Oxbow was an American

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

band from San Francisco, California. Founded in 1988, the band released eight studio albums, disbanding in 2024.

History

Oxbow began as a recording project. In 1988 Eugene Robinson (vocals, lyrics) and Niko Wenner (guitar, bass, keyboards, producer, music) wrote songs with an approach decidedly different from Whipping Boy, their band at the time. Recruiting their former Whipping Boy bandmate Bart Thurber as sound engineer, recording commenced after Robinson’s attempt at a solo album failed and was abandoned due to his “zero musical skills.” Wenner concocted an underlying musical architecture for his abrasive-then-plangent music, through use of

arch form In music, arch form is a sectional structure for a piece of music based on repetition, in reverse order, of all or most musical sections such that the overall form is symmetric, most often around a central movement. The sections need not be re ...

and musical

palindromes A palindrome ( /ˈpæl.ɪn.droʊm/) is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as ''madam'' or '' racecar'', the date " 02/02/2020" and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Pana ...

unusual in the

noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound. Noise music include ...

genre the band was often placed. This organizing structure later grew to encompass the second Oxbow recording as well, and drew relationships between the two. For his part Robinson changed his vocal approach to include in-the-studio improvisations and extensive vocal multi-tracking. This first record, titled ''Fuckfest'' has drumming split evenly between Greg Davis and Tom Dobrov. The record received positive response, so they decided to continue. Dan Adams (bass in Oxbow, drums in Whipping Boy) joined immediately on completion of the first recording. All but Davis were at various times members of Whipping Boy, Wenner and Dobrov had been bandmates in the hardcore band Grim RealityAnkeny, Jason
Oxbow Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, retrieved July 17, 2012Pehling, Dave (2002)
Uneasy Listening: Oxbow drags experimental rock into the heart of darkness
, ''

SF Weekly ''SF Weekly'' is an online music publication and formerly alternative weekly newspaper founded in the 1970s in San Francisco, California. It was distributed every Thursday, and was published by the San Francisco Print Media Company. The paper ha ...

'', September 11, 2002, retrieved July 17, 2012 Dobrov departed amicably after the band's 1995 European tour, but performed as guest second-drummer, with Davis, for the studio recording of "Shine (Glimmer)" on the 2002 album ''An Evil Heat.''Wenner, Niko (1995)
Tour Diary: 1995 (Niko)
", retrieved September 15, 2012Oxbow (2012)

, ''http://www.facebook.com/OXBOW'', August 1, 2012, retrieved September 15, 2012 The first album from Oxbow, Fuckfest (album), ''Fuckfest'', was released in 1989. It was described as "one of the most unique first statements in modern

avant-rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

" by ''

Rock-A-Rolla ''Rock-A-Rolla'' was a music magazine covering experimental, avant-garde, noise and metal artists pushing the boundaries of music. Launched in late 2005, it was published bi-monthly in the UK by V-Squared Publishing Limited and distributed worl ...

'' magazine, "staggeringly eclectic" by

Simon Reynolds Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his career at ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He subsequently worked as a freelancer and published a number of books on music and popular culture. Reynold ...

, and "a fierce, rigorous album that challenges almost every preconception rock listeners might have" by

.Classic album: Oxbow ‘Fuckfest’
, ''

'', April 15, 2010, retrieved July 17, 2012Reynolds, Simon

, ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'', 1989, retrieved August 1, 2012Freeman, Phil
''Fuckfest'' Review
,

, retrieved July 17, 2012 ''Fuckfest'' was followed by ''King of the Jews'' (1991) and then by two

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

-recorded albums: ''Let Me Be a Woman'' (1995) and ''Serenade in Red'' (1996–97), the latter featuring guest vocals from

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

. ''An Evil Heat'' followed in 2002 on

Neurosis Neurosis (: neuroses) is a term mainly used today by followers of Freudian thinking to describe mental disorders caused by past anxiety, often that has been repressed. In recent history, the term has been used to refer to anxiety-related con ...

Neurot Recordings Neurot Recordings is an American independent record label founded by members of avant-garde metal band Neurosis in 1999. Gradually expanding, it has showcased a variety of artists including a number of sludge metal, post-rock, and noise bands. ...

label.York, William
''An Evil Heat'' Review
,

, retrieved July 17, 2012 Oxbow's 2007 album ''The Narcotic Story'' was named the number one album in the "Best of 2007" by ''

'' magazine, and was listed with three other bands' albums in the nomination of

Joe Chiccarelli Joe Chiccarelli is an American record producer, mixer and engineer, who is a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and has been active since the 1980s. He has produced albums by Julieta Venegas, Jason Mraz, Morrissey, Oingo Boingo, Spoon, Young the Gi ...

as 'Producer of the Year' at the

50th Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonie ...

