Combustible Edison was an American neo-

lounge music Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The rang ...

group founded in the early 1990s in

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 ...

. They were one of several lounge acts that led a brief resurgence of interest in the genre during the mid-1990s. Unlike other bands with a more

ironic Irony (), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique. Irony can be categorized into ...

take on the lounge scene, Combustible Edison took the music seriously and strove to add to what its members saw as a canon of works by

Esquivel Esquivel is a surname of basques, Basque origin as well as a place name. Origin The last name Esquivel (or Esquibel) has its origins in the village of Esquivel, located in the ayuntamiento of Mendoza, Álava, in Basque Country (autonomous commun ...

, Henry Mancini and Martin Denny. Said ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'', "As the band that poured the first shot in the Cocktail Revolution, this Boston-area combo brought lounge music into the '90s—or, more accurately, transported tastemakers back to the suburbia of the '50s—with strikingly authentic interpretations of some of the most unauthentic sounds known to mankind." The band ended in 1999.

History

Connecticut natives Liz Cox (drums, vocals) and Michael Cudahy (guitar, vocals) formed

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 ...

band Christmas in Boston in 1983. They issued three albums, ''In Excelsior Dayglo'' (1986), ''Ultra Prophets of Thee Psykick Revolution'' (1989) and ''Vortex'' (posthumously released in 1993). Cudahy's brother Nick was a member of the Christmas lineup for the second album. In 1991, Michael Cudahy — now re-dubbed "The Millionaire" by fellow Providence ''bon vivant'' Robert Jaz — wrote a stage show titled "The Tiki Wonder Hour", and formed the 14-piece ''Combustible Edison 'Heliotropic Oriental Mambo and Foxtrot Orchestra to accompany the performance. After three performances of "Tiki Wonder Hour," the orchestra shortened its name to Combustible Edison and slimmed down to five core members: Cox (renamed "Miss Lily Banquette", on vocals and various percussion instruments), The Millionaire (guitar), Nick Cudahy (bass), Mr. Peter Dixon (keyboards) and Aaron Oppenheimer (drums and percussion). Combustible Edison signed to Sub Pop Records and released their debut album, ''I, Swinger'', in 1994. A live review by ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' critic Chuck Crisafulli noted that the album "perfectly duplicates the '50s cool and hi-fi exotica of such lounge icons as Martin Denny", while ''Trouser Press'' said, "''I, Swinger'' is a faithful replication of bargain-bin exotica, right down to a sleeve festooned with cocktail recipes and calculatedly dated hep-cat liner notes". The group performed on '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' on December 23, 1994. In 1995, the band recorded the soundtrack to the film '' Four Rooms'', produced by Mark Mothersbaugh. "

Vertigogo "Vertigogo" is the title theme for the ''Four Rooms'' film soundtrack by Combustible Edison. It was submitted for consideration for an Academy Award but was ultimately disqualified from consideration because of its incomprehensible lyrical conten ...

", the film's main theme, was submitted for consideration for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, but was ultimately disqualified from consideration because of its incomprehensible lyrical content, despite the fact that the band submitted a lyric sheet with their best written approximation of the lyrics. The group's second studio album, ''

Schizophonic! ''Schizophonic!'' is an album by the American lounge band Combustible Edison, released in 1996. Production The album was produced by the band and Brian Capouch. All five band members contributed to the songwriting. "Morticia" is a cover of the ' ...

'' was issued in 1996. During this period, Dixon was replaced by keyboardist Robert "Brother Cleve" Toomey, a former

WMBR WMBR is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's student-run college radio station, licensed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and broadcasting on 88.1 FM. It is all-volunteer and funded by listener donations and MIT funds. Both students and commun ...

DJ who was previously a member of the Swinging Erudites, the Del Fuegos, the Fabulous Billygoons, and Barrence Whitfield & the Savages. By the time of Combustible Edison's final album, ''The Impossible World'' (1998), drummer Michael "Laughing Boy" Connors had replaced Oppenheimer, and they had incorporated more modern electronic elements. The group split during the 1999 tour for ''The Impossible World''.

Other projects

After Combustible Edison, Michael Cudahy helped build the internet radio station and music community site LuxuriaMusic, which launched in 1999. A cocktail enthusiast, Cudahy was credited with coining the term "Cocktail Nation" as well as the Combustible Edison cocktail. The recipe for the cocktail was featured on the back cover of Combustible Edison's debut album, and was later collected by Paul Harrington in his 1998 book ''Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century''. Continuing to use his Millionaire moniker, Cudahy contributed three solo tracks to the 2003 compilation album ''Music to Lose Your Knickers By'', and in 2004, he paired with Eric Bonerz to form Super Casanova, issuing the album ''Eternity Now''. Cox sang the

Lesley Gore Lesley Sue Goldstein (May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015), known professionally as Lesley Gore, was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. At the age of 16, she recorded the pop music, pop hit "It's My Party (Lesley Gore song), I ...

