Arab on Radar was a

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

-based

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

band founded in 1994. They went on hiatus in 2002. Members of the band went on to form or join the bands including

The Chinese Stars The Chinese Stars is an American noise rock band from Providence, Rhode Island, formed in 2003. History The band The Chinese Stars was formed in 2003 with several of the members from Arab on Radar, which had disbanded in 2002. The founding ...

, Athletic Automaton, Made in Mexico, and Doomsday Student. The band re-formed in 2010 but promptly disbanded.

History

Arab on Radar's first show was in the cafeteria on the Rhode Island College campus. While the band was opening for

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

at a Providence club called Babyhead, they were chased out of the club by angry audience members. Arab on Radar's early sound was typified by thickly distorted, repeated bass grooves, 4/4 drum beats, and two deafening guitars that employed contrasting melodies and near-unison chords that drew comparisons to

The Contortions James Chance and the Contortions (initially known simply as Contortions, a spin-off group is called James White and the Blacks) was a musical group led by saxophonist and vocalist James Chance, formed in 1977. They were a central act of New York ...

. Their live shows often featured spitting, trisomic parody, and full nudity. After Andrea Fiset's departure, the band developed a more abstract sound and they began to draw (often disparaging) comparisons to

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

. Arab on Radar may be considered catalysts for the revival of no wave (also called neo-no wave), a scene that began to gain popularity with bands like Lightning Bolt and

The Locust The Locust was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, known for their mix of grindcore aggression and new wave experimentation. The band has been noted for their use of insect costumes when performing live. History Prio ...

in the early part of the 21st century.

Three One G 31G Records, or Three One G, is a San Diego, California-based independent record label, started by musician Justin Pearson in 1994 and focusing on punk and experimental music. The label has released a number of albums and compilations in what ha ...

released an Arab on Radar DVD entitled ''

Sunshine for Shady People Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when ...

'' in 2008. It includes a short documentary and footage from a number of live performances. All of Arab on Radar's album cover art was created by

Matt Brinkman Mat Brinkman (born 1973 in Austin, Texas) is an American artist and electronic musician. Also known as Matt Brinkman, Meerk Puffy, Mystery Brinkman, Brinkman, Brinkmangler, and Mucid Cuspidor. He is based in Colorado. History Brinkman was a ...

. On April 13, 2010

Justin Pearson Justin Pearson (born August 20, 1975) is a vocalist and bassist known for his music career, playing in a number of San Diego-based noise rock, punk and grindcore bands, as well as his record label Three One G Records. Starting off in the punk ...

announced on his Facebook page that Arab on Radar reformed. On April 26,

Skin Graft Records Skin Graft Records (officially capitalized SKiN GRAFT Records) is an independent record label specializing in no wave and noise rock, originally based in Chicago, Illinois. The label is largely responsible for spawning "now wave" genre, an upda ...

announced that Arab on Radar would perform at

Dude Fest ''Dude'' is American slang for an individual, typically male. From the 1870s to the 1960s, dude primarily meant a male person who dressed in an extremely fashionable manner (a dandy) or a conspicuous citified person who was visiting a rural l ...

2010, with more tour dates to follow. The band did tour the east coast, however they cancelled west coast dates and their new album's recording session(s) for unknown reasons. In an interview with the ''

New York Press ''New York Press'' was a free alternative weekly in New York City, which was published from 1988 to 2011. The ''Press'' strove to create a rivalry with the ''Village Voice''. ''Press'' editors claimed to have tried to hire away writer Nat Hento ...

'', the band responded to a question on how their politics have changed over the years:

The four of us never use or view the band as a political platform. We like to keep the band separate from our views although there have been times that we've adhered to certain questionable belief systems to get through airport security.

In February 2017 guitarist Jeff Schneider authored the definitive story of Arab On Radar in the way of a memoir titled "Psychiatric Tissues" (2017, Pig Roast Publishing) which details the band's touring, recording, and performing history.

Members

Eric Paul Eric Paul (born January 4, 1974) is an American noise rock singer, writer, and poet, from Providence, Rhode Island. Biography Eric Paul was born on January 4, 1974, in Providence, Rhode Island. He is known for his erratic vocals, surrealisti ...

(a.k.a. Mr. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder / Mr. Pottymouth) –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Steve Mattos (a.k.a. Mr. Type A) –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Jeff Schneider (a.k.a. Mr. Clinical Depression) – guitar * Craig Kureck (a.k.a. Mr. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Andrea Fiset – bass (1995–1998)

Discography

*Untitled cassette tape (1995) *''Kangaroo'' single (1996) *''Queen Hygiene II'' (1997) *"Swimming with a Hard-On" single (1998) *''Rough Day at the Orifice'' (1998) *Split 7" with

(1999) *''Soak the Saddle'' (1999) *''Yahweh or the Highway'' (2001) *Split single with Kid Commando (2002) *''The Stolen Singles'' (2003)

References

External links

A couple of really early show flyers.
* Arabs off radarbr>Arab on Radar guys in Doomsday Student not happy with author ex-bandmate?
{{Authority control Punk rock groups from Rhode Island American noise rock music groups Musical groups established in 1997 Load Records artists