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TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, beh ...
, formed in 2001. The band consists of
Tunde Adebimpe Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe (born February 26, 1975) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, actor, director, and visual artist best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio. Early life Adebimpe was born into a Nig ...
(vocals, loops),
David Andrew Sitek David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
(guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and
Jaleel Bunton TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...
(drums, bass, vocals, loops, guitars). Gerard Smith (bass, keyboards, loops) was a member of the band from 2005 until his death in 2011. TVOTR has released five studio albums: '' Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes'' (2004), ''
Return to Cookie Mountain ''Return to Cookie Mountain'' is the second studio album by American rock band TV on the Radio. It was released July 6, 2006, worldwide by 4AD, and issued in the U.S. and Canada on September 12, 2006, by Interscope Records and Touch and Go Recor ...
'' (2006), ''
Dear Science ''Dear Science'' is the third studio album by the band TV on the Radio. It was released on September 16, 2008, digitally through Touch and Go Records, with the physical release coming a week later through Interscope Records and DGC Records in Nor ...
'' (2008), '' Nine Types of Light'' (2011), and ''
Seeds A seed is an Plant embryogenesis, embryonic plant enclosed in a testa (botany), protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, includ ...
'' (2014), alongside several EPs.


History

The first release from TV on the Radio (initially just founding members Adebimpe and Sitek) was the self-released '' OK Calculator'' (the title being a reference to
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass); ...
's album ''
OK Computer ''OK Computer'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in Japan on 21 May 1997 and in the UK on 16 June 1997. Radiohead self-produced the album with Nigel Godrich, an arrangement they have used for their subsequ ...
''). They were later joined by Kyp Malone and released the ''
Young Liars ''Young Liars'' is the first major release by the New York City band TV on the Radio. Released in 2003 on Touch & Go Records, the EP helped establish the band's distinctive blending of electronica, doo wop, post-rock, and avant-garde styles. T ...
'' EP in 2003. This was followed by the full-length '' Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes'', which earned the band the 2004
Shortlist Music Prize The Shortlist Music Prize, stylized as (shôrt–lĭst), was an annual music award for the best album released in the United States that had sold fewer than 500,000 copies at the time of nomination. First given as a cash prize in 2001 under ...
. They released a second EP, ''New Health Rock'', later that year. The band's second album, ''
Return to Cookie Mountain ''Return to Cookie Mountain'' is the second studio album by American rock band TV on the Radio. It was released July 6, 2006, worldwide by 4AD, and issued in the U.S. and Canada on September 12, 2006, by Interscope Records and Touch and Go Recor ...
'', leaked in early 2006 and garnered pre-release praise from ''
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
'' before its official release in July. The record was released in the US and Canada in September on
Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner ...
. ''Spin'' magazine named ''Return to Cookie Mountain'' its Album of the Year for 2006. The record features guest appearances by
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, Omega Moon, Celebration, Dragons of Zynth, Martin Perna and Stuart D. Bogie of
Antibalas Antibalas (Spanish for "bulletproof") is an American, Brooklyn-based afrobeat band that is modeled after Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band and Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive Orchestra. Although their music generally follows the musical architectur ...
, Blonde Redhead, and
Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compl ...
' Nick Zinner. Bowie contributed back-up vocals on the song "Province". In promotion of the album, the band performed " Wolf Like Me" on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production co ...
'', which has garnered over two million views on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most vis ...
. During the US tour, TVOTR performed a few covers with Bauhaus vocalist, Peter Murphy, and
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
frontman,
Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, wh ...
. The band's third album, ''
Dear Science ''Dear Science'' is the third studio album by the band TV on the Radio. It was released on September 16, 2008, digitally through Touch and Go Records, with the physical release coming a week later through Interscope Records and DGC Records in Nor ...
'', was released on September 23, 2008, on Interscope. It was made available for streaming on their Myspace page and subsequently leaked onto the internet on September 6, 2008. The album was named the best album of 2008 by ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the G ...
'', ''Spin'', ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cr ...
'', MTV, ''
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 cultu ...
'', ''Pitchfork Media''s readers' poll, as well as the
Pazz and 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 ...
critic's poll. It was also named the second best album of 2008 by ''
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 ...
'' and the fourth best by
Planet Sound Planet Sound was a Teletext music page on ITV and Channel 4 in the UK, active from 1997 until 2009. It was broadcast on analogue Teletext from page 340, and on digital Teletext from page 820. From 24 May 2007, Planet Sound was also available ...
. On September 22, 2008, TV on the Radio performed "Dancing Choose" on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production co ...
''. They also appeared on '' Later... with Jools Holland'' on September 30, 2008, performing " Golden Age" and "Dancing Choose", which were the same songs they performed on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves as ...
'' on February 7, 2009. The band performed "Dancing Choose" again on the February 9, 2009, episode of ''
The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focus ...
''. On September 3, 2009, Tunde Adebimpe announced that TV on the Radio would be taking a year-long hiatus. Guitarist Kyp Malone's solo album, under the name Rain Machine, was released on September 22, 2009, on ANTI-. A solo album by Dave Sitek, ''Maximum Balloon'', was released August 24, 2010, on Interscope, and featured a variety of guest vocals by many of his musician friends, such as Karen O,
David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
, and both of his TVOTR vocalist bandmates. In addition, Sitek produced Holly Miranda's album ''
The Magician's Private Library ''The Magician's Private Library'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Holly Miranda, released February 23, 2010, in the United States by XL Recordings. It was produced by TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek and Celebration's Ka ...
'', which also featured fellow TVOTR members Jaleel Bunton and Kyp Malone. In March 2010, Tunde Adebimpe designed a charity t-shirt for the Yellow Bird Project to raise money for Haiti Relief via
Partners in Health Partners In Health (PIH) is an international nonprofit public health organization founded in 1987 by Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl, Thomas J. White, Todd McCormack, and Jim Yong Kim. Partners in Health provides healthcare in the poorest areas of d ...
. On February 7, 2011, the band announced an end to their hiatus, along with an upcoming fourth album. '' Nine Types of Light'' was released on April 12, 2011, along with a one-hour film under the same name, containing music videos for all the songs on the album, as well as interviews with various New Yorkers. The film was directed by different directors under Adebimpe's supervision. It was announced in March 2011 that the band's bassist, Gerard Smith, was diagnosed with lung cancer. On April 20, 2011, the band announced Smith's death on their homepage: "We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly." In May 2013, TVOTR headlined and curated the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival, held at Pontins holiday camp in Camber Sands, England, at which they debuted the new song "Mercy". They began streaming the studio version of "Mercy" online on July 30, 2013, and released the song for sale at digital music outlets a short time later. They also made the multitracks from "Mercy" available to fans so they could make their own remixes. The next single, "Million Miles", was released digitally a few months later. On November 8, 2013, via their Facebook page, the band announced they were at work on a new album. They made an official announcement on July 29, 2014, that this new album, titled ''Seeds'', was scheduled for a late 2014 release. In early 2015, it was announced that TVOTR would perform at the Shaky Knees and Boston Calling Music Festivals in May. On April 9, 2015, the band announced a 2015 North American summer tour to promote the new record. The tour began in May and included a concert at the
Red Rocks Amphitheatre Red Rocks Amphitheatre (also colloquially as simply Red Rocks) is an open-air amphitheatre built into a rock structure in the western United States, near Morrison, Colorado, west of Denver. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind ...
on July 27.