-cowritten "My Secret Love" on the soundtrack for the 1996 film ''

Grace of My Heart ''Grace of My Heart'' is a 1996 American musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Allison Anders and starring Illeana Douglas, Matt Dillon, Eric Stoltz, Patsy Kensit, and John Turturro. The film charts the music career of Denise Waverly ...

'', and "Oahu" on the 6ths' 2000 album ''

Hyacinths and Thistles ''Hyacinths and Thistles'' is the second studio album by the indie rock band The 6ths. It was released in 2000 on Merge Records. Track listing All tracks written by Stephin Merritt Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an Amer ...

''. She is currently involved with Community MusicWorks, a community-based

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

and performance organisation. Dixon released an instrumental solo album in 2007 titled ''Shady Planet''. Toomey, an acclaimed DJ (including a current stint as DJ Sharaabi Kapoor), cocktail creator and bartender, later played and recorded with his group Brother Cleve and His Lush Orchestra, country band Wheelers & Dealers, and Miki Singh & Jetset (later renamed Dragonfly). Connors joined the Toomey-produced tiki music ensemble Waitiki in 2006, and also formed his own combo Funk House.

Members

* Miss Lily Banquette (Liz Cox) – vocals, bongos, vibraphone, drums, percussion, melodica (1991-1999) * Michael "The Millionaire" Cudahy – guitar (1991-1999) * Nick Cudahy – bass (1991-1999) * Mr. Peter Dixon – keyboards, organ (1991-c. 1996) * Aaron Oppenheimer – drums, vibraphone, percussion (1991- c. 1998) * Robert "Brother Cleve" Toomey – keyboards, vibraphone (1996-1999) * Michael "Laughing Boy" Connors – drums (c. 1998-1999)

Discography

Studio albums

*''I, Swinger'' (1994,

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

) *''

'' (1996, Sub Pop) *''The Impossible World'' (1998, Sub Pop)

Singles

*"Cry Me a River" 7" (1993, Sub Pop) *"Blue Light" CD (1993, Domino) *"Christmastime Is Here" CD (1994, Sub Pop) *"

" promo CD (1995, Elektra) *"Short Double Latte" CD (1996, Bungalow/ Rough Trade) *"Bluebeard" CD (1996, Bungalow)

Soundtrack albums

*'' Four Rooms: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (1995, Elektra)

Compilation albums

*''The Combustible Edison Mixer'' promo (1998, Sub Pop)

Selected compilation appearances

*"A Shot in the Dark" ( Henry Mancini cover) on ''Secret Agent S.O.U.N.D.S.'' (1995, Mai Tai) *"Millionaire's Holiday" on ''Martini Lounge'' (1996, EMI-Capitol Special Markets) *"Vertigo", "Theme from

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typic ...

" and "The Millionaire's Holiday" on ''Cracked Ice & Crushed Velvet'' promo EP (1996, Elektra) *"Miniskirt" (

cover) on ''

Lounge-A-Palooza ''Lounge-A-Palooza'' is a compilation album issued in 1997 by Hollywood Records. Released to capitalize on the 1990s lounge music revival, it features cover versions of songs, including classic lounge hits performed by contemporary artists and 199 ...

'' (1997,

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

) *"Christmas Time Is Here" and "Sleigh Ride" on ''Combustible Edison's The Millionaire Presents Sub Pop's Holiday Sound Spectacular'' promo (1997, Sub Pop) *"Sleigh Ride" on ''Hi-Fidelity Holiday...A Holiday Compilation in Stereo'' (1998, EMI Music Special Markets/ Starbucks Coffee)

Guest appearances

*Monopoly Queen - "Let's Keep It Friendly" 7" single (with

Lisa Crystal Carver Lisa Crystal Carver (born November 9, 1968, Dover, New Hampshire), also known as Lisa Suckdog, is an American writer known for her writing in ''Rollerderby''. Through her interviews, she introduced the work of Vaginal Davis, Dame Darcy, Cindy Da ...

and Boyd Rice)

References

External links

*
You Swinger - Miss Daphne Q. Appleby's Combustible fan page
{{Authority control American pop music groups Musical groups from Providence, Rhode Island Exotica Sub Pop artists Lounge music groups City Slang artists