To Live and Shave in L.A. (TLASILA) is an experimental

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 ...

collective founded in 1993 by avant-garde composer/producer Tom Smith (formerly of Washington, DC groups

Peach of Immortality In Chinese mythology, Peaches of Immortality ( or ) are consumed by the immortals due to their mystic virtue of conferring longevity on all who eat them. Peaches symbolizing immortality (or the wish for a long and healthy life) are a common symbo ...

and

Pussy Galore Pussy Galore is a fictional character in the 1959 Ian Fleming James Bond novel '' Goldfinger'' and the 1964 film of the same name. In the film, she is played by Honor Blackman. The character returns in the 2015 Bond continuation novel '' Tri ...

) and Miami Beach musician/producer Frank "Rat Bastard" Falestra. They were soon joined by

oscillator Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...

player Ben Wolcott. This lineup created the majority of the early releases in TLASILA's extensive discography. The group's debut album, ''30-minuten männercreme'', was released in 1994. '' Bananafish Magazine'' described the recording as "a wind tunnel of 30-weight vitriol." The "wildly inaccessible" ensemble has featured Don Fleming, Andrew W.K.,

Weasel Walter Weasel Walter (born Christopher Todd Walter, May 18, 1972) is an American composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of ugEXPLODE Records. Walter's work has been informed by techniques and traditions of music including A ...

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running ...

, and at least a dozen other musicians and sound artists. The group's primary aesthetic assertion posits that "

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

is obsolete". Although often categorized as purveyors of

, TLASILA have been noted to pursue an unorthodox approach, "construct(ing) songs around an overwhelming plethora of

sonic Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in, fast-food restaurant chain * Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities * Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...

detail, challenging the listener to engage with a surfeit of information," deliberately blurring "the line between harsh metal-on-metal noise and abstract

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 ...

" Smith's lyrics "distance" the group "from any potential peers," "scanning like (they) came from some previously unearthed hermetic treatise." Following the release of ''The Cortège'' (

Fan Death Records Fan Death Records is an independent record label based in Baltimore, Maryland, and Montreal, Quebec. The label is operated by Sean Gray, Chris Berry, and Tracy Soo-Ming. Fan Death is affiliated with DNA Test Fest, a noise rock and experimental mu ...

, 2011), the collective went on hiatus, abjuring live performances but releasing albums all the while. Regrouping in January 2015 with the album ''Unwept to Meet Strange Clay'' (Karl Schmidt Verlag, 2015), TLASILA resumed its touring activities. Founding member Tom Smith died in January 2022. In 2025, Palilalia released a 25th anniversary deluxe four LP box set reissue of ''The Wigmaker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg''.
To Live and Shave in LA, ''The Wigmaker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg'' by Erick Bradshaw, April 07, 2025

Selected discography

*''30-minuten männercreme'' CD (Love Is Sharing Pharmaceuticals, 1994) *'' Vedder Vedder Bedwetter'' CD (

Fifth Colvmn Records Fifth Colvmn Records was a record label based in Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1990 by Zalman Fishman, owner of the nightclub FIFTH COLVMN, located in Washington D.C. The label's first release was Chemlab's debut EP Ten Ton Pressure ...

, 1995) *''An Interview with the Mitchell Brothers'' CD (Audible Hiss, 1995) *''Tonal Harmony'' CD (Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers, 1997) *''Where a Horse Has Been Standing and Where You Belong'' CD (Western Blot, 1998) *''Peter Criss vs. Peter Christopherson'' CD-R (Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers, 2000) *''The Wigmaker in Eighteenth Century Williamsburg'' 2xCD (Menlo Park Recordings, 2002) *''God and Country Rally!'' CD (The Smack Shire, 2004) *''Horóscopo: Sanatorio de Molière'' CD (Blossoming Noise, 2006) *'' Noon & Eternity'' CD (Menlo Park Recordings, 2006) *''Les Tricoteuses'' CD (Savage Land Records, 2007) *''Like Other Painters of Her Generation...'' Split LP (with Totally Ripped) (Isolated Now Waves, 2008) *''Le Ceneri di.../Sun Hidden There'' Split CD-3 (with Harshcore) (Dukuro, 2008) *''Les poisons délectables'' C-40 (Tanzprocesz, 2009) *''The Cortège'' 12" LP (

, 2011) *''The Cortège'' CD ( Thick Syrup Records, 2011) *''Chorea Vinyl'' 2xCD (Karl Schmidt Verlag, 2012) *''The Death'' 6xCD (Karl Schmidt Verlag, 2013) *''The Tall Ma'rib with Coalition Skin'' CD (Karl Schmidt Verlag, 2014) *''Unwept to Meet Strange Clay'' CD (Karl Schmidt Verlag, 2015) *''Apfel - Messer - Fliege'' CD (Barn & Associates, 2015) *''The Propagation of Negation Volumes 1 & 2'' CD (Karl Schmidt Verlag, 2017) *Deluxe reissue of ''The Wigmaker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg'' 4 LP box set (Palilalia, 2025)

References

External links

Official To Live and Shave in L.A. WebsiteOfficial TLASILA MySpace ProfileOfficial Laundry Room Squelchers Website
{{Authority control Musical groups from Florida American experimental musical groups Musical groups established in 1993