Style and influences

TV on the Radio has said that their eclectic music is due to their appreciation for diverse bands, including Bad Brains,
Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...
,
Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatra ...
,
Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...
,Harris, David
"TV on the Radio (David Sitek): Interview"
Tinymixtapes.com. September 2008
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
, and
Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...
. Adebimpe covered the Pixies song "Mr. Grieves" under the TVOTR moniker at the beginning of his career, layering his voice over forty times. The band has also cited
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
's " Purple Rain" as a classic.Keyes, J. Edward
"TV on the Radio"
Rollingstone.com.
TV on the Radio have also named post-punk acts
Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is co ...
and
Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine inc ...
as influences."Icon: Siouxsie", ''The Fader Magazine'', ''The Icon Issue 67'', April/May 2010. Page 74


Band members


Current members

* Tunde Adebimpe – co-lead vocals, backing vocals, programmer, sequencer (2001–present) * David Andrew Sitek – lead guitar, programming, sampler, bass, synthesizer, horns, percussion (2001–present) * Kyp Malone – co-lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizer, strings (2003–present) * Jaleel Bunton – drums, percussion (2005–present in studio; 2005–2011 live); guitar, Rhodes, organ, synthesizer, backing vocals (2005–present); programming, strings (2008–present); bass (2011–present)


Touring members

* Dave Smoota Smith – trombone, percussion, Mellotron, Moog, bass (2011–present) * Jahphet Landis – drums (2011–present)


Former members

* Gerard Smith – bass, organ, piano, sampler, programmer, Rhodes (2005–2011)


Former touring members

* Stuart D. Bogie – saxophone (2008–2009) *
Colin Stetson Colin Stetson (born March 3, 1975) is a Canadian-American saxophonist, multireedist, and composer based in Montreal. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre, and Ex Eye. In addition ...
– saxophone (2008–2009)


Discography


Studio albums

* '' Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes'' (2004) * ''
Return to Cookie Mountain ''Return to Cookie Mountain'' is the second studio album by American rock band TV on the Radio. It was released July 6, 2006, worldwide by 4AD, and issued in the U.S. and Canada on September 12, 2006, by Interscope Records and Touch and Go Recor ...
'' (2006) * ''
Dear Science ''Dear Science'' is the third studio album by the band TV on the Radio. It was released on September 16, 2008, digitally through Touch and Go Records, with the physical release coming a week later through Interscope Records and DGC Records in Nor ...
'' (2008) * '' Nine Types of Light'' (2011) * ''
Seeds A seed is an Plant embryogenesis, embryonic plant enclosed in a testa (botany), protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, includ ...
'' (2014)


References


External links

* *
Interscope Records profile


at Webcuts
November 2008 interview
with
L.A. Record ''L.A. Record'' is an independent music magazine originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In Mar ...

Interview with Gerard & Tunde
Brooklyn Rail 2008 – contains details of band's formation.
Kyp Malone discusses his favorite songs with NPR Music
{{Authority control 2001 establishments in New York City 4AD artists African-American rock musical groups Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Interscope Records artists Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups from Brooklyn State University of New York at Purchase alumni Touch and Go Records artists Winners of the Shortlist Music Prize