| Thessalonian Dope Gods | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | TDG |
| Origin | Warren, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | Industrial, electronic, stoner-rock, heavy metal, industrial-metal, garage-punk, new-wave |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Sin Klub Entertainment, Re-Constriction, Cargo, Metropolis Records |
| Associated acts | Clutch, The PB Army, Chicken Dog, Consolidated |
| Members | |
| ES3, Randy K. Wilson | |
The Thessalonian Dope Gods (a.k.a. "TDG") are an American hard rock group, formed in late 1984 by Warren, Ohio high-school friends Randy "RK" Wilson (programming, vocals) and Edward Shimborske III / ES3 (vocals, lyrics).
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After playing in separate, ragtag rock-based groups, Wilson and ES3 created the TDG as an after-school electronic project with a hard-rock edge, recording in Wilson’s bedroom a few times a week. Their work resulted in several demo tapes from 1985-1990—most of which featured quirky sample-heavy instrumentals—and caught the attention of WMMS, who aired a song during a local-music show. The project’s demos (seeped in Faustian block-prints and Industrial Workers of the World symbols) soon garnered positive press from Alternative Press, the Bowling Green News, and various underground zines. As encouraging press poured in, the duo’s garage-industrial-rock demos began getting extensive airplay on WXUT and in area clubs, thanks to local DJ Michael Seday. In the meantime, Wilson relocated to Chicago with the more commercially viable band, Swoo, while Shimborske entered Toledo University and pursued a writing career.
The TDG garnered a growing base of followers in the industrial and goth scenes, yet kept a broad-minded, eclectic approach to the music, recording their official debut in Chicago in the early 1990s. With a revolving cast of musicians, a darkly aggressively pulse and introspective lyrics straddling Jungian concepts, theology and evolutionary psychology, the duo kept a steady musical pace, despite their distant locations. The brut of the band’s recordings were issued by Sin Klub Entertainment, a label created by Shimborske and Seday, though the band made several appearances on various national compilations. Serving as Sin Klub's president and director of A&R while attending school and publishing his writing meant Shimborske was unable to devote 100 percent of his time to the Dope Gods. Nevertheless, the duo maintained a small cult following, and, in 2003, re-emerged with their sophomore release, High Idol Pulsation.
Both Wilson and ES3 have continually produced other acts while on hiatus from the TDG. Throughout the 1990s, Wilson engineered at several studios in Chicago, performed live, worked as a studio musician (Liz Phair), partnered with video-production company Run-And-Gun Studios (TV Land, Gameboy Advanced), and produced a plethora of remixes (Nitzer Ebb). Shimborske, on the other hand, kept busy with Sin Klub and issued a series of critically acclaimed releases from regional favorites like Environmental Hazzard (Cleveland), Section 315 (Pittsburgh), False Face Society (Toledo), The Vagiants (Winnipeg), Bleed For Me (Buffalo), Chicken Dog (Toledo), Dead Heroes (Detroit), Geminus Sect (Hickory, NC), Crashdog (Chicago), and Five Horse Johnson (Toledo). He later formed Grappler Unlimited with Cleveland International mogul Steve Popovich, issuing CDs by Bunjie Jambo (Pittsburgh), Porn Flakes (Toledo) and Thieveland (Cleveland).
The TDG typically write and demo all their material first, then select various musicians to learn and replay the material. Thus far, the duo has collaborated with Neil Fallon (Clutch), Mark Pistel (Consolidated), Evolotto, Keith Bergman and Micah Shimborske (of the PB Army), Steve Pound (Chicken Dog, Gone Daddy Finch), Todd Evans (Gwar, Mobile Death Camp), Mahlon Orrin (Koufax (band)), Next2Nothing, (Black Dahlia Murder), Sage Francis, Ron Holzner (Debris Inc, Trouble, Place of Skulls), Kevin Kekes (Damien, Chastain, Southern Gentlemen), Brad Coffin (Five Horse Johnson) and members of Chrome Helmet and Highbinder. To date, TDG releases have also featured artwork from internationally celebrated illustrators Dan Yaccarino (Oswald) and Michael William Kaluta (The Shadow)
The TDG are currently mixing their fourth full-length, writing a concept album, compiling a CD of covers they’ve already recorded and recording demos for their fifth full-length release. Since 2006, the duo have owned and operated Ape Studios in Toledo, Ohio, a three-story complex located downtown with full audio and video capability.
| Year | Record | Song(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Exposed I: Various Artists (compilation) | “Phybl” | Sin Klub Entertainment |
| 1992 | Urban Witchcraft (full-length) | “Urban Witchcraft” | |
| “Murder Incorporated” | |||
| “Sin & Fear Divine" | |||
| “Be Nice” | |||
| “The Destruction of Sennacherib” | |||
| “Wednesday's Child” | |||
| “On a Clear Day... / Crack Vile” | |||
| “Because of Color” | |||
| “I Say Good Bye” | |||
| “Gerald Needs Flesh (Live)" | |||
| “Hesitation” | |||
| 1995 | Exposed 2: Spreading the Disease—Various Artists (compilation) | “R.I.P. Liz ‘69” | |
| 1997 | TV Terror: Felching A Dead Horse—Various Artists (compilation) | “And Then There’s Maud” | Re-Constriction / Cargo |
| 2000 | Exposed 3: Hot-Doggin’ Tha Midwest—Various Artists (compilation) | “Polaris Tongue” | Sin Klub Entertainment |
| 2003 | High Idol Pulsation (full-length) | “Meat of the Hoof” | Sin Klub Entertainment / Cargo |
| “Burying the Equilibrium” | |||
| “Only God Is Meaner” | |||
| “Bring in the Witches” | |||
| “12-Gauge Deed” | |||
| “Licking the Stitches, Loving the Bone” | |||
| “I Got You” | |||
| “Handful of Stars, Mouthful of Retch” | |||
| “Scarehead” | |||
| “Rattle” | |||
| “Soup of the Daycare Center” | |||
| 2003 | None More Black: Black Sabbath tribute Various Artists (compilation) (unreleased) | “Digital Bitch” (Black Sabbath cover) | IS Entertainment |
| 2003 | The Harder the Better: Volume 5 -- Various Artists (compilation) | “Curses” | Turkey Vulture Records |
| 2004 | Interbreeding II: Industrial Mutation—Various Artists (compilation) | “Only God Is Meaner (Seventh Plague Remix)” | BLC / Metropolis Records |
| 2004 | TDG Web Exclusive | “Bring In the Witches (Consolidated Remix)” | TDG website |
| 2005 | Plant Waves: A Robert Plant Tribute—Various Artists (compilation) | “Too Loud” (Robert Plant cover) | Mr. Shark Music |
| 2009 | All Manner of Beast (full-length) | “Volunteer Weapon Inspector” | Good Eye Shimmy |
| “Young Nun” | |||
| “The Uglier Side” | |||
| “Superfrontal Tea Brake” | |||
| “1,000 x No” | |||
| “Sleeping Father” | |||
| “Doom An Evil Deed, Liven A Mood” | |||
| “Swim With the Dolphins, Run With the Bulls” | |||
| “The Greatest Story Never Told” | |||
| “Gangbang Mantra” |