.Rock-A-Rolla "", retrieved September 9, 2012 In May 2017 Oxbow released ''

Thin Black Duke ''Thin Black Duke'' is the seventh studio album by American experimental rock band Oxbow. It was released on May 5, 2017 through Hydra Head Records. Background and composition According to ''Pitchfork'' writer Zoe Camp, the album "envision a wor ...

'' their seventh full-length album, like ''The Narcotic Story'' produced by Joe Chiccarelli and Niko Wenner and again on

Hydra Head Records Hydra Head Records was an independent record label specializing in extreme metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (the frontman of Isis) in 1993. It had another imprint, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialized in experimental ...

, to universal critical acclaim. They returned in 2023 with Love’s Holiday, again produced by Joe Chiccarelli and Niko Wenner, released July 21 that year on

Ipecac Recordings Ipecac Recordings is an independent record label based in California. It was founded on April 1, 1999, by Greg Werckman (ex-label manager of Alternative Tentacles, ex-lead singer of DUH, ex-employee of Mercury Records) and Mike Patton (Faith N ...

, again to universal critical acclaim. On July 7, 2024, Robinson announced his departure from the band.
The Last Tour Diary You'll Get Out of Me", retrieved July 8, 2024
If you're one of those TLDR types the deal is this I'm quitting OXBOW, retrieved July 8, 2024

Musical style

Oxbow's material is musically varied and has been compared both to bands such as

and The Birthday Party (band), The Birthday Party, and modern classical composers such as

Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best-known works include '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', '' ...

and

John Luther Adams John Luther Adams (born January 23, 1953) is an American composer whose music is inspired by nature, especially the landscapes of Alaska, where he lived from 1978 to 2014. His orchestral work ''Become Ocean'' was awarded the 2014 Pulitzer Prize ...

. Elements of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

, heavy metal,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, and

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is Western art music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st-century classical music, 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 Modernism (music), post-tonal music after the death of ...

are consistently mentioned.Chainey, Ian

, ''Last Rites'', July 1, 2007, retrieved March 20, 2018MacGregor, Adam

, ''Dusted Magazine'', May 18, 2006, retrieved September 5, 2012 Allmusic writer Jason Ankeny identified elements of

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

and

musique concrète Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic ...

Members

Final line-up

*Dan Adams -

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

(1990-2024) *Greg Davis -

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

(1988-2024) *Eugene S. Robinson -

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

(1988-2024) *Niko Wenner -

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

s, keyboards,

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

(1988-2024),

studio only (1988-1992),

(2017-2024)

Former members

*Tom Dobrov -

(1989-1995)

Timeline

Dan Adams: Bass Guitar

Dan Adams, multi-instrumentalist, engineer who worked on animatronics in films such as Free Willie and Anaconda, and award-winning jazz drummer also used to drum for North Carolina's hardcore punk band the Ugly Americans.

Niko Wenner: Guitars, Keyboards

Oxbow composer, arranger, and producer Wenner "a master of sculpting noise and tone" has also toured and recorded as part of the bands

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

, Swell, Celan,discogs.com/artist/Niko+Wenner, (2012)

and Jellyfish (band), Jellyfish.

Omnivore Recordings Omnivore Recordings is an independent record label founded in 2010. It specializes in historical releases, reissues and previously unissued vintage recordings, as well as select releases of new music, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Omnivore R ...

(2012).

, ''Omnivore Recordings'' (official website), retrieved July 29, 2012 Wenner has engineered recordings for Oxbow and others, composed and performed music for contemporary dance,Aquarius Records (2012)

" 2012, retrieved July 29, 2012 and appeared performing in an Academy Award nominee for best short film.

Eugene S. Robinson: Vocals

On ''Fuckfest'' "Robinson howls in a high-pitched, anguished voice somewhere between Robert Plant and Birthday Party-era Nick Cave", although his lyrics sound incomprehensible. Robinson has provided guest vocals for several bands, including Soothsayer,

Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental rock band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart (the only constant member since formation), Angel ...

, Black Sun,

Old Man Gloom Old Man Gloom is an American post-metal band originally formed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but now based in Massachusetts. The group, formed by Aaron Turner of Isis and Santos Montano, expanded to become a sort of supergroup in the Boston hardcore ...

DJ /Rupture Jace Clayton, also known as DJ /rupture, is a New York–based American DJ, writer and interdisciplinary artist. In addition to his music, Clayton has established a blog identity with musical and non-musical posts on his website, "mudd up!". His ...

, Ultraphallus,

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

, and his notable side project Buñuel, among others.Drever, Ryan (2010)
Black Sun – Twilight Of The Gods
, '' The Skinny'', August 30, 2010, retrieved July 17, 2012Old Man Gloom ''Christmas''
, ''

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

'', August 30, 2004, retrieved July 17, 2012Drever, Ryan (2011)
Ultraphallus ''Sowberry Hagan''
", Drowned in Sound, January 20, 2011, retrieved July 17, 2012Beta, Andy (2005)
1 + 1 = 3: Turkish composer and Harvard grad pump up the volume
, ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...

