Eric Harris (musician)
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The Olivia Tremor Control is an American
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...
band from
Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
. The band's main line-up comprised
Will Cullen Hart William Cullen Hart (born June 14, 1971) is an American pop musician. He was a co-founder of The Elephant 6 Recording Company, as well as the rock band The Olivia Tremor Control. Following that band's breakup, Hart and several other former memb ...
,
Bill Doss Bill Doss (September 12, 1968 – July 30, 2012John Fernandes John Kiran Fernandes (born November 21, 1975) is an American multi-instrumentalist musician. Professional career Fernandes, along with several other members of the Elephant Six Collective, joined the acclaimed psychedelic pop group The Olivia ...
, and Peter Erchick. The Olivia Tremor Control's music encompasses a wide range of styles, including
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
,
neo-psychedelia Neo-psychedelia is a diverse genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the sounds of 1960s psychedelia, either updating or copying the approaches from that era. Originating in the 1970s, it has occasionally seen mainstream pop su ...
,
psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...
and
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
. Among the band's more prominent influences include psychedelic pop bands of the 1960s, such as
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
and
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
. The Olivia Tremor Control originated as a band called Cranberry Lifecycle, which was formed in
Ruston, Louisiana Ruston is a small city and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is the largest city in the Eastern Ark-La-Tex region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 21,859, reflecting an increase of 6.4 percent ...
in the late 1980s by Hart and his high school friend
Jeff Mangum Jeff Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Ma ...
. The two moved to Athens, and reworked Cranberry Lifecycle songs as a new band called Synthetic Flying Machine. After Doss joined, Mangum left the band to pursue a solo project that would eventually become
Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...
. Doss and Hart then renamed the band to the Olivia Tremor Control, and recruited Fernandes, Harris, and Erchick. With this line-up, the Olivia Tremor Control released two albums: '' Dusk at Cubist Castle'' (1996) and '' Black Foliage'' (1999). Both albums received positive reviews from critics. After the release of ''Black Foliage'', tensions grew between Hart and Doss, and the Olivia Tremor Control broke up in 2000. Hart was hospitalized with
multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
in 2005, and when Doss went to visit him, the two reconciled and reunited the band in 2009. While recording a third album, Doss died of a reported
aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...
. The remaining band members decided to continuing performing, and a 2019 update indicated that the Olivia Tremor Control's third album is still being recorded.


History


Early years

The Olivia Tremor Control originated as a
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...
band called Cranberry Lifecycle. This band was formed in
Ruston, Louisiana Ruston is a small city and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is the largest city in the Eastern Ark-La-Tex region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 21,859, reflecting an increase of 6.4 percent ...
in the late 1980s, by high school friends
Will Cullen Hart William Cullen Hart (born June 14, 1971) is an American pop musician. He was a co-founder of The Elephant 6 Recording Company, as well as the rock band The Olivia Tremor Control. Following that band's breakup, Hart and several other former memb ...
and
Jeff Mangum Jeff Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Ma ...
. It was one of the many
home recording Home recording is the practice of recording sound in a private home instead of a professional recording studio. A studio set up for home recording is called a home studio or project studio. Home recording is widely practiced by voice actors, narrat ...
projects they created with their friends
Bill Doss Bill Doss (September 12, 1968 – July 30, 2012Robert Schneider Robert Peter Schneider (born March 9, 1971) is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk Ho ...
. The four friends exchanged recordings among each other, and the constant stream of home recording
cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens ...
s the group made would eventually lead to the formation of a
musical collective Musical collective is a phrase used to describe a group of musicians in which membership is flexible and creative control is shared.Liisa Ladouceur"Collegjthk ctive Souls" ''This Magazine'', November/December 2004. The concept is distinct from th ...
known as
Elephant 6 The Elephant 6 Recording Company is a loosely defined musical collective from the United States. Notable bands associated with the collective include the Apples in Stereo, Beulah, Circulatory System, Elf Power, the Minders, Neutral Milk Hotel, ...
. Musician Ross Beach describes Cranberry Lifecycle as the Elephant 6's "first collaboration of 'serious' songs." After graduating from high school, Hart and Mangum moved to
Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
, as they were drawn to the city's burgeoning music scene. They formed a band called Synthetic Flying Machine, and reworked songs that were originally recorded as Cranberry Lifecycle. In the summer of 1993, Doss moved to Athens and joined Synthetic Flying Machine. The lineup consisted of Hart on electric guitar, Doss on bass guitar, and Mangum on drums. The band gained a small following due in part to the psychedelic-infused music, which differed from the prevalent
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
sound in the city. Mangum left the group shortly after its formation, as he wanted to focus on a solo project that would eventually become
Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...
. Doss and Hart then decided to rename the group to the Olivia Tremor Control. Mangum suggested the name, which was intended to be a
surreal Surreal may refer to: *Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki * ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze *Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor ...
sounding phrase with no further meaning. The first Olivia Tremor Control release was the
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
(EP) '' California Demise'' in 1994. Although Mangum was no longer a part of the band, he still lived with Doss and Hart and was asked to play drums. Music critic Nig Hodgkins wrote: "''California Demise'' introduced the trademark splintered sound, complete with guitar effects and
Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...
vocal harmonizing." After ''California Demise'', Hart moved to Denver, while Doss moved to New York to play in the band
Chocolate USA Chocolate USA was an American indie rock band from Tampa Bay, Florida, formed in 1989 as Miss America. The band featured Julian Koster who went on to form The Music Tapes and join Neutral Milk Hotel. History The band formed as Miss America in 1 ...
. In 1996, Doss was losing interest in Chocolate USA, and wanted to record more music with Hart. The two recovened in Athens, and recruited multi-instrumentalists
John Fernandes John Kiran Fernandes (born November 21, 1975) is an American multi-instrumentalist musician. Professional career Fernandes, along with several other members of the Elephant Six Collective, joined the acclaimed psychedelic pop group The Olivia ...
and Eric Harris. During this period, the Olivia Tremor Control released the 1994 split single '' The Olivia Tremor Control/The Apples in Stereo'' with
the Apples in Stereo The Apples in Stereo, styled as The Apples in stereo, are an American pop/rock band associated with Elephant 6 Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Of Montreal, and Circulatory Sy ...
, and the 1996 EP ''The Giant Day''.


''Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle''

Doss and Hart had been working on songs for a studio album as early as 1993. Doss' ideas were more pop friendly while Hart wrote more experimental songs. ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' compared their dichotomous partnership to
Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is the best-known and most successful musical collaboration ever by records sold, with the ...
of
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
. In 1995, the Olivia Tremor Control went to
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
to record their debut album, '' Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle'' (commonly shortened to ''Dusk at Cubist Castle''). It was recorded at Pet Sounds Studio, and was produced by Schneider. At 74 minutes in length with 27 songs, ''Dusk at Cubist Castle'' was a large undertaking. It was intended to be the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
to a fictional film, and covers a wide range of genres, including psychedelia,
krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...
,
noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise within a musical context. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical ...
, and folk-rock. ''Dusk at Cubist Castle'' was released on August 6, 1996, by Flydaddy Records. Early CD pressings included a second album titled '' Explanation II: Instrumental Themes and Dream Sequences''. This album contains nine ambient songs, and in the
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...
it is suggested to play the two albums in synchronicity, as this would create
quadraphonic sound Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic and sometimes quadrasonic) sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of a listening space. The system allows for th ...
. The songs "The Opera House" and "Jumping Fences" were released as
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
. To promote the album, the Olivia Tremor Control served as an
opener Opener, Open'er or Openers may refer to: * ''Opener'' (album), an album by 8mm * Opener (baseball), a baseball strategy to use a relief pitcher to start a game * Open'er Festival, a contemporary music festival held in Gdynia, Poland * Bottle opene ...
for
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...
, and toured with
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Gorky's Zygotic Mynci were a psychedelic folk and alternative rock band which formed in Carmarthen, Wales, in 1991. The group performed music in both Welsh and English, and they had eight Top 75 singles on the UK Singles Chart during their car ...
in 1998. Keyboardist Peter Erchick was brought on as the fifth band member while on tour. ''Dusk at Cubist Castle'' received positive reviews from critics. Jason Cohen of ''
The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
'' described the album as "intricate, gorgeous," but suggested the experimental noise songs could have been removed to enhance the quality. Tom Cox of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' praised the genre hybridity, writing: "These men are experts at combining the absurd with the uplifting. In amongst the narcotic noisiness they scatter mouth-watering snatches of Beach Boy-type pop primed to keep boredom down to an absolute minimum." It ranked at number 37 on ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' year-end
Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
critics' poll.


''Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One''

In the liner notes for ''Dusk at Cubist Castle'', the Olivia Tremor Control asked fans to mail cassette tapes of themselves describing their dreams. These tapes would serve as the basis for band's second album '' Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One'' (commonly shortened to ''Black Foliage''). The Olivia Tremor Control wanted to explore the concept of dreams, and how dreams are an emulation of life with unexpected deviations, such as going to work naked. ''Black Foliage'' was recorded at Pet Sounds Studio, and Schneider once again served as the producer. Hart was influenced by the electronic sound of the 1969 album '' An Electric Storm'', which led him to splice the traditional compositions the band members had been writing with experimental electronic pieces. These splices became an important
musical motif In music, a motif IPA: ( /moʊˈtiːf/) (also motive) is a short musical phrase, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition: "The motive ...
for ''Black Foliage''. The album does not feature musical pauses or
fade Fade or Fading may refer to: Science and technology * Fading, a loss of signal strength at a radio receiver * Color fade, the alteration of color by light * Fade (audio engineering), a gradual change in sound volume * Brake fade, in vehicle brakin ...
, and many songs eschew
verse–chorus form Verse–chorus form is a musical form going back to the 1840s, in such songs as "Oh! Susanna", "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", and many others. It became passé in the early 1900s, with advent of the AABA (with verse) form in the Tin ...
.
Stephen Deusner Stephen M. Deusner is an American music critic and part-time record store clerk who lives in Bloomington, Indiana. A native of Tennessee, he has contributed to Pitchfork Media (including ''the Pitchfork 500''), ''Salon'', '' CMT'', ''American Songwr ...
of ''Stereogum'' wrote: "''Black Foliage'' thrives on the contrast between rigidly constructed pop music and loosely structured experiments, between logic and intuition. Pop is controlled; noise is uncontrolled. Rather than a simple binary, however, the contrast between these two musical poles creates a static/signal ratio that is always shifting." ''Black Foliage'' was released on March 23, 1999, by Flydaddy Records, and was preceded by the 1997 EP '' Those Sessions''. ''Black Foliage'' received positive reviews. Will Hermes of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' wrote: "''Black Foliage: Animation Music'' by the Olivia Tremor Control is a sonic wonderland, and the jump-cut delirium is transporting." Hermes however did feel the album lacked focus.
Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' noted how
audiophile An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. An audiophile seeks to reproduce the sound of a piece of recorded music or a live musical performance, typically inside closed headphones, In-ear monitors, open ...
s would enjoy the lush production throughout the album, and wrote: "''Black Foliage'' never becomes an insular, boys-playing-with-their-gadgets listening experience. Every few minutes, a tidal wave of melody such as "A New Day" or "California Demise 3" roars through, as if to affirm that even the most elaborate concept albums can be fun." To promote the album, the Olivia Tremor Control toured with opener band
Bablicon Bablicon was an Elephant 6-related free-jazz band consisting of members of Neutral Milk Hotel and The Gerbils. The band was formed in 1996 when Dave McDonnell (credited as The Diminisher), Jeremy Barnes (as "Marta Tennae"), and Griffin Rodriguez ...
, and then served as an opener for
Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...
.


Breakup, reunion, and the death of Doss

After the release of ''Black Foliage'', tensions grew between Doss and Hart. According to Doss, Hart wanted to take a hiatus from music, and was suffering from early symptoms of then-undiagnosed
multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
(MS). The two had a falling out, and the Olivia Tremor Control broke up in 2000. The last album to be released during this period was '' Singles and Beyond'', a
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
featuring some of the band's rare and out of print songs. Doss and Hart worked on other projects in the interim; Doss recorded music for his solo project
The Sunshine Fix The Sunshine Fix was an American indie rock group that released three albums from 1993 to 2004. Their main singer and songwriter was Bill Doss, known from The Olivia Tremor Control. The name predated the Olivia Tremor Control and remained in use ...
and was a member of the Apples in Stereo, while Hart formed the band
Circulatory System The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...
. Around 2005, Hart's condition with MS was worsening, and he was admitted to a hospital. After receiving the news, Doss decided to reconcile with Hart, and the members of Olivia Tremor Control started playing music with each other on a regular basis. After a brief reunion performance at the 2005
All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...
festival, the Olivia Tremor Control scheduled more concerts over the next few years. Fernandes said: "When we got the offer to play ll Tomorrow's Partieswe were thinking about playing a few shows here and there, because everybody still lives here in town ... That went so well that we decided to do a few more." The Olivia Tremor Control officially reunited in 2009, and released two songs over the next two years: "North Term Reality" and "The Game You Play Is in Your Head, Parts 1, 2, & 3." On July 31, 2012, the band announced the death of Doss at the age of 43. ''
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
'' reports the cause of death was an
aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...
. Prior to his death, the Olivia Tremor Control was recording music for an untitled album. The remaining members decided to continue performing as the Olivia Tremor Control, and a 2019 update indicated that the album is still being recorded. Hart stated it will be the band's final album, and said: "It is still being worked on, we're kind of slow with it ... We have three sides worth of songs done, though they're not sequenced properly yet to run three sides."


