No Doctors' debut LP, depicted beneath a hooded robe and clutching an enormous pair of drumsticks. Since then similarly garbed individuals have sporadically appeared with No Doctors in concert, generally operating percussive devices of a highly unorthodox nature. These devices have ranged from gigantic rolls of Pionite to glass jars full of water to other bands' amplifiers, often but not always attacked with his signature baseball-bat-sized drumsticks. Beware, I got a new pair.
Occasionally taking the place of Mr. Brians himself, CLPX has more generally appeared alongside the regular drummer in a tandem mode, though his role has been nothing if not inconsistent. Some have charged that the role amounts to little more than the band dressing up an outside business consultant. Others have romanticized the donning of the cloak as a passing of political power or even mystical significance. Regardless, there have been at least four clopezi who have chosen to distinguish themselves: "'W' Clopex," "Martin the Moon Doggie," "'Claps' Mulligan" and "Carlito Lopez."
It is generally accepted that the spelling of clxpz must remain inconsistent in order to properly convey the meaning of the term. The term "Clopesian" is similarly employed to reference a wide number of seemingly incongruent or contradictory ideologies, dependent on context, including but not limited to finance, metaphysics and aquatic lifestyles.
Rumors of a Clopezian States of America issuing its own currency have NOT been substantiated.
[edit] Former members
- Patlock Fogarty - Bass (S/T, HUNTING SEASON, FFYOU)
- Norway "Skunk" Petersen - percussion (pre-S/T)
- Bon Mots - Drums (pre-Norway "Skunk" Peterson)
- MastaMillions - trumpet (S/T)
- Ab'Gayle - Bass (S/T)
- Martine Wendle - percussion (pre-ORIGIN AND TECTONICS)
- Kevan "www.kevekev.com" Harris - Bass (Milwaukee, WI: Dillo Day 2003)
[edit] Discography
- 2002: S/T CD/LP Freedom From
- 2003: HUNTING SEASON CD/LP Go Johnny Go / Cock of the Rock
- 2004: ERP SAINTS CD No Sides
- 2004: FF YOU Cassette Freedom From
- 2005: T-BONE PTS 1 & 2 7" Yik Yak
- 2007: ORIGIN AND TECTONICS CD/LP (no label)
