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Nation of Ulysses

Background information
Origin Washington, D.C.
Genre(s) Punk rock
Indie rock
Post-hardcore
Years active 1988–1992
Label(s) Dischord Records
K Records
Southern Records
Website Official site
Former members
Ian Svenonius
Steve Kroner
Tim Green
Steve Gamboa
James Canty

Nation of Ulysses was a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. The band formed in Spring 1988, with four members and known as simply "Ulysses. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene Post-hardcore evolved from Hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader Punk rock movement Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Dischord Records is a Washington DC -based Independent record label specializing in the independent punk music K Records is an Independent record label in Olympia Washington, co-founded owned and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Southern Records is an Independent record label closely associated with Crass Records and Dischord Records. Ian Svenonius is an American musician notable as the singer and mouthpiece of various Washington D James Canty is a Brooklyn New York -based Multi-instrumentalist musician from Washington D Post-hardcore evolved from Hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader Punk rock movement Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D " The original group consisted of Ian Svenonius on vocals and trumpet, Steve Kroner on guitar, Steve Gamboa on bass guitar, and James Canty on drums. Ian Svenonius is an American musician notable as the singer and mouthpiece of various Washington D Tim Green joined the band late in 1989 as a guitarist and the band became "Nation of Ulysses. " Nation of Ulysses disbanded in the Fall of 1992 having failed to complete their third album. After the break up, Svenonius, Canty, and Gamboa went on to form the short-lived Cupid Car Club and The Make-Up. Cupid Car Club, also known as Cupid Car MP, was a short-lived band consisting of Ian Svenonius on vocals James Canty on guitar Steve Gamboa on The Make-Up (often referred to as simply "Make-Up") was a band from Washington D

Nation of Ulysses became known for their tongue-in-cheek political concepts, their extremely physical live performances, and their unique take on punk culture and fashion. In total, Nation of Ulysses released three-full length albums, and two vinyl EPs released on Dischord Records, and were featured on a number of compilation albums on a variety of record labels. An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify Dischord Records is a Washington DC -based Independent record label specializing in the independent punk music

Contents

History

The band formed in spring 1988, initially composed of four members – Ian Svenonius on vocals and trumpet, Steve Kroner on guitar, Steve Gamboa on bass guitar, and James Canty on drums – and known simply as "Ulysses. Ian Svenonius is an American musician notable as the singer and mouthpiece of various Washington D " In late 1989, Tim Green joined the band as a second guitarist and the band was renamed to "Nation of Ulysses. "[1]

In 1991, before the band had released any official recordings, Ian Svenonius was featured as teen-oriented Sassy Magazine's first "Sassiest Boy in America. Sassy Magazine is a defunct cult fave Teen magazine. It was founded in March 1988 by an Australian Feminist, Sandra Yates " He was interviewed at length in the magazine's October issue, going into some depth about the band's sound and political motivations. [2]

In 1991 they released their first full-length album, 13-Point Program to Destroy America on Dischord Records. Dischord Records is a Washington DC -based Independent record label specializing in the independent punk music This was followed a year later by Plays Pretty for Baby, also on Dischord. Plays Pretty for Baby is the second album by the American Punk rock band Nation of Ulysses. During the recording of the band's follow-up to Plays Pretty for Baby, Steve Kroner left the band. The remaining quartet continued to record, but eventually dissolved in 1992. In a later interview, Svenonius explained the reason for the split: "Nation of Ulysses broke up because the epoch changed with the advent of digital music and the Nirvana explosion. Digital audio uses Digital signals for Sound reproduction. This includes analog-to-digital conversion, digital-to-analog conversion, storage Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen Washington. We were faced with what's now known as indie rock, a sort of vacuous form. Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene We had to determine our next move and this [the forming of the Make-Up] is it. The Make-Up (often referred to as simply "Make-Up") was a band from Washington D "[3]

After the band's dissolution, Svenonius went on to form the short-lived Cupid Car Club with James Canty and Steve Gamboa, the Make-Up (again with Canty and Gamboa), and Weird War. Cupid Car Club, also known as Cupid Car MP, was a short-lived band consisting of Ian Svenonius on vocals James Canty on guitar Steve Gamboa on The Make-Up (often referred to as simply "Make-Up") was a band from Washington D Weird War, briefly known as Scene Creamers, is an eclectic Indie rock band based out of Washington D [4] Green went on to become an engineer and record producer and joined the prog-heavy metal band The Fucking Champs. In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Progressive metal (often referred to simply as prog metal) is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music which blends the powerful guitar-driven sound of metal with the complex The Fucking Champs are a three-piece rock band from San Francisco, California. [5]

