Left-field American avant garde band Tuxedomoon formed in San Francisco in June 1977, initially around a creative nucleus of multi-instrumentalists Steven Brown and Blaine L. Reininger.
The duo were subsequently joined by bassist Peter ‘Principle’ Dachert, along with occasional vocalist Winston Tong.
After signing with the cryptic Ralph label, home to the Residents, Tuxedomoon recorded the seminal albums Half Mute (1980) and Desire (1981), before electing to relocate to Europe in order to pursue a more overtly avant-garde agenda.
Tuxedomoon | In A Manner Of Speaking
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=hGPTx_Lpv7U
Europe proved a creative but demanding environment for the group, who moved first to Rotterdam, then Brussels. From their hectic concert and recording schedule between March 1981 and April 1983, four key recordings emerged, beginning with the score for a Maurice Bejart ballet in March 1982, released as Divine.
The album Suite En Sous-Sol followed shortly after, as well as a trio of classic singles for Les Disques du Crepuscule: Ninotchka, Time to Lose and The Cage. The most ambitious band project from 1982, an ‘opera without words’ called The Ghost Sonata, performed in Italy in July, remained unreleased until 1990.
Tuxedomoon | Desire
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZyRGtTzj440
Reininger elected to leave the band in April 1983, leaving Brown, Principle, Tong and imagist Bruce Geduldig to plot their next move. Their album Holy Wars eventually emerged in 1985 in Crammed, followed by Ship of Fools (1986) and You (1987).
This body of work was complemented by an ever-expanding catalogue of solo albums, particularly by Brown and Reininger, who also continued to collaborate as a duo.
Tuxedomoon | Jinx
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=zUOJpcr0cr4
The core Tuxedomoon trio of Brown, Reininger and Principle reunited for a successful world tour in 1988, and subsequently continued to perform and record both solo and as Tuxedomoon.
Ten Years In One Night (Live) (1990), Cabin in the Sky (2004), Bardo Hotel (2006) and Vapour Trails (2007) bring the TM story up to date.
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Tuxedomoon LIVE
Thursday, 25 October 2012 | 20:00 CET
K17 | Pettenkoferstraße 17a | 10247 Berlin/Friedrichshain
tuxedomoon.net | k17-berlin.de
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