Artistry

The Olivia Tremor Control's music encompasses a wide range of styles, including
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
,
neo-psychedelia Neo-psychedelia is a diverse genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the sounds of 1960s psychedelia, either updating or copying the approaches from that era. Originating in the 1970s, it has occasionally seen mainstream pop su ...
,
psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...
and
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
.; ; . The band members play a variety of instruments. In addition to traditional pop and rock instruments such as guitars and drums, the band members also play: the
clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
,
flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
,
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
,
theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
,
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
, and
xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in the ...
. While discussing the band's dynamic sound, Paul Thompson of ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' wrote: "Olivias' all-encompassing sound, some unthinkable matchup of ''
Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...
''-era Beatles or ''
Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...
''-era Beach Boys, the tornado-alley skronk of 1980s
Flaming Lips Flaming may refer to: * Anything set aflame or on fire * Flaming (Internet), the act of posting deliberately hostile messages on the Internet * Flame maple, the striped figures in maple woodwork prized for their beauty * Fläming, a region in G ...
and
Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been ...
, and the surreal wooze of post- Reichian tape manipulation." Music critic Nig Hodgkins notes that the Olivia Tremor Control incorporate many elements found in psychedelic music of the 1990s, including: backwards guitar echo,
phasing A phaser is an electronic sound processor used to filter a signal, and it has a series of troughs in its frequency-attenutation graph. The position (in Hz) of the peaks and troughs are typically modulated by an internal low-frequency oscillat ...
, dreamlike vocals, and electronic sound effects. An important influence to the Olivia Tremor Control are the psychedelic pop bands of the 1960s, such as the Beach Boys and the Beatles. Hart said: "They were great ... The singing was amazing and that's a big interest for us. And a lot of the way that they blended trickery and interesting sounds with pop." Hart notes that the band members attempt to expand on the sound of 1960s psychedelic pop with modern recording technology, creating more holistic songs and avoiding what he calls "hippie
jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without exte ...
s." Other influences include the recording techniques used by
musique concrète Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic, ...
musicians like
Pierre Henry Henry at his home (January 2008) Pierre Georges Albert François Henry (; 9 December 1927 – 5 July 2017) was a French composer and pioneer of musique concrète. Biography Henry was born in Paris, France, and began experimenting at the age of ...
and
John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...
, as well as 1990s indie rock bands like Pavement and
Sebadoh Sebadoh () is an American indie rock band formed in 1986 in Northampton, Massachusetts, by Eric Gaffney and Lou Barlow, with multi-instrumentalist Jason Loewenstein completing the line-up in 1989. Barlow co-created Sebadoh as an outlet for his ...
. Doss said he wanted the Olivia Tremor Control's music to instill a sense of "mystery or happiness" in listeners. "I'm sending out a positive message, because the world needs it ... We're reaching for something that's hard to explain."


Members

;Current members *
Will Cullen Hart William Cullen Hart (born June 14, 1971) is an American pop musician. He was a co-founder of The Elephant 6 Recording Company, as well as the rock band The Olivia Tremor Control. Following that band's breakup, Hart and several other former memb ...
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 ...
s,
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 ...
,
songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
(1993–2000, 2009–present) *Eric Harris –
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 ...
,
theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
, guitars (1995–2000, 2009–present) *
John Fernandes John Kiran Fernandes (born November 21, 1975) is an American multi-instrumentalist musician. Professional career Fernandes, along with several other members of the Elephant Six Collective, joined the acclaimed psychedelic pop group The Olivia ...
bass,
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
,
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
,
clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
(1995–2000, 2009–present) *Peter Erchick –
keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
s, bass, vocals (1996–2000, 2009–present) *
Derek Almstead Derek Almstead (born August 23, 1974) is an American musician/engineer closely tied to The Elephant Six Collective. Background Born in Lexington, Virginia, he spent his childhood in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and later Manassas, Virginia. In 1995 he mov ...
– drums, guitars, bass (2010–present) ;Former members *
Bill Doss Bill Doss (September 12, 1968 – July 30, 2012cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...
,
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
, songwriting, vocals (1993–2000, 2009–2012; died 2012) *
Jeff Mangum Jeff Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Ma ...
– drums, guitars, vocals (1993–1995)


Discography

*'' Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle'' (1996) *'' Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One'' (1999)


Notes


Footnotes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olivia Tremor Control, The 1992 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) American indie rock groups American psychedelic rock music groups The Elephant 6 Recording Company artists Experimental pop musicians Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state)