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Group Members: Blaine L. Reininger, Blaine L. Reininger / Steven Brown, Peter Principle, Steven Brown, Delphine Seyrig & Steven Brown, Blaine Reininger & Mikel Rouse
The music of avant-garde, electronic-oriented collective Tuxedomoon ranged from new wave pop to jazz fusion to more experimental synthesizer soundscapes (usually including saxophone and violin), which were frequently married in concert to performance art shows. The group was formed in San Francisco in 1977 by two electronic music students at San Francisco City College, Blaine L. Reininger (keyboards, violin) and Steven Brown (keyboards, other instruments). Brown's local theater connections supplied equipment and occasional vocalists in Gregory Cruikshank and Victoria Lowe, plus more frequent contributions from singer and performance artist Winston Tong. Punk and new wave were opening up the San Francisco music scene at the time, and Tuxedomoon landed an opening slot for Devo in 1978 at around the same time they cut their first single, "Pinheads on the Move." Lowe quit the band before their first EP, No Tears, which featured off-and-on members Michael Belfer (guitar) and Paul Zahl (drums). Tong and Belfer departed temporarily, and Peter Principle (b. Peter Dachert) joined as a full-time member.
Tuxedomoon signed to the Residents' Ralph Records in 1979, which eventually got them overseas exposure. Feeling that their ideas were more in tune with the European electronic music scene, the group toured Europe after 1980's Half Mute, for which Tong returned with filmmaker and visual artist Bruce Geduldig. After 1981's Desire, the band relocated permanently to Rotterdam, where Reininger began to branch out as a solo artist. Tuxedomoon were also hired to score a Maurice Bejart ballet, the results of which were released in 1982 as Divine. Reininger left for a solo career in 1983 and was replaced by Frankie Lievaart and horn player Luc van Lieshout.
In between side projects and scoring, the band sought an international deal for its forthcoming LP, Holy Wars; it was eventually released in 1985 and became the band's biggest commercial success. Tong left the group for good that year, leaving Brown and Principle the only remaining San Francisco members; multi-instrumentalist Ivan Georgiev was hired to replenish the group's sound for 1986's Ship of Fools album and tour. After 1987's jazz fusion-oriented You, Tuxedomoon significantly slowed their rate of output, but members remained active with outside pursuits. They issued only two albums, The Ghost Sonata (based on a 1982 production) and Joeboy in Mexico (with the name Tuxedomoon nowhere to be found on the packaging), during the '90s. The following decade, Brown, Principle, Reininger, and van Lieshout reconvened to release Cabin in the Sky (2004), Bardo Hotel Soundtrack (2006), and Vapour Trails (2007). A 2007 box set, the elaborate 7707 tm, marked Tuxedomoon's 30th anniversary.
from Wikipedia:
Tuxedomoon is an experimental post-punk/New Wave group formed in San Francisco, California, consisting of core members Blaine L. Reininger, Steven Brown and Peter Principle.
Formed in 1977 by multi-instrumentalists Reininger and Brown, then two students of electronic music at San Francisco City College, with technical assistance from video artist Tommy Tadlock, Tuxedomoon started playing salons and accompanying performances by Angels of Light. Brown's connections to local theatre gave the band access to vocalists Gregory Cruikshank, Victoria Lowe, and, most frequently, Winston Tong, the latter bringing along filmmaker and performance artist Bruce Geduldig who, in an unusual capacity for a band member, took care of the band's visuals, both live and on video. The band gained some level of recognition in 1978 when they opened for Devo. Michael Belfer, (guitarist), and Paul Zahl, (drummer) joined the band in time to help with the group's first EP, No Tears Lowe left prior to the album's release in 1978. Soon afterward, Tong and Belfer left the group temporarily, and bassist Peter Principle joined the lineup. In 1979, the group signed to The Residents' Ralph Records, with whom they recorded their next two albums, Half Mute and Desire, (which was recorded in England with Gareth Jones.) In late 1980 the band relocated to Rotterdam for a short time and then moved on to Brussels, believing their sound better fit the electronic scene in Europe.
The band created the score for a ballet by Maurice Béjart, which was released in 1982 as Divine. In 1983 Reininger left the group in order to pursue a solo career, and trumpeter Luc Van Lieshout joined. In 1985 Tuxedomoon had its largest success commercially with the international release of Holy Wars. Tong left the group again soon after its release. Multi-instrumentalist Ivan Georgiev was brought in to perform on the group's next two albums, 1986's Ship of Fools and 1987's You. The band remained inactive through most of the 1990s, although never technically broke up.
On July 20, 2004 a reborn Tuxedomoon, consisting of Brown, Reininger, Principle, and Luc Van Lieshout released a new studio album, Cabin in the Sky. They had been given the opportunity to spend over two months together in Cagli, Italy, at the Teatro di Cagli under a program begun by theater director and then-mayor of the town, Sandro Pascucci. They continue to work and tour together and have since released Bardo Hotel Soundtrack in 2006. For the group's 30th year anniversary in 2007 they released another studio album, Vapour Trails. At this time, Crammed Discs released the box set 77o7 Tm (the 30th Anniversary Box) containing: Vapour Trails, Unearthed: Lost Cords, a collection of previously unreleased recordings, 162o7 (39°N 7°W), a live concert recorded on February 16, 2007 in Portalegre, Portugal, as well as a DVD (in both PAL and NTSC editions) Unearthed: Found Films, rare videos from 1977 - 1988. The box set was designed by noted graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook.
In 2008, writer/journalist Isabelle Corbisier published a 476-page biography, entitled Music For Vagabonds - The Tuxedomoon Chronicles covering the band's entire career as well as members' solo activities.
Band members Brown, Geduldig, Lieshout, Principle, Reininger, and Tong continue to work, as they have always done, on solo and other collaborative projects.
