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Red Krayola (originally Red Crayola) is an American
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 ...
band from
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
formed in 1966 by the trio of singer/guitarist Mayo Thompson, drummer Frederick Barthelme, and bassist Steve Cunningham. The group were part of the 1960s Texas
psychedelic music Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as Dmt, DMT, Lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD, mescaline, ...
scene and were signed to independent record label International Artists, subsequently becoming labelmates with the 13th Floor Elevators. Their confrontational,
experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
approach employed
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 ...
and
free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any general rules, instead following the intuition of its performers. The term can refer to both a technique—employed by any musician in any genre—and as a recognizable genre of ...
. The group disbanded in the late 1960s, but were resurrected in the late 1970s when Thompson moved to England and found favor in the
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
scene. Thompson has continued using the name, in its legally altered spelling for performances or releases in the US, for his musical projects since. The group has released recordings on European labels such as Rough Trade and Recommended. In the mid-1990s, Thompson returned to the United States, signing with Drag City and releasing further albums. The Red Krayola have influenced a number of seminal
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
artists such as
MGMT MGMT () is an American rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by singers and multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser, Ben Goldwasser. Originally signed to Cantora Records by the nascent ...
,
Osees Osees is an American rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1997, now based in Los Angeles, California. Originally the solo recording project of John Dwyer (musician), John Dwyer, the band has evolved through numerous line- ...
, Ty Segall,
Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock music, rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simon ...
, and
Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore County, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is cha ...
.
Galaxie 500 Galaxie 500 was an American indie rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three studio albums: '' Today'' (1988), '' On Fire'' (1989), and '' This Is Our Music'' (1990). The band membership comprised guitarist and v ...
, Spacemen 3 and the Cramps covered their songs.


History


1960s

The Red Crayola was formed in
Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
by Mayo Thompson and Frederick Barthelme at the University of St. Thomas in mid-July 1966. Barthelme said Red Crayola was "a name we took as a sort of parody of the clever
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
band names of that moment, a name that had come to us while trailing down Main Street in my roofless (courtesy of the sculptor Jim Love) blue
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
" the name was also a homage to Thompson's mother Hazel's career as an art teacher. After going through an array of players, the band settled on Steve Cunningham (who previously collaborated with Malachi on the 'Holy Music' album) as their bassist who in September 1966 joined the band alongside his friend Bonnie Emerson and then later Danny Schact. For a while this was the original lineup of the band: at that point Red Crayola was a cover band playing songs such as "
Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a Standard (music), stand ...
", "
The House of the Rising Sun "The House of the Rising Sun" is an American traditional folk music, folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a person's life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children t ...
", "
Eight Miles High "Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn (later known as Roger McGuinn), and David Crosby. It was first released as a single on March 14, 1966. Musically influenced by sitar playe ...
" and a fast version of "
Hey Joe "Hey Joe" is a song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics are from the point of view of a man on the run and planning to escape to Mexico after sho ...
". Later, the band got a gig (with the help of Luana Anderson) at Mark Froman's club called Love, their main place to perform. They later garnered notoriety from clubs and venues as they were never booked twice. Later, the band went from a five piece to a trio. They also formed a secondary group of shifting membership of about 50 people called " the Familiar Ugly", which consisted of active fans who performed with the band on or near the stage, using unconventional techniques and instruments. The band recorded '' The Parable of Arable Land'' which sold around 50,000 copies when it was first released.
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
noted "listeners weren't sure whether the racket was the result of sharp intellectualism, sheer incompetence, or buzzed-out substance abuse." A retrospective review branded the Crayola's "stripped down simplicity and caustic lyrics" as a rarely acknowledged precursor to
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
. After the original pressing for ''The Parable of Arable Land'' sold out, promoters were attracted to the band and they were invited to perform in the
Berkeley Folk Music Festival The Berkeley Folk Music Festival was a folk music festival held annually from 1958 to 1970 in Berkeley, California, one of the major centers of the folk music revival in the United States. It was directed by Barry Olivier. The Festival was one ...
where instead of playing songs that they had written before, they generated feedback and drones via a guitar amp. The noise was so severe that band was accused of killing a dog due to sheer volume. In a 1978 interview, producer Lelan Rogers mentions that the reason the band never released a single was due in part to the controversy surrounding the sentimental lyrics in "War Sucks". Because of this, the album received little to no airplay as most radio stations refused to play the record. In the 2007 book "Eye Mind: Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators" author Paul Drummond mentions that the Red Crayola had recorded a session in February 1967 for "Dairymaid's Lament" backed with "Free Piece" to be released as a single, they were both songs that would later appear on their sophomore album, the session was produced by Bob Steffek who had a hit on Shazam Records with "Wild Woody"; however, the single was never released. The album '' Coconut Hotel'' was recorded in 1967 but rejected by International Artists for its lack of commercial potential. It departed completely from the full-sounding guitar/bass/drums/vocals rock sound of Red Crayola's first album. The album was not released until 1995. During this period, the band performed concerts in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
, and
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
where their music resembled that of '' Coconut Hotel'' more than any of their other albums. These performances are captured on ''Live 1967''. Red Crayola also performed with guitarist John Fahey and recorded a studio album of music in collaboration with him, but International Artists demanded possession of the tapes, they were then subsequently lost. The band's second album to see release was 1968's '' God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It'' which employed new drummer Tommy Smith. Around this time, the band received a cease and desist letter from
Binney & Smith Crayola LLC, formerly the Binney & Smith Company, is an American manufacturing and retail company specializing in list of art media, art supplies. It is known for its brand ''Crayola'' and best known for its crayons. The company is headquartered ...
, the company which manufactured
Crayola Crayola LLC, formerly the Binney & Smith Company, is an American manufacturing and retail company specializing in list of art media, art supplies. It is known for its brand ''Crayola'' and best known for its crayons. The company is headquartered ...
crayons, which resulted in the band changing the spelling of their name to Red Krayola. The album was not as well received as the band's first release as it sold only around 6,000 copies and was dismissed by most critics, so the group later disbanded. Studio demos by the original Red Crayola were released on the 1980 compilation of International Artists rarities: ''Epitaph for a Legend''. Mark Deming of
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 ...
wrote that the album "bears precious little resemblance to anything else that appeared at the time; it would take a few decades of
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
experimentalism before Mayo Thompson's vision would have a truly suitable context". The album garnered a few fans such as Greek composer
Manos Hatzidakis Manos Hatzidakis (also spelled Hadjidakis; ; 23 October 1925 – 15 June 1994) was a Greek composer and theorist of Greek music, widely regarded as one of the greatest Greek composers of all time. He was one of the main proponents of the " Ént ...
and Joseph Byrd of
the United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguou ...
. Barthelme later said, "In short, the Red Crayola was both a mockery of the California bands and the
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
culture, and an alternative to it, though of course, being as the audience was made up of hippies, nobody really noticed, and that was okay, too, because all we wanted to do was play the crack-ball stuff, be heard, attack whatever conventions were around, and have a good time doing it."


