Nothing Painted Blue was an American
indie rock
Indie rock is a 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 music they produc ...
band led by songwriter
Franklin Bruno
Franklin Bruno (born December 29, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, academic and writer originally from Upland, California. He has been a member of Nothing Painted Blue since its inception in 1986.
Bruno has written music criticism for o ...
since the 1990s. Bruno and drummer
Kyle Brodie have been the only constant members as the remainder of the line-up has undergone a number of changes throughout the band's existence. They formed in 1987 in Los Angeles and released their debut LP, ''A Baby, A Blanket, A Packet of Seeds'', in 1990. Bruno and Brodie were previously in the band Born Leaders.
The band sometimes spelled their name as "N∅thing Painted Blue" (abbreviated "∅PB"), a use of notation for the
empty set in
mathematics. References to mathematics are common in their songwriting and iconography (Bruno's undergraduate degree was in mathematics); for example, their 1998 record was named after the
Monte Carlo method
Monte Carlo methods, or Monte Carlo experiments, are a broad class of computational algorithms that rely on repeated random sampling to obtain numerical results. The underlying concept is to use randomness to solve problems that might be determi ...
.
Discography
Albums
*''A Baby A Blanket A Packet Of Seeds'' (Jupa, 1990)
:
s yet never released on CD, it remains an obscure LP-only release.*''Logorrhea'' (
Shrimper, 1992)
:
assette-only release of tracks taken from four early college radio broadcast performances.*''Power Trips Down Lovers Lane'' (KokoPop, 1993)
*''Placeholders'' (Scat, 1994)
*''Emotional Discipline'' (Scat, 1997)
:
compilation of several 7-inch single and compilation tracks.*''The Monte Carlo Method'' (Scat, 1998)
:
he LP version included a bonus two-song 7-inch single.*''Taste The Flavor'' (Shrimper, 2005)
EPs
7" Singles and EPs
*''The Bellyspeak EP'' (Jupa, 1991)
*"Swivelchair" b/w "Blooming, Buzzing" (KokoPop, 1992)
:
CD single edition includes a third song, "El Niño".*"Few" b/w "Or Do They?" (Scat, 1992)
*"Sorely Tempted" b/w "Lab Rat Blues" and "Going to Fontana" (Jupa, 1993)
*"Another Child Bride", from a ''Working Holiday'' series split 7-inch with Lois (Simple Machines, 1993)
*''Biographer's Ruse'' cassette (Car in Car Disco Products, 1994)
*''The Future of Communication'' EP (Scat, 1995)
*"After the Housewarming" b/w "Love to the Third Power" (Anyway, 1994)
*"Anti-Nomination", from a split 7-inch with Refrigerator included with issue No. 8 of ''Nipple Hardness Factor'' zine (1995)
*"President Am I" b/w "Contraption" (Pottery, 1995)
*"Control Freak" b/w "Niacin" (Scat, 1996)
*"Growth Spurt (Neelon Mix)" b/w "Centerfold" (Scat, 1998 - included with the LP version of ''The Monte Carlo Method'')
Compilation appearances
*"Caprice Classic", from the ''Winky Dog'' cassette (Shrimper, 1990)
*"A Lesser Charge", from the ''Capgun'' cassette (Shrimper, 1991)
*"Go to Waste", from the ''If I Could Hear You, I Would Hit You'' 7-inch (Baby Huey, 1991)
*"Big Pink Heart", from the ''Swing Set'' 7-inch (Shrimper, 1992)
:
his track was also included on the Shrimper compilation ''Abridged Perversion''.*"Sugarlift", from the ''Pawnshop Reverb'' cassette (Shrimper, 1992)
*"Missed the Point", from ''A Day in the Park'' (The Now Sound, 1993)
*"Another Child Bride", from the ''Working Holiday (July)'' 7-inch (Simple Machines, 1993), later compiled on ''
Working Holiday!
''Working Holiday!'' is a compilation album released on the Simple Machines label in 1994. It is a collection of tracks by American indie bands which were originally released on a series of 12 7" singles by Simple Machines as part of the Work ...
'' (Simple Machines, 1994)
*"Anti-Nomination" (written by
Refrigerator), (1995)
:
rom a split 7-inch with Refrigerator, included with an issue of Nipple Hardness Factor zine.]
*"Complications", from the ''Scat Records 1995 Sampler'' promo-only cassette (Scat, 1995)
:[The track was, at the time, intended to be included on ''Emotional Discipline''. It was taken from another of the band's early college radio broadcast performances not featured on ''Logorrhea''.]
*"My Heart and the Real World", a
The Minutemen (band), Minutemen cover, from ''Green Light Go'' (BottleCap, 1995)
*"Rag Content", from ''The Basement Tapes vol. 1'' LP (KSPC, 1995)
*"Passing Up A Kiss", from ''Family Album'' (Shy Boy, 1996)
*"Wiser Heads", from the ''In Release City'' cassette (Slowball, 1996)
:
his was a full-band version of a song originally recorded by Franklin Bruno solo.*"Nightshirt", from ''Second Semi-Annual Report'' (Scat, 1997)
:
"rough", but ultimately not drastically different, mix of "Shameproof Flirt" from ''The Monte Carlo Method''.*"Wipe Your Hands", from the ''I've Got It Now'' cassette (Shelflife, 1997)
:
his was credited to 'Coco Pelli' and played by Franklin Bruno and Kyle Brodie without a bassist.*"Who's Landing In My Hangar?", a
The Human Switchboard cover, from ''We Can Still Be Friends'' (Magic Marker, 1998)
*"Miracle Thaw", from ''Object Lessons: Songs About Products'' (Inconspicuous Records, a product of Beer Frame Magazine, 1998)
References
American indie rock groups
Scat Records artists
Shrimper Records artists
{{US-indie-rock-band-stub