Though relatively short-lived, Nation of Ulysses' influence has been substantial: they have been cited as influences for bands such as The (International) Noise Conspiracy, The Hives, Refused, Bikini Kill, Rocket From The Crypt, Antioch Arrow, The Locust, At The Drive-in, LCD Soundsystem, and Huggy Bear, among many others. The (International Noise Conspiracy is a rock band formed in Sweden in the late months of 1998. The Hives are a Swedish Rock band that first rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a leading group of the garage rock revival, playing Garage punk. Refused was a hardcore band originating from Umeå, Sweden. They formed in early 1991 with Dennis Lyxzén, David Sandström, Pär Bikini Kill were an American Punk rock band formed in Olympia Washington in October of 1990. Rocket from the Crypt was an American rock band led by John Reis, formed in 1990 in San Diego California and disbanded in 2005 Antioch Arrow, from San Diego, California, was on the seminal hardcore / emo label Gravity Records, responsible for putting San The Locust is a musical group from San Diego California, United States known for theirunique mix of Grindcore speed and aggression Mathcore At the Drive-In was an influential American Post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, that was active from 1993 to 2001 LCD Soundsystem is the musical project of producer James Murphy, co-founder of Dance-punk label DFA Records. Huggy Bear were an English Riot grrrl band formed in 1991 in London, England. [6][7][8]

Recordings

During Nation of Ulysses' four years of activity, they released only two full-length albums: 13-Point Program to Destroy America in 1991 and Plays Pretty for Baby in 1992, both released on Dischord Records. After releasing Plays Pretty for Baby, the band began recording a third full-length album, but Steve Kroner separated from the band before recording was completed. The remaining quartet continued to record, but the group eventually dissolved before the record's completion. In 2000, six songs from those sessions, in addition to four new tracks recorded live, were compiled and released posthumously as The Embassy Tapes. The Embassy Tapes is the third posthumous compilation album by the American Punk rock band Nation of Ulysses. [9]

In addition to their three-full length albums, Nation of Ulysses released two vinyl EPs. The first, a self-titled EP, was the band's first official release, but went out of print when the three tracks from it were included in 13-Point Program to Destroy America. The second EP, released in 1992 under the title The Birth of the Ulysses Aesthetic (the synthesis of speed and transformation), also went out of print when its tracks were later released on Plays Pretty for Baby. [10] The band were also featured in a number of compilation albums on a variety of record labels.

Musical ideology and style

Nation of Ulysses' music was noisy and manic, but they also had a strong free-jazz influence. For the Ornette Coleman album after which this genre was named see Free Jazz A Collective Improvisation. The group embodied a rejection of the 60's and 70's music and styling by rejecting drug use and advocating that punk youth dress nicely and sensibly. To this end, the liner notes of 13-Point Program to Destroy America states the band's aim "To dress well, as clothing and fashion, are the only things which we -- the kids -- being utterly disenfranchised, have any control over. "[11] Much of the band admitted to not knowing how to play their instruments well, stating "All you need is a concept. There's no reason you have to sound like Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin were "[12]

Political concepts

The Birth of the Ulysses Aesthetic EP by Nation of Ulysses.
The Birth of the Ulysses Aesthetic EP by Nation of Ulysses.

Nation of Ulysses described themselves not as a rock 'n' roll group in the traditional sense, but "as a political party"[13] and as "a shout of secession. A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral "[12] Explaining their intent, Svenonius said "it's basically a new nation underground for the dispossessed youth colony. It's all about smashing the old edifice, the monolith of rock and roll. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African "[14]

All Music Guide's Steve Huey described Nation of Ulysses' philosophy as "a relentlessly provocative (and entertaining) jumble of teenage rock 'n' roll rebellion, leftist radicalism, anarchist punk polemics, and abstract intellectual rambling, [. allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. . . ] [which gives the sense of] an off-kilter, almost tongue-in-cheek approach to a 'perpetual 18-year old's' view of America, and life in general. "[5] This tongue-in-cheek political attitude was echoed by a spoken-word introduction to the song "The Sound of Jazz to Come", from their 1992 Plays Pretty for Baby, in which the band describes themselves as "the seriously unserious, reverently irreverent, amoral moralists. Plays Pretty for Baby is the second album by the American Punk rock band Nation of Ulysses. "

Asked about their use of the medium they claimed to counteract - rock 'n' roll - Svenonius declared "Well, it's a camouflage, to allow for movement, revolutionary liberation from the constraints of everyday composure, basically allowing anybody to move in anyway that they want and to lift spirit to a plateau to destroy 'parent culture. ' "[14]