'', January 18, 2005, retrieved July 17, 2012Fight Math
''Fight Math''"

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

, January 13, 2015, retrieved January 15, 2015" Vocalist Robinson, also an amateur fighter and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Leopoldo Serao, has on several occasions dealt with misbehaving audience members with physical force. He is also known for shedding his clothes on stage.Dare, Christopher (2002)
Oxbow ''An Evil Heat''
,

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

, December 31, 2001, retrieved July 17, 2012Howe, Brian (2007)
Oxbow ''The Narcotic Story''
,

, June 21, 2007, retrieved July 17, 2012Spicuzza, Mary (2008)
Oxbow's Eugene Robinson chokes rowdy concertgoers
, ''

'', January 9, 2008, retrieved July 17, 2012Eugene Robinson
, ''

Decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a Power, root-power, and field quantities, power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whos ...

'', Issue No. 39, January 2008, retrieved July 17, 2012Newton, Edmund (2008)
Heartwarming Story
, ''

Broward Palm Beach New Times ''New Times Broward-Palm Beach'' is a news website that, until 2016, also published a weekly print newspaper; it is part of the Voice Media Group chain. The original paper split off from the ''Miami New Times'' in 1997 under the auspices of t ...

'', July 31, 2008, retrieved July 17, 2012 Robinson is the author of the books "''Paternostra''", "''Les sons inimitables de l'amour: un plan à trois en quatre actes''", ''A Long Slow Screw'' and ''Fight: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You'd Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking'', and worked as an Editor-at-Large at OZY

OZY.com Ozy Media (styled as OZY) was an American media and entertainment company launched in September 2013 by Carlos Watson (journalist), Carlos Watson and Samir Rao. It was headquartered in Mountain View, California, Mountain View, California, with ...

, in addition to being a video host of the now-defunct Knuckle Up and his own The Eugene S. Robinson Show Stomper, as well as The Care/Don't Care Preview on

Bloody Elbow ''Bloody Elbow'' is a news website that covers the sports of mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and other traditional martial arts and combat sports. Founded in 2007, the site has been notable for its investigat ...

and a regular contributor to ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' magazine. He has a blog called ''Look What You Made Me Do''. He has also had his written work appear in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', GQ, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', the LA Weekly, Ad Age, The Quietus, PC Gamer, Hustler, Code, Revolver, Decibel and The Wire, among others. His infrequent film and television work has also seen him appearing in Leonard Part 6 with

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

, NBC's Midnight Caller, ABC's King of Love, MTV's Liquid Television's Las Apassionadas, and commercials most notably one directed by

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician. He has earned acclaim as an independent film, independent auteur. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures. His ...

for Miller Genuine Draft, along with winning an Online Journalism Award for Online Commentary, Small Newsroom.Reade, Frances (2007)
SFist Interviews Eugene Robinson
", sfist.com, November 8, 2007, retrieved July 17, 2012Ranta, Alan (2008)
Eugene S. Robinson: Fight
,

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

, February 29, 2008, retrieved July 17, 2012

Discography

Albums

EPs

Compilations

Live albums

Splits

Music videos

DVDs

DVD included in the CD/DVD compilation Love That's Last: A Wholly Hypnographic and Disturbing Work Regarding Oxbow. There are six selections included on the DVD: #Music For Adults (documentary film) #Music For Adults (outtakes) #Oxbow live in Diksmuide, Belgium, Muziekclub 4AD May 19, 2002 #Oxbow live in San Francisco, USA,

Great American Music Hall The Great American Music Hall is a concert hall in San Francisco, California. It is located on O'Farrell Street in the Tenderloin neighborhood on the same block as the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theatre. It is known for its decorative balconie ...

November 14, 2004 #''S Bar X'' (video + 5.1 audio mix) #''The Snake &...'' ( 5.1 audio mix) DVD based on Oxbow's 2009 European tour. Contains three selections: #"The Luxury of Empire" by Mariexxme (documentary film) #"Still Before" by Manuel Liebeskind (documentary film) #Oxbow live in Paris, France, La Maroquinerie November 8, 2009 16mm film, multi-camera, three selections are performed live, one selection is performed to the studio recording. There are 4 selections included on the DVD: #''The Snake...'' #''She's a Find'' #''Ecce Homo'' #''Bomb''

References

External links

* * *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxbow (Band) Noisecore musical groups Musical groups from San Francisco Musical groups established in 1988 American experimental musical groups American experimental rock groups American noise rock music groups Musical groups disestablished in 2024 1988 establishments in California 2024 disestablishments in California