1970s–1980s

In 1970, Thompson and Barthelme formed a short-lived Houston band called Saddlesore with Cassell Webb; the trio released one single on the short-lived label Texas Revolution with "Old Tom Clark" on the A-side and "Pig Ankle Strut" on the B-side. (These songs would later be included on a Red Krayola compilation album released in 2004). Shortly after, the band split up and Thompson left the music business and pursued other projects until 1973 when he moved to England and joined conceptual art collective
Art & Language Art & Language is an English conceptual artists' collaboration that has undergone many changes since it was created around 1967. The group was founded by artists who shared a common desire to combine intellectual ideas and concerns with the cre ...
. Upon their return in the late 70s, English
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
group
Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...
invited the Crayola to open for them due to the band liking their music as well as their shared
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
political beliefs. Thompson continued to make music, both under his own name and as the Red Crayola (reverting to the original spelling in Europe). The next incarnation of the group was a duo: Thompson and American drummer Jesse Chamberlain. The two recorded the single "Wives in Orbit" and the album ''Soldier Talk'', with the latter featuring cameos by Lora Logic and members of Pere Ubu, both of which could be seen as musical responses to punk rock. Radar Records reissued '' Parable of Arable Land'' in 1978 in the UK, accompanied by a flexi-disc, on which was an up-tempo version of Hurricane Fighter Plane recorded in July 1978, with an apparent punk rock influence as well. His collaborations in the 1970s and 1980s read like a roll-call of the
avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
and
experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
artists and musicians of the era. Red Crayola teamed up with Art & Language in 1973, who Thompson described as "the baddest bastards on the block", for three LPs: 1976's ''Corrected Slogans'', 1981's ''Kangaroo?'' (also featuring the Raincoats'
Gina Birch Georgina Mary Birch (born October 1955) is an English musician and filmmaker, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band the Raincoats. Born in Nottingham, Birch attended Nottingham Girls' High School and subsequently Hornsey Sc ...
, Lora Logic of Essential Logic and Swell Maps' Epic Soundtracks) and 1983's ''Black Snakes''. Thompson joined Pere Ubu for a period in the early 1980s, performing on their albums '' The Art of Walking'' and '' Song of the Bailing Man'', and provided soundtrack music for
Derek Jarman Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, poet, gardener, and gay rights activist. Biography Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing ...
. Throughout this time he worked with
Geoff Travis Geoff Travis (born 2 February 1952) is the founder of both Rough Trade Records and the Rough Trade chain of record shops. A former drama teacher and owner of a punk record shop, Travis founded the Rough Trade label in 1976. Biography Travis wa ...
, the founder of
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...
, as a producer for many other seminal experimental and
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
acts, including the Fall (1980's '' Grotesque (After the Gramme)''), the Raincoats,
Scritti Politti Scritti Politti are a British band formed in 1977 in Leeds by singer-songwriter Green Gartside, who is the sole remaining member of the original band. Initially formed as a punk culture, punk-aligned underground act influenced by leftist poli ...
,
Blue Orchids Blue Orchids are an English post-punk band formed in Manchester in 1979, when Martin Bramah left The Fall (band), the Fall, after playing on the band's debut album ''Live at the Witch Trials''. Christened by Salford-based punk poet John Cooper ...
, Cabaret Voltaire,
Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a Northern Irish punk rock band from Belfast. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the Deep P ...
, Kleenex/LiLiPUT, the Chills,
the Monochrome Set The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk/ new wave band, originally formed in London in January 1978. The most recent line-up consists of Bid, Andy Warren, Athen Ayren and Stephen Gilchrist. History Original band: 1978–1985 The Mono ...
and
Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock music, rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simon ...
.


1990s–present

The 1990s found Red Krayola with a new audience, who came to the group via musicians associated with Chicago's
post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
scene and in particular the Drag City label, who had joined the band's ever-shifting line-up for a number of releases including the LPs ''The Red Krayola'' (1994), ''Hazel'' (1996), and ''Fingerpainting'' (1999). These were, among others, Jim O'Rourke and
David Grubbs David Grubbs (born September 21, 1967) is an American composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist. He was a founding member of Squirrel Bait, Bastro, and Gastr del Sol. He has also played in Codeine (band), Codeine, The Red Krayola, Bitch Magnet a ...
of Gastr del Sol, the
post-conceptual Post-conceptual, postconceptual, post-conceptualism or postconceptualism is an art theory that builds upon the legacy of conceptual art in contemporary art, where the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take some precedence over traditional ...
visual artist Stephen Prina, German painter Albert Oehlen, George Hurley (formerly of
Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...
and Firehose), Tom Watson of Slovenly, Sandy Yang, Elisa Randazzo and John McEntire of
Tortoise Tortoises ( ) are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for "tortoise"). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like o ...
. In 2006, the group issued an album, ''Introduction'', and an EP, ''Red Gold''. In 1995, Drag City re-released 1967's ''Coconut Hotel'', and in 1998 issued ''The Red Krayola Live 1967'' with material from the Angry Arts Festival and Berkeley Folk Music Festival including their live collaboration with John Fahey. In 2007, Drag City released ''Sighs Trapped by Liars'', another collaboration of Red Krayola with Art & Language, followed in 2010 with another, ''Five American Portraits'', which consists of musical portraits of Wile E. Coyote, President George W Bush, President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
,
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
, and Ad Reinhardt, with vocals by
Gina Birch Georgina Mary Birch (born October 1955) is an English musician and filmmaker, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band the Raincoats. Born in Nottingham, Birch attended Nottingham Girls' High School and subsequently Hornsey Sc ...
. In 2016 came ''Baby and Child Care'', recorded in 1984.


Discography


Studio albums

* '' The Parable of Arable Land'' (1967) * '' God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It'' (1968) * '' Soldier-Talk'' (1979) * '' Three Songs on a Trip to the United States'' (1983) * '' Malefactor, Ade'' (1989) * '' The Red Krayola'' (1994) * '' Coconut Hotel'' (1995, recorded 1967) * ''
Hazel Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...
'' (1996) * '' Fingerpainting'' (1999) * ''
Introduction Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...
'' (2006)


with Art & Language

* '' Corrected Slogans'' (1976) * '' Kangaroo?'' (1981) * '' Black Snakes'' (1983) * '' Sighs Trapped by Liars'' (2007) * '' Five American Portraits'' (2010) * ''Baby and Child Care'' (2016, recorded 1984)


Compilation and remix albums

* ''Deliverance'' (1996) * '' Singles'' (2004) * ''Hurricane Fighter Plane'' (2006) * '' Fingerpointing'' (2008)


Live albums

* '' Live 1967'' (1998) * ''Live in Paris 13/12/1978'' (1998)


Soundtracks

* '' Japan in Paris in L.A.'' (2004)


Extended plays

* '' Amor and Language'' (1995) * '' Blues, Hollers and Hellos'' (2000) * ''
Red Gold Colored Gold is the name given to any gold that has been treated using techniques to change its natural color. Pure gold is slightly reddish yellow in color, but colored gold can come in a variety of different colors by alloying it with different ...
'' (2006)


Singles

* "Hurricane Fighter Plane / Reverberation" (1978) * "Wives in Orbit / Yik-Yak" (1978) * "Micro-Chips and Fish" (1979) * "Born in Flames / The Sword of God" (1980) * "An Old Man's Dream / The Milkmaid" (1981) * "Rattenmensch: Gewichtswächter / Zukunftsflieger" (1981) * "The Red Crayola on Forty-Five" (1993) * "4Teen / Stink Program" (1994) * "Chemistry / Farewell to Arms" (1996) * "Father Abraham" (1998) * "Come On Down" (1999) * "Stil de Grain Brun" (2002) * "Greasy Street" (2010)


See also

* Nurse with Wound list


References


External links


The Red Krayola on Discogs
*
Thorough discographyThe Red Krayola on Drag City
from NewYorkNightTrain.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Krayola, The Drag City (record label) artists Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups from Houston Psychedelic rock music groups from Texas American outsider musicians American protopunk groups Radar Records artists Rough Trade Records artists 1966 establishments in Texas American experimental rock groups Glass Records artists