Nation of Ulysses claimed to make weapons, not records. Discussing their second release, Svenonius asserted: "it's like a blueprint for the destruction of the Parent Culture. It's like a zip gun . . . It's an instruction pamphlet for kids on how to destroy their home life, you know, their domestic state. "[14]

Although their first album was named 13-Point Program to Destroy America, Nation of Ulysses didn't align themselves with a particular political philosophy: "We don't usually address normal political dictums. We aim toward the everyday fixtures of life, like aesthetics, sound, non-spoken things that are inherently political in nature instead of, like bogus politicians who focus on glossy surface issues which avoid any kind of revolutionary change. Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called "[14]

Ulysses Speaks

"Ulysses Speaks" zine, issue #4
"Ulysses Speaks" zine, issue #4

Nation of Ulysses published a zine called "Ulysses Speaks," which was an extension of their ideology expressed in their music and liner notes. A zine (an abbreviation of the word Fanzine, or magazine ziːn "zeen" is most commonly a small circulation non-commercial Publication The zines espoused what they referred to as "The Ulysses Aesthetic," which was a mix of 60's and 70's radical politics, French Situationist writings, and juvenile delinquency. The Situationist International ( SI) was a small group of international political and artistic Agitators with roots in Marxism, Lettrism and the Juvenile delinquency refers to criminal acts performed by juveniles Most Legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles such as The zine was distributed at live shows as well as made available by writing the band. A total of 8 issues were published. [15]

Live performances

The band was known for their extremely physical performances, during some of which Svenonius recalls breaking his arm, his leg, and breaking his head open on numerous occasions. Audience members were also hurt during performances. Svenonius described Nation of Ulysses performances as "an extraordinary freak-out kind of thing [. . . ] really masochistic, lots of blood [. Sadism refers to Sexual or non-sexual gratification in the infliction of Pain or humiliation upon or by another person . . ] cacophonous, and violent, and aggressive. "[6]

Discography

Main article: Nation of Ulysses discography

Studio albums

Studio EPs

References

  1. ^ Who are the Nation of Ulysses?. Nation of Ulysses was a Washington DC -based band formed in 1988 consisting of Ian Svenonius, James Canty Steve Gamboa Steve Kroner and Tim Green Plays Pretty for Baby is the second album by the American Punk rock band Nation of Ulysses. The Embassy Tapes is the third posthumous compilation album by the American Punk rock band Nation of Ulysses. Southern Records. Southern Records is an Independent record label closely associated with Crass Records and Dischord Records. Retrieved on 2007-06-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable
  2. ^ New York Night Train One-Year Anniversary. New York Night Train (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St
  3. ^ Steady Diet fanzine - April 98. Steady Diet, April 1998. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St
  4. ^ What Has Become of the Nation of Ulysses?. Southern Records. Southern Records is an Independent record label closely associated with Crass Records and Dischord Records. Retrieved on 2007-06-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable
  5. ^ a b Huey, Steve. The Nation of Ulysses Biography. All Music Guide. allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. Retrieved on 2006-12-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St
  6. ^ a b 10-3-06 Ian Svenonius / The Make-Up. Danger Mike, Jesse Rockoff (DJ Mark Foley), Ian Svenonius. Ian Svenonius is an American musician notable as the singer and mouthpiece of various Washington D Radio CPR. Radio CPR (975 FM is an unlicensed small community radio station operating in the Mount Pleasant, Columbia Heights, and Adams Morgan neighborhoods of 97. 5 FM, Washington, D.C.. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D 2006-10-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge.
  7. ^ Zac (2005-07-18). Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, A Kid Who Tells On Another Kid Is a Dead Kid: Nation of Ulysses. Urban Honking. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  8. ^ Butler, Blake. Shape of Punk to Come - Refused. All Music Guide. allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  9. ^ Allen, Ryan. The Make-Up (PDF also available). eNotes. com. Retrieved on 2007-02-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons
  10. ^ Nation of Ulysses – Discography. Southern Records. Southern Records is an Independent record label closely associated with Crass Records and Dischord Records. Retrieved on 2008-01-23. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor
  11. ^ Morris, Daniel (2006-10-11). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed THE NATION HAS SPOKEN. City Belt. Retrieved on 2001-01-15. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign
  12. ^ a b Cheslow, S. . Nation of Ulysses interview - 1989. Interrobang?! #1 (1989). Retrieved on 2006-12-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St
  13. ^ Gale, Thomas (2005). The Make-Up Biography. eNotes. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for
  14. ^ a b c d Dundas, Zach (1993-01). The Nation of Ulysses. Mumblage #1 (January 1993). Archived from the original on 2005-11-27. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Retrieved on 2006-12-10. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V
  15. ^ Ulysses Speaks!. Retrieved on 2007-10-02. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule

External links

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