The Ordinaires was a nine piece

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

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The band, which broke up in 1991, was composed of Angela Babin (guitar), Robin Casey (violin), Joe Dizney (guitar), Sven Furberg (bass), Kurt Hoffman (tenor saxophone), Barbara Schloss (violin), Jim Thomas (drums), Fritz Van Orden (alto saxophone), Garo Yellin (cello), and Peter Moffitt (cello, from 1984-1987). Born as the early '80's New York

no wave No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and r ...

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

movement began to take root, the band was both an outgrowth of and a reaction against the shapeless dissonance of their peers. Initially named Off-Beach, the band christened themselves The Ordinaires after completing two tracks for a Lower East Side compilation record. The name was a simplification of The Vin Ordinaires (based on the French term for table wine), and a pun on the name of band member Fritz Van Orden. Their self-titled debut, recorded at New York's

CBGB's CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Country, Bluegrass, Blue ...

, was released on the German Dossier label and was then released in America by

Bar/None Records Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio, booking and promoting bands in his n ...

. The Ordinaires are credited on the song "Kiss Me, Son Of God" by

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...

, and Kurt Hoffman would later be a part of They Might Be Giants' backing band.

Adam Duritz Adam Fredric Duritz (born August 1, 1964) is an American singer, best known as the frontman for the rock band Counting Crows, for which he serves as a founding member and principal composer. Since its founding in 1991, Counting Crows has sold ov ...

of the band

Counting Crows Counting Crows is an American rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of rhythm guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immergl� ...

is wearing a The Ordinaires shirt in the music video of their hit song Mr. Jones.

Discography

Albums

*''The Ordinaires'' - LP (1986, Dossier Records) *''One'' - LP/Cassette (1989,

)

Compilation Appearances

*''Peripheral Vision'' - "Bands of Loisaida" - Cassette (1982, Zoar Records) *''Island of Sanity'' - "New Music From New York" - LP (1987, Rec-Rec Records) *''Time For A Change'' (1989,

)1989 - Time For A Change (

compilation)

Notes

External links

The Ordinaires: They Might Be Giants Knowledge Base

Bar/None Records overview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ordinaires American noise rock music groups American experimental rock groups Musical groups disestablished in 1991 Musical